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Learn Hardcore Afrikaans: Die kers is klein. - The candle is small.

Hardcore Afrikaans
/Preparing for load shedding
/Die kers is klein.

Die kers is klein.

Die kers is klein.

The candle is small.

Breakdown of Die kers is klein.

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Questions & Answers about Die kers is klein.

What does die mean here?

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

A useful thing to know is that Afrikaans uses die very broadly:

die kers = the candle
die kerse = the candles

Unlike some other languages, Afrikaans does not change the definite article for grammatical gender.

Is kers singular even though it ends in -s?

Yes. Kers is singular.

That can feel unusual to an English speaker, because English words ending in -s are often plural. In Afrikaans, though, a singular noun can naturally end in -s.

The plural of kers is kerse:

die kers = the candle
die kerse = the candles

Why is is the same as in English?

Is is the present-tense form of to be in Afrikaans, from the infinitive wees.

In the present tense, Afrikaans uses is for all persons:

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

So Die kers is klein has a very familiar structure for English speakers.

Is the word order the same as in English?

Yes, in this simple sentence it is very similar to English:

Die kers = subject
is = verb
klein = adjective/complement

So the pattern is:

subject + is + adjective

That is why the sentence feels quite straightforward.

Can klein also go before kers?

Yes.

die klein kers = the small candle

That is different from:

Die kers is klein = The candle is small

So:

die klein kers uses klein directly before the noun
Die kers is klein uses klein after is to describe the noun

Both are correct; they just have different sentence structures.

How do I make this sentence negative?

You usually use the Afrikaans double negative:

Die kers is nie klein nie.

A simple way to think about it is:

put one nie after the verb
put another nie at the end of the clause

This double-nie pattern is very common in standard Afrikaans.

How do I turn it into a question?

For a yes/no question, you usually put the verb first:

Is die kers klein?

This is similar to English Is the candle small?

So the statement:

Die kers is klein.

becomes the question:

Is die kers klein?

How would I say A candle is small instead?

You would use the indefinite article 'n:

'n Kers is klein.

A very important writing point:

'n stays lowercase, even at the beginning of a sentence

So you write:

'n Kers is klein.

not:

'N kers is klein

How would I say The candles are small?

Die kerse is klein.

Notice two things:

kers becomes kerse
is stays is

So even with a plural subject, Afrikaans still uses is in the present tense.

How is Die kers is klein pronounced?

A rough English-friendly guide is:

dee kers iss klayn

Word by word:

die ≈ dee
kers ≈ kers / kehrs
is ≈ iss
klein ≈ klayn or kline

This is only an approximation, but it is a good starting point for a learner.

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