Fronting a Topic and Afterthoughts
Name the topic, then pick it up with a pronoun: Daardie man, hy werk saam met my. Or add it at the end: Hy is baie slim, daardie kind.
How It Works
1. Fronting a topic. The speaker first names what they want to talk about, pauses, and then says a normal sentence in which a pronoun points back to it:
- Daardie man, hy werk saam met my. (That man, he works with me.)
- Jou suster, ek het haar gister in die dorp gesien. (Your sister, I saw her in town yesterday.)
The pronoun takes the form its job needs: hy as a subject, haar or hom as an object (see object pronouns).
2. Afterthoughts. A sentence starts with a pronoun, and the speaker adds at the end who or what they mean:
- Hy is baie slim, daardie kind. (He's very clever, that child.)
- Dis baie lekker, hierdie koffie. (It's really nice, this coffee.)
3. Matching the pronoun. Use hulle for plural nouns. For things, speakers often use hy (see hy for things): My ou kar, hy loop nog lekker.
4. Different from normal fronting. Standard Afrikaans can put an object first without a pronoun, and the verb then comes second: Daardie man ken ek nie. (See verb second after a fronted word.) A fronted topic with a comma and a pronoun is a separate, spoken pattern.
Tip: In careful writing, prefer the plain sentence: Daardie man werk saam met my. See spoken and written Afrikaans.
Examples (6)
- Daardie man, hy werk saam met my.
That man, he works with me.
Word by Word: That man, he works together with me.
- Hy is baie slim, daardie kind.
He's very clever, that child.
Word by Word: He is very clever, that child.
- Die kinders, hulle speel heeldag buite.
The kids, they play outside all day.
Word by Word: The children, they play whole-day outside.
- Jou suster, ek het haar gister in die dorp gesien.
Your sister, I saw her in town yesterday.
Word by Word: Your sister, I have her yesterday in the town seen.
The pronoun is an object here, so it takes the object form haar.
- My ou kar, hy loop nog lekker.
My old car, it still runs nicely.
Word by Word: My old car, he runs still nicely.
Hy often refers to things in spoken Afrikaans.
- Dis baie lekker, hierdie koffie.
It's really nice, this coffee.
Word by Word: It's very nice, this coffee.
Common Mistakes
Using a pronoun that does not match the topic.
Die kinders, hy speel buite.Die kinders, hulle speel buite.Die kinders is plural, so the pronoun that picks it up must be hulle.
Using the subject form for an object.
Jou suster, ek het sy gister gesien.Jou suster, ek het haar gister gesien.In the sentence after the comma the pronoun is the object of gesien, so it takes the object form haar, not sy.
How It Connects
Learn This First
A detached topic or afterthought names something represented by a pronoun within the ordinary clause.
- Verb Second After a Fronted Word
Contrast ordinary fronting, which triggers inversion, with a detached topic outside the clause followed by a complete ordinary sentence.
Level 2 - my/jou/hom/haarObject Pronouns
Choose a subject or object pronoun according to its role within the clause, as in Jou suster, ek het haar gesien.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- hy for Things
Speakers often pick up a fronted thing with hy.
Level 3 - Spoken and Written Afrikaans
Topic fronting and afterthoughts are typical of speech rather than writing.
Level 5 - Cleft Sentences: dit is ... wat
Another way to highlight one part of the sentence, used in speech and writing.
Level 5 - wat ... betrefAs for: Wat ... Betref
A more formal way to announce a topic: Wat die geld betref, ...
Level 4
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice Fronting a Topic and Afterthoughts in Bubblegum
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