A Cup Of: 'n koppie koffie

Level 2

Put the measure word straight before the noun, with no word for of: 'n koppie koffie (a cup of coffee), 'n glas water (a glass of water).

How It Works

1. Two nouns side by side. The measure word comes first and the thing comes right after it:

  • 'n koppie koffie (a cup of coffee)
  • 'n glas water (a glass of water)
  • 'n bottel melk (a bottle of milk)
  • 'n sny brood (a slice of bread)
  • 'n sak aartappels (a bag of potatoes)
  • 'n dosyn eiers (a dozen eggs)

2. More than one. Containers like koppie, glas and bottel take the plural after a number: twee koppies tee, drie glase water, twee bottels wyn. Units like liter and kilogram stay singular: twee liter melk. See measure words after numbers.

3. Adding an adjective. An adjective goes before the second noun: 'n glas koue water (a glass of cold water), 'n bottel goeie wyn.

4. A cup of coffee or a coffee cup? Two words, 'n koppie koffie, means a cup with coffee in it. One word, 'n koffiekoppie, is a compound noun meaning a cup made for coffee, which may be empty.

Tip: Koppie ends in the diminutive -ie. It comes from the Dutch word kop (cup). In Afrikaans, kop on its own means head.

Examples (6)

  1. Kan ek 'n koppie koffie kry?

    Can I have a cup of coffee?

    Word by Word: Can I a cup coffee get?

  2. Sy drink 'n glas water.

    She drinks a glass of water.

    Word by Word: She drinks a glass water.

  3. Ons het twee bottels wyn gekoop.

    We bought two bottles of wine.

    Word by Word: We have two bottles wine bought.

    Bottel takes the plural, but wyn stays the same.

  4. Hy eet 'n sny brood met kaas.

    He eats a slice of bread with cheese.

    Word by Word: He eats a slice bread with cheese.

  5. Gee my asseblief 'n glas koue water.

    Please give me a glass of cold water.

    Word by Word: Give me please a glass cold water.

    The adjective koue goes before water.

  6. Ek het 'n sak aartappels en 'n dosyn eiers gekoop.

    I bought a bag of potatoes and a dozen eggs.

    Word by Word: I have a bag potatoes and a dozen eggs bought.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding van for of.

    Ek wil 'n koppie van koffie hê.
    Ek wil 'n koppie koffie hê.

    Afrikaans puts the measure word straight before the noun. There is no word for of.

  • Keeping the container word singular after a number.

    Ons drink twee koppie tee.
    Ons drink twee koppies tee.

    Containers such as koppie, glas and bottel take the plural after a number.

  • Saying koffiekoppie when you mean a cup of coffee to drink.

    Ek drink 'n koffiekoppie.
    Ek drink 'n koppie koffie.

    'n Koffiekoppie is the cup itself. For the drink, use two words: 'n koppie koffie.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

A Cup Of: 'n koppie koffieLevel 2

Learn This First

A container or measure noun is followed directly by the thing measured.