Learn some Afrikaans phrases that your professor won't teach you
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| Eric: Hello, everyone! Welcome back to AfrikaansPod101.com. This is All About, Lesson 13, Common Afrikaans Expressions You Might Not Learn from an Afrikaans Teacher. I’m Eric. |
| Pieter: Hallo, my naam is Pieter. In this lesson, you’ll learn five phrases your Afrikaans teacher might never teach you! |
| Eric: No, no, don't get the wrong idea; we're not going to teach you any swear words or anything. More like some gritty, real Afrikaans words. |
| Pieter: I think I can guarantee that you could use each of these phrases every single day in South Africa! |
| Eric: Yes. We’ll cover everything from how to shout in glee in Afrikaans to how to have road rage, which is a common occurrence in South Africa! |
| Pieter : So what you're going to get in this lesson is what I think is the most versatile word in the Afrikaans language, one that is good for all occasions. You'll learn how to get your road rage out. When nothing else will do, this is the universal end-all, be-all of insults for deserving drivers. |
| Eric: You’ll also learn how to express joy and that something’s awesome, get better deals at the market, and tell someone to let bygones be bygones, all in Afrikaans! Okay, we're all dying to be up on the lingo, so let's get started, Pieter. |
| Pieter: The top five phrases your teacher might never teach you are… |
| Pieter: ag nee |
| Eric: "Oh no" |
| Pieter: jy is mal |
| Eric: "You're crazy. |
| Pieter: Toe maar! Moenie jou kwel nie. |
| Eric: "Nevermind, don't worry about it." |
| Pieter: Hoeveel kost dit? |
| Eric: “How much is it?” |
| Pieter: Kan jy dit bietjie goedkoper maak? |
| Eric : "Can you make it a little cheaper?" |
| Eric: Okay, we're starting with a very cool word. You could call it Afrikaans slang. |
| Pieter: It's almost become like a speech tic. I can't stop saying it, and everyone thinks I'm crazy. It's ag nee! |
| Eric: How can we translate it into English? |
| Pieter : You can say it when you’re very emotional. It’s like “oh,” but so much stronger! you can say ag nee, or even ag ja. |
| Eric: Yeah, you hear people saying this all the time in South Africa. |
| Pieter: You can also say ag shame, if you want to show you’re disappointed about something. |
| Eric: For example...? |
| Pieter: If your friend tells you that they’ve failed their exams, you could say ag nee or ag shame. |
| Eric: Yeah, that would be the right time to use it! So, Pieter, what do we say when we want to tell someone he's an idiot, or out of his mind, or something to that effect? |
| Pieter: Ah, we have the perfect phrase, Jy is mal. (breaks down tones) |
| Eric: Oh yeah!!! I remember the first time someone said that to me. Oooh, it brings back memories. |
| Pieter: Basically, it means, "You’re crazy.” |
| Eric: Yes, though it depends a bit on the context. It can be used as an insult, but you could also say it when you think there’s no need for someone to do something, basically if the person is just too nice. |
| Pieter: Like when you’re paying the restaurant bill for everyone or you’re tidying up your boyfriend’s mess. In that case, someone may say Jy is mal, like “you don’t need to do that!” |
| Eric: Now let’s talk about what you might hear when you’ve gotten yourself into some trouble. Let’s say your friend broke a dish and you want to say “nevermind.” In Afrikaans, you can say... |
| Pieter: Toe maar! Moenie jou kwel nie. You can use this whenever you want to say "nevermind" to someone. |
| Eric: It literally means, "No worries. It doesn’t matter.” |
| Pieter: Right! |
| Eric: Okay, here's another phrase that will prove invaluable, especially if you’re going to a market and planning to spend some money. |
| Pieter: We will need to know how much things cost. In Afrikaans, you can say Hoeveel kost dit? |
| Eric: “How much is it?” |
| Pieter: South Africa has a strong bargaining culture, so you can use this phrase a lot. |
| Eric: Indeed, South Africans bargain all the time! |
| Pieter: Yeah this phrase can be very useful. Kan jy dit bietjie goedkoper maak? |
| Eric : "Can you make it a little cheaper?" |
| Pieter : Yeah, in these situations, you definitely don’t want to pay the full price. |
| Eric: Okay, let's break that down. |
| Pieter: Kan means “can.” jy means “you,” and dit in this case means “it.” bietjie means “a bit,” goedkoper means “cheaper,” and maak means “make.” Kan jy dit bietjie goedkoper maak? |
| Eric : "Can you make it a little cheaper?" I would say this is all really handy Afrikaans to know. Sometimes I think textbooks are too formal, so you don't end up learning these things til you start hanging out with South Africans. |
| Pieter: Yeah, you can probably say each of these phrases every day if you like! |
| Eric: Like if you tell your girlfriend you’re gonna buy a Ferrari, and she bursts out laughing and says.. |
| Pieter: ag nee. |
| Eric: “Oh no.” You ask the car dealer.. |
| Pieter: Hoeveel kost dit? |
| Eric: “How much is this?” He tells you the price and you say.. |
| Pieter: Kan jy dit bietjie goedkoper maak?” |
| Eric: "Can you make it a little cheaper?" The car dealer gets mad and shouts |
| Pieter: Jy is mal. |
| Eric: “You are crazy” and kicks you out. You go home crying and your girlfriend says... |
| Pieter: Toe maar! Moenie jou kwel nie. |
| Eric: “No worries. It doesn’t matter.” Does that sound real to you ? |
| Pieter: Ha ha. Very, very real. |
| Eric: Perfect. Okay, that’s it for this lesson. |
| Pieter: Thanks for listening! |
| Eric: And we’ll see you next time. |
| Pieter: Totsiens! |
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