Die metaal is swaar.

The metal is heavy.

Breakdown of Die metaal is swaar.

• wees: to be
• swaar: heavy
• die metaal: the metal

Questions & Answers about Die metaal is swaar.

Why is die used here? Does it mean the?

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

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

• singular nouns: die metaal = the metal
• plural nouns: die metale = the metals

Unlike English, you do not change the word for gender, and unlike Dutch or German, Afrikaans does not have different definite articles like de/het or der/die/das.

Is metaal a common Afrikaans word, and is it related to English metal?

Yes. metaal means metal, and it is clearly related to the English word.

The spelling is a little different:

• English: metal
• Afrikaans: metaal

That long aa is typical in Afrikaans spelling and affects pronunciation.

Why is the sentence order Die metaal is swaar? Is it the same as English?