Breakdown of Ek kies kaas en eiers vir ontbyt.
Questions & Answers about Ek kies kaas en eiers vir ontbyt.
Why is the sentence word order Ek kies kaas en eiers vir ontbyt?
This is the normal main-clause word order in Afrikaans:
- Ek = subject
- kies = verb
- kaas en eiers = what is being chosen
- vir ontbyt = prepositional phrase, for breakfast
So the pattern is basically:
Subject + verb + object + extra information
That is very similar to English: I choose cheese and eggs for breakfast.
What does each word do in the sentence?
Here is the job of each word:
- Ek = I
- kies = choose
- kaas = cheese
- en = and
- eiers = eggs
- vir = for
- ontbyt = breakfast
So:
- Ek kies = I choose
- kaas en eiers = cheese and eggs
- vir ontbyt = for breakfast
Why is it eiers and not eier?
Because eiers is the plural form, meaning eggs.
- eier = egg
- eiers = eggs
In this sentence, the speaker is choosing more than one egg, or eggs in general, so the plural is used.
Why is there no word for the or some before kaas and eiers?
Afrikaans often leaves out an article when talking about things in a general way.
So:
- Ek kies kaas en eiers vir ontbyt = I choose cheese and eggs for breakfast
This sounds natural when you mean the foods in general, not a specific cheese or specific eggs.
If you wanted to be more specific, you could add other words, for example:
- die kaas = the cheese
- 'n eier = an egg
But in your sentence, the article is simply not needed.
Why is vir used here?
Vir usually means for.
In this sentence, vir ontbyt means for breakfast.
So it tells you the purpose or meal context:
- Ek kies kaas en eiers vir ontbyt = I choose cheese and eggs for breakfast
This is very close to English usage.
Can ontbyt mean both breakfast and to have breakfast?
Yes. Ontbyt can be used as:
- a noun: breakfast
- a verb: to have breakfast / eat breakfast
In your sentence, it is a noun after vir:
- vir ontbyt = for breakfast
Examples:
- Ontbyt is gereed. = Breakfast is ready.
- Ons ontbyt vroeg. = We have breakfast early.
How do you pronounce kies, kaas, eiers, and ontbyt?
A rough English-friendly guide:
- Ek ≈ ek with a short e like in bed
- kies ≈ sounds somewhat like kees
- kaas ≈ like kahs
- en ≈ like en in pen
- eiers ≈ roughly AY-ers or EI-ers
- vir ≈ often like fer or fur, depending on accent
- ontbyt ≈ roughly ONT-bait
A few helpful notes:
- aa in kaas is a long vowel.
- ei in eiers sounds like the ei/ay sound found in many Afrikaans words.
- y in ontbyt is not pronounced like English y in yes.
Is kies only used for choosing food?
No. Kies is the general verb to choose.
You can use it for many things:
- Ek kies koffie. = I choose coffee.
- Sy kies 'n boek. = She chooses a book.
- Ons kies 'n datum. = We choose a date.
So in your sentence it just happens to be used with food.
Why doesn’t the verb change for I the way English sometimes does?
Afrikaans verbs are much simpler than English verbs. In the present tense, the verb usually does not change much according to the subject.
So you get:
- Ek kies = I choose
- Jy kies = you choose
- Hy kies = he chooses
- Ons kies = we choose
Notice that Afrikaans does not add an English-style -s for he/she/it in the present tense.
That is one reason Afrikaans grammar often feels simpler to English speakers.
Could I also say Ek kies vir ontbyt kaas en eiers?
Yes, you may hear variations like that, especially if the speaker wants to emphasize for breakfast.
But the most straightforward, neutral version is:
Ek kies kaas en eiers vir ontbyt.
That order is natural and clear for learners.
Is there anything special about kaas en eiers as a phrase?
Yes: it is simply a coordinated noun phrase, joined by en = and.
- kaas = cheese
- eiers = eggs
- kaas en eiers = cheese and eggs
Afrikaans uses en just like English uses and.
So this part is very simple structurally: noun + en + noun
Does Afrikaans have grammatical gender or case endings affecting this sentence?
No, not in the way German does.
One reason this sentence is learner-friendly is that the nouns stay simple:
- kaas
- eiers
- ontbyt
They do not change form because of gender or case. Afrikaans has largely lost that kind of system, so you do not need to worry about masculine/feminine/neuter noun classes here.
More from this lesson
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning AfrikaansMaster Afrikaans — from Ek kies kaas en eiers vir ontbyt to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions