Breakdown of Die rugsteunkrag is belangrik.
wees
to be
belangrik
important
die rugsteunkrag
the backup power
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Questions & Answers about Die rugsteunkrag is belangrik.
Why does the sentence start with die?
Die is the definite article in Afrikaans, usually equivalent to the in English.
In Die rugsteunkrag is belangrik, die means the.
A useful thing to know is that Afrikaans uses die for:
- singular nouns: die boek = the book
- plural nouns: die boeke = the books
So unlike English, the article does not change between singular and plural.
What does rugsteunkrag look like grammatically? Is it one word or more than one?
It is one word, and that is very normal in Afrikaans.
Afrikaans often forms compound nouns by joining words together.
Rugsteunkrag is made up of:
- rugsteun = backup / support
- krag = power
So the whole compound means something like backup power or reserve power, depending on context.
English often writes similar ideas as two words, but Afrikaans commonly joins them into one.
Why is it is here? Does Afrikaans use is like English uses is?