Die snelweg is besig.

to be

Breakdown of Die snelweg is besig.

• besig: busy
• die snelweg: the motorway; highway

Questions & Answers about Die snelweg is besig.

What does die mean here?

Die means the.

In Afrikaans, die is the normal definite article for singular and plural nouns:

• die snelweg = the highway
• die motors = the cars

Unlike English, Afrikaans does not change the article for gender, so there is no separate equivalent of the for masculine, feminine, or neuter nouns.

Is die pronounced like the English word die?

Yes, very close. In standard Afrikaans, die is usually pronounced roughly like English dee? Actually, no—the usual pronunciation is closer to dee written as dee? Let’s be precise:

In Afrikaans, die is generally pronounced like dee with a long ee sound: dee.

So:

• die = roughly dee
• not like English the
• not like English die with the ai sound

This is something that often surprises English speakers.

What does snelweg mean literally?