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Learn Hardcore Afrikaans: Die bestuurder rem versigtig. - The driver brakes carefully.

Hardcore Afrikaans
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/Die bestuurder rem versigtig.

Die bestuurder rem versigtig.

Die bestuurder rem versigtig.

The driver brakes carefully.

Breakdown of Die bestuurder rem versigtig.

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Questions & Answers about Die bestuurder rem versigtig.

What does die mean here?

Here, die is the definite article, so it means the.

A useful thing to know is that Afrikaans uses die for:

singular definite nouns: die bestuurder = the driver
plural definite nouns: die bestuurders = the drivers

Unlike English, Afrikaans does not use different forms like the for singular vs. plural, because die works for both.

What does bestuurder mean, and how is it built?

Bestuurder means driver.

It is related to the verb bestuur, which means to drive or to operate/control.
The ending -der forms a person noun here, so bestuurder is literally something like one who drives.

So:

bestuur = drive / operate
bestuurder = driver

Does bestuurder show gender, like driver vs. female driver?

No. Bestuurder is not marked for grammatical gender.

Afrikaans nouns generally do not have grammatical gender the way some other European languages do. So die bestuurder can refer to:

a male driver
a female driver

If needed, the context makes it clear.

Why is it rem and not something like rems or remt?

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

So you get:

Ek rem = I brake
Jy rem = you brake
Hy rem = he brakes
Ons rem = we brake

Unlike English, where you say he brakes with -s, Afrikaans keeps the verb form the same: rem.

Is rem a verb or a noun?

In this sentence, rem is a verb meaning brake.

Afrikaans, like English, can use related forms as different parts of speech in different contexts. But here, because it comes after the subject die bestuurder, it is clearly the action word:

Die bestuurder rem versigtig. = The driver brakes carefully.

Why does versigtig come after the verb?

Because versigtig is describing how the driver brakes, so it functions like an adverb: carefully.

Afrikaans often uses the same word for both:

an adjective: ’n versigtige bestuurder = a careful driver
an adverb-like word: Hy rem versigtig = He brakes carefully

So the structure is:

Die bestuurder = subject
rem = verb
versigtig = manner word, describing the action

This is very natural word order in Afrikaans.

Why isn’t versigtig changed into a special adverb form, like English careful → carefully?

Because Afrikaans usually does not add a special ending like English -ly.

Very often, the same word can be used:

before a noun as an adjective
after a verb to describe the action

For example:

’n versigtige bestuurder = a careful driver
Die bestuurder rem versigtig = The driver brakes carefully

So English changes careful to carefully, but Afrikaans often just uses versigtig.

What is the basic word order of this sentence?

The basic word order is:

Subject + Verb + Adverb

So:

Die bestuurder = subject
rem = verb
versigtig = adverb / description of manner

This is similar to normal English word order in a simple statement:

The driver brakes carefully.

How would I pronounce Die bestuurder rem versigtig?

A rough English-style guide is:

dee buh-STOY-duhr rem fuhr-SIKh-tikh

A few notes:

die sounds like dee, not like English die
ui in bestuurder is a special Afrikaans/Dutch-type vowel and can be tricky for English speakers
g in versigtig is a throaty sound, not a hard English g

You do not need perfect pronunciation at first; being understood matters more.

Would Afrikaans speakers also understand Die bestuurder bestuur versigtig?

Yes, but it means something a little different.

Die bestuurder rem versigtig. = The driver brakes carefully.
Die bestuurder bestuur versigtig. = The driver drives carefully.

So:

rem focuses specifically on the action of braking
bestuur refers more generally to driving

How would I make this sentence negative?

The normal Afrikaans negative uses nie ... nie.

So:

Die bestuurder rem versigtig. = The driver brakes carefully.
Die bestuurder rem nie versigtig nie. = The driver does not brake carefully.

This double nie pattern is a very important feature of Afrikaans.

How would I say The drivers brake carefully instead?

Die bestuurders rem versigtig.

Changes:

bestuurder → bestuurders for the plural drivers
die stays die
rem stays rem, because the verb does not change for plural subjects

So Afrikaans keeps the sentence structure very simple.

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