Learn some common phrases you may hear every day while traveling in South Africa
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| Eric: Welcome back AfrikaansPod101.com. This is All About, Lesson 5, The Top 5 Important Phrases for Learning Afrikaans. I’m Eric. |
| Pieter: I’m Pieter. |
| Eric: In this lesson we’re taking years of experience in South Africa and boiling it down to a few essential phrases. These are a great place to start in Afrikaans. |
| Pieter: Yes, we’ll give you some real-life Afrikaans words that will help you every day! |
| Eric: Yes, they are guaranteed to be the best things you ever learned in Afrikaans. Pieter, where should we begin? |
| Pieter: Well, we want to make a good impression right off the bat, so I think one place to start is with a simple greeting…Hallo, which means "Hello.” |
| Eric: That’s a very basic phrase that you should know right from the start. |
| Pieter: Yes, and to be more polite, say Goeiemôre, which means "Good morning.” |
| Eric: For example... |
| Pieter: Goeiemôre, hoe gaan dit met jou? which means "Good morning, how are you?" |
| Eric: So how about when we say Goodbye? |
| Pieter: We’ll generally say totsiens. Or baai in an informal situation. |
| Eric: Okay, what about “Thank you?” |
| Pieter: It’s Baie dankie, which is Afrikaans for "thank you." |
| Eric: Having good manners is very important, and a simple "thank you" can go a long way. |
| Pieter: Indeed! And this phrase can be used at any time just to show your manners and appreciation. |
| Eric: It's so simple, but it will put a smile on people's faces! Okay, what’s the next one? |
| Pieter: Aseblief…it means “please” and this will always come in handy! It can be used to mean "here you are” too. |
| Eric: What about “excuse me”? |
| Pieter: Verskoon my. It means “excuse me.” |
| Eric: It also means “I’m sorry.” |
| Pieter: And to say “I don’t understand,” you can say.. Ek verstaan nie. |
| Eric: It means "I don't understand." This is such a common phrase. It's perfect when you want help reading Afrikaans. |
| Pieter: Yes. South Africans always appreciate enthusiasm, so don’t hesitate to ask them! |
| Eric: Here's another word that can come in handy when you need to do some apologizing. |
| Pieter: It's ekskuus. It’s like “sorry” in English. |
| Eric: Yes, this is also used when you want attention, right? |
| Pieter: Right! "sorry" or "excuse me.” You’ll probably need to use ekskuus a lot in your travels when you’re asking the locals for directions and advice. |
| Eric: Yeah, you can’t avoid it. |
| Pieter: With these two phrases, you can seem polite and maybe even prevent a slap in the face. In fact, you can throw this word out at random, just to be on the safe side. When are some other occasions when "sorry" will come in handy? |
| Eric: Hmm, when you step on someone's foot? |
| Pieter: Yes, you’ll need to apologize to all the dainty toes you’ll step on in the crowded train. In that case, you can say Verskoon my. |
| Eric: “I’m sorry,” or “Excuse me.” |
| Pieter: Just like that. Or it can be used to apologize for some cultural faux pas you've unintentionally committed. |
| Eric: Yes, it doesn't hurt to be on the safe side. Okay. We’ve got five phrases already, but some of them were pretty short, so we're including a bonus phrase just because it's nice and polite and we have to share it. |
| Pieter: My naam is, meaning "My name is…" |
| Eric: Being able to give your name will be highly appreciated and help you on your way. |
| Pieter: Yeah, you’ll make many friends, and you won’t be forgotten for sure. South Africans tend to remember you, whether you like it or not! |
| Eric: I think those are all great phrases, Pieter. We've really covered the basics. |
| Pieter: I agree! |
| Eric: 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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