waar is jy?
The English phrase "where are you?" is translated into Afrikaans as waar is jy?
This phrase is a question used to ask for someone's current physical location.
Which one should you use?
Use waar is jy? for a single person, while waar is julle? is used when asking where a group of people is. For formal situations, the pronoun changes to waar is u?
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes based on the pronoun: jy is used for a single person, u is the formal singular pronoun and julle is the plural pronoun used when addressing a group.
Did you know?
- The Afrikaans word waar is a homonym with two entirely different meanings. Depending on the context, it can mean 'where' or it can mean 'true'.
- While waar is jy? asks for a location, adding the word nou creates waar is jy nou?, which is frequently used as a rhetorical expression of disbelief or shock.
- The word waar is a direct descendant of the Old Dutch *war, meaning it shares an ancient, common root with the English 'where'.
Examples in context
- Verskoon my, waar is jy?Excuse me, where are you?
- Hallo maat, waar's jy?Hey buddy, where are you?
- Ek kan jou nie kry nie, waar is jy?I can't find you, where are you?
Example conversation
Andries is looking for Marelize at a busy shopping center.
- AndriesMarelize, waar is jy?Marelize, where are you?
- MarelizeEk is naby die kosafdeling.I am near the food section.
- AndriesEk sien jou nie nie.I do not see you.
- MarelizeEk staan reg hier by die ingang.I am standing right here by the entrance.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries jy, waar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
