sowel ... as

Both ... and: Sowel ... as

Level 4

Sowel X as Y means both X and Y: Die kursus is vir sowel kinders as volwassenes. (The course is for both children and adults.)

How It Works

1. The pattern. Put sowel before the first item and as before the second. Here as is not the as of comparisons; it simply means and in this pair.

  • Sy praat sowel Engels as Xhosa. (She speaks both English and Xhosa.)
  • Die fees is sowel in die stad as op die platteland gewild. (The festival is popular both in the city and in the countryside.)

2. Word order stays the same. The whole sowel ... as phrase counts as one part of the sentence, so the verb still comes second: Sowel my ma as my pa werk in Kaapstad.

3. Everyday alternatives. In relaxed speech, people often say beide ... en or just en: Beide my ma en my pa werk in Kaapstad. Keep each pair together: sowel goes with as, and beide goes with en.

4. X sowel as Y. You will also see sowel as between the two items, meaning as well as: kinders sowel as volwassenes. It is common, but some careful writers see it as influenced by English and prefer to put sowel before both items.

Related pairs: óf ... óf (either ... or), nóg ... nóg (neither ... nor) and nie net ... nie, maar ook (not only ... but also).

Examples (5)

  1. Die kursus is vir sowel kinders as volwassenes.

    The course is for both children and adults.

    Word by Word: The course is for both children as adults.

  2. Sowel my ma as my pa werk in Kaapstad.

    Both my mother and my father work in Cape Town.

    Word by Word: Both my mom as my dad work in Cape Town.

    The whole phrase is the subject, so the verb werk still comes second.

  3. Sy praat sowel Engels as Xhosa.

    She speaks both English and Xhosa.

    Word by Word: She speaks both English as Xhosa.

  4. Die fees is sowel in die stad as op die platteland gewild.

    The festival is popular both in the city and in the countryside.

    Word by Word: The festival is both in the city as on the countryside popular.

  5. Die hotel het sowel 'n swembad as 'n gimnasium.

    The hotel has both a swimming pool and a gym.

    Word by Word: The hotel has both a swimming pool as a gym.

Common Mistakes

  • Using en instead of as after sowel.

    Sy praat sowel Engels en Xhosa.
    Sy praat sowel Engels as Xhosa.

    Sowel always pairs with as. If you want en, use beide ... en instead: Sy praat beide Engels en Xhosa.

  • Mixing beide with as.

    Beide my ma as my pa werk in Kaapstad.
    Sowel my ma as my pa werk in Kaapstad.

    The pairs are fixed: sowel ... as, or beide ... en. Beide my ma en my pa werk in Kaapstad is also correct.

How It Connects

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

sowel ... asLevel 4Both ... and: Sowel ... as

Learn This First

Sowel ... as means both ... and.

Words in This Pattern

sowel