Die veiligheidshelm is beskadig.

The safety helmet is damaged.

Breakdown of Die veiligheidshelm is beskadig.

• wees: to be
• die veiligheidshelm: safety helmet
• beskadig: damaged

Questions & Answers about Die veiligheidshelm is beskadig.

Why is veiligheidshelm written as one word?

Because Afrikaans, like Dutch and German, very often writes compound nouns as a single word.

• veiligheid = safety
• helm = helmet

So veiligheidshelm literally means safety helmet.

The -s- in the middle is a linking sound that often appears in compounds. You do not normally write it as veiligheid helm with a space.

What does die mean here?

Die means the.

In Afrikaans, die is the common definite article. Unlike English, it does not change for gender, and unlike many other languages, you do not have to learn separate forms like masculine or feminine.

So:

• die veiligheidshelm = the safety helmet

Also, die is used for plural the as well, depending on context.

Is Afrikaans word order the same as English in this sentence?

Yes, in this simple statement it is very similar to English:

• Die veiligheidshelm = subject
• is = verb
• beskadig = complement

So the structure is:

The safety helmet + is + damaged

That makes this sentence quite straightforward for an English speaker.