Kom ons kraak dit.
Voegwoorde (conjunctions) are the little words that join two sentences into one, like en (and), maar (but) and omdat (because). The catch: in Afrikaans, the conjunction you pick decides where the verb goes. Learn the three groups below and you’ll stop losing easy marks.
Rules
Group 1: normal word order (en, maar, of, want, dog)
These five words just glue the sentences together. Nothing moves: the second sentence keeps its normal order (subject, then verb).
| Two sentences | Joined |
|---|---|
| Ek speel kitaar. My suster sing. | Ek speel kitaar en my suster sing. |
| Ek wil gaan. Ek het nie geld nie. | Ek wil gaan, maar ek het nie geld nie. |
| Ons bly binne. Dit reën. | Ons bly binne, want dit reën. |
| Kom jy saam? Bly jy by die huis? | Kom jy saam, of bly jy by die huis? |
Dog means “but” or “yet”. It’s a bit formal, and it works exactly like maar.
Group 2: the verb comes straight next (daarom, dus, toe, dan, nogtans, anders, gevolglik)
After these words, the verb comes immediately, before the subject. Think “word, verb, subject”.
| Two sentences | Joined |
|---|---|
| Dit reën. Ons bly binne. | Dit reën, daarom bly ons binne. |
| Die winkel is gesluit. Ons koop môre brood. | Die winkel is gesluit, dus koop ons môre brood. |
| Maak eers jou huiswerk. Jy kan speel. | Maak eers jou huiswerk, dan kan jy speel. |
| Hardloop vinnig. Jy mis die bus. | Hardloop vinnig, anders mis jy die bus. |
| Hy het hard geoefen. Hy het verloor. | Hy het hard geoefen, nogtans het hy verloor. |
| Dit het gestorm. Die wedstryd is uitgestel. | Dit het gestorm, gevolglik is die wedstryd uitgestel. |
If there are two verbs, only the first one jumps forward. The second one stays at the end: Hy het hard geoefen, nogtans het hy verloor.
Group 3: the verb goes to the end
After these conjunctions, the verb runs all the way to the end of its part of the sentence:
omdat, dat, as, wanneer, toe (when), terwyl, sodat, hoewel, voordat, nadat, totdat, sodra, aangesien, indien, mits
| Two sentences | Joined |
|---|---|
| Ek bly tuis. Ek is siek. | Ek bly tuis omdat ek siek is. |
| Sy sê. Sy is moeg. | Sy sê dat sy moeg is. |
| Hy eet. Hy kyk TV. | Hy eet terwyl hy TV kyk. |
| Bel my. Jy kom aan. | Bel my sodra jy aankom. |
| Jy mag gaan. Jy is voor tienuur tuis. | Jy mag gaan, mits jy voor tienuur tuis is. |
If the sentence has nie … nie, the verb goes to the end but stays before the last nie: Ek bly tuis omdat ek nie lekker voel nie.
Separable verbs (aankom, oopmaak, opeet) join up again at the end and are written as one word: Bel my sodra jy aankom.
Two verbs at the end: het … geskryf and wil … gaan
When a Group 3 conjunction sends the verbs to the end and there are two of them:
- With het: het moves behind the ge-word → geskryf het
- With wil, kan, moet, sal, mag: the helping verb stays in front of the main verb → wil gaan
| Two sentences | Joined |
|---|---|
| Sy is bly. Sy het die toets geskryf. | Sy is bly dat sy die toets geskryf het. |
| Hy is moeg. Hy het hard gewerk. | Hy is moeg omdat hy hard gewerk het. |
| Ek spaar. Ek wil Kaapstad toe gaan. | Ek spaar omdat ek Kaapstad toe wil gaan. |
| Sy oefen elke dag. Sy kan die span haal. | Sy oefen elke dag sodat sy die span kan haal. |
Starting with a Group 3 conjunction
You can start the sentence with the Group 3 part. Then the second part starts with its verb, so you get verb, comma, verb in the middle.
| Two sentences | Joined |
|---|---|
| Ek is siek. Ek bly tuis. | Omdat ek siek is, bly ek tuis. |
| Dit reën môre. Ons speel binne. | As dit môre reën, speel ons binne. |
| Hy is moeg. Hy werk verder. | Hoewel hy moeg is, werk hy verder. |
The toe trap: two meanings, two word orders
Toe is sneaky because it has two meanings:
- toe = “then” (what happened next) → Group 2: the verb comes straight next.
