Hy wil nou by die eiendomsagent aansoek doen.

he

Breakdown of Hy wil nou by die eiendomsagent aansoek doen.

• nou: now
• by: at
• wil: to want

Questions & Answers about Hy wil nou by die eiendomsagent aansoek doen.

Why is the verb split up as wil ... aansoek doen instead of staying together?

Because wil is a modal verb meaning want to. In Afrikaans, when you use a modal verb, the other verb phrase usually goes to the end of the clause.

So:

• Hy wil ... doen = He wants to do ...
• aansoek doen is the verb expression meaning to apply / to make an application

That is why the sentence is arranged like this:

• Hy = he
• wil = wants to
• nou = now
• by die eiendomsagent = with / to the estate agent
• aansoek doen = apply

This end-position of the main verb phrase is very common after modal verbs in Afrikaans.

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What exactly does aansoek doen mean?

Aansoek doen is a fixed expression meaning to apply or to make an application.

Literally, it looks like:

• aansoek = application
• doen = do / make

So word-for-word it feels like do an application, but in natural English we translate it as apply.

Examples:

• Ek doen aansoek. = I am applying.
• Sy wil aansoek doen. = She wants to apply.

So you should learn aansoek doen as one unit of meaning.

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