The first official school in South Africa, called the South African College Schools, or SACS, as it is still known, was founded in 1829 in Cape Town. A boys-only school, it's still located in the former Cape Town home of a mining magnate where, in 2012, the estate was the majestic location for the second film in the successful South African movie franchise, Spud.  Despite it being an English medium school, its halls nevertheless ring with Afrikaans school phrases too, as Afrikaans language learning is important in all South African schools. Afrikaans word in elke skool in Suid Afrika aangebied as 'n vak. / "Afrikaans is taught in every school in South Africa." ➜ Afrikaans language learning can be a rich and rewarding... Show more

South Africa is known for its delicious cuisine, and many of our chefs are rated among the best in the world. Eating out is, therefore, a must for any visitor or tourist! Also, knowing a few of the most common restaurant phrases in Afrikaans could really enhance your dining experience—read on to learn why. Afrikaner kelners verskaf gewoonlik uitstekende diens. / “African waiters usually provide excellent service.” ➜ South African cuisine is unique in its diversity and multitude of influences. Learn more while relishing this mouthwatering overview of typical Afrikaner dishes and delicacies. Table of Contents Why is it Important to Know Afrikaans Restaurant Phrases? Finding a Good Restaurant in South Africa Booking at... Show more

Searching for ways to fast-track your conversation skills in Afrikaans? The Internet is replete with techniques and advice to improve this ability. With a thorough search, you will even find specific Afrikaans lessons about conversation skills.  Many of these are excellent, and they all offer (basically) the same tried-and-tested tips and ideas. In this article, I'm going to discuss some of the tips at length because they work well if you apply and practice them consistently. I will also give examples of useful phrases to memorize for easy conversations in Afrikaans. Goeie gespreksvaardighede verseker goeie gesprekke. / "Good conversation skills ensure good conversations." However, in addition, I will offer something... Show more

Did you know that the formation of Afrikaans was influenced by languages as diverse as Arabic, Indonesian, Malay, and Portuguese? However, it derives its idiomatic character mainly from Dutch—this is well illustrated in the list of expressions from the last section of this article, where we delve into advanced Afrikaans phrases and idiomatic expressions. If you're already busy studying advanced Afrikaans, it probably means die gogga het jou gebyt (literally: "the bug has bitten you"). This lovely idiom compares a person's sudden, intense interest in something to being infected by a microbe. Well, many students of Afrikaans "get bitten" this way, and hopefully, this "infection" will spread even more as you study our guide to the most useful... Show more

So, you've decided not to remain a beginner student of Afrikaans—that's great! Welcome to the intermediate level of this fascinating language, where things are going to get a bit more nuanced and complex. Don't fear, though; it's not terribly difficult to master. Consider taking this opportunity to learn some of the most important intermediate Afrikaans words and phrases—easy peasy! ➜ But before we start, look at our article 10 Great Reasons Why You Should Learn Afrikaans to gain some inspiration as you level up! Ons het gisteraand se partytjie baie geniet. ("We really enjoyed last night's party.") Table of Contents Intermediate Afrikaans Phrases—Talking About Past Events Intermediate Afrikaans Phrases—Making and... Show more

Wow, congratulations—you're at an advanced level in your Afrikaans studies! Good for you.  Hopefully, you won’t stop now, because there's a lot more to master. To help you, we have compiled some advanced Afrikaans words and phrases in the most pertinent categories for easy access and assimilation. If you want to improve your advanced Afrikaans vocabulary, wordlists like these are among the best tools to use. Also, feel free to ask us in the comments if anything needs clarification. Remember to keep your learning fun by using fun resources. For instance, take a look at this article about a great online resource that's completely free! Onthou om jou studies te geniet. / "Remember to enjoy your studies." Great! Let's get busy... Show more

Well done. You've mastered The 200+ Best Afrikaans Words for Beginners! Now it's time to tackle some intermediate Afrikaans words and phrases. In this article, we've compiled the most common ones for you and included their classification for easy access. Let us know in the comments if you're battling to understand anything! (Wondering whether you'll be able to learn Afrikaans beginner and intermediate words easily? Check out our blog post Is Afrikaans Hard to Learn?) Table of Contents Intermediate Afrikaans Words - SELFSTANDIGE NAAMWOORDE / "Nouns" Afrikaans Intermediate Words - TELWOORDE / "Counting Words" Afrikaans Intermediate Words - BYVOEGLIKE NAAMWOORDE / "Adjectives" Afrikaans Intermediate Words - Voornaamwoorde /... Show more

Did you know that one of the oldest animals in the world was discovered in South Africa over two decades ago? Scientists named the skeleton, which was distinctly ape-like, "Little Foot." So aap ("ape") would be an appropriate first word on our list of animals in Afrikaans! Little Foot is touted to be the evolutionary predecessor of humans. It was found by accident in 1998 among fossilized bones already obtained from a well-known excavation site called the "Cradle of Humankind" near Johannesburg. The skeleton is thought to be over three million years old. Whether you believe this ape is our ancestor or not, animals have been part of our lives since time immemorial. So naturally, any language study would include these nouns, which is why... Show more

The very first telephone in South Africa entered Cape Town around 1878. Apparently, a watchmaker named Adolph Boettger imported it from Germany, and it was first used in the post office. That phone was even more primitive than the model in this image, which was called a "candlestick telephone." Kandelaar telefone is vervaardig in die vroeë negentiende eeu. / "Candlestick telephones were manufactured in the early nineteenth century." Like the rest of the world, South Africa hasn't looked back since. Cell phones arrived on the scene in 1994, and just like in most other countries, these devices basically took over the telecommunication industry. But while there has never been a more critical time to pick up Afrikaans phone phrases,... Show more

After the alphabet, mastering Afrikaans beginner words is the best place to start your Afrikaans learning journey. (Don't have the Afrikaans alphabet under the belt yet? No problem! You should find this article and the free downloadable Guide for Beginners very useful.) Learning beginner words is essential in building vocabulary for basic communication. If you're busy trying to get your foot in the door and learn the basics of Afrikaans, then this is your one-stop vocabulary list for the most important Afrikaans words for beginners! For your convenience, we’ve grouped them into the main word types and included a few sample sentences to illustrate their use. → Also consider these 10 Great Reasons Why You Should Learn Afrikaans. ... Show more