Die watermeter is buite.

to be

Breakdown of Die watermeter is buite.

• buite: outside
• die watermeter: the water meter

Questions & Answers about Die watermeter is buite.

Why does the sentence start with die?

Die is the definite article in Afrikaans, meaning the.

Unlike English, Afrikaans does not have different forms like the for singular/plural or masculine/feminine. It just uses die in all those cases.

So:

• die watermeter = the water meter

Is watermeter really one word?

Yes. Afrikaans often writes compound nouns as one word, even when English usually writes them as two words.

So:

• water = water
• meter = meter
• watermeter = water meter

This is very common in Afrikaans. English speakers often want to separate these words, but in Afrikaans they are usually joined.

Why is is used here?

Is is the present-tense form of the verb wees (to be).

In this sentence, it links the subject to a place:

• Die watermeter is buite.
• The water meter is outside.

So is works just like English is here.

What does mean exactly?