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Learn Hardcore Afrikaans: Die kredietmeter is stukkend. - The credit meter is broken.

Hardcore Afrikaans
/Correcting a municipal utility account
/Die kredietmeter is stukkend.

Die kredietmeter is stukkend.

Word

Die kredietmeter is stukkend.

Meaning

The credit meter is broken.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Afrikaans

Lesson

Correcting a municipal utility account

Breakdown of Die kredietmeter is stukkend.

die kredietmeter

the credit meter

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Questions & Answers about Die kredietmeter is stukkend.

Why does the sentence start with Die?

Die is the Afrikaans definite article, and here it means the.

So:

die kredietmeter = the credit meter

Unlike English, Afrikaans die does not change for gender, and it is used for both singular and plural nouns:

die boek = the book
die boeke = the books

In this sentence, Die simply introduces a specific meter.

What exactly is kredietmeter?

Kredietmeter is a compound noun:

krediet = credit
meter = meter

Afrikaans, like Dutch and German, often joins nouns together into one word. So kredietmeter is written as one single word, not krediet meter.

A learner can think of it as:

credit meter
a meter that works with prepaid credit

Is the word order the same as in English here?

Yes, in this simple statement the word order is very similar to English:

Die kredietmeter = the subject
is = the verb
stukkend = the complement/adjective

So the structure is:

subject + verb + adjective

That is why it feels very familiar to an English speaker:

Die kredietmeter is stukkend.
The credit meter is broken.

Why is is the same as English is?

Afrikaans and English are related Germanic languages, so some very common words look the same. Is is one of them.

In Afrikaans, is is the present tense form of to be used with all persons:

Ek is = I am
Jy is = you are
Hy is = he is
Ons is = we are
Hulle is = they are

So Afrikaans is actually simpler than English here, because it does not change to am/are/is.

What does stukkend mean exactly?

Stukkend usually means broken, out of order, or not working.

It is often used for things that are damaged or no longer functioning:

Die kar is stukkend. = The car is broken.
My foon is stukkend. = My phone is broken.

It can suggest that something is physically damaged or simply not working properly, depending on context.

Why is it stukkend and not a form like gebreek?

Afrikaans often uses stukkend where English learners might expect something closer to broken as a past participle.

There is also gebreek, but it is more closely connected to the verb breek = to break. In everyday speech, stukkend is very common for saying that a device, machine, or object is broken or not functioning.

A rough distinction:

stukkend = broken / not working / damaged
gebreek = broken, especially as the result of breaking

In many everyday situations, stukkend sounds more natural.

Why is there no word for a or an in this sentence?

Because the sentence refers to the meter, not a meter.

Afrikaans has:

'n = a / an
die = the

So compare:

Die kredietmeter is stukkend. = The credit meter is broken.
'n Kredietmeter is stukkend. = A credit meter is broken.

Notice that 'n is written with an apostrophe and is always unstressed in normal speech.

Why is there no ending on stukkend?

Here stukkend comes after is, so it is being used predicatively, not directly before a noun.

Compare:

Die kredietmeter is stukkend.
Here stukkend comes after the verb, so it stays plain.

But when an adjective comes before a noun in Afrikaans, it often takes an -e ending:

die stukkende kredietmeter = the broken credit meter

So:

after is → stukkend
before a noun → often stukkende

How would I say this in the negative?

Afrikaans usually uses a double negative:

Die kredietmeter is nie stukkend nie. = The credit meter is not broken.

Pattern:

nie after the verb phrase
another nie at the end of the clause

This double nie ... nie pattern is one of the most important features of Afrikaans grammar.

How would I turn this into a question?

In a yes/no question, Afrikaans usually puts the verb first:

Is die kredietmeter stukkend? = Is the credit meter broken?

So the statement:

Die kredietmeter is stukkend.

becomes:

Is die kredietmeter stukkend?

This is very similar to English inversion.

How is kredietmeter pronounced?

A rough English-friendly guide would be:

kreh-DEET-may-ter

A few helpful notes:

krediet has stress near the end
ee sounds like the vowel in see
meter in Afrikaans is usually closer to may-ter than English mee-ter

A more approximate breakdown:

kre-diet-me-ter

Pronunciation can vary a little by speaker and accent, but that guide will get you close.

Can stukkend be used for people too?

Yes, but then it is usually more figurative.

For objects:

Die radio is stukkend. = The radio is broken.

For people, it can mean something like:

emotionally broken
exhausted
worn out

For example:

Hy is stukkend na die wedloop. = He is exhausted after the race.

So in your sentence, because the subject is kredietmeter, the meaning is clearly about something not working.

Could I also say Die meter is stukkend?

Yes. If the context already makes it clear which meter you mean, Die meter is stukkend is perfectly natural and means The meter is broken.

Using kredietmeter is just more specific. It tells the listener exactly what kind of meter it is.

So:

Die meter is stukkend. = The meter is broken.
Die kredietmeter is stukkend. = The credit meter is broken.

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