Sommige besonderhede is onbekend.

to be

Breakdown of Sommige besonderhede is onbekend.

• die besonderhede: details
• onbekend: unknown; unidentified
• sommige: some

Questions & Answers about Sommige besonderhede is onbekend.

Why is the verb is used even though besonderhede is plural?

In Afrikaans, the present tense of to be is much simpler than in English. You use is with all subjects:

• ek is = I am
• jy is = you are
• hy/sy is = he/she is
• ons is = we are
• hulle is = they are

So Sommige besonderhede is onbekend is correct, even though besonderhede is plural.

What does sommige mean, and does it always go with plural nouns?

Sommige means some.

In sentences like this, it usually refers to some of a group, so it often appears with a plural noun:

• sommige boeke = some books
• sommige mense = some people
• sommige besonderhede = some details

It does not change form for gender or number.

What is the singular of besonderhede?

The singular is besonderheid.

So:

• 'n besonderheid = a detail
• besonderhede = details

This is a useful word pair to memorize because the plural is not just a simple -s form.