- toe = “when” (at the time in the past) → Group 3: the verb goes to the end.
| Two sentences | Joined |
|---|---|
| Ek het geëet. Ek het gaan slaap. | Ek het geëet, toe het ek gaan slaap. (then) |
| Die klok het gelui. Almal het uitgestorm. | Die klok het gelui, toe het almal uitgestorm. (then) |
| Ek het by die huis gekom. Die krag was af. | Toe ek by die huis gekom het, was die krag af. (when) |
| Sy was klein. Sy het in Durban gewoon. | Toe sy klein was, het sy in Durban gewoon. (when) |
Quick test: swap in the English. If “then” makes sense, the verb comes next. If “when” makes sense, the verb goes to the end.
Wenk!
Group 1 is the short list: en, maar, of, want, dog. Learn those five by heart. For any other joining word, ask: does the verb come straight next (Group 2), or does it go to the end (Group 3)?
Watch out for of: when it means “or”, it’s Group 1. When it means “whether” or “if”, it sends the verb to the end: Ek weet nie of hy kom nie.
Common conjunctions at a glance
| Afrikaans | English | Verb goes… |
|---|---|---|
| en | and | normal order |
| maar | but | normal order |
| of | or | normal order |
| want | because, for | normal order |
| dog | but, yet | normal order |
| daarom | that’s why, therefore | straight next |
| dus | so, therefore | straight next |
| toe | then (past) | straight next |
| dan | then | straight next |
| nogtans | nevertheless, still | straight next |
| anders | otherwise | straight next |
| gevolglik | as a result, consequently | straight next |
| omdat | because | to the end |
| dat | that | to the end |
| as | if, when | to the end |
| wanneer | when, whenever | to the end |
| toe | when (past) | to the end |
| terwyl | while | to the end |
| sodat | so that | to the end |
| hoewel | although | to the end |
| voordat | before | to the end |
| nadat | after | to the end |
| totdat | until | to the end |
| sodra | as soon as | to the end |
| aangesien | since, seeing that | to the end |
| indien | if (formal) | to the end |
| mits | provided that | to the end |
Notice that want and omdat both mean “because”, but want keeps normal order and omdat sends the verb to the end.
Common mistakes
Wrong: Ek bly tuis omdat ek is siek.
Right: Ek bly tuis omdat ek siek is.
Omdat is Group 3, so the verb goes to the end.
Wrong: Dit reën, daarom ons bly binne.
Right: Dit reën, daarom bly ons binne.
After daarom, the verb comes straight next, before the subject.
Wrong: Ek is laat, want ek die bus gemis het.
Right: Ek is laat, want ek het die bus gemis.
Want is Group 1: nothing moves. Don’t mix it up with omdat.
Wrong: Hy is moeg omdat hy het hard gewerk.
Right: Hy is moeg omdat hy hard gewerk het.
At the end, het comes after the ge-word.
Wrong: Toe ek by die huis kom, die krag was af.
Right: Toe ek by die huis kom, was die krag af.
When the sentence starts with a Group 3 part, the next part starts with its verb.
Practice
Join the sentences with the word in brackets (verbind die sinne met die woord tussen hakies).
- Ek speel sokker. My broer speel netbal. (en)
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Ek speel sokker en my broer speel netbal.
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Die toets was moeilik. Ek het dit geslaag. (maar)
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Die toets was moeilik, maar ek het dit geslaag.
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Ons bly binne. Dit reën buite. (want)
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Ons bly binne, want dit reën buite.
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Thabo was siek. Hy het nie skool toe gegaan nie. (daarom)
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Thabo was siek, daarom het hy nie skool toe gegaan nie.
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Die winkel is gesluit. Ons kan nie brood koop nie. (dus)
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Die winkel is gesluit, dus kan ons nie brood koop nie.
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Ek het my huiswerk klaargemaak. Ek het TV gekyk. (toe = then)
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Ek het my huiswerk klaargemaak, toe het ek TV gekyk.
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Sipho is moeg. Hy het tot laat gestudeer. (omdat)
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Sipho is moeg omdat hy tot laat gestudeer het.
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Lerato spaar haar geld. Sy kan later ’n fiets koop. (sodat)
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Lerato spaar haar geld sodat sy later ’n fiets kan koop.
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Ek het by die huis gekom. Die krag was af. (Begin met: Toe = when)
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Toe ek by die huis gekom het, was die krag af. (Also right: Toe ek by die huis kom, was die krag af.)
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Dit reën môre. Ons speel binne. (Begin met: As)
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As dit môre reën, speel ons binne.
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
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