Indien ons oplettend bly, vermy ons onnodige risiko.

If we stay observant, we avoid unnecessary risk.

Breakdown of Indien ons oplettend bly, vermy ons onnodige risiko.

• ons: we
• bly: to stay
• indien: if
• oplettend: observant

Questions & Answers about Indien ons oplettend bly, vermy ons onnodige risiko.

What does Indien mean and can I use as instead?

Indien means if and is considered more formal or written. In everyday speech you can replace it with as, but in formal writing indien is preferred.

Why does the verb bly appear at the end of the clause Indien ons oplettend bly?

Because it’s a subordinate clause introduced by Indien, Afrikaans grammar requires the finite verb (bly) to move to the very end of that clause.

Why is ons repeated in both clauses?

Afrikaans requires each clause to have its own explicit subject. Even though it’s the same ons, you must repeat it in the subordinate clause (Indien ons…) and again in the main clause (vermy ons…).

Why does onnodige end with an -e?

Attributive adjectives take an -e ending when placed directly before a common noun (unless there’s a definite article like die). Here risiko is a singular common noun without die, so onnodige gets -e.

Do I need an article before ?