Ná ete droog ek die borde af.

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Breakdown of Ná ete droog ek die borde af.

• die: the
• die bord: the plate
• ná: after

Questions & Answers about Ná ete droog ek die borde af.

What does ná ete mean exactly?

It is a time expression meaning after the meal, after eating, or sometimes after dinner/supper, depending on context.

Here, ete is a noun meaning meal, food, or eating. So ná ete is not a full clause like after we eat; it is a compact phrase meaning after the meal / after eating.

Why is there no die before ete?

Afrikaans often leaves out the article in set expressions of time or routine.

So ná ete is a natural, idiomatic way to say after eating / after the meal in a general sense.

If you say ná die ete, that sounds more specific: after the meal, meaning a particular meal already known from the context.

Why does the sentence start with Ná ete?

Afrikaans main clauses usually follow the verb-second rule. That means whatever comes first, the finite verb still has to come second.

So in:

Ná ete droog ek die borde af.

• Ná ete = first element
• droog = finite verb in second position
• ek = subject

That is why it is Ná ete droog ek... and not Ná ete ek droog...