Gee my nog 'n minuut; ek maak net my jas vas en sluit die hek.

Give me another minute; I am just fastening my coat and closing the gate.

Breakdown of Gee my nog 'n minuut; ek maak net my jas vas en sluit die hek.

• ek: I
• die: the
• my: my
• en: and

Questions & Answers about Gee my nog 'n minuut; ek maak net my jas vas en sluit die hek.

Is Gee here an imperative, and why is there no subject like jy?

Yes. Gee my nog 'n minuut is an imperative, meaning Give me another minute.

In Afrikaans, as in English, the subject is usually left out in commands. So:

• Gee my nog 'n minuut = Give me another minute
• not usually Gee jy my nog 'n minuut

If you add jy, it sounds marked or unusual unless you are stressing who should do it.

Why does my seem to mean two different things in the same sentence?

Because my can be both:

• the object pronoun me
• the possessive my

So in this sentence:

• Gee my nog 'n minuut = Give me another minute
• my jas = my coat

You tell the difference from position:

• after a verb like gee, my is usually me
• before a noun like jas, my is possessive: my

Why is it Gee my and not Gee vir my?