Breakdown of Sy waarsku ook dat snelheid en lawaai kan lei tot foute.
ook
also
sy
she
en
and
kan
can
dat
that
die fout
the mistake
waarsku
to warn
die snelheid
the speed
die lawaai
the noise
lei
to lead
tot
to
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Questions & Answers about Sy waarsku ook dat snelheid en lawaai kan lei tot foute.
What does Sy mean at the beginning of the sentence?
Sy is the third-person singular subject pronoun in Afrikaans, meaning she. It always starts with a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence, just as I or He would in English.
What is the function and tense of waarsku?
waarsku is the present-tense form of the verb waarsku (“to warn”) for all persons (ek waarsku, jy waarsku, hy/sy waarsku, etc.). Here it means “warns” or “is warning.”
What role does ook play in this sentence?
ook means “also” or “too.” It shows that this warning is in addition to something else she has said or done. Word-order note: in Afrikaans the adverb ook usually comes right after the verb in main clauses (sy waarsku ook …).
What is the conjunction dat doing here?
dat is a subordinating conjunction equivalent to English “that.” It introduces the clause snelheid en lawaai kan lei tot foute as the content of her warning.
Why does kan come before lei, and what tense is that?
kan is a modal auxiliary verb meaning “can” or “may.” In Afrikaans subordinate clauses (introduced by dat), modals stay directly before the main verb. So kan (present tense “can”) precedes lei (“lead”).
What does lei tot mean here?
lei tot literally means “lead to.” The verb lei means “lead,” and tot is a preposition meaning “to.” Together they express “(can) lead to.”
Why are there no articles before snelheid, lawaai, or foute?
Afrikaans often omits articles when talking about general concepts or non-specific items. Here snelheid (speed), lawaai (noise), and foute (mistakes/errors) are used in a broad, non-count sense, so no definite (die) or indefinite (’n) article is needed.
Why is foute in the plural?
foute is the plural of fout (“mistake” or “error”). The warning is that speed and noise can lead to multiple errors, so the plural form is used.
What is the word order in the clause snelheid en lawaai kan lei tot foute?
In this subordinate clause:
- Subject: snelheid en lawaai
- Modal verb: kan
- Main verb: lei
- Preposition + object: tot foute
This order mirrors English in placing the modal before the main verb, but notice everything stays after dat (the subordinating conjunction).
Is there any nuance between lawaai and geluid in Afrikaans?
Yes. lawaai means “noise” (often unwanted or disruptive sound), whereas geluid means “sound” more neutrally (it could be pleasant or simply audible). Here lawaai emphasizes the problematic, noisy aspect.