Afrikaans Phrases
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Afrikaans Phrases and Common Expressions
This page contains a table including the following: Afrikaans phrases, expressions and words in Afrikaans, conversation and idioms, Afrikaans greetings, and survival phrases. It also helps if you simply want to know what to say when chatting in Afrikaans!
Most of the sentences below are used for everyday life conversations, so they might come handy if you memorize them.
| English Phrases | Afrikaans Phrases |
|---|---|
| English Greetings | Afrikaans Greetings: |
| Hi! | Haai! / Hallo! |
| Good morning! | Goeiemôre! |
| Good evening! | Goeienaand! |
| Welcome! (to greet someone) | Welkom! |
| How are you? | Hoe gaan dit met jou? Hoe gaan dit met u? (polite |
| I'm fine, thanks! | Goed, dankie! |
| And you? | En jou? En u? (polite |
| Good/ So-So. | Goed / so-so. |
| Thank you (very much)! | Dankie! |
| You're welcome! (for "thank you") | Nie te dankie! |
| Hey! Friend! | Haai! Vriend! |
| I missed you so much! | Ek het jou soveel verlang! |
| What's new? | Wat is die nuus? |
| Nothing much | Niks besonders nie. |
| Good night! | Goeienag! |
| See you later! | Totsiens! |
| Good bye! | Totsiens! |
| Asking for Help and Directions | |
| I'm lost | Ek is verlore. |
| Can I help you? | Kan ek jou help? Kan ek u help? (polite) |
| Can you help me? | Kan jy my help? Kan u my help? (polite) |
| Where is the (bathroom/ pharmacy)? | Waar is die (badkamer / apteek)? |
| Go straight! then turn left/ right! | Gaan / ry reguit! Dan links / regs draai! |
| I'm looking for john. | Ek soek na Jan. |
| One moment please! | 'n Oomblik asseblief! |
| Hold on please! (phone) | Hou aan asseblief! / Bly aan asseblief! |
| How much is this? | Hoeveel kos dit? |
| Excuse me ...! (to ask for something) | Verskoon my! |
| Excuse me! ( to pass by) | Ekskuus! |
| Come with me! | Kom saam met my! |
| How to Introduce Yourself | |
|---|---|
| Do you speak (English/ Afrikaans)? | Praat jy (Engels / Afrikaans)? Praat u (Engels / Afrikaans)? (polite) |
| Just a little. | Net 'n bietjie. |
| What's your name? | Wat is jou naam? Wat is u naam? (politez |
| My name is ... | My naam is ... |
| Mr.../ Mrs.…/ Miss… | Mnr. ... / Mev. ... / Mej. ... |
| Nice to meet you! | Bly te kenne! |
| You're very kind! | Jy is baie vriendlik! |
| Where are you from? | Waarvandaan kom jy? Waarvandaan kom u? (polite) |
| I'm from (the U.S/ South Africa) | Ek kom van die (VSA / Suid-Afrika) af. |
| I'm (American) | Ek kom van die (VSA / Suid-Afrika) af. |
| Where do you live? | Waar woon jy? Waar woon u? (polite) |
| I live in (the U.S/ France) | Ek woon in (die VSA / Suid-Afrika) |
| Did you like it here? | Het jy daarvan hier gehou? |
| South Africa is a wonderful country | Suid-Afrika is 'n wonderlike land. |
| What do you do for a living? | Wat is jou beroep? |
| I work as a (translator/ businessman) | Ek werk soos 'n (vertaler / sakeman) |
| I like Afrikaans | Ek hou van Afrikaans. |
| I've been learning Afrikaans for 1 month | Ek het sedert een maand Afrikaans geleer. |
| Oh! That's good! | O! Dis goed! |
| How old are you? | Hoe oud is jy? Hoe oud is u? (polite) |
| I'm (twenty, thirty...) years old. | Ek is (twintig, dertig ...) jaar oud. |
| I have to go | Ek moet gaan. |
| I will be right back! | Ek sal dadelik terug wees. |
| Wish Someone Something | |
| Good luck! | Geluk! |
| Happy birthday! | Gelukkige Verjaarsdag! |
| Happy new year! | Gelukkige Nuwe Jaar! |
| Merry Christmas! | Geseënde Kersfees! |
| Congratulations! | Gelukwensing! |
| Enjoy! (for meals...) | Eet smaaklik! |
| I'd like to visit South Africa one day | Ek wou graag eendags Suid-Afrika besoek. |
| Say hi to John for me | Sê hallo aan Jan vir my. |
| Bless you (when sneezing) | Seën jou! Seën u! (polite) |
| Good night and sweet dreams! | Goeienag en soete drome! |
| Solving a Misunderstanding | |
| I'm Sorry! (if you don't hear something) | Verskoon my! |
| Sorry (for a mistake) | Jammer! |
| No Problem! | Geen probleem! |
| Can You Say It Again? | Kan jy dit weer sê? Kan u dit weer sê? (polite) |
| Can You Speak Slowly? | Kan jy langsaam praat? Kan u langsaam praat? (polite) |
| Write It Down Please! | Skryf dit op asseblief! |
| I Don't Understand! | Ek begryp nie dit nie! |
| I Don't Know! | Ek weet nie dit nie! |
| I Have No Idea. | Ek het keen idee. |
| What's That Called In Afrikaans? | Hoe heet dit in Afrikaans? |
| What Does "gato" Mean In English? | Wat beteken / bedoel "lingua" in Engels? |
| How Do You Say "Please" In Afrikaans? | Hoe sê jy "Please" in Afrikaans? Hoe sê u "Please" in Afrikaans? (polite) |
| What Is This? | Wat is dit? |
| My Afrikaans is bad. | My Afrikaans is sleg. |
| I need to practice my Afrikaans | Ek moet my Afrikaans oefen. |
| Don't worry! | Toe maar! Moenie jou kwel nie! Moenie u kwel nie! (polite) |
| Afrikaans Expressions and Words | |
| Good/ Bad/ So-So. | Goed / sleg / so-so. |
| Big/ Small | Groot / klein |
| Today/ Now | Vandag / nou |
| Tomorrow/ Yesterday | Môre / gister |
| Yes/ No | Ja / Nee |
| Here you go! (when giving something) | De! / Hier is dit! |
| Do you like it? | Hou jy daarvan? |
| I really like it! | Ek hou werklik daarvan. |
| I'm hungry/ thirsty. | Ek het honger / dors. |
| In The Morning/ Evening/ At Night. | In die môre / aand / snags. |
| This/ That. Here/There | Dit / dit. Hier / daar. |
| Me/ You. Him/ Her. | My / jou (polite - u). Hom / haar. |
| Really! | Werklik! |
| Look! | Kyk! |
| Hurry up! | Maak gou! |
| What? Where? | Wat? Waar? |
| What time is it? | Hoe laat is dit? |
| It's 10 o'clock. 07:30pm. | Dis tienuur. Dis half ag in die namiddag. |
| Give me this! | Gee my dit! |
| I love you! | Ek het jou lief! / Ek is lief vir jou! Ek het u lief! / Ek is lief vir u! (polite) |
| I feel sick. | Ek voel naar. |
| I need a doctor | Ek het 'n dokter nodig. |
| One, Two, Three | een, twee, drie |
| Four, Five, Six | vier, vyf, ses |
| Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten | sewe, ag, nege, tien |
I hope the content of this page was useful to you, and that you learned some Afrikaans phrases, expressions and words. Make sure to memorize them to be able to use them in your daily conversation.