In die oop vrieskas ontdooi die vleis en bederf die kos.

In the open freezer, the meat thaws and the food spoils.

Breakdown of In die oop vrieskas ontdooi die vleis en bederf die kos.

• die: the
• in: in
• en: and
• die kos: the food

Questions & Answers about In die oop vrieskas ontdooi die vleis en bederf die kos.

Why does ontdooi come before die vleis?

Because Afrikaans is a verb-second language in main clauses.

Here, the sentence begins with the place phrase In die oop vrieskas. Once that comes first, the finite verb must come next, so you get:

In die oop vrieskas ontdooi die vleis ...

If you start with the subject instead, you get the more basic order:

Die vleis ontdooi in die oop vrieskas ...

So ontdooi is before die vleis because the sentence does not begin with the subject.

Can I also say Die vleis ontdooi in die oop vrieskas?

Yes. That is also correct Afrikaans.

The difference is mainly focus:

• Die vleis ontdooi in die oop vrieskas = starts with the subject, so the meat is the starting point.
• In die oop vrieskas ontdooi die vleis = starts with the location, so the place is highlighted first.

Both are grammatical.

Does en bederf die kos still have die vleis as its subject?

Yes. In this sentence, die vleis is understood as the subject of both verbs:

• ontdooi
• bederf

So grammatically, it means:

the meat thaws and spoils the food

Afrikaans often leaves the subject unstated in the second part when it is the same as the first one.