Doubled Words: gou-gou
Double a word with a hyphen to make it stronger or to show repetition: gou-gou (very quickly), kort-kort (every so often).
How It Works
1. Stronger adverbs. Doubling can make an adverb stronger or more lively:
- gou (quickly, soon) → gou-gou (very quickly, in no time)
- nou (now) → nou-nou (in a moment, or a moment ago)
- kort (short) → kort-kort (every so often, again and again)
2. Bit by bit, one by one. A doubled noun or number shows that something happens in portions or turns: stukkie-stukkie (bit by bit), plek-plek (here and there), een-een (one by one), twee-twee (two by two).
3. Doubled verbs describe the manner. A doubled verb stem tells how, or while doing what, the main action happens: Sy het lag-lag gewen. (She won easily.) Hulle het sing-sing gewerk. (They worked while singing.) The doubled word works as an adverb, so the sentence still needs its own main verb.
4. Spelling. The standard spelling always joins the two parts with a hyphen: gou-gou, not gougou or gou gou. See hyphens in compound words.
5. Not a plural. Doubling a noun does not make a plural. For more than one thing, use a plural ending such as boeke. For a gentle manner, Afrikaans also has diminutive adverbs such as saggies, and for a strong adjective it can use intensive compounds such as yskoud.
Examples (6)
- Ek kom gou-gou terug.
I'll be back in no time.
Word by Word: I come quick-quick back.
- Hy kyk kort-kort op sy horlosie.
He keeps looking at his watch.
Word by Word: He looks short-short on his watch.
- Ons het die muur stukkie-stukkie geverf.
We painted the wall bit by bit.
Word by Word: We have the wall bit-bit painted.
- Die kinders het een-een ingekom.
The children came in one by one.
Word by Word: The children have one-one in-come.
- Sy het die wedloop lag-lag gewen.
She won the race easily.
Word by Word: She has the race laugh-laugh won.
Lag-lag literally suggests laughing all the way, so it means with no effort.
- Die pad is plek-plek nat.
The road is wet here and there.
Word by Word: The road is place-place wet.
Common Mistakes
Writing a doubled word without the hyphen.
Ek kom gougou terug.Ek kom gou-gou terug.Doubled words are always written with a hyphen between the two parts.
Doubling a noun to make a plural (intended meaning: I bought books).
Ek het boek-boek gekoop.Ek het boeke gekoop.Doubling does not make a plural. Use the plural ending -e or -s for more than one thing.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Doubling can strengthen a meaning, show repetition or distribution, or describe how an action happens.
Related Patterns
- Hyphens in Compound Words
The hyphen rules that also cover doubled words such as gou-gou.
Level 5 - Intensive Compounds: yskoud, doodmoegYskoud, Doodmoeg: Intensive Compounds
Another way to make a word stronger, as in yskoud and doodmoeg.
Level 4 - saggies/stilletjiesSaggies and Stilletjies
Diminutive adverbs that give a gentle manner, another way to shade an adverb.
Level 4 - baieVery: Baie
The everyday word for very, which strengthens a word without doubling it.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice Doubled Words: gou-gou in Bubblegum
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