Learn top 25 Afrikaans phrases
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| Hello, it’s me again, Christine. We are here today in the lesson, The Top 25 Afrikaans Phrases. So they are obviously the ones that you definitely want to know if you are learning Afrikaans. They are super simple, most of them, and easy to learn. The ones that everyone always like learns these words in all the different languages. So let’s get started. |
| 1. Hallo. "Hello." |
| It’s pretty straightforward. It’s a greeting. It’s what you say to everyone. It sounds the same as most languages. So it’s pretty easy one to remember. |
| 2. Goeie more. "Good morning." |
| So this one is a little bit hard because it’s got the /g/ sound but in the morning, we are all feeling ughh anyway. So it’s a great way, great time to use this. Practice it the next time you wake up in the morning and say hello to whoever you see the first thing in the morning and just say, goeie more. |
| 3. Goeie middag. "Good afternoon." |
| So it’s very similar to Goeie more but this time, you are changing the second word to middag, adding an extra /g/ in there because now by middag time, the day is hot and you want some lunch. So adding more /g/ in there and just saying Goeie middag as if it’s angry but try to say it with a smile and then it’s even nicer. Goeie middag. |
| 4. Goeie nag. "Good night." |
| So that’s what you say before you go to bed obviously and by now, you are thinking of the dreams that you might have tonight or the comfy warm bed that you’re going to in a cold winter’s day, not like today obviously but it’s something that everyone wants to hear. It’s nice to say it to the people around you before going to bed like end your day on a nice, calm note by telling everyone around you, Goeie nag. |
| 5. Wat is jou naam? "What's your name?" |
| So this is obviously the one that you want to know when you’re going out in a new place especially in South Africa or anywhere where you know there’s Afrikaans people and you want to know who they are, what like know more about them. So it’s always an easy icebreaker, Wat is jou naam? Get to know their name, try to think of a way that you remember it by making up little anagrams in your head or whatever. That’s what I usually do because I am very bad remembering names but definitely a useful phrase to know. |
| 6. Ek is (naam). "I'm [name]." |
| I am Christine. And then if they ask you that question or if you just ask that question, the likely response is, |
| Ek is (naam) I’m (name). |
| So you’d insert your name obviously. You wouldn’t say, Ek is (naam) |
| You would say, I would say Ek is (Christine) “I am Christine.” |
| So pretty simple response. |
| Wat is jou naam? Ek is, and then say your name. |
| Easy peasy lemon squeezy. |
| 7. Aangenaame kennis. "Nice to meet you." |
| So now you’ve said hello, you said Goeie more, Goeie middag, Goeie nag whatever. Whatever time of the day it is, you’ve asked them what their name is, you’ve told them what your name is and now you are saying, |
| “It’s nice to meet you.” Aangenaame kennis |
| It’s a simple conversation going on here. So it’s very important to know all these little phrases. |
| 8. Hoe gaan dit met jou? "How are you?" |
| So now in the conversation, you are at that part where you’ve realized that they have a cool name, they seem pretty cool and you want to know a little bit more about them. So you ask them Hoe gaan dit? and then remember to listen because people always say this and then don’t listen to the response or don’t really care about the response. Only ask these things if you care because it’s very nicer that way. |
| 9. Goed dankie, en met jou? "I'm fine, thanks. And you?" |
| And then the typical response or hopefully the response because it’s positive. |
| Goed dankie, en met jou? "I'm fine, thanks. And you?" |
| So that obviously follows the previous one. I am answering how you are doing and then asking back to the person because that’s only polite. You don’t want to be like “yeah, I am fine. Thanks. Bye!” You want to be polite, ask them how they are doing back if they asked it first. Otherwise, maybe don’t say it if you asked it first because then it’s just like a continuous cycle that’s never-ending. |
| 10. Asseblief. "Please." |
| Very popular in South Africa because we are all very polite people here but please remember. You see, I said it there again. |
| Please remember to be polite when you’re asking for something or commenting on something that requires a please. No, it will be a question. |
| So be polite, remember your manners and say Asseblief if you are looking for something. |
| 11. Dankie. "Thank you." |
| So there we go again with the politeness. Be very kind and warm when someone tells you something or compliments you or gives you an answer to that Asseblief question that you just asked. Say thanks, say Dankie and if you can’t remember the word, think of a donkey. That’s how I always used to tell people. And then just change the sound a little bit because you can’t say donkey. You must say Dankie. |
