Breakdown of Die mense wag rondom die polisiestasie.
wag
to wait
die mense
the people
die polisiestasie
police station
rondom
around; all around
Questions & Answers about Die mense wag rondom die polisiestasie.
Why does die appear twice in Die mense wag rondom die polisiestasie?
Because die is the Afrikaans definite article, meaning the. It is used before both noun phrases:
- die mense = the people
- die polisiestasie = the police station
Unlike English, Afrikaans uses die for:
- singular nouns
- plural nouns
- all grammatical genders
So die can mean both the person and the people, depending on the noun that follows.
Why is it mense and not something like menss or mensen?
Mense is the plural of mens (person / human being). It is an irregular plural, so you just have to learn it as a set:
- ’n mens = a person
- mense = people
This is similar to English, where person becomes people rather than a regular plural like persons in everyday use.
What tense is wag here?