GUIDE TO CAPE DUTCH,
35
CHAPTER VII.
Spreekoefenings met di Werkwoord "wees."
Frikki is myn broer.
Leni is Jan s'n suster.
M yn faqer was eers boer gewees.
Maar nou iti hy agent.
Watter dag is dit fandaag?
Dis di agtiinde fm J annewari- maand.
Dis warempel Ma syn fi'!r- jaarsdag.
Dan sal daar seker banje &tSte wees.
Waar meen jy sal hulle wees?
Ek meen op di plaas fan di ou mense.
Fergange jalr was daar 'n heel duisternis gewees.
Di karre het rondgestaan so as op 'n fandusi.
Di predikant was . ook daar gewees.
Di heele buurt het gekom om fer Ma geluk te wens.
Is daar weer 'n swarighyd, ou broer?
Ja, ek is nou y'entlik reg in di pekel.
Hoe kom dan so?
Wei, laat ek nou fer jou fertel.
Speaki11g Exercises on the Verb
"to be."
Fred is my brothE r.
Helen is Joh!t's sister.
My fath e r was first a farmer.
But now he is an agent.
What is the date to-day ? Tltis is the eighteenth of Jamtary.
Why, that is mother's birth- day.
Then, I am sure, there will be many guests.
Where, do you mean, 1vilt they be?
I mean on the old people's farm.
Last year there were a whole crowd of them.
The carts stood about there as at a sale.
The minister ·was there, too.
A !t the neighbourhood came to wish motlzer many h<lfPJ' returns.
Is there a difficulty again, old chap?
Yes, I'm in a real c cr11er this time.
How is that?
TVeit, let me tell ycu .
D 2
GUIDE TO CAPE DUTCH.
Di baljuw was fan morre · hiir.
Hy het fer my 'n anskryfing gebreng.
Daar was gister 'n fonnis teu'e my uitgewys in di kantoor.
Hy het gekom om myn goed ante slaan.
Ander week wil hy fer my uitferkoop. · Di man was banje ergerlik
gewees, se ek fer jou.
Hy het amper fer my beleeclig.
Dit was glad fer niit om te perbeer met hom te praat.
Hy was net so koppig as 'n esel.
Yndlik het hy tog moet hoor.
Myn ou buurman was hiir by my gewees.
En di het fer hom y'entlik fluks di waarhyd gese.
Maar di man het so fer hom geskaam, dat hy ni geweet het waar om te kyk ni.
Sal myn frind daar wees, se jy, as ek kom?
Ek het so fer hom ferstaan.
Dit was di afspraak, so fertei hy fer my.
Waarom was hy dan ni gister a' end daar gewees ni?
Hy het gese hy was al daar gewes al di ander dag.
Di gewese magistraat was 'n danig knap man gewees.
The shcr_!fl was here this mormng.
He has brought me a writ.
Yesterday, judgment was taken out agaimt me i11 the court.
I-Ie came to attach my pro- perty.
Next week he wants to sell me out.
The fellow was very offensive, ./ tell you.
I-Ie almost insulted me.
It was quite useless trying to talk to him.
He was as heady as a mule.
At last, hown•er, he !tad to , listen.
My old neig!tbour 111as here 1£1ith me.
And he gaz•e !tim a straight talking to.
But the fellow
~:otso as/tamed that !te did 11ot know whiclt
7MY
to look.
Will my friend be there, do
)'Ottsay, zvhen I come?
That's how I understood him.
That was the arrangement, he told me.
Why wam't he there last ?tighi, thm?
I:fe said !te had beett there tlte other day.
The former magistrate was a
very cl ez,er man,
GUIDE TO CAPE DUTCli.
37
dns kry seker nooit meer 'n man soo's hy ni.
Dis daarom al te jammer dat hy nou het moes weggaan.
Wees jy maar geduldig, man, dan kom nog als reg.
Maar ek was al so lang geduldig gewees, ek kan nou amper ni Ianger hou ni.
Om reg te wees is di eerste ding, om ferspoedig te wees is di twede.
\Vat sou dit tog wees dat di kop fan myn ni kan reg kom ni ? Ag, dit moet seker di studeer
wees, myn kind.
J y kan gerus di studi nou 'n bitji laat bly.
Om eerlijk en opreg te wees is di beste rekomman- dasi.
Dis goed om patriots te wees, maar eli gesonde lerstand moet daarom di eerste bly.
Sal ons ni fan a'end by me- kaar kan wees, om di sake de'elik te bepraat?
Hy het al gister daar moet wees, dit lyk of kom hy glad ni.
Hoe staan dit nou met julle, sal dit foor of teu'e wees?
J ulle moet nou beslis.
Myn fader het skaars kan daar wees, toen di re'ent afkom.
. We shan't ever get such a man again as he was.
It's such a pity he had to leave.
Just have patience, and all will yet come right.
But I have been patient for such a long time, I can hardly keep up any longer now.
To be right is the first thing, to be prosperous is the second.
T¥hy can it be that my head
;won't come right again?
Oh, tltat must surely be your study, my child.
You can safely st(}p your study a little
!lOW.To be honest aud straight- forward is the best recom- mendation.
It is good to have patriotic feelings, but common se11se ought alwa)•s to predomi- nate.
Could we not meet tog' ther to-night to discuss these matters thoroughly ? .Fie should have been there
yesterday, but it seems as if he won't come.
What is your mind now-is it to be yes or no ? You must decide ttow.
My father can scarcely ltave been
there whctt tl1e rain came
down.
GUIDE TO CAPE DUTCH.
Denk jy dit kan waar gewees · hct, wat gister in di koerant gestaan het fan di oorlog?
Ek sal ni kan seker se ni, of dit waar kan gewees het, maar dit Iyk heel mo'entlik.
Dit sal 'n al te goeie ding wees, as onse distrik kan beter ferteu'enwoordig wees in di parlement.
Do you think it cmz have bem true w hat the paper said yesterday about the war?
I could not say for ce rtain if it could have bem true, but it looks very probabl e.
It would be a capital thing if
our district could be better represmted itt parliament.
Useful Expressions with the Verb" wees."
Ek is haastig.
Ek is fakerig.
Ek is ferwonder.
Ek is bang.
Ek is fan gedagte.
Ek is ferkou'e.
Ek is deurmekaar.
Ek is ferlegen.
Ek is skaam.
Ek is moeg.
Ek is wys.
Ek is parmantig.
E
1{is gedaan.
~k
