From Wikitravel

Afrikaans is spoken throughout South Africa and Namibia. The language is mainly derived from Dutch. However most Afrikaans speakers in the workplace have some knowledge of English.

[edit] Pronunciation guide

[edit] Vowels

a 

as in sun

e 

as in met but also pronounced meet or angel

ê 

as in apple

ë 

usually pronounced the same as 'e' but when it is accented due to grammar, for example in words like 'geëet' which means 'to have eaten', then it can be pronounced in further 3 ways such as: meet or fear or wet

i 

as in bit

o 

as in fort but also mood or boy

ô 

as in cauldron

u 

sounds very similar to 'i' to a none Afrikaans speaker, but is in fact pronounced very differently. Sounds similar to British sin but not exactly

y 

Speakers of Dutch should note, Afrikaans 'y' is a replacement of the Dutch 'ij'. Sounds similar to 'ey' in hey but not exactly the same.

'n 

The Afrikaans Indefinite Article, a very unique letter. Pronounced the same way as the English 'a' as in 'a dog' or 'a song'. 'n Is never written in upper case if used at the start of a sentence, instead the word that follows will receive an upper case letter.

Note that Afrikaans pronunciation is extremely difficult and can be a challenge, even for speakers of Dutch.

[edit] Consonants

b 

as in bat

c 

as in king or celebrity

d 

as in dance but sometimes pronounced as English 't' usually at

5a8 the end of words

f 

as in fan

g 

similar to the 'ch' in bach but a lot harder and more glottal. Also on occasion pronounced the same as the english 'g'

h 

as in hat but sometimes is a silent letter, usually when followed by a vowel for example the word 'huur' which when spoken, no trace of an 'h' can be heard. Which explains why the plural of 'huur' is 'ure'

j 

as in yak

k 

as in king

l 

as in lamp

m 

as in man

n 

as in nap

p 

as in pet

r 

as in rant but the sound is rolled

s 

as in set

t 

as in tale

v 

pronounced same as English 'f' but on rare occasions is also pronounced like the English 'v'

w 

pronounced the same as the English 'v' as in vet but also pronounced the same as English 'w' in some words

x 

same as English but extremely rare and usually found in scientific terms or loanwords.

z 

Also extremely rare but pronounced exactly as the German 'z' meaning bits or the same as the English 'z'

[edit] Digraphs and trigraphs

aa 

as in father

ae 

Produces two sounds one after another, and pronounced quite quickly. First sound is the same as 'aa' and is quickly finished off with the Afrikaans 'a' as in dust

ch 

can be pronounced in three ways: loch or shine or king

kk 

as in cane

nn 

as in man

sj 

as in machine

ee 

as in fea

5a8 r

eë 

as in fear but pronounced as two separate sounds. Sounds almost like 'ee-ye'

ië 

same as eë

ei 

as is sale

eu 

pronounced two ways: as in ear or as in mew

gh 

same as english 'gh'. For example ghost

ll 

as in lamp

mm 

as in mend

ie 

pronounced either as long 'ee' like in breed or as 'i' in sick

kn 

as in pick 'n pay

ng 

as in s

ff9 ing

oe 

pronounced either as the long 'oo' as in loot or as a short 'oo' as in foot

oë 

as in English doer

oo 

same as German "ü", make your lips into the position of "o" but say "ee" instead.

ou 

as in coat

rs 

like farse but the 'r' is rolled

tj 

as in chunk

ui 

also a unique sound. Sounds like play but with pouted lips. The name shane is the closest english equivalent

uu 

very unique sound. Sounds similar to German über but pronounced with more emphasis and much longer. Identical to the finnish 'yy' sound

aai 

like the 'y' in shy but a pronounced a lot longer.

eeu 

A unique trigraph. The closest English equivalent is the English word ewe. Try blending the sounds 'ew' and 'oo'

oei 

similar to phooey but pronounced with a rapid 'w' in it

ooi 

similar to oil but pronounced with a rapid 'w' in it

uie 

similar to player but pronounced much longer

== 5a8

[edit] Note on Afrikaans==

Note that although Afrikaans digraphs and trigraphs contain mostly vowels and sound as though they contain many syllables, they in fact are seen as a single syllable. For example the word 'Goeie' sounds as if it contains 3 syllables but in fact contains only two: 'goei' and 'e' are the 2 syllables.

