Breakdown of Die flitslig is op die tafel.
wees
to be
die tafel
the table
op
on
die flitslig
the torch or flashlight
Questions & Answers about Die flitslig is op die tafel.
Why does the sentence start with Die? Does Afrikaans have gender like de/het in Dutch or der/die/das in German?
Die here is the definite article meaning the.
Afrikaans does not have grammatical gender in its articles the way Dutch or German do. For singular nouns, die is used for all genders:
- die tafel = the table
- die boek = the book
- die man = the man
For plural nouns, die is also used:
- die tafels = the tables
So in Die flitslig is op die tafel, both Die words simply mean the.
What does flitslig mean literally? Is it made of smaller parts?
Yes. Flitslig is a compound noun:
- flits = flash
- lig = light
So flitslig literally means flashlight. This kind of compound formation is very common in Afrikaans, just as in English and Dutch.
Why is it is? Is that the same as English is?