| Grammar Notes: Lesson on the Sentence: "Almal is 'n maan en het 'n donker kant wat hy nooit aan enigiemand wys nie." – Mark Twain ### Sentence Breakdown 1. Almal (ahl-mahl) - Almal: This means "everyone" or "all." It is a pronoun. 2. is (is) - is: This is the present tense of the verb "to be." 3. 'n (uh) - 'n: This is the indefinite article "a" or "an." 4. maan (mahn) - maan: This means "moon." It is a noun. 5. en (en) - en: This means "and." It is a conjunction. 6. het (het) - het: This is the present tense of the verb "to have." 7. 'n (uh) - 'n: This is the indefinite article "a" or "an." 8. donker (dohn-ker) - donker: This means "dark." It is an adjective. 9. kant (kahnt) - kant: This means "side." It is a noun. 10. wat (vaht) - wat: This means "that" or "which." It is a relative pronoun. 11. hy (hay) - hy: This means "he." It is a pronoun. 12. nooit (noyt) - nooit: This means "never." 13. aan (ahn) - aan: This means "to" or "towards." It is a preposition. 14. enigiemand (eh-nee-gee-mahnd) - enigiemand: This means "anyone." 15. wys (vays) - wys: This is the verb "to show" in its base form. The infinitive form is wys. 16. nie (nee) - nie: This is used to indicate negation, often found at the end of a sentence to complete the negation started earlier with "nooit." ### Combined Translation The sentence "Almal is 'n maan en het 'n donker kant wat hy nooit aan enigiemand wys nie." translates to "Everyone is a moon and has a dark side that he never shows to anyone." - Almal is 'n maan: Everyone is a moon - en het 'n donker kant: and has a dark side - wat hy nooit aan enigiemand wys nie: that he never shows to anyone ### General Grammar Tip Afrikaans negation often uses a double negative structure. The first negation (e.g., "nooit") usually appears early in the sentence, while the second negation ("nie") appears at the end. This structure is essential for correct negative sentences. ### Related Words 1. kant (kahnt): side - Example: Sy het 'n goeie kant en 'n slegte kant - "She has a good side and a bad side." 2. wys (vays): to show - Example: Hy wil sy kuns aan die wêreld wys - "He wants to show his art to the world." 3. donker (dohn-ker): dark - Example: Die donker nag is vol sterre - "The dark night is full of stars." |
