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Learn Hardcore Afrikaans: Die getuie skryf daarmee. - The witness writes with it.

Hardcore Afrikaans
/Reporting a stolen wallet
/Die getuie skryf daarmee.

Die getuie skryf daarmee.

Word

Die getuie skryf daarmee.

Meaning

The witness writes with it.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Afrikaans

Lesson

Reporting a stolen wallet

Breakdown of Die getuie skryf daarmee.

with it or that

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Questions & Answers about Die getuie skryf daarmee.

What does die do in this sentence?

It is the definite article, equivalent to the in English.

A useful thing to remember is that Afrikaans uses die:

for singular nouns
for plural nouns
without grammatical gender changes

So die is much simpler than articles in many other languages.

Can getuie refer to either a male or a female witness?

Yes. Getuie can refer to a witness of either sex.

Afrikaans nouns usually do not have grammatical gender, so the noun itself does not change depending on whether the witness is male or female. If that matters, it is usually shown by context or later pronouns such as hy or sy.

Why is the verb just skryf? Shouldn't it change for he writes or she writes?

No. In Afrikaans, verbs usually do not change form in the present tense according to the subject.

So you get:

ek skryf
jy skryf
die getuie skryf
hulle skryf

This is one of the nice simplifications Afrikaans has compared with English.

Does skryf mean writes or is writing here?

It can often cover either idea, depending on context.

The simple present in Afrikaans is quite flexible. It may describe:

a general or habitual action: writes
an action happening now: is writing

If you want to make the ongoing sense especially clear, Afrikaans often uses a form like is besig om te skryf.

What exactly is daarmee?

Daarmee is a built-together form meaning with that or with it.

It is made from:

daar = there / that
mee = a form related to met = with

Afrikaans often uses this kind of form when referring to things, ideas, or situations, rather than using a separate preposition plus pronoun.

Why is it mee in daarmee, not met?

Because in these compound forms, met appears as mee.

That gives you forms like:

hiermee = with this
daarmee = with that / with it
waarmee = with what / with which

So daarmee is the normal correct form, not daarmet.

Could I say Die getuie skryf met dit instead?

Usually, daarmee is the natural choice.

Afrikaans normally prefers these built forms when the reference is to a thing, idea, or situation. So daarmee is what a learner should expect and use most of the time.

A separate preposition is still normal with people:

met hom
met haar
met hulle

You might occasionally hear a separate form in special emphatic or contrastive contexts, but daarmee is the standard everyday pattern here.

Why is the word order Die getuie skryf daarmee?

Because this is a normal main clause, and Afrikaans keeps the finite verb in the second position.

Here the order is:

Die getuie = subject
skryf = finite verb
daarmee = the rest of the clause

So the verb comes second, which is very typical of Afrikaans.

Can I also say Daarmee skryf die getuie?

Yes. That is possible.

If you put Daarmee first for emphasis, the verb still has to stay in second position:

Daarmee skryf die getuie.

That is a very common Afrikaans pattern:

first element
verb second
subject after the verb if something else has been moved to the front

How would I make this sentence negative?

You would normally use Afrikaans double negation:

Die getuie skryf nie daarmee nie.

Afrikaans usually uses:

one nie inside the clause
another nie at the end of the clause

That double-nie pattern is one of the best-known features of standard Afrikaans.

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