Breakdown of Hulle verkoop halsbande en leibande.
hulle
they
en
and
die halsband
collar
die leiband
lead; leash
Questions & Answers about Hulle verkoop halsbande en leibande.
What does hulle mean here?
Here, hulle means they.
So Hulle verkoop ... = They sell ...
A useful thing to know is that hulle can also sometimes be used in ways related to their in everyday Afrikaans, but in this sentence it is clearly the subject pronoun they because it comes before the verb verkoop.
Why is verkoop the same for they? Shouldn’t the verb change like in English?
No. In Afrikaans, verbs usually do not change according to the subject.
So you get:
- Ek verkoop = I sell
- Jy verkoop = you sell
- Hy verkoop = he sells
- Hulle verkoop = they sell
Unlike English, Afrikaans does not add an -s for he/she/it in the present tense.
Does verkoop mean sell or are selling?
It can mean either, depending on context.
Afrikaans often uses the simple present where English might use either:
- They sell collars and leashes
- They are selling collars and leashes
So Hulle verkoop halsbande en leibande could be understood as a general statement or something happening now, depending on the situation.