Word
Diefstal veroorsaak probleme.
Meaning
Theft causes problems.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Diefstal veroorsaak probleme.
die probleem
the problem
die diefstal
theft
veroorsaak
to cause
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Questions & Answers about Diefstal veroorsaak probleme.
Why is there no article before diefstal?
Because diefstal is being used in a general, abstract sense: theft as a concept.
Afrikaans often leaves out the article when talking about something in general, especially with abstract nouns. So:
- Diefstal veroorsaak probleme. = Theft causes problems.
- Die diefstal veroorsaak probleme. = The theft causes problems.
The second sentence refers to a specific theft, while the original sentence talks about theft in general.
What does veroorsaak mean, and what form is it here?
Veroorsaak means cause or to cause.
In this sentence, it is the main verb in the present tense:
- Diefstal = subject
- veroorsaak = verb
- probleme = object
One helpful thing in Afrikaans is that verbs usually do not change form depending on the subject the way they do in English. So you get:
- Ek veroorsaak
- Jy veroorsaak
- Hy veroorsaak
- Diefstal veroorsaak
The verb stays veroorsaak.
Is the word order in this sentence normal Afrikaans word order?