Die rekening is laag, maar ons gee tog ’n fooi omdat die kelner vriendelik is.

Die is the Afrikaans definite article, meaning the. Afrikaans uses die for singular and plural nouns, and it does not change for gender.

So:

• die rekening = the bill
• die kelner = the waiter

Unlike languages such as German or Dutch, Afrikaans articles are much simpler.

In this sentence, rekening means bill or check, as in a restaurant bill.

More generally, rekening can also mean:

• account
• invoice
• statement

So the exact meaning depends on context. In a restaurant sentence like this one, die rekening is naturally understood as the bill.

Laag usually means low. Here it describes the amount of the bill, so die rekening is laag means the bill is low or inexpensive.

English might more naturally say:

• The bill is low
• The bill isn’t much
• The bill is small

Afrikaans often uses laag for something low in amount, level, or value.

Maar means but.

It links two contrasting ideas:

• Die rekening is laag = the bill is low
• maar ons gee tog ’n fooi = but we still give a tip

So maar introduces the contrast, just like English but.

Yes, tog is one of those words that can be tricky because its meaning depends on context.

In this sentence, tog means something like:

• still
• nevertheless
• all the same
• even so

So ons gee tog ’n fooi means we still give a tip or we give a tip anyway.

It adds the idea that, despite the bill being low, the speakers decide to tip.

’n is the Afrikaans indefinite article, meaning a or an.

So:

• ’n fooi = a tip

It is always written with a small apostrophe-like mark before the n. A few useful things to know:

• In writing, it is ’n, not plain n
• It is not capitalized, even at the start of a sentence in normal usage; instead, the next word is usually capitalized if needed
• In pronunciation, it is very weak, like a schwa sound

Yes. ’n fooi gee literally means give a tip, and that is a normal Afrikaans way to express tipping.

So:

• ons gee ’n fooi = we give a tip
• om ’n fooi te gee = to give a tip

You may also hear tip in informal speech, but fooi is the standard Afrikaans noun.

Omdat means because.

Afrikaans has both omdat and want, and they are similar in meaning, but they behave differently in sentence structure.

• want keeps normal main-clause word order
• omdat introduces a subordinate clause, and the verb goes to the end

So this sentence says:

• omdat die kelner vriendelik is

with is at the end.

Compare:

• Ons gee ’n fooi, want die kelner is vriendelik.
• Ons gee ’n fooi omdat die kelner vriendelik is.

Both mean We give a tip because the waiter is friendly, but the word order changes after omdat.

Because omdat creates a subordinate clause, and in Afrikaans subordinate clauses the finite verb usually goes to the end.

Main clause:

• Die kelner is vriendelik.

Subordinate clause:

• omdat die kelner vriendelik is

That final is is completely normal after omdat.

This is one of the most important word-order patterns in Afrikaans.

No. Afrikaans adjectives only change form in certain positions.

Here vriendelik comes after the noun with the verb is, so it is a predicative adjective. Predicative adjectives do not take endings.

• die kelner is vriendelik = the waiter is friendly

Compare that with an adjective before a noun, where you often do get an ending:

• ’n vriendelike kelner = a friendly waiter

So:

• after is: vriendelik
• before a noun: often vriendelike

This is standard main-clause word order in Afrikaans.

Afrikaans is a verb-second language in main clauses, which means the finite verb usually comes early in the sentence, typically in second position.

Here the clause begins with the subject:

• ons = we

So the verb comes right after it:

• ons gee

Then the rest follows:

• tog ’n fooi

So maar ons gee tog ’n fooi is the normal order for a main clause.

Traditionally, kelner means waiter, and kelnerin can mean waitress, though kelner is often used more generally in everyday language for restaurant staff.

In modern usage, many speakers use kelner quite broadly, depending on context and personal preference.

So in this sentence, the learner should understand die kelner as the waiter or possibly simply the server, depending on how literally the meaning is being presented.

Yes. That would also be correct.

Compare:

• Die rekening is laag, maar ons gee tog ’n fooi omdat die kelner vriendelik is.
• Die rekening is laag, maar ons gee tog ’n fooi, want die kelner is vriendelik.

The difference is mainly grammatical:

• omdat sends the verb to the end
• want keeps normal main-clause order

In tone, omdat can sound a little more tightly connected to the reason, while want can sound a bit more conversational, but both are very common.

Yes, it is natural. The sentence is built from three parts:

1. Die rekening is laag

   • statement

2. maar ons gee tog ’n fooi

   • contrasting statement

3. omdat die kelner vriendelik is

   • reason clause

So the overall pattern is:

statement + but + statement + because-clause

This is a very useful model for learners, because it shows both normal main-clause word order and subordinate-clause word order in one sentence.