Ek ruik rook in die kombuis.

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Breakdown of Ek ruik rook in die kombuis.

• in: in
• ruik: to smell
• die kombuis: the kitchen

Questions & Answers about Ek ruik rook in die kombuis.

Why is the verb ruik used here and what exactly does it mean?

ruik is the Afrikaans verb meaning “to smell” (i.e. to perceive an odor). It corresponds directly to the English verb smell. You’d use ruik whenever you’re talking about actively detecting a scent:

• Ek ruik vars brood. (I smell fresh bread.)
• Ruik jy die blomme? (Do you smell the flowers?)

What is the difference between rook and reuk? They look very similar.

Although they’re pronounced almost the same, they have different meanings and spellings:

• rook (with “oo”) is the noun smoke, the stuff rising from fire.
• reuk (with “eu”) is the noun smell or odor.
• The verb ruik (with “ui”) is “to smell.”

So in Ek ruik rook you’re smelling smoke (rook), not a smell (reuk).

Why is there no article before rook? Could I say ’n rook?

In Afrikaans, like in English, smoke is an uncountable (mass) noun. You normally omit the indefinite article:

• Ek ruik rook. (I smell smoke.)
  You would only use ’n if you mean a single puff or cloud of smoke, and even then you’d usually add a diminutive:
• ’n rookpluimpie (a little puff of smoke)