Die winkelier sluit sy deur tydens die storm.

The shopkeeper closes his door during the storm.

Breakdown of Die winkelier sluit sy deur tydens die storm.

• sy: his
• die deur: the door
• sluit: to close
• die winkelier: the shopkeeper

Questions & Answers about Die winkelier sluit sy deur tydens die storm.

What part of speech is tydens, and can I replace it with in?

tydens is a preposition meaning “during.” It governs a noun phrase (e.g. tydens die storm = “during the storm”). You could say in die storm, but that often implies “in the midst of the storm” (physically inside it). If you want “while it was storming,” you might prefer terwyl dit storm.

Is there a difference between sluit, sluit … toe and toemaak?

All three mean “to close/shut,” but with slight nuances:

• sluit = the basic verb “to close.”
• sluit … toe = adds the particle toe to stress completion, like “shut … closed.”
• toemaak = literally “make … closed,” a common colloquial alternative.
  Examples:
  • sluit die deur = close the door
  • sluit die deur toe = shut the door (more emphatic)
  • maak die deur toe = shut the door (everyday speech)

Why doesn’t Afrikaans use a verb‐second rule like German? If I start with Tydens die storm, does the verb move?

Afrikaans follows a strict SVO (Subject–Verb–Object) order in main clauses. Even with a fronted adverbial, you still do Adverbial–Subject–Verb–Object. So:
• Die winkelier sluit sy deur tydens die storm.
• Tydens die storm sluit die winkelier sy deur.
The verb remains immediately after the subject.