Die aantal is hoog.

The quantity is high.

Breakdown of Die aantal is hoog.

• wees: to be
• hoog: high
• die aantal: the number (quantity)

Questions & Answers about Die aantal is hoog.

What does die mean here?

Die is the Afrikaans definite article, so here it means the.

A useful thing to remember is that Afrikaans uses die for:

• singular nouns
• plural nouns
• all grammatical genders

So unlike some other languages, you do not have to learn different forms like the for masculine/feminine/neuter.

Why is aantal singular even though it refers to more than one thing?

In Afrikaans, aantal is a singular noun meaning number or quantity.

So the sentence is structured like The number is high, not The things are many. Because the subject is die aantal, the verb stays singular: is.

What is the difference between aantal and getal?

Both can relate to number, but they are not used in exactly the same way.

• aantal = the number/quantity of things or people
• getal = a number in a more abstract or mathematical sense

So if you are talking about how many students, books, or cases there are, aantal is usually the natural word. If you are talking about the number 7, odd numbers, or a numerical figure itself, getal is more likely.