Ons betaal die res.

We pay the rest.

Breakdown of Ons betaal die res.

• ons: we
• betaal: to pay
• die res: the rest or remainder

Questions & Answers about Ons betaal die res.

What does ons mean here?

Ons means we in this sentence.

A useful extra point: ons can also mean us in other contexts, depending on sentence structure. So Afrikaans uses the same form for both we and us.

In Ons betaal die res, it is the subject, so it means we.

What does betaal mean?

Betaal means pay.

Afrikaans verbs are often simpler than English verbs because they usually do not change form depending on the subject. So:

• Ek betaal = I pay
• Ons betaal = we pay
• Hy betaal = he pays

Notice that Afrikaans does not add an -s like English does in he pays.

What does die res mean?

Die res means the rest or the remainder.

• die = the
• res = rest / remainder

So the whole sentence literally matches English quite closely: We pay the rest.

Why is die used here? Doesn’t it look like the English word ?