Language/Afrikaans/Grammar/Gender

Afrikaans Grammar - Gender

Hi Afrikaans learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about gender in Afrikaans. Gender is an important aspect of Afrikaans Grammar as it affects the use of words in sentences. Understanding gender is crucial for forming effective and grammatically correct sentences. In Afrikaans, there are two grammatical genders: masculine and feminine. Let's get started!

Finish this lesson and explore these related pages: 0 to A1 Course & The Rule of “Two Knees”.

What is Gender in Afrikaans?

In Afrikaans, gender is the classification of nouns as either masculine or feminine. This classification is based on the meaning of the words, and not the physical gender of the objects they refer to.

For example:

• "Die man (masculine) drink 'n koffie" (The man is drinking a coffee).
• "Die vrou (feminine) drink 'n tee" (The woman is drinking a tea).

As you can see, the choice of the article "die" (the) depends on whether the noun is masculine or feminine. We will discuss articles in more detail later in the lesson.

Gender of Nouns

In Afrikaans, the gender of a noun is indicated by its ending. Although there are some exceptions, the majority of Afrikaans nouns can be classified as either masculine or feminine based on their endings.

Masculine Nouns

Masculine nouns usually end in -er, -aar, or a consonant.

Examples:

Afrikaans	Pronunciation	English
man	/mɑn/	man
dokter	/dɔk'ter/	doctor
leër	/leɪr/	army
boer	/buər/	farmer

Feminine Nouns

Feminine nouns usually end in -ie, -heid, -nis, -ing, -s, or -te.

Examples:

Afrikaans	Pronunciation	English
vrou	/frɔu/	woman
streek	/stri:k/	region
vriendskap	/frɛnts.kɑp/	friendship
verantwoordelikheid	/fɛrɑnt'vʊr.təlɪk.heit/	responsibility

Articles

In Afrikaans, the article used in front of a noun depends on the noun's gender. The definite article for masculine nouns is "die" (the), while the definite article for feminine nouns is "die" (the) or "-'n" (a/an). The choice between "die" and "-'n" depends on the context.

Examples:

Afrikaans	Pronunciation	English
Die man eet 'n broodjie.	/di mɑn it ən brɔədjɪ/	The man is eating a sandwich.
Die vrou eet die broodjie.	/di frɔu it di brɔədjɪ/	The woman is eating the sandwich.
'n Vriendskap kan baie beteken.	/ən frɛnts.kɑp kan baj ˈbɛ.tɪ.kən/	A friendship can mean a lot.

Note: The indefinite article " 'n " is used for both masculine and feminine nouns. The use of " 'n " depends on the context.

Adjectives

In Afrikaans, adjectives change form depending on the gender of the noun they describe. For masculine nouns, adjectives end in -e, while for feminine nouns, adjectives end in -e, -te, or -se.

Examples:

Afrikaans	Pronunciation	English
'n Gevaarlike man	/ən xiˈfɑr.lə.kə mɑn/	A dangerous man
'n Gevaarlike vrou	/ən xiˈfɑr.lə.kə frɔu /	A dangerous woman
Die sterk leërman	/di stɛrk leɪr.mɑn/	The strong army man
Die sterk leërsvrou	/di stɛrk leɪr.sfrɔu/	The strong army woman

Dialogue

Let's practice using gender in Afrikaans in a dialogue:

• Person 1: Hallo, ek is 'n nuwe student. (Hello, I am a new student.)
• Person 2: Hallo, ek is Nico. Wat studeer jy? (Hello, I am Nico. What are you studying?)
• Person 1: Ek studeer musiek. (I am studying music.)
• Person 2: Interessant! Ek studeer ingenieurswese. (Interesting! I am studying engineering.)
• Person 1: Het jy 'n suster of broer? (Do you have a sister or brother?)
• Person 2: Ja, ek het 'n suster en 'n broer. (Yes, I have a sister and a brother.)
• Person 1: Wat doen jou suster? (What does your sister do?)
• Person 2: Sy is 'n onderwyseres. (She is a teacher.)

Tips

To improve your Afrikaans Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• How did Afrikaans lose its grammatical gender? - Quora
• Afrikaans grammar - Wikipedia

Other Lessons

• Future Tense
• Negation
• Questions
• Common Compound Verbs + Conjugations
• Pronouns
• How to Use Have
• Definite article
• Sentence Structure
• Conditional Mood