Die kole is warm.

to be

Breakdown of Die kole is warm.

• warm: hot
• die kole: the glowing coals

Questions & Answers about Die kole is warm.

Why does the sentence start with die? Does die mean the for both singular and plural nouns?

Yes. Here, die is the definite article, so it means the.

Afrikaans uses die for:

• singular nouns: die hond = the dog
• plural nouns: die honde = the dogs

So die kole means the coals. Unlike English, the article does not change for number, and Afrikaans also does not use separate masculine/feminine/neuter articles here.

Why is is used with kole, even though kole is plural? Shouldn't it be something like are?

Afrikaans is simpler than English here. In the present tense, the verb to be is is for both singular and plural.

For example:

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

So Die kole is warm is the normal Afrikaans way to say The coals are warm.

What is the singular form of kole?