Learn Hardcore Afrikaans: Die fabriek hou gewoonlik sy lawaai laag in die nag. - The factory usually keeps its noise low at night.

die is the definite article meaning “the.” It signals that we’re talking about a specific, known factory. If you wanted to talk about any factory in general, you would use ’n fabriek (“a factory”).

Why is sy used here—does it mean “his” or “its,” and why is there no apostrophe?

In Afrikaans, sy is the possessive pronoun for both “his” and “its.” Context tells you that a factory is not a person, so here sy lawaai means “its noise.” Possessive pronouns never take an apostrophe in Afrikaans (only the indefinite article ’n has one).

Why is the verb hou used instead of maak (“make”)?

Here, hou means “to keep” or “to maintain,” so hou … laag means “keep … low.” maak laag would literally mean “make low,” which doesn’t fit this sense of maintaining a low noise level.

How does the hou … laag construction work?

You have hou (the verb “keep”), then the object (sy lawaai), followed by laag (an adjective/adverb). Together hou sy lawaai laag literally means “keep its noise low.” This verb-adverb pairing is a common way to express “keep something at a certain level.”

Why does gewoontlik (“usually”) follow the verb hou instead of appearing at the start?

Afrikaans follows V2 (verb-second) word order. If the subject (die fabriek) is first, the finite verb (hou) must be second, and then adverbs like gewoontlik come after that. If you moved gewoontlik to the front (“Gewoonlik hou die fabriek…”), the verb would still stay in second position, and the subject would follow it.

Why is it in die nag (“in the night”) rather than plural, and could you say snags instead?

Using the singular nag to refer to nighttime in general is perfectly normal in Afrikaans. You can also say snags, an adverb meaning “at night,” for a more conversational style: “Die fabriek hou gewoonlik sy lawaai laag snags.” Both forms are correct.