Hy is hier; sy is egter daar.

He is here; she is there, however.

Breakdown of Hy is hier; sy is egter daar.

• hy: he
• sy: she
• hier: here
• wees: to be

Questions & Answers about Hy is hier; sy is egter daar.

Why are hy and sy used here, and what do they correspond to in English?

Hy means he, and sy here means she.

So the structure is:

• Hy = he
• sy = she

A useful extra note: sy can also mean his in other contexts, but in this sentence it is clearly she because it is being used as the subject before is.

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Why is is repeated in both parts of the sentence?

Because each clause has its own subject and verb:

• Hy is hier
• sy is egter daar

In Afrikaans, just like in English, each full clause normally needs its own verb. So you cannot usually leave out the second is here.

Also, is is very convenient in Afrikaans because it stays the same with all persons:

• ek is
• jy is
• hy is
• ons is

So unlike English, you do not need to learn forms like am / is / are.

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What do hier and daar mean exactly?