Ek eet min vleis.

I eat little meat.

Breakdown of Ek eet min vleis.

• ek: I
• eet: to eat
• die vleis: the meat
• min: little

Questions & Answers about Ek eet min vleis.

What does min mean in Ek eet min vleis, and how does it work?

min is a quantifier meaning “little” or “not much.” It goes directly before an uncountable noun (here vleis) to express that only a small amount exists. In Ek eet min vleis, it tells you the speaker eats very little meat.

Can I use weinig instead of min?

Yes. Both min and weinig mean “little” when modifying uncountable nouns.

• min is more colloquial.
• weinig is slightly more formal or emphatic.
  So Ek eet min vleis and Ek eet weinig vleis both mean “I eat little meat,” with only a subtle style difference.

What about minder—how is that different from min?

minder is the comparative “less.” Use it when you’re comparing two amounts:

• Ek wil minder vleis eet. (“I want to eat less meat [than before/than someone else].”)
  You don’t use minder to state an absolute small quantity without making a comparison—that’s when you use min.

Why isn’t there an article like 'n before vleis? Could I say Ek eet 'n min vleis?

When you use a quantifier like min, it directly precedes the noun, so you drop the indefinite article 'n. Saying 'n min vleis would sound awkward. If you want to say “a little bit of meat” you use 'n bietjie vleis instead.

What’s the difference between Ek eet min vleis and Ek eet 'n bietjie vleis?

• Ek eet min vleis implies you almost don’t eat meat—it emphasizes scarcity or near-absence.
• Ek eet 'n bietjie vleis means you do eat some meat, a small amount, usually in a neutral or slightly positive sense.

How would I express “I don’t eat a lot of meat” with a more explicit negation?

Use the nie ... nie construction around baie vleis:
• Ek eet nie baie vleis nie.
This literally means “I do not eat a lot of meat,” focusing on the negation rather than using min.

Why is eet in the middle of the sentence, not at the end?

Afrikaans main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule. The finite verb (here eet) must occupy the second position. So:

1. Ek (subject) – first position
2. eet (verb) – second position
3. min vleis (object) – the remainder of the clause