From this you can see Afrikaans pronunciation, like English for a foreigner, can be rather irregular. Pronunciation can be hard and the accent is extremely difficult to master, but when spoken correctly, Afrikaans is the most melodical Germanic language. However, one should not be daunted. Afrikaans grammar is really quite simple and bears more grammatical resemblance to English than any other Germanic language. Verbs are even simpler than English: there is no am or are or were, but only is and was. One who is learning Afrikaans will probably catch onto it rather quickly and will have no problem with speaking Dutch or understanding German.

[edit] Important differences between Dutch and Afrikaans

A rukkie in Afrikaans is a short period of time, not a sexual act performed on oneself. Common use examples are: Ek gaan 'n rukkie slaap or Ek sal oor 'n rukkie daar wees

Baie means veel (many), however the word veel also exists in Afrikaans and has the same meaning.

[edit] Phrase list

[edit] Basics

Common signs OPEN  Oop CLOSED  Toe ENTRANCE  Ingang EXIT 5a8 Uitgang PUSH  Stoot PULL  Trek TOILET  Toilet MEN  Here WOMEN  Dames FORBIDDEN  Verbode

Hello. (formal) 

Goeie dag.

Hello. (informal) 

Hallo.

How are you? 

Hoe gaan dit?

Fine, thank you. 

Goed, dankie.

What is your name? 

Wat is jou naam?

My name is ______. 

My naam is ______.

Nice to meet you. 

Aangename kennis.

Please. 

Asseblief.

Thank you. 

Dankie.

You're welcome. 

Dis 'n plesier.

Yes. 

Ja.

No. 

Nee.

Excuse me. (getting attention) 

Verskoon my.

Excuse me. (begging pardon) 

Verskoon my / Jammer.

I'm sorry. 

Ek is jammer.

Goodbye 

Totsiens.

Goodbye (informal) 

Baai.

I can't speak Afrikaans [well]. 

Ek kan nie [ goed ] Afrikaans praat nie.

Do you speak English? 

Praat jy Engels?

Is there someone here who speaks English? 

Is hier iemand wat Engels praat?

Help! 

Help!

Look out! 

Oppas!

Good morning. 

Goeie môre.

Good evening. 

Goeie naand.

Good night. 

Goeie nag.

Good night (to sleep) 

Goeie nag.

I don't understand. 

Ek verstaan nie.

Where is the toilet? 

Waar is die toilet?

I am wearing jeans. 

Ek dra 'n denim broek.

[edit] Problems

Leave me alone. 

Laat my met rus./Los my uit. (...)

Don't touch me! 

Moet nie aan my vat nie!/Moet nie aan my raak nie (...)

I'll call the police. 

Ek sal die polisie roep/bel. (...)

Police! 

Polisie! (...)

Stop! Thief!

5a8

Stop! Dief! (...)

I need your help. 

Ek het u hulp nodig. Ek benodig u/jou hulp (...)

It's an emergency. 

Dit is 'n noodgeval. (...)

I'm

ff9 lost. : Ek is verdwaald. (...)

I lost my bag. 

Ek het my sak verloor. (...)

I lost my wallet. 

Ek het my beursie verloor. (...)

I'm sick. 

Ek is siek. (...)

I've been injured. 

Ek is beseer. (...)

I need a doctor. 

Ek het 'n doktor nodig. (...)

Can I use your phone? 

Mag ek u(formal)/jou(informal) telefoon gebruik? (...)

[edit] Numbers

1

een

2

twee

3

drie

4

vier

5

vyf

6

ses

7

sewe

8

ag / agt

9

nege

10

tien

11

elf

12

twaalf

13

dertien

14

veertien

15

vyftien

16

sestien

17

sewentien

18

agtien

19

negentien

20

twintig

21

een-en-twintig

22

twee-en-twintig

23

drie-en-twintig

...

