Language/Afrikaans/Grammar/Questions

Afrikaans Grammar - Questions

Hi Afrikaans learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will be exploring Afrikaans grammar related to questions. We will go over different types of questions, as well as the syntax and grammar rules.

Consider broadening your understanding by checking out these related lessons: Negation, Nouns, Formal vs Informal Imperatives & Nouns and Gender.

What are questions?

Questions are words or phrases that we use to obtain information, clarification or confirmation.

The two types of questions

In Afrikaans, there are two types of questions: yes/no questions, and open questions. Yes/no questions are those that can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no," while open questions require more detailed answers.

Yes/no questions

Yes/no questions generally begin with a verb, followed by the subject, and end with a question mark. For example:

• Is jy reg? (Are you ready?)
• Het jy ’n hond? (Do you have a dog?)
• Het sy geslaap? (Did she sleep?)

Open questions

Open questions often begin with question words, such as "wie" (who), "wat" (what), "waar" (where), "hoekom" (why) and "hoe" (how). They can be used to gather more detailed information, as well as to keep the conversation flowing.

Some examples of open questions in Afrikaans are:

• Hoe gaan dit? (How are you?)
• Waar werk jy? (Where do you work?)
• Wat is jou gunstelingkos? (What is your favourite food?)

Word order in questions

In Afrikaans, the word order in questions is the same as in statements, with the verb in second position. For example:

• Juliet lees die boek. (Juliet is reading the book.)
• Lees Juliet die boek? (Is Juliet reading the book?)

More complex questions

In addition to yes/no and open questions, Afrikaans also uses more complex questions. These are questions that require more than one answer and are usually structured in such a way that the speaker is seeking more information. For example:

• Waarmee ry jy werk toe, fiets of motor? (What do you use to go to work, a bicycle or a car?)
• Hoeveel geld het jy nodig vir die kostuums, vyf of tien duisend? (How much money do you need for the costumes, five or ten thousand?)

Examples

Let's see some examples of how to use questions in Afrikaans.

Dialogue

• Person 1: Hallo, hoe gaan dit? (Hello, how are you?)
• Person 2: Ek is goed, dankie. En met jou? (I'm good, thank you. And you?)
• Person 1: Ek gaan ook goed, dankie. (I'm also good, thank you.)

• Person 1: Waar bly jy? (Where do you live?)
• Person 2: Ek bly in Pretoria. (I live in Pretoria.)

• Person 1: Het jy ’n koffie bestel? (Did you order a coffee?)
• Person 2: Nee, ek het ’n koeldrank bestel. (No, I ordered a soft drink.)

Table

Afrikaans	Pronunciation	English
Wat is jou naam?	VAT iss yow narm?	What is your name?
Waar kom jy vandaan?	VAHR kawm jy vuhnd-AHN?	Where are you from?
Hoe voel jy?	HOH-uh FOYL yh?	How do you feel?
Hoekom het jy gekom?	HO-yh-kawm het jy guh-KAWM?	Why did you come?
Wanneer begin die film?	WA-nuh buh-KIN dee feelm?	When does the movie start?

Practice, practice, practice!

The best way to improve your Afrikaans grammar is by practicing as much as possible. To find native speakers to practice with, you can visit Polyglot Club and join a language exchange group. Don't be afraid to ask them any questions or doubts you may have! You can also check out the Afrikaans Grammar section on Polyglot Club for more resources and information.

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Sources

• Free Afrikaans Language Quiz - Test Your Language
• Dutch, Frisian and Afrikaans grammar online - Taalportaal
• Afrikaans - Wikipedia

Other Lessons

• Pronouns
• Common Compound Verbs + Conjugations
• Modal verbs (can, must, want and will)
• Formal vs Informal Imperatives
• How to Use Have
• The Rule of “One Knee”
• Future Tense
• Sentence Structure
• How to Use Be
• Gender