sou (Reportedly)
Reportedly: Sou
Sou + ge- form + het reports an unconfirmed claim: Die man sou die kar gesteel het. (The man allegedly stole the car.)
How It Works
1. Past claims. Use sou + ge- form + het, with the ge- form and het at the end:
- Die man sou die kar gesteel het. (The man allegedly stole the car.)
- Die verdagte sou na bewering die vrou met 'n mes gesteek het. (The suspect allegedly stabbed the woman with a knife.)
2. Present claims. For something said to be true now, use sou + infinitive: Die sanger sou glo baie siek wees. (The singer is reportedly very ill.)
3. Words that go with it. Reports often add na bewering (allegedly), glo (apparently) or volgens (according to) to make the distance even clearer.
4. One form, two meanings. The same form also means would have (see would have): Ek sou gekom het, maar ek was siek. In a report about a crime or a scandal, sou ... het is read as allegedly. In a sentence about what someone would have done under other conditions, it means would have.
Tip: This is a written, formal use. In conversation, people usually say Hy het glo die kar gesteel (He apparently stole the car). See formal written Afrikaans.
Examples (5)
- Die man sou die kar gesteel het.
The man allegedly stole the car.
Word by Word: The man would the car stolen have.
- Die verdagte sou na bewering die vrou met 'n mes gesteek het.
The suspect allegedly stabbed the woman with a knife.
Word by Word: The suspect would by allegation the woman with a knife stabbed have.
- Die ondersoekbeampte sou geld ontvang het.
The investigating officer allegedly received money.
Word by Word: The investigating-officer would money received have.
- Die sanger sou glo baie siek wees.
The singer is reportedly very ill.
Word by Word: The singer would apparently very sick be.
Sou + infinitive reports a claim about the present.
- Volgens die polisie sou die twee mans by die winkel ingebreek het.
According to the police, the two men allegedly broke into the shop.
Word by Word: According-to the police would the two men at the shop broken-in have.
Common Mistakes
Leaving out het in a past claim.
Die man sou die kar gesteel.Die man sou die kar gesteel het.A claim about the past needs sou + ge- form + het. Without het the verb group is incomplete.
Using sal instead of sou for a report.
Die man sal die kar gesteel het.Die man sou die kar gesteel het.The intended meaning is that the man allegedly stole the car. Sal ... het means will have or is a guess by the speaker, so it does not report someone else's claim. Use sou.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Sou can report a claim that the speaker does not vouch for.
Related Patterns
- sou ... hetWould Have: Sou ... Het
The same form means would have outside of reports.
Level 4 - gloGlo (Apparently)
Glo (apparently) often accompanies sou in reports, and alone is the everyday way to report a claim.
Level 3 - moet/kan ... hetGuessing About the Past: Moet ... Het
Guesses about the past by the speaker, not reports of other people's claims.
Level 4 - Formal Written Afrikaans
Reporting sou belongs to news and official writing.
Level 5 - Newspaper Headlines
News language, where this use of sou is at home.
Level 6
Words in This Pattern
Practice sou (Reportedly) in Bubblegum
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