hierdie
The English word "this" is translated into Afrikaans as hierdie.
Hierdie is used to indicate a specific person, object or item that is being pointed out or referred to.
Meaning: the thing, item, etc. being indicated (pron)
Which one should you use?
Use hierdie for things that are close to the speaker and daardie for things that are further away.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word hierdie is invariant, meaning it does not change based on the number or the gender of the noun it modifies.
Did you know?
- The word hierdie is a testament to the highly simplified morphology of Afrikaans, which stripped away many of the complex gender and case endings found in its parent language, Dutch.
- In emotional or emphatic speech, an Afrikaans speaker might repeat hierdie to emphasize the specific nature of the object.
- Unlike English, where 'this' can be used as a pronoun on its own, hierdie is almost always followed by a noun or used as a determiner.
Examples in context
- Wie is hierdie dame?Who is this lady?This sentence shows how to use hierdie to identify a person.Tatoeba #5549083 by CJuser01, translation #782798 by Manfredo
- Ken jy hierdie dame?Do you know this lady?This sentence uses hierdie to ask about a person's familiarity with someone.Tatoeba #5549084 by CJuser01, translation #754967 by CM
- Hierdie boks is leeg.This box is empty.This sentence uses hierdie to describe the state of a specific object.Tatoeba #13368803 by Pietpetoors, translation #9180091 by CK
- Dit gaan goed, dankie. En met u?I'm good, thank you. And you?
- 109 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Anika and Stefan are looking at a painting in a gallery.
- AnikaKyk na hierdie mooi skildery.Look at this beautiful painting.
- StefanDit is baie indrukwekkend.It is very impressive.
- AnikaWie het hierdie gemaak?Who made this?
- StefanEk weet nie, Anika.I don't know, Anika.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
