Sy werk deeltyds.

she

Breakdown of Sy werk deeltyds.

• werk: to work
• deeltyds: part-time

Questions & Answers about Sy werk deeltyds.

What does sy mean here, and how do I know it means she rather than his?

In Sy werk deeltyds, sy means she.

Afrikaans sy can mean either:

• she
• his

The context tells you which one it is. Here, sy is followed by the verb werk, so it is acting as the subject of the sentence:

• Sy werk ... = She works ...

If sy meant his, you would expect a noun after it:

• sy werk = his work

So the full sentence structure makes it clear that sy means she here.

Why is it werk and not something like works?

Afrikaans verbs do not usually change form depending on the subject the way English verbs do.

In English you say:

• I work
• you work
• she works

But in Afrikaans, the verb usually stays the same:

• ek werk = I work
• jy werk = you work
• sy werk = she works

So werk is the correct form for all of these.