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Die besonderhede is in die verklaring.

Die besonderhede is in die verklaring.
The details are in the statement.
From Lesson 39:Reporting a stolen wallet·Hardcore Afrikaans

Breakdown of Die besonderhede is in die verklaring.

wees
to be
in
in
die verklaring
statement; declaration
die besonderhede
details

Questions & Answers about Die besonderhede is in die verklaring.

Is die at the beginning pronounced like the English verb die?
No. In Afrikaans, die here is usually pronounced like dee. It means the, not the English verb to die.
What does die mean here, and why does it appear twice?

Die means the. It appears twice because there are two separate noun phrases:

  • die besonderhede = the details
  • die verklaring = the statement / declaration

Afrikaans uses die as the definite article for both singular and plural nouns.

Is besonderhede singular or plural?

It is plural. The singular form is besonderheid.

So:

  • besonderheid = detail / particular
  • besonderhede = details / particulars
Why is the verb is used if besonderhede is plural?

Because Afrikaans does not split the present tense of to be into am / is / are the way English does. In the present tense, Afrikaans uses is for all persons and numbers:

  • ek is
  • jy is
  • hy is
  • ons is
  • julle is
  • hulle is

So Die besonderhede is ... is completely correct, even though besonderhede is plural.

What exactly does verklaring mean?
Verklaring can mean statement, declaration, or sometimes explanation, depending on the context. In this sentence, statement or declaration is the most likely meaning.
Is the word order in this sentence different from English?

Not here. This sentence follows a very familiar pattern:

  • Die besonderhede = subject
  • is = verb
  • in die verklaring = prepositional phrase

So the structure is basically subject + verb + prepositional phrase, much like English.

Is besonderhede related to besonder?

Yes. They belong to the same word family.

  • besonder often means particular, special, or specific
  • besonderhede means details / particulars

So you can think of besonderhede as the specific particulars of something.

Could I leave out one of the die words?

Normally, no. Each definite noun phrase needs its own article here:

  • die besonderhede
  • die verklaring

So Die besonderhede is in die verklaring is the natural full form.

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