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Ek sluit die hek voordat ek gaan slaap.

Ek sluit die hek voordat ek gaan slaap.
I close the gate before I go to sleep.
FromLesson 12inHardcore Afrikaans

Breakdown of Ek sluit die hek voordat ek gaan slaap.

ek
I
die
the
voordat
before
sluit
to close
gaan slaap
to go to sleep
die hek
the gate

Questions & Answers about Ek sluit die hek voordat ek gaan slaap.

Why does the clause introduced by voordat place the verb at the very end?
In Afrikaans, any subordinate clause that begins with a conjunction like voordat, nadat, terwyl, etc., follows a verb‐final (SOV) word order. That means the conjugated verb (and any verb particles) go to the very end of the clause. In your sentence voordat ek gaan slaap, both parts of the verb compound gaan slaap appear after the subject ek.
Why is ek sluit in the present tense instead of using a future tense like sal?

Afrikaans often uses the simple present for routines or habitual actions.
• Ek sluit die hek voordat ek gaan slaap describes a regular nightly habit.
If you want to talk about a single future event rather than a routine, you can add a future auxiliary:
• Ek sal vanaand die hek sluit voordat ek gaan slaap.

What’s the difference between voordat and voor?

• voordat is a conjunction meaning before that must be followed by a full clause (subject + verb).
• voor is primarily a preposition meaning in front of, though it can sometimes be used colloquially for before in time.
In standard Afrikaans you use voordat to introduce a time‐clause. You might hear Ek sluit die hek vor ek slaap in casual speech, but voordat ek slaap is the correct form in writing and careful speech.

Do I need to add dat after voordat, like voordat dat ek…?
No. voordat already functions as the full conjunction. You never say voordat dat in Afrikaans.
Why do you use gaan slaap instead of just slaap?

In Afrikaans, gaan + infinitive expresses an imminent or intended action—similar to English “going to.”
• Ek slaap = I sleep (state or habit)
• Ek gaan slaap = I’m going to sleep (about to start sleeping)

How would the word order change if I started the sentence with the voordat clause?

When a subordinate clause leads off, it stays verb‐final, and the main clause keeps the verb‐second (V2) rule.
Voordat ek gaan slaap, sluit ek die hek.
Here sluit comes immediately after the comma, because in the main clause the conjugated verb must occupy the second position.

Do I need te before the infinitive slaap, like in Dutch (te slapen)?
No. Unlike Dutch, Afrikaans does not use te before an infinitive. You simply say gaan slaap, not gaan te slaap.
How can I express I will close the gate before I go to sleep tonight in Afrikaans?

You have two natural options:

  1. Using sal for the future:
    Ek sal vanaand die hek sluit voordat ek gaan slaap.
  2. Using gaan
    • infinitive as a near‐future marker:
      Ek gaan vanaand die hek sluit voordat ek slaap.

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