ek/jy/hy/sy/dit
Subject Pronouns Singular
ek I · jy you (one person, informal) · hy he · sy she · dit it. The verb after them never changes: ek is, jy is, sy is.
How It Works
The five singular subject pronouns
- ek — I. Ek is moeg. (I am tired.)
- jy — you, for one friend, family member, child or classmate. For a stranger or an older person, use polite u.
- hy — he. Hy werk in 'n bank.
- sy — she. Sy is my suster.
- dit — it, for a thing or an idea. Dit is op die tafel.
One verb form for everyone
The verb does not change with the pronoun: ek werk, jy werk, hy werk, sy werk. See One Verb Form for Everyone.
Small traps
- English always capitalizes I, but Afrikaans ek is capitalized only at the start of a sentence.
- sy means she before a verb, but his or its before a noun: Sy lees sy boek means She is reading his book. See Possessives: My, Your, His, Her.
- dit is the standard word for things, but in everyday speech people often call a thing hy. See Hy for Things.
- dit can also be an empty subject with no real meaning, as in Dit reën. See Dit as an Empty Subject.
In a question or after a word placed first, the pronoun comes right after the verb: Is jy moeg?, Môre speel ek sokker.
Examples (6)
- Ek is moeg.
I am tired.
Word by Word: I am tired.
- Jy is laat vandag.
You are late today.
Word by Word: You are late today.
Jy is for one person you know well.
- Hy werk in 'n bank.
He works in a bank.
Word by Word: He works in a bank.
- Sy is my suster.
She is my sister.
Word by Word: She is my sister.
Here sy comes before the verb, so it means she.
- Waar is die boek? Dit is op die tafel.
Where is the book? It is on the table.
Word by Word: Where is the book? It is on the table.
Dit refers back to a thing, die boek.
- Môre speel ek sokker.
Tomorrow I am playing soccer.
Word by Word: Tomorrow play I soccer.
When another word comes first, the verb stays second and ek follows it, still with a small letter.
Common Mistakes
Using the object form my as the subject.
My is honger.Ek is honger.My means me or my. The subject I is always ek.
Capitalizing ek in the middle of a sentence, as with English I.
Môre gaan Ek werk.Môre gaan ek werk.Afrikaans ek takes a capital letter only when it is the first word of the sentence.
Using hy for a woman or girl.
Hy is my ma.Sy is my ma.Hy is for a man or boy and sy is for a woman or girl. Ma (mom) needs sy.
How It Connects
Related Patterns
- ons/julle/hulleSubject Pronouns Plural
These are the plural subject pronouns: we, you (plural) and they.
Level 1 - uPolite U
U is the polite alternative to jy.
Level 1 - my/jou/hom/haarObject Pronouns
When ek, jy, hy or sy receive the action, they change to my, jou, hom or haar.
Level 1 - my/jou/sy/haar + NounPossessives: My, Your, His, Her
Sy means she as a subject but his before a noun.
Level 1 - One Verb Form for Everyone
The verb after every one of these pronouns has the same form.
Level 1 - hy for Things
In everyday speech hy often replaces dit for things.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice ek/jy/hy/sy/dit in Bubblegum
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