My

Sv1TOMPv2I

guide

Basic Afrikaans sentence structure

Back to basics

What is Sv1TOMPv2I?

STOMPI is the basic structure of an Afrikaans

sentence. How often does the following

happen? You write a sentence and your teacher

complains that the sentence structure is wrong?

Yet you don’t know why??

Die man het sy kar gister in die motorhuis parkeer.

Die man het gister sy kar in die motorhuis parkeer.

Let’s look at the following two sentences:

Which of the following two sentences makessense? Both

Which of the following two sentences areregarded correct syntactically?Only the second one

Sv1TOMPv2I is an English shortcut that helps you tounderstand and recognise the Afrikaans sentencestructure. But let us first investigate what each of theSTOMPI letters stand for.

But why?The time is always positioned at the beginning ofthe sentence right after the first verb, while theplace is always placed almost at the end of thesentence right in front of the second

Sv1TOMPv2I is used when you work with a

sentence in Afrikaans. It helps you to

understand the structure better because

you break it down into understandable

pieces.

Let’s look at the following table:

What does Sv1TOMPv2I stand for?

Infinitive I

Subject S

Verb 1 v1

Time T

Object O

Manner M

Place P

Verb 2 v2

STOMPI is really starting to look familiar!

Thought I do accept that for something to

look familiar, does not necessarily make it

easy or understandable. Let’s look at

STOMPI more closely.

How do you identify the differentparts of Sv1TOMPv2I in a sentence?

Afrikaans and Mathematics has a lot incommon. Formulas are also used in Afrikaansto better understand and remember the rules.It’s no longer a case that you either understand

the work or not.

The STOMPI-method can help you to get to theright answer or, if you choose, test if you have

the right answer.

See if you can answer thefollowing questions:

• How do I know what the subject is?

• How do I identify the verbs?

• How do I distinguish between the differentadverbs?

• What is the difference between the subjectand the object?

If you knew STOMPIyou could haveanswered the

questions quite easily!

Let’s look at thedifferent parts of

STOMPI on their own!

Subject❑ Usually stands in the beginning of the sentence.❑ The subject is that what the sentence is all

about.❑ Die subject answers the WHO/WHAT question.

Die seun het gister sy rugbybal hardoor die pale geskop om te oefen.

DIE SEUN

verb 1❑ It’s the first verb in the sentence.❑ The first verb is divided into two groups:❑ Present tense: Main verb of the sentence. There is

no second verb.❑ Past and future tense: the first verb is the helping

verb in the two different tenses.❑ Past: HET, WOU, SOU, KON, MOES.❑ Future: SAL, WIL, KAN, MOET

Die seun het gister sy rugbybal hardoor die pale geskop om te oefen.

HET

Time

❑ Any indication of time.❑ The time answers the WHEN question.

Die seun het gister sy rugbybal hardoor die pale geskop om te oefen.

GISTER

Object❑ The object is that which it being done.❑ What VERB’s the SUBJECT?❑ The answer to this question is the object.❑ The subject and the object looks the same, this

is only because they swop positions in theActive and Passive voice.sy

rugbybalDie seun het gister sy rugbybal hard

oor die pale geskop om te oefen.

Manner❑ The MANNER answers the HOW question.

How is it being done.❑ The MANNER is an adjective (byvoeglike

naamwoord) or adverb (bywoord).❑ The describing word can be put into degrees

of comparison.

HARDDie seun het gister sy rugbybal hard

oor die pale geskop om te oefen.

Place❑ The Place answers the WHERE question.❑ The PLACE always has a preposition

(voorsetsel), it is the preposition that givesaway the place.

❑ Voorsetsels: IN, AAN, AGTER, BY, BO, LANGS,MET, NA, ONDER, OM, OOR, OP, TEEN, UIT,VOOR, ens.

OOR DIE PALE

Die seun het gister sy rugbybal hardoor die pale geskop om te oefen.

verb 2❑ The second verb of the sentence.❑ The present tense sentence does not have a

second verb.❑ The second verb is the main verb in the past and

future tense sentences.❑ The past tense verb usually has a “ge” in front of

the word.

GESKOPDie seun het gister sy rugbybal hard

oor die pale geskop om te oefen.

Infinitive❑ The infinitive answers the WHY question.❑ The infinitive is actually the easiest to identify.❑ Everything from OM…TE… to the end of the

sentence is the infinitive. The infinitive gives youthe reason for what is said in the beginning ofthe sentence.

OM TE OEFENDie seun het gister sy rugbybal hard

oor die pale geskop om te oefen.

Let us look at the followingexample:

Die seun het gister sy rugbybal

hard oor die pale geskop om te

oefen.

How many parts of speechcan you identify?O gosh, what is parts ofspeech again?And, what does parts ofspeech have to do withSTOMPI?

