Die feit is belangrik.

The fact is important.

Breakdown of Die feit is belangrik.

• wees: to be
• belangrik: important
• die feit: the fact

Questions & Answers about Die feit is belangrik.

Why does die mean the here? Isn’t die pronounced like the English word die?

In Afrikaans, die is the common definite article, so here it means the.

It is not pronounced like English die. In standard Afrikaans, die is usually pronounced roughly like dee.

So:

• die feit = the fact

Afrikaans spelling often looks familiar to English speakers, but the pronunciation can be quite different.

Is feit related to the English word fact?

Yes. Feit is a close cognate of English fact, and they mean the same thing.

This kind of vocabulary is common in Afrikaans: many words are either Germanic relatives of English words or are borrowed from similar sources, so they can look familiar once you get used to the spelling.

Why is the sentence word order Die feit is belangrik?