Die kosbak is leeg.

The food bowl is empty.

Breakdown of Die kosbak is leeg.

• wees: to be
• leeg: empty
• die kosbak: food bowl

Questions & Answers about Die kosbak is leeg.

What does die mean here, and is it pronounced like English die?

In this sentence, die means the.

It is not pronounced like English die. In Afrikaans, die is usually pronounced more like dee.

So:

• die = the
• pronunciation: roughly dee

This is a very common beginner point because the spelling looks misleading to English speakers.

What is kosbak? Is it one word?

Yes, kosbak is one word, and that is very normal in Afrikaans.

It is a compound noun made from:

• kos = food
• bak = bowl / container

So kosbak literally means food bowl.

Afrikaans often writes compound nouns as a single word, where English might use two words.

Why is the sentence Die kosbak is leeg and not something with is at the end?