Understanding Noun Gender in Afrikaans
In Afrikaans, nouns do not have gender like in some other languages such as French or German. This makes it easier to learn because you don't have to remember if a noun is masculine, feminine, or neuter. However, there are some nouns that relate to people and animals which can show gender.
While most Afrikaans nouns do not have a gender, some nouns that refer to people or animals can show gender. This is usually done by using different words for males and females.
Important Points
- Words for males often end in '-man' or '-seun'.
- Words for females often end in '-vrou' or '-meisie'.
- Some nouns have completely different words for male and female.
Examples
- Die man lees 'n boek.
- Die vrou kook kos.
- Die seun speel sokker.
- Die meisie dans.
Common Gender-Specific Nouns
Important Points
- Vader (father) and Moeder (mother).
- Seun (son) and Dogter (daughter).
- Oupa (grandfather) and Ouma (grandmother).
- Broer (brother) and Suster (sister).
Examples
- My oupa vertel stories.
- My ouma bak koekies.
Most animal names in Afrikaans are gender-neutral, but some have specific male and female forms. For example, a 'leeu' can be a lion or a lioness, but there are also specific words for male and female lions.
Important Points
- Male lion: 'Mannetjieleeu'
- Female lion: 'Wyfieleeu'
- Male chicken: 'Haan'
- Female chicken: 'Hen'
Examples
- Die mannetjieleeu brul hard.
- Die wyfieleeu sorg vir die kleintjies.