Die probleem ontstaan by die naat.

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Breakdown of Die probleem ontstaan by die naat.

• die probleem: the problem
• die naat: seam
• ontstaan: to arise; come into being

Questions & Answers about Die probleem ontstaan by die naat.

Why is die used twice in Die probleem ontstaan by die naat?

Because Afrikaans uses die as the definite article for all genders and for both singular and plural in most ordinary cases.

So in this sentence:

• die probleem = the problem
• die naat = the seam

English also uses the more than once when there are two definite nouns, so this is not unusual once you get used to it.

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Does Afrikaans have grammatical gender here? Is probleem masculine or feminine?

No. Afrikaans does not assign grammatical gender to nouns the way languages like German or Dutch do.

That means:

• probleem is not masculine or feminine
• naat is not masculine or feminine
• the article stays die either way

This is one reason Afrikaans grammar is often simpler for English speakers than Dutch or German.

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What exactly is ontstaan doing in this sentence?