Learn Hardcore Afrikaans: Sy sê haar neus is koud, daarom staan sy langer onder die stort. - She says her nose is cold, therefore she stands longer under the shower.

Sy sê haar neus is koud, daarom staan sy langer onder die stort.

She says her nose is cold, therefore she stands longer under the shower.

Breakdown of Sy sê haar neus is koud, daarom staan sy langer onder die stort.

Questions & Answers about Sy sê haar neus is koud, daarom staan sy langer onder die stort.

Why is there no word for that after sê?

Afrikaans often leaves out dat after verbs like sê (say), especially in everyday language.

So both of these are possible:

Sy sê haar neus is koud.
Sy sê dat haar neus koud is.

The difference is mainly grammatical structure:

without dat: the reported clause keeps normal main-clause word order: haar neus is koud
with dat: it becomes a subordinate clause, so the verb moves to the end: haar neus koud is

So the sentence is completely normal as written.

What is the difference between Sy and haar here?

In this sentence:

Sy = she
haar = her

So:

Sy sê = She says
haar neus = her nose

A useful extra point: sy can also mean his in other contexts, for example sy neus = his nose. So Afrikaans learners often need to look at the grammar, not just the word itself, to know what it means.

Why is sy used again after staan?