Die vlam is gevaarlik.

The flame is dangerous.

Breakdown of Die vlam is gevaarlik.

• wees: to be
• gevaarlik: dangerous
• die vlam: the flame

Questions & Answers about Die vlam is gevaarlik.

What does die mean here?

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

Afrikaans uses die for:

• singular nouns: die vlam = the flame
• plural nouns: die vlamme = the flames

Unlike languages such as German or Dutch, Afrikaans does not have different forms of the for grammatical gender.

Why is it die and not 'n?

Because die means the, while 'n means a/an.

So:

• Die vlam is gevaarlik = The flame is dangerous
• 'n Vlam is gevaarlik = A flame is dangerous

Use die when you mean a specific flame, and 'n when you mean any flame in general.

Does vlam have grammatical gender?