EVERYTHING!STOMPI can helpyou to remember

your Parts ofspeech better!!!

Let us see how it is done:

When you divide a sentence into Sv1TOMPv2I,we look at groups of words that make up theSUBJECT, PLACE OR OBJECT.

BUT

Did you know that only certain Parts of speechcan fit into the parts of Sv1TOMPv2I?

Sv1TOMPv2I

Main Verb

Helping verb

InfinitiveOm te

Adverb

of Time

Pronoun

Noun

Article

Preposition AdjectiveWhich Parts ofspeech fits into

the parts ofSv1TOMPv2I??

M Byvoeglike naamwoord (adjectives) of Bywoord (adverb)

P Voorsetsel (prepositions) + lidwoord (articles),voornaamwoord (pronoun), selfstandige naamwoord(noun)

v2 Hede: GEEN/None Verlede/Toekoms: hoofwerkwoord(main verb)

I Infinitief (om te), lidwoord, selfstandige naamwoord,voornaamwoord, byvoeglike naamwoord, werkwoord.

S Selfstandige naamwoord (noun), voornaamwoord (pronoun),lidwoord (articles)

v1 Hede: hoofwerkwoord(Main verbs)

Verlede/Toekoms:hulpwerkwoord (helping verbs)

T Bywoord van tyd (Adverb of time)

O Selfstandige naamwoord (noun), voornaamwoord (pronoun),lidwoord (articles)

How do you analyse asentence by using theSv1TOMPv2I-method?

• Step 1: Underline the verbs in the sentence.

Die seun het gister sy rugbybal

hard oor die pale geskop om te

oefen.

v1

v2

• Stap 2: That which stands in front of theVERB 1 is the SUBJECT. That which standsafter the second verb is the INFINITIVE.

Die seun het gister sy rugbybal

hard oor die pale geskop om te

oefen.

v2

v1S

I

REMEMBER: the Subject has an article,noun or pronoun.

REMEMBER: the infinitive has tohave OM and TE.

Which questions do you ask yourself toidentify the parts of STOMPI?

✔ Wanneer VERB die SUBJECT? TIME

✔ Wat VERB die SUBJECT VERB? OBJECT

✔ Hoe VERB die SUBJECT VERB? MANNER

✔ Waar VERB die SUBJECT VERB? PLACE

Die seun het gister sy rugbybal

hard oor die pale geskop om te

oefen.v2

v1S

Wanneer het die seun? Gister

Wat het die seun geskop? Sy rugbybal

Hoe het die seun geskop? Hard

Waar het die seun geskop? Oor die pale

• Step 3: Now begin at the beginning of thesentence, which part of STOMPI is present inthe sentence. REMEMBER: A sentence doesnot have to have all the STOMPI parts.

Die seun het gister sy rugbybal

hard oor die pale geskop om te

oefen.

v2

v1S

I

T M

P

O

Here is the three steps again:

• Step 1: Underline the verbs in the sentence.

• Stap 2: Stap 2: That which stands infront ofthe VERB 1 is the SUBJECT. That which standsafter the second verb is the INFINITIVE.

• Step 3: Now begin at the beginning of thesentence, which part of STOMPI is present inthe sentence. REMEMBER: A sentence doesnot have to have all the STOMPI parts.

Now it is your turn todivide and conquer!!

1. Die leerders het die werk vinnig in die klas`geleer om goed te presteer.

2. Die meisie sal later haar gesig mooi in diebadkamer grimeer om pragtig te lyk.

3. Ons drink saans koffie in die kombuis.

4. Eugene het sy werk goed gedoen om betaalte word.

5. Die vis sal vinnig in die vuil dam swem.

Remember and use the threesteps!

Memorandum

1. Die leerders het die werk vinnig vir die

eksamen geleer om goed te presteer.v2

v1S

IP

O M

Memorandum

2. Die meisie sal later haar gesig mooi

in die badkamer grimeer om pragtig te

lyk.

v2

v1S

I

T

P

O M

Memorandum

3. Ons drink saans koffie in die kombuis.v1S T PO

Memorandum

4. Eugene het sy werk goed gedoen

om betaal te word.

v2v1S

I

O M

Memorandum

5. Die vis sal vinnig in die vuil dam swem.v2v1S PM

With the next lesson we willlook at a way to use STOMPI tostart with different parts of a

sentence.***

WoordordeYou can start any sentence with most parts of STOMPI.Just remember WHATEVER YOU START WITH THE VERBONE FOLLOWS!!!!If the sentence start with:Subject = S v1TOMPv2IVerb 1 = v1 STOMPv2I?Time = T v1 SOMPv2IObject = O v1 (T+M) deur SPv2I (active and passive)Manner = M v1 STOPv2IPlace = P v1 STOMv2IVerb 2=YOU CAN NEVER START A SENTENCE WITH V2.Infinitive = I v1 STOMPv2