Breakdown of Die kussing ondersteun haar kop, maar die kombers gee haar die meeste gemak.
die
the
maar
but
haar
her
gee
to give
die kombers
the blanket
die kussing
the pillow
ondersteun
to support
die kop
the head
meeste
most
die gemak
the comfort
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Questions & Answers about Die kussing ondersteun haar kop, maar die kombers gee haar die meeste gemak.
Why do Afrikaans verbs like ondersteun and gee remain unchanged for different subjects?
Afrikaans has completely dropped subject-verb agreement in the present tense. That means:
- You always use the bare stem (infinitive without om) for every person and number.
- There is no -t or -e added for 3rd person singular as in Dutch or English (he supports, hij ondersteunt).
So die kussing ondersteun and die kombers gee both use the same verb form regardless of who or what the subject is.
Why is the verb spelled gee and not geef like in Dutch?
In Afrikaans the verb “to give” is gee (two e’s). Unlike Dutch (geeft for “he gives”), Afrikaans:
- Spells it gee for all persons.
- Does not add an -f or change the ending for the 3rd person.
What role does maar play, and does it affect word order the way some conjunctions do?
maar is a coordinating conjunction meaning “but.” It:
- Joins two main clauses (like English “but”).
- Does not push the verb to the end of the clause that follows.
Example:
Die kussing ondersteun haar kop, maar die kombers gee haar gemak.
You still keep the normal Subject-Verb-Object order in both clauses.
How do you form the superlative “the most comfort” with die meeste gemak, and why is die required?
To say “the most” of something (a noun), Afrikaans uses die meeste + noun.
- meeste is the invariable superlative of “many/much.”
- die is the definite article that makes it “the most.”
You cannot drop die—without it meeste gemak would just mean “most comfort” in general, not “the most comfort.”
Why is it haar kop and not sy kop, and why no apostrophe like in English?
- sy is the subject pronoun “she.”
- haar is the possessive pronoun “her.”
Afrikaans does not use apostrophes for possession. You simply place the possessive pronoun before the noun: haar kop (“her head”).
Why does the sentence use haar again in gee haar die meeste gemak?
Afrikaans uses the same form haar for both:
1) the possessive pronoun (“her head”), and
2) the object pronoun (“give her comfort”).
Context and word order tell you whether haar means “her (something)” or “to her.”
How do you pronounce kussing and kombers?
- kussing [ˈkʏ.sɪŋ] – “kuh-sing,” with a short “u” (like in English “put”) and “ng” as in “sing.”
- kombers [ˈkɔm.bərs] – “kom-bers,” with an “o” like in “cot” and the “e” as a quick schwa.
Double consonants (ss, mm) signal that the preceding vowel is short.