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Questions & Answers about Almal eet brood.
What does almal mean, and what part of speech is it?
Almal is an indefinite pronoun meaning everyone or all (of a group). In this sentence it functions as the subject.
Why doesn’t eet change form when the subject is almal?
In Afrikaans the present‐tense verb stays the same for every person and number. You always use eet for “I eat,” “you eat,” “he/she eats,” “we eat,” almal eet, etc.
Why is there no article before brood, and what does that imply?
Here brood is a mass noun used generically (“bread” in general). Generic, uncountable nouns in Afrikaans normally appear without ’n (the indefinite article) or die (the definite article).
Can I say Almal eet die brood? How does that change the meaning?
Yes. Adding die (“the”) makes it specific: Almal eet die brood means everyone is eating the bread (some particular loaf(s) already mentioned), not bread in general.
What about Almal eet ’n brood? What does ’n signify here?
’n is the indefinite article (“a” or “an”). Almal eet ’n brood means everyone is eating a loaf of bread (each person has one loaf).
When should I use almal instead of alle plus a noun (like alle mense)?
Use almal when you don’t need to repeat the noun because it’s clear from context (e.g. Almal is moeg = Everyone is tired). Use alle only directly before a noun: alle mense (all people), alle kinders (all children).
Why is the word order Subject-Verb-Object in Almal eet brood?
Afrikaans main clauses normally follow S-V-O order, just like English. You put the subject (almal) first, then the verb (eet), then the object (brood).
How do I turn this into a yes/no question (“Does everyone eat bread?”) in Afrikaans?
Invert the subject and verb: Eet almal brood? Adding a rising intonation makes it clear you’re asking a question.
How do you pronounce almal, eet, and brood?
- almal: [ˈɑl.mɑl] (“AHL-mahl”)
- eet: [eːt] (“ayt,” like the English word “ate” but with a long e)
- brood: [brot] (“broht,” with the Afrikaans r—a soft, rolled or guttural r)