of

Or

Level 1

Use of to offer a choice: Koffie of tee? (Coffee or tea?)

How It Works

Of means or. It joins two or more choices, whether they are words or whole sentences:

  • Koffie of tee? (Coffee or tea?)
  • Kom jy vandag of môre? (Are you coming today or tomorrow?)
  • Ons kan by die huis eet, of ons kan uitgaan. (We can eat at home, or we can go out.)

No change in word order. Like en and maar, of does not count as the first word of the next sentence. The sentence after it keeps its normal order.

Of with nie. In a negative sentence, of links things that are all ruled out: Ek drink nie koffie of tee nie. (I don't drink coffee or tea.)

Of meaning whether. The same word also means whether or if in a question inside a longer sentence. In that use, the verb goes to the end: Ek weet nie of hy môre kom nie. (I don't know if he is coming tomorrow.) See indirect questions.

Related patterns. Óf ... óf means either ... or, and nóg ... nóg means neither ... nor. A few set phrases use of too, such as min of meer (more or less).

Examples (5)

  1. Koffie of tee?

    Coffee or tea?

  2. Kom jy vandag of môre?

    Are you coming today or tomorrow?

    Word by Word: Come you today or tomorrow?

  3. Is dit reg of verkeerd?

    Is it right or wrong?

    Word by Word: Is it right or wrong?

  4. Ons kan by die huis eet, of ons kan uitgaan.

    We can eat at home, or we can go out.

    Word by Word: We can at the house eat, or we can out-go.

    The sentence after of keeps its normal order.

  5. Ek drink nie koffie of tee nie.

    I don't drink coffee or tea.

    Word by Word: I drink not coffee or tea not.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping main-clause order when of means whether.

    Ek weet nie of hy kom môre nie.
    Ek weet nie of hy môre kom nie.

    When of means whether or if, it starts a clause inside the sentence, and that clause puts its verb at the end. When of means or, the word order does not change.

How It Connects

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

ofLevel 1Or

Learn This First

Of joins choices the same way en joins items.

Words in This Pattern

of