Die veiligheidsbeampte lees die noodprosedure.

The safety officer reads the emergency procedure.

Breakdown of Die veiligheidsbeampte lees die noodprosedure.

• lees: to read
• die veiligheidsbeampte: safety officer
• die noodprosedure: emergency procedure

Questions & Answers about Die veiligheidsbeampte lees die noodprosedure.

What does die mean here, and why is it used twice?

Die means the in Afrikaans, so the sentence is literally The safety officer reads the emergency procedure.

It appears twice because there are two definite nouns:

• die veiligheidsbeampte = the safety officer
• die noodprosedure = the emergency procedure

A helpful point for English speakers: Afrikaans uses die for all definite nouns in standard usage here. It does not change for gender the way articles do in some other languages.

Why is the word order so similar to English?

Because this is a simple main clause, Afrikaans uses the normal subject–verb–object order here:

• Die veiligheidsbeampte = subject
• lees = verb
• die noodprosedure = object

So the structure is:

The safety officer + reads + the emergency procedure

That is one reason basic Afrikaans sentences can feel quite approachable for English speakers.

Why is lees just lees? Shouldn’t it change depending on the subject?