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Learn Hardcore Afrikaans: Sy beskryf die bordspel. - She describes the board game.

Hardcore Afrikaans
/Playing a board game with friends
/Sy beskryf die bordspel.

Sy beskryf die bordspel.

Word

Sy beskryf die bordspel.

Meaning

She describes the board game.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Afrikaans

Lesson

Playing a board game with friends

Breakdown of Sy beskryf die bordspel.

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Questions & Answers about Sy beskryf die bordspel.

What does Sy mean here, and how do I know it is she and not her?

In this sentence, Sy means she.

That is because it is the subject of the sentence—the person doing the action:

Sy = she
beskryf = describes
die bordspel = the board game

Afrikaans uses sy for both she and her, so you work it out from the sentence structure. If the word is doing the action, it means she. If it is receiving the action or comes after a preposition, it can mean her.

Why is Sy capitalized?

It is capitalized because it is the first word of the sentence.

In the middle of a sentence, it would normally be written sy, unless there were some special reason for capitalization.

What does beskryf mean, and is it related to English describe?

Yes. Beskryf means describe / describes, and it is closely related in meaning to English describe.

The sentence uses the present tense, so Sy beskryf die bordspel means She describes the board game.

Depending on context, English might also translate it as:

She is describing the board game
She describes the board game

Why doesn’t the verb change for she? In English we say she describes, not she describe.

Afrikaans verbs usually do not change according to the subject the way English verbs do.

So you get:

Ek beskryf = I describe
Jy beskryf = you describe
Sy beskryf = she describes
Ons beskryf = we describe

The verb form beskryf stays the same. This is much simpler than English verb agreement.

What does die mean here?

Die here means the.

So:

die bordspel = the board game

Afrikaans uses die as the definite article for both singular and plural nouns:

die boek = the book
die boeke = the books

Unlike English, there is no separate word like the that changes form depending on number or gender.

Why is it die bordspel and not something like the board the game?

Because bordspel is a compound noun in Afrikaans.

Afrikaans often combines two nouns into one word:

bord = board
spel = game
bordspel = board game

This is very common in Afrikaans, just as in German and Dutch. English sometimes writes these as two words, but Afrikaans often writes them as one compound word.

How is bordspel pronounced?

A simple English-friendly guide would be something like:

bord: roughly bort
spel: roughly spell
together: BORT-spell

A few useful points:

r in Afrikaans is usually rolled or tapped more than in most English accents
d at the end of bord may sound slightly softer depending on speech
the stress is usually on the first part: BORD-spel

Is the word order the same as in English?

Yes, in this basic main clause it is very similar to English:

Sy = subject
beskryf = verb
die bordspel = object

So the pattern is:

Subject + Verb + Object

That is one reason this sentence feels quite straightforward to an English speaker.

What tense is this sentence?

This is the present tense.

Sy beskryf die bordspel can mean:

She describes the board game
She is describing the board game

Afrikaans often uses the simple present in places where English might use either simple present or present continuous, depending on context.

Could die bordspel ever mean board games instead of the board game?

Not in this exact form. Here, bordspel is singular, so die bordspel means the board game.

For the plural, you would usually have:

die bordspeletjies = the board games

So the singular/plural difference is shown by the noun form, not by changing die.

Why isn’t there an Afrikaans word for a in this sentence?

Because the sentence is talking about the board game, not a board game.

If you wanted a board game, Afrikaans would use ’n:

Sy beskryf ’n bordspel = She describes a board game

So:

die = the
’n = a / an

Can beskryf also mean to write about or only to describe?

Its main meaning is to describe—to give an account of what something is like.

Depending on context, that could involve speaking or writing, but the core idea is still describing. It does not automatically mean write about. If the sentence specifically meant writing, Afrikaans would usually make that clearer from context or use a more specific verb.

How would I turn this into a question in Afrikaans?

A normal yes/no question would move the verb to the front:

Beskryf sy die bordspel? = Is she describing the board game? / Does she describe the board game?

This is a very common pattern in Afrikaans:

statement: Sy beskryf die bordspel.
question: Beskryf sy die bordspel?

How would I say She does not describe the board game?

You would usually say:

Sy beskryf nie die bordspel nie.

Afrikaans commonly uses double nie for negation:

one nie after the verb
one nie at the end of the clause

So the pattern is:

Sy + beskryf + nie + die bordspel + nie

Is bordspel a neuter, masculine, or feminine noun?

Afrikaans does not use grammatical gender for nouns the way some other European languages do.

So you do not need to learn bordspel as masculine, feminine, or neuter. That makes Afrikaans easier for English speakers in this area.

Could the sentence also mean She explains the board game?

Not exactly as a direct translation. Beskryf is mainly describe.

Sometimes in real context, describing something may feel close to explaining it, but explain is more directly verduidelik in Afrikaans.

So:

beskryf = describe
verduidelik = explain

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