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Ek kyk na die hond wat in die tuin speel.

Ek kyk na die hond wat in die tuin speel.
I watch the dog playing in the garden.
FromLesson 12inHardcore Afrikaans

Breakdown of Ek kyk na die hond wat in die tuin speel.

ek
I
die hond
the dog
die
the
in
in
na
to
speel
to play
die tuin
the garden
kyk
to look

Questions & Answers about Ek kyk na die hond wat in die tuin speel.

Why do we say kyk na die hond and not kyk die hond?
In Afrikaans kyk is intransitive: you need the preposition na to introduce what you’re looking at. Combined, kyk na means to look at. So Ek kyk na die hond = I look at the dog.
What does die mean in die hond and die tuin?
die is the definite article (the). Use die when you speak about a specific dog or a specific garden. The indefinite article ’n (a/an) would give Ek kyk na ’n hond (“I look at a dog”).
What is wat doing in this sentence?
wat is the relative pronoun that/which/who. It introduces the clause in die tuin speel, telling us more about die hond: the dog that is playing in the garden.
Why is the verb speel at the end of the clause?
In Afrikaans subordinate clauses (including relative clauses with wat) the verb moves to the end. So wat in die tuin speel follows the pattern COMPLEMENTIZER + other elements + verb.
Why do we use in die tuin and not op die tuin?
in means in/inside, while op means on/top of. Because the dog is inside the garden, we say in die tuin. If something was literally on the garden, you could use op.
What’s the difference between kyk and sien?
kyk = to look (at)/to watch (voluntary action), while sien = to see (perceiving something, involuntary). So you kyk na a movie (you watch it), but you sien a bird in the sky (you happen to see it).
How do I pronounce kyk, hond, and tuin?
kyk is pronounced like English kite but with a final k sound (/keik/). hond rhymes with English pond (/hont/). tuin rhymes with English tine (/tein/).
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