Nouns in -te

Lengte, Hoogte: Nouns in -te

Level 4

Some adjectives add -te to become nouns for measurements and qualities: hoog → hoogte (height), lank → lengte (length).

How It Works

1. Measurements. These nouns answer how long, how high, how wide:

  • lank (long) → lengte (length): the vowel changes
  • hoog (high) → hoogte (height)
  • breed (wide) → breedte (width)
  • diep (deep) → diepte (depth)
  • dik (thick) → dikte (thickness)
  • groot (big) → grootte (size), with two t's

2. Qualities and feelings. warmte (warmth), sterkte (strength), swakte (weakness), koelte (cool shade). Heet (hot) gives hitte (heat), with a different vowel.

3. Using them. They are ordinary nouns with die: die lengte van die kamer (the length of the room). In everyday speech you can also use the adjective with a measure: Die kamer is vier meter lank.

4. Not for every adjective. -te is not a free rule. Most adjectives use -heid instead: skoon → skoonheid (beauty). Sometimes both exist with different meanings: grootte (size) but grootheid (greatness). Koud (cold) gives the noun koue (see adjectives as nouns): Ek hou nie van die koue nie.

Examples (6)

  1. Wat is die lengte van die swembad?

    What is the length of the swimming pool?

    Word by Word: What is the length of the swimming-pool?

    Lengte comes from lank, with a vowel change.

  2. Die vliegtuig vlieg op 'n hoogte van tien kilometer.

    The plane is flying at a height of ten kilometres.

    Word by Word: The aeroplane flies at a height of ten kilometre.

  3. Meet asseblief die breedte van die venster.

    Please measure the width of the window.

    Word by Word: Measure please the width of the window.

  4. Watter grootte dra jy?

    What size do you wear?

    Word by Word: Which size wear you?

    Grootte keeps both t's: groot + -te.

  5. Ons het die warmte van die vuur geniet.

    We enjoyed the warmth of the fire.

    Word by Word: We have the warmth of the fire enjoyed.

  6. Kom sit hier in die koelte.

    Come and sit here in the shade.

    Word by Word: Come sit here in the coolness.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping the vowel of lank.

    Wat is die langte van die tou?
    Wat is die lengte van die tou?

    Lank changes its vowel when it becomes a noun: lengte.

  • Writing grote when you mean grootte (size).

    Watter grote dra jy?
    Watter grootte dra jy?

    Grote is the adjective groot with -e and means the big one, so the first sentence asks which big one you wear. The noun for size is groot plus -te, so it keeps both t's and the double o: grootte.

  • Adding -te to koud.

    Ek hou nie van die koudte nie.
    Ek hou nie van die koue nie.

    Only a fixed group of adjectives takes -te. The noun for cold is die koue.

How It Connects

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Nouns in -teLevel 4Lengte, Hoogte: Nouns in -te

Learn This First

Nouns in -te come from adjectives, like -heid nouns.

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Patterns that build on this one.