As daar skade is, meld die huurder die skade aan.

If there is damage, the tenant reports the damage.

Breakdown of As daar skade is, meld die huurder die skade aan.

• wees: to be
• as: if
• daar: there
• die huurder: the tenant

Questions & Answers about As daar skade is, meld die huurder die skade aan.

Why does the sentence start with As?

As means if in this sentence. It introduces a condition:

• As daar skade is = If there is damage

In Afrikaans, it is very common to begin a sentence with a condition like this and then put the main clause after a comma.

What does daar mean here? Is it the same as English there?

Yes, this daar works a lot like the there in English sentences such as there is or there are.

So:

• daar is skade = there is damage

This is not mainly about location. It is an existential daar, used to say that something exists or is present.

Why is the word order As daar skade is and not something like As is daar skade?

Afrikaans subordinate clauses usually send the finite verb to the end. Because As introduces a subordinate clause, the verb is comes after the rest of the clause:

• As daar skade is

Compare the normal main-clause order:

• Daar is skade

So the clause changes from main-clause order to subordinate-clause order after As.