Sy sê dat 'n trui in die lente net so nuttig soos 'n jas in die winter is.

she

Breakdown of Sy sê dat 'n trui in die lente net so nuttig soos 'n jas in die winter is.

• die: the
• 'n: a
• wees: to be

Questions & Answers about Sy sê dat 'n trui in die lente net so nuttig soos 'n jas in die winter is.

Why is is at the very end of the sentence?

Because the clause after dat is a subordinate clause, and Afrikaans usually sends the finite verb to the end in that kind of clause.

So:

• Main clause: Sy sê = She says
• Subordinate clause: dat 'n trui in die lente net so nuttig soos 'n jas in die winter is = that a sweater in spring is just as useful as a coat in winter

This is very similar to Dutch and German word order. In a main clause, you would normally say:

• 'n Trui is in die lente net so nuttig soos 'n jas in die winter.

But after dat, it becomes:

• ... dat 'n trui in die lente net so nuttig soos 'n jas in die winter is.

What does 'n mean, and how do I pronounce it?

'n is the indefinite article, equivalent to English a or an.

So:

• 'n trui = a sweater
• 'n jas = a coat

A very important point: 'n is usually not stressed. In normal speech, it sounds like a weak uh sound, similar to the unstressed a in English about.

Also notice:

• It is always written with an apostrophe: 'n
• If it starts a sentence, the apostrophe stays lowercase: 'n, not 'N