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Questions & Answers about Jou advies is nuttig.
What does jou mean in this sentence?
jou is the second-person singular possessive pronoun (“your”). In Afrikaans it’s invariable: whether it’s subject or object, singular or plural, you always write jou for “your.”
How do you pronounce Jou advies is nuttig?
A rough phonetic guide:
- jou = /jɔu/ (like English “yow” in “cow,” but start with a y-sound)
- advies = /ɑdˈvis/ (stress on the second syllable: ahd-VEES)
- is = /ɪs/ (as in English “is”)
- nuttig = /ˈnʏ.tix/ or /ˈnʊ.tix/ (two syllables: NOOT-tich, the final g is a voiceless fricative like ch in “loch”)
Why isn’t there an article (a/an or the) before advies?
advies (“advice”) is treated as an uncountable noun in Afrikaans, just like in English. Uncountable nouns normally appear without an indefinite article (a/an). You could add die (“the”) if you want to say “the advice,” e.g. Jou advies is die nuttigste (“Your advice is the most useful”).
Why does the adjective nuttig come after is and why doesn’t it have an –e ending?
After a linking verb like is, adjectives in Afrikaans stay in their base form and follow the verb. That’s called the “predicate” position. If you use an adjective before a noun (the “attributive” position), it takes an –e ending:
- Predicate: Jou advies is nuttig. (“Your advice is useful.”)
- Attributive: nuttige advies or more commonly nuttige raad (“useful advice”).
Can advies be pluralized or take different gender forms?
No. Afrikaans has eliminated grammatical gender. advies is always singular and uncountable, so you won’t see a plural form. You simply treat it like English “advice.”
How would I ask the question “Is your advice useful?” in Afrikaans?
You invert the subject and verb: Is jou advies nuttig?
How do I say “Your advice was useful” (i.e. past tense)?
Use the past-tense form of is, which is was: Jou advies was nuttig.
How can I emphasize that the advice is “very useful”?
Add an intensifier like baie (“very”) before the adjective:
Jou advies is baie nuttig.