Breakdown of Ons gebruik ’n rooktoets in die fabriek.
ons
we
die
the
in
in
gebruik
to use
’n
a
die fabriek
the factory
die rooktoets
the smoke test
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Questions & Answers about Ons gebruik ’n rooktoets in die fabriek.
What does ons mean in this sentence?
Ons is the Afrikaans pronoun for we (or us when used after a preposition). Here it’s the subject of the sentence, so it translates as we.
What is gebruik, and why doesn’t it change form?
Gebruik is the verb to use. In Afrikaans, verbs don’t conjugate for person or number in the present tense. So you say ek gebruik, jy gebruik, ons gebruik, etc. The verb form stays the same.
Why is there no “to” or “-en” on the verb like in English (“to use”) or Dutch (“gebruiken”)?
Afrikaans dropped the Dutch infinitive ending -en, so the bare stem gebruik serves both as the infinitive (to use) and as the present-tense form (use/uses). There’s no separate marker like English to or Dutch -en.
Why is there an apostrophe before n in ’n?
The indefinite article ’n (equivalent to English a or an) is a shortened form of een. The apostrophe marks the missing vowel. It’s always written as ’n (with the apostrophe) in Afrikaans.
What does rooktoets mean?
Rooktoets literally combines rook (smoke) + toets (test). So it means smoke test—for example, using smoke to check for leaks or airflow in machinery.
Why is rooktoets written as one word?
Afrikaans tends to form compound nouns by joining the elements directly (no spaces or hyphens). So rook + toets becomes a single word rooktoets.
How do you pronounce gebruik, rooktoets, and fabriek?
– gebruik: [gəˈbrœyk] (roughly “guh-BRUYK”)
– rooktoets: [ˈruxtuːts] (roughly “ROOK-toots,” with a guttural ch for r and k)
– fabriek: [faˈbriːk] (roughly “fah-BREEK,” stress on the second syllable)
Why is it in die fabriek and not just in fabriek?
Afrikaans generally requires a definite article (die) before singular nouns when you mean the factory. So in die fabriek = in the factory. If it were an unspecified factory, you’d use the indefinite article: in ’n fabriek.
Could you say op die fabriek instead of in die fabriek?
You can say op die fabriek only if you mean on or at the factory grounds (for instance, “on the factory premises”). But when you’re inside the building, you use in die fabriek (“in the factory”).
Why is the word order Ons gebruik ’n rooktoets in die fabriek?
Afrikaans follows the Subject-Verb-Object pattern in main clauses. Here:
Subject (Ons) – Verb (gebruik) – Object (’n rooktoets) – Adverbial/Location (in die fabriek). This is the standard, neutral word order.