Ek weet
/æk vɪət/word by word
Ek weet is the Afrikaans way to say "I know".
This phrase is used to assert that the speaker possesses an answer or idea.
Meaning: assertion that speaker has answer or idea (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of the personal pronoun Ek (I) and the verb weet (know).
How does it change in a sentence?
To express different tenses, you can modify the phrase. The past tense "I knew" is formed using the auxiliary verb het and the past participle geweet to make Ek het geweet. For the future tense "I will know", add the auxiliary verb sal before the infinitive weet to form Ek sal weet.
How do you pronounce it?
/æk vɪət/
Did you know?
- In Afrikaans, the word weet is used specifically for knowing facts or information, whereas a different verb, ken, is used for knowing people or places.
- The word weet comes from the Proto-Indo-European root weyd, which also gave rise to the word 'video' in Latin, because knowing was historically linked to seeing.
- The phrase Ek weet can be turned into a question by simply changing the intonation, as Afrikaans often avoids using a separate word for 'do' to start questions.
Examples in context
- Ek weet dat sy slaap.I know she is sleeping.This sentence shows how to use Ek weet to express knowledge of someone's actions.Tatoeba #5524804 by CJuser01, translation #308509 by CK
- Ek weet alles van hom.I know everything about him.This sentence uses Ek weet to show knowledge of everything regarding a person.Tatoeba #6456293 by Dewald, translation #3920976 by CH
- Ek weet alles van haar.I know everything about her.Tatoeba #6456292 by Dewald, translation #3920977 by CH
- Ek weet van die geskiedenis van Suid-Afrika.I know about the history of South Africa.
- Ek het kennis van die situasie.I have knowledge of the situation.
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Stefan and Marelize are discussing where to find a lost key.
- StefanWeet jy waar die sleutel is?Do you know where the key is?
- MarelizeJa, ek weet!Yes, I know!
- StefanWaar is dit dan?Where is it then?
- MarelizeDit is op die tafel, Stefan.It is on the table, Stefan.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (ek, weet) and can differ in connected speech.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
