If you’re learning Afrikaans, you might have noticed that sentences often sound “backward” compared to English.

You might want to say, “I drank coffee yesterday,” but in Afrikaans, the words seem to jump around.

This is one of the biggest challenges for beginners. In English, we are very flexible with where we put words like “yesterday” or “quickly.” In Afrikaans, there is a very specific order.

But don’t worry - there’s a magic formula called STOMPI.

If you memorize this simple acronym, you will get the word order right 99% of the time. It’s the golden rule of Afrikaans grammar.

In this guide, I’ll break down exactly what STOMPI stands for and how to use it to build perfect Afrikaans sentences.

What is STOMPI?

STOMPI is an acronym that helps you remember the order of parts of speech in an Afrikaans sentence.

Unlike English, where we often use Subject-Verb-Object-Place-Time (“I ate the apple in the kitchen yesterday”), Afrikaans prefers to put Time much earlier in the sentence.

Here is what the letters stand for. Note that we include a small “v1” and “v2” to show where the verbs go.

Ideally, an Afrikaans sentence follows this exact flow.

Let’s look at a quick example in English, and then see how it changes in Afrikaans.

English: He kicked the ball hard outside yesterday.

Afrikaans (STOMPI): He (did) yesterday the ball hard outside kick.

Let’s break that sentence down:

• S (Subject): Hy (He)
• v1 (Verb 1): het (did/has)
• T (Time): gister (yesterday)
• O (Object): die bal (the ball)
• M (Manner): hard (hard)
• P (Place): buite (outside)
• v2 (Verb 2): geskop (kicked)

The two verbs: v1 and v2

Before we look at the other parts, you must understand the most important rule in Afrikaans: The Verb Rule.

In a standard declarative sentence (a statement), Verb 1 is always the second idea in the sentence.

Verb 2 (if there is one) always goes to the very end of the sentence.

What is Verb 1?

This is the main conjugated verb. In the present tense, it’s the action being done. In the past tense, it’s the helping verb het (have). In the future tense, it’s sal (will).

What is Verb 2?

This is the second part of the verb.

• Past tense: The ge- word (e.g., geslaap, geëet).
• Future tense: The main action word (e.g., slaap, eet).
• Modal verbs: If you use words like “must” (moet) or “want” (wil), the main action moves to the end.

Here, wil is Verb 1, and koop (buy) is Verb 2. Notice how koop moves to the very end?

Breakdown of the STOMPI components

Now let’s look at the “filling” of our sentence sandwich. Between the two verbs, we have T-O-M-P.

Time (When?)

In English, we usually put the time at the end (“I am going to the store now”). In Afrikaans, the time comes immediately after the first verb.

(S - v1 - Time - Object)

Object (What?)

The object is the thing that the verb is acting upon. It comes after the time.

(S - v1 - Time - Object - v2)

Manner (How?)

This describes how something is done. Adverbs go here.

(S - v1 - Object - Manner - v2)

Place (Where?)

Place usually comes last (before the final verb).

(S - v1 - Manner - Place - v2)

Note: You won’t always have every single part of STOMPI in every sentence. You might just have a Subject, Verb, and Time. That is fine! You just skip the letters you don’t need, but keep the remaining order the same.

Changing the emphasis: Starting with Time

There is one common variation to this rule. Just like in English, sometimes you want to emphasize when something happened.

You might say: “Yesterday, I went to the beach.”

In Afrikaans, you can start with the Time word. However, remember the golden rule? Verb 1 must be the second idea.

So, if you move Time to the front, the Subject must jump over the verb to keep the verb in the second position.

The structure changes from S-v1-T-O-M-P-v2 to T-v1-S-O-M-P-v2.

Notice how Ek het (I did) became het ek (did I)?

This is very common in spoken Afrikaans and is a great way to sound more fluent.

Here are a few more examples of starting with Time:

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Learning the STOMPI rule takes a little bit of practice, especially getting used to putting that second verb at the very end of the sentence.

Here is a quick checklist to help you:

1. Identify your Subject (Who).
2. Identify your Verb 1 (The main action or helping verb).
3. Place Time (When) next.
4. Place Object (What) next.
5. Place Manner (How) next.
6. Place Place (Where) next.
7. Put Verb 2 (if there is one) at the very end.

If you stick to this, you will be speaking clear, understandable Afrikaans in no time.