sonder om te

Without Doing: Sonder Om Te

Level 3

Sonder om ... te + infinitive means without doing: Hy het gegaan sonder om te groet. (He left without saying goodbye.)

How It Works

1. The pattern. English says without + -ing. Afrikaans uses sonder + om ... te + the infinitive:

  • Hy het gegaan sonder om te groet. (He left without saying goodbye.)
  • Sy het drie dae gewerk sonder om te slaap. (She worked for three days without sleeping.)

2. Om is required. After some verbs om can be dropped, but after sonder it must stay: sonder om te groet.

3. Other words go before te. The object and other words go between om and te: Hy het die pad oorgesteek sonder om links en regs te kyk. (He crossed the road without looking left and right.) A separable verb splits around te: sonder om jou gordel vas te maak.

4. Starting with sonder. A sonder phrase can come first. Then the main clause starts with its verb: Sonder om 'n woord te sê, het hy uitgeloop. (Without saying a word, he walked out.)

5. Two different people. When the person in the sonder part is not the subject of the sentence, use sonder dat + a clause: Hy het vertrek sonder dat iemand hom gesien het. (He left without anyone seeing him.)

Examples (5)

  1. Hy het gegaan sonder om te groet.

    He left without saying goodbye.

    Word by Word: He has gone without for to greet.

  2. Sy het drie dae gewerk sonder om te slaap.

    She worked for three days without sleeping.

    Word by Word: She has three days worked without for to sleep.

  3. Hy het die pad oorgesteek sonder om links en regs te kyk.

    He crossed the road without looking left and right.

    Word by Word: He has the road crossed without for left and right to look.

  4. Moenie ry sonder om jou gordel vas te maak nie.

    Don't drive without fastening your seatbelt.

    Word by Word: Must-not drive without for your belt fast to make not.

    Vasmaak is separable, so te goes between vas and maak.

  5. Sonder om 'n woord te sê, het hy uitgeloop.

    Without saying a word, he walked out.

    Word by Word: Without for a word to say, has he out-walked.

    The sonder phrase comes first, so the main clause starts with its verb het.

Common Mistakes

  • Copying the English -ing form.

    Hy het gegaan sonder groet.
    Hy het gegaan sonder om te groet.

    Afrikaans has no -ing form for this. Use sonder om te + the infinitive.

  • Leaving out om after sonder.

    Hy het gegaan sonder te groet.
    Hy het gegaan sonder om te groet.

    Om can be dropped after some verbs, but after sonder it is required.

  • Putting the subject first after a fronted sonder phrase.

    Sonder om 'n woord te sê, hy het uitgeloop.
    Sonder om 'n woord te sê, het hy uitgeloop.

    The whole sonder phrase takes the first place, so the verb het comes next and the subject follows it.

How It Connects

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

sonder om teLevel 3Without Doing: Sonder Om Te

Learn This First

Sonder om te combines sonder with an om te clause.

Words in This Pattern

sonderom teomte