en
And
Use en for and: brood en kaas (bread and cheese), Ek werk en sy studeer (I work and she studies).
How It Works
En means and. It can join single words, groups of words or whole sentences:
- Ma en Pa kom môre. (Mom and Dad are coming tomorrow.)
- Ek wil brood en kaas hê. (I want bread and cheese.)
- Ek werk en sy studeer. (I work and she studies.)
No change in word order. En does not take up a place in the sentence after it. That sentence keeps its own normal order: Ek werk en sy studeer. This is different from words like dat or omdat, which send the verb to the end.
Starting with another word. If the sentence after en begins with a time word or place word, the usual verb-second rule still applies inside that sentence: Ek werk bedags, en saans studeer ek. (I work during the day, and in the evenings I study.) See verb second.
Leaving out a repeated subject. When both parts share the same subject, you can say it once: Ek staan op en maak koffie. (I get up and make coffee.)
En in other patterns. En also joins the parts of numbers from 21: een-en-twintig (twenty-one). See numbers from 21. And it links two verbs in sit en lees (sit reading).
Examples (6)
- brood en kaas
bread and cheese
- Ek werk en sy studeer.
I work and she studies.
Word by Word: I work and she studies.
The second sentence keeps its normal order.
- Ma en Pa kom môre.
Mom and Dad are coming tomorrow.
Word by Word: Mom and Dad come tomorrow.
- Ek staan op en maak koffie.
I get up and make coffee.
Word by Word: I stand up and make coffee.
The subject ek is said only once.
- Ek werk bedags, en saans studeer ek.
I work during the day, and in the evenings I study.
Word by Word: I work by-day, and evenings study I.
After saans, the verb comes before the subject.
- een-en-twintig
twenty-one
Word by Word: one-and-twenty
Common Mistakes
Moving the verb to the end after en.
Ek werk en sy by die universiteit studeer.Ek werk en sy studeer by die universiteit.En does not send the verb to the end. The verb stays second in the clause after en.
Keeping the subject before the verb after a time word that follows en.
Ek werk bedags, en saans ek studeer.Ek werk bedags, en saans studeer ek.The clause after en still follows the verb-second rule. When saans comes first, the verb comes next and then the subject.
How It Connects
Learn This First
En joins two main clauses without changing their word order.
Related Patterns
- ofOr
Of means or and also keeps normal word order.
Level 1 - maarBut
Maar means but and joins sentences the same way.
Level 1 - wantBecause (Want)
Want joins two sentences without changing the word order.
Level 1 - Verb Second After a Fronted Word
After a fronted time word, the verb still comes second, even after en.
Level 2 - Numbers From 21
En joins the ones and tens in numbers such as een-en-twintig.
Level 1 - sit/staan/lê en + VerbSit En Lees: Ongoing Actions
En links a posture verb with another verb, as in sit en lees.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice en in Bubblegum
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