My suster is besig om ’n nuwe hemp en ’n mooi rok te kies.

to be

Breakdown of My suster is besig om ’n nuwe hemp en ’n mooi rok te kies.

• mooi: beautiful
• my: my
• nuwe: new

Questions & Answers about My suster is besig om ’n nuwe hemp en ’n mooi rok te kies.

What does is besig om ... te kies mean exactly?

It is a very common Afrikaans way to express an action that is happening right now.

So My suster is besig om ’n nuwe hemp en ’n mooi rok te kies means that your sister is busy choosing or is in the process of choosing a new shirt and a pretty dress.

In natural English, we often just say is choosing, but Afrikaans often uses is besig om ... te to make the ongoing action very clear.

Why are both om and te used?

After besig, Afrikaans normally uses the pattern:

is besig om ... te + infinitive

So here:

• is besig = is busy
• om = introduces the infinitive phrase
• te kies = to choose / choosing

English usually just has one to, but Afrikaans splits the structure. The things being chosen can go between om and te kies:

• om ’n nuwe hemp en ’n mooi rok te kies

That is normal Afrikaans grammar.

Why is kies at the end of the sentence?