Ek sien die hond se kop.

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Breakdown of Ek sien die hond se kop.

• sien: to see
• die hond: the dog
• se: 's

Questions & Answers about Ek sien die hond se kop.

What is the function of se in Ek sien die hond se kop?

se is the possessive marker in Afrikaans, equivalent to English ’s. It links the possessor (die hond) with the thing possessed (kop), so the phrase literally reads “the dog’s head.”

Why doesn’t se have an apostrophe like the English ’s?

In Afrikaans, se is always a separate word without an apostrophe. Never write hond’s kop—the correct form is hond se kop.

Why isn’t there another die before kop? Why die hond se kop, not die hond se die kop?

When you use se, you only put the definite article (die) in front of the possessor noun (hond). The possessed noun (kop) loses its own article. Saying die hond se die kop would be ungrammatical.

What’s the difference between die hond se kop and die kop van die hond? Are they interchangeable?