toekent

Toekent is an Afrikaans verb meaning to award or to grant something, such as a prize, subsidy, license, or right. It is used by authorities, organizations, or committees to indicate that a benefit or entitlement is officially conferred on a beneficiary. The term is common in formal writing, news reporting, and legal or administrative contexts.

The word is a cognate of the Dutch verb toekennen, from which Afrikaans inherited many administrative terms. In Afrikaans, the related noun for the act of granting is toekenning, referring to the grant, award, or allocation itself. The past participle form is toegekend, used in passive constructions such as die subsidie is toegekend.

In usage, toekent typically pairs with a direct object describing what is being granted and an indirect object describing who receives it. For example, Die regering kent die lisensie toe aan die maatskappy, meaning that the government grants the license to the company. Another common construction is Die kompetisie kent die prys toe aan die wenner, indicating that the prize is awarded to the winner. In written Afrikaans, these statements appear in official announcements, policy documents, and media reports about formal decisions.

See also: toekenning (the grant or award), subsidie-toekennings (subsidy awards), lisensie-toekenning (licence allocation). While closely related to Dutch terminology, the Afrikaans form remains distinct in spelling and everyday usage, reflecting its own standard style for official language.