| 12. Jy is welkom. "You're welcome." |
| So that’s the response if someone said Dankie to you, you are always going to say, “you are welcome” Jy is welkom because it wasn’t such a schlep for you to tell them what they wanted and you don’t mind telling them. So Jy is welkom. |
| 13. Ja. "Yes." |
| Pretty straightforward, “yes.” Positive response to something. So pretty easy. |
| 14. Nee. "No." |
| Also pretty straightforward but try not to use it so much because it’s going to be a downer on anyone, unless it’s something definitely that needs a no for response, but ja and nee, pretty easy going, used quite a lot often. So good ones to remember. |
| 15. OK. "Okay." |
| It’s very simple because it’s the same as the English and most other languages just like I said hello. Okay means you’re sure, okay. We will do this or okay, I will have that for lunch or okay, you make the plans. It’s used every day in so many different ways. So it’s easy to remember. Okay. |
| 16. Verskoon my. "Excuse me." |
| This is part of that politeness again if you’re leaving the table or you’re walking away from something because you don’t really like the conversation going on. You just politely say Verskoon my. Asseblief as well, if you want to be even more nice, even nicer. |
| 17. Ek is jammer. "I'm sorry." |
| So unfortunately, this one means you’ve done something wrong or you said something that’s not so polite but just be a human being and say sorry if a sorry is needed and then remember, Ek is jammer. |
| 18. Hoe laat is dit? "What time is it?" |
| Hoe laat is dit? “What’s the time?” |
| This is funny. The translation isn’t exactly, “What’s the time?” But that’s how we say it here in South Africa. You literally say, “How late is it?” because you’re always late for something or you are always thinking it’s later than it is. So try to remember it that way. We are always late. So that’s why we say Hoe laat is dit? Like “How late is it?” |
| 19. Waar is die badkamer? "Where is the restroom?" |
| This one you probably use when you are out at the restaurants or at a random friend’s house that you’ve never been to before and you really need to wee. So you are going to be needing this one. So remember, Waar is die badkamer? |
| 20. Wag 'n bietjie. "Wait a moment." |
| You are a little bit busy in a conversation and someone comes and chirps in and all you want to say is, “just hold on.” So if you’re ever in these situations and you have friends that like to interrupt you, then maybe you should learn, Wag 'n bietjie. And you could always add Asseblief as well, if you don’t want to sound too rude and like cut off-y. You can say Wag 'n bietjie, asseblief. |
| 21. Hoeveel kos dit? "How much is this?" |
| Now, you are in the shop. So you’ve been to the restaurants, you have been to friend’s house, you’ve been everywhere and now you are in the shops and you’re seeing this beautiful new thing that you really want to buy but you know, you are on a holiday. So you can’t just be splurging money everywhere. So you’re going to have to ask this question quite often. Hoeveel kos dit? |
| 22. Help! "Help!" |
| Luckily, this word because it has so much going on and it’s obviously urgent. It’s usually the same in most languages. So it’s pretty straightforward if you know English. Help! It sounds the same in Afrikaans and it is used in the same way. |
| 23. Sien jou later. "See you later." |
| You finished at the restaurant, you are going home or at the shops or whatever and you’re saying "ciao, I'll see you later”, Sien jou later. Obviously, you want to use it all the time, comes alongside a goodbye. So remember, Sien jou later. And maybe I’ll Sien jou later in some of the other videos. |
| 24. Totsiens. "Goodbye." |
| And directly translated, Totsiens means, “until I see you again.” Which is quite nice because you are always assuming that a goodbye isn’t a badbye and you will reconnect again at some point. So Totsiens means “until next time” but it actually means “Goodbye.” |
| 25. Ek weet nie. "I don't know." |
| It’s okay to not know. We don’t all know everything. So it’s a good – this is a good one to know. If someone asks you a question or asks you directions and you don’t know because you’re just a tourist here, remember to say, Ek weet nie. I use this all the time and it irritates my friends but I am honest at least. So Ek weet nie. |
| So we’ve reached the end of today’s lesson of the Top 25 Phrases in Afrikaans. I hope they’re useful for you because they should be. We use them all the time and I hope they are simple enough for you to remember and good luck using them. I hope you meet lots of new people when you come to South Africa or speak to South Africans and let me know in the comments down below if you have or if they’ve helped you or if you’re struggling with any other pronunciations or something like that and keep learning Afrikaans on Afrikaanspod101.com |
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