Pronouns
Remnants of the case distinction remain in the pronoun system. For example,
| Personal Pronouns | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject Pronouns | Object pronouns | ||||
| Afrikaans | Dutch | Gloss | Afrikaans | Dutch | Gloss |
| ek | ik | I | my | mij/me | me |
| jy/u | jij/U | you (sing.) | jou/u | jou/U | you (sing.) |
| hy/sy/dit | hij/zij/het | he/she/it | hom/haar/dit | hem/haar/het | him/her/it |
| ons | wij | we | ons | ons | us |
| julle | jullie | you (plur.) | julle | jullie | you (plur.) |
| hulle | zij* | they | hulle | hen | them |
*Note that hullie and zullie are used instead of zij (subject, third person plural) in several dialects of Dutch.
No case distinction is made for ons, julle, and hulle. There is often no distinction between object pronouns and possessive pronouns when used before nouns. For example,
- my - my, me
- ons - our (the alternative form onse is now considered archaic)
An exception to the previous rule is the 3rd person singular, where Afrikaans clearly distinguishes between hom (him) and sy (his). Likewise, the neuter pronoun dit (it, subject or object) is distinguished from the possessive sy (its). For 3rd person plural pronouns, whereas hulle can also mean their, a variant hul is frequently used in practice to differentiate between their and they/them. Similarly, julle when meaning your admits a variant jul.
Read more about this topic: Afrikaans Grammar
Famous quotes containing the word pronouns:
“In the meantime no sense in bickering about pronouns and other parts of blather.”
—Samuel Beckett (1906–1989)