mos
Mos (As You Know)
Mos = "as you know" or "after all": Ek het jou mos gesê! (I told you, didn't I!)
How It Works
1. A reminder. Mos says: this is not news, you know this.
- Ek het jou mos gesê! (I told you, didn't I!)
- Dit is mos Saterdag. (It's Saturday, after all.)
2. A known reason. Mos often explains something with a fact both people know: Kom ons gaan swem, dis mos warm. (Let's go swimming, it's warm after all.)
3. Where it goes. Mos sits in the middle of the sentence, after the verb and after a short pronoun like jou or hom. It never starts a sentence and is never stressed.
- Jy weet mos hoe hy is.
- Ek het jou mos gesê.
4. Not for news. Do not use mos for information the listener cannot know yet.
5. Tone. Mos can sound friendly or a little impatient, depending on how you say it. It belongs to relaxed speech.
Tip: other small words like tog, maar and darem change the tone in similar ways.
Examples (5)
- Ek het jou mos gesê!
I told you, didn't I!
Word by Word: I have you MOS said!
- Dit is mos Saterdag.
It's Saturday, after all.
Word by Word: It is MOS Saturday.
- Kom ons gaan swem, dis mos warm.
Let's go swimming, it's warm after all.
Word by Word: Come we go swim, it's MOS warm.
Mos gives a reason both people know.
- Jy weet mos hoe hy is.
You know what he is like.
Word by Word: You know MOS how he is.
- Ek kan nie kom nie, ek werk mos Saterdae.
I can't come, I work on Saturdays, remember.
Word by Word: I can not come not, I work MOS Saturdays.
Common Mistakes
Starting the sentence with mos.
Mos het ek jou gesê!Ek het jou mos gesê!Mos cannot start a sentence. It goes in the middle, after the verb and a short pronoun.
Using mos for news the listener does not know yet.
Raai wat! Ek het mos 'n nuwe werk!Raai wat! Ek het 'n nuwe werk!Mos says the listener already knows. For surprising news, leave it out.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Mos is a particle that sits in the middle of the clause.
Related Patterns
- tog
Another small word that adds tone, often insistence.
Level 3 - maar (Softener)Maar as a Softener
Maar softens a sentence in a similar way.
Level 3 - daremDarem (At Least)
Darem is another particle that adds a feeling to a sentence.
Level 3 - nè/hèTag Words: Nè and Hè
Tag words that also check that the listener agrees.
Level 2 - Stacking Particles: maar net, sommer net
Mos can combine with other particles.
Level 5 - gloGlo (Apparently)
Glo marks information from someone else, while mos marks shared knowledge.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice mos in Bubblegum
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