Die mikroskyfie is klein.

The microchip is small.

Breakdown of Die mikroskyfie is klein.

• klein: small
• wees: to be
• die mikroskyfie: microchip

Questions & Answers about Die mikroskyfie is klein.

What does die mean here?

Die is the definite article in Afrikaans, so here it means the.

A useful thing for English speakers: Afrikaans uses die for all genders and all noun classes. There is no separate the for masculine, feminine, or neuter nouns.

So:

• die mikroskyfie = the microchip

Also, die is used for both singular and plural nouns:

• die mikroskyfie = the microchip
• die mikroskyfies = the microchips

Is die pronounced like the English word die?

No. In Afrikaans, die is usually pronounced more like dee.

So:

• Afrikaans die ≈ dee
• English die = completely different pronunciation

This is a very common beginner mistake, so it is worth remembering early.

What is mikroskyfie? Is it a compound word?