30

dertig

40

veertig

50

vyftig

60

sestig

70

sewentig

80

tagtig

90

neëntig

100

eenhonderd

200

tweehonderd

300

driehonderd

...

900

negehonderd

1000

eenduisend

2000

tweeduisend

1,000,000

een miljoen

1,000,000,000

een miljard
Note the difference with American English numbers.

1,000,000,000,000

een biljoen

[edit] Ordinal Numbers

1

eerste

2

tweede

3

derde

4

vierde

5

vyfde

6

sesde

7

sewende

8

agste

9

negende

10

tiende

11

elfde

...

20

twintigste

...

100

honderdste

101

honderd-en-ee

5a8 rste

[edit] Time

now

nou (...)

later

later (...)

before

voor (...)

morning

oggend (...)

afternoon

middag (...)

evening

aand (...)

night

nag (...)

[edit] Clock time

What time is it?

Hoe laat is dit?

one o'clock (when AM/PM are obvious)

een uur (...)

two o'clock (when AM/PM are obvious)

twee uur (...)

one o'clock AM

een uur in die oggend (...)

two o'clock AM

twee uur in die oggend (...)

noon

middag (...)

one o'clock PM

een uur in die middag (...)

two o'clock PM

twee uur in die middag (...)

midnight

middernag (...)

[edit] Duration

_____ minute(s)

_____ minuut(e) (...)

_____ hour(s)

_____ uur (...) / ure (...)

_____ day(s)

_____ dag (...) / dae (...)

_____ week(s)

_____ week (...) / weke (...)

_____ month(s)

_____ maand (...) / maande (...)

_____ year(s)

_____ jaar (...) / jare (...)

[edit] Days

today 

vandag (...)

yesterday 

gister (...)

the day before yesterday 

eergister (...)

tomorrow 

môre (...)

the day after tomorrow 

oormôre (...)

this week 

die week (...)

last week 

verlede week (...)

next week 

volgende week (...)

Monday 

Maandag

Tuesday 

Dinsdag

Wednesday 

Woensdag

Thursday 

Donderdag

Friday 

Vrydag

Saturday 

Saterdag

Sunday 

Sondag

Weekend 

Naweek

[edit] Months

January 

Januarie

February 

Februarie

March 

Maart

April 

April

May 

Mei

June 

Junie

July 

Julie

August 

Augustus

September 

September

October 

Oktober

November 

November

December 

Desember

[edit] Writing time and date

Day 

Dag

Week 

Week

Month 

Maand

Year 

Jaar

Century 

Eeu

Leap Year 

Skrikkel jaar

1:00 PM 

13:00 / 13h00

2:00 PM 

14:00 / 14h00

3:00 PM 

15:00 / 15h00

...

12:00 PM 

24:00 / 24h00 / 00:00 / 00h00

[edit] Colors

Red 

Rooi (Intensive form: bloed rooi, blood red)

Yellow 

Geel

Green 

Groen (Intensive form: gras groen, grass green)

Blue 

Blou (Intensive form: hemel blou, sky blue)

Black 

Swart (Intensive form: pik swart, pitch black)

White 

Wit (Intensive form: spier wit)

Purple 

Pers

Orange 

Oranje

Brown 

Bruin

Grey 

Grys

Pink 

Pink/Rooskleurig

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Bus and train

How much is a ticket to _____? 

Hoeveel kos 'n kaartjie na _____? (...)

One ticket to _____, please. 

Een kaartjie na _____, asseblief. (...)

Where does this train/bus go? 

Waarheen gaan hierdie trein/bus? (...)

Where is the train/bus to _____? 

Waar is die trein/bus na _____? (...)

Do

ff9 es this train/bus stop in _____? : Stop die/hierdie trein/bus in _____? (...)

When does the train/

5a8 bus for _____ leave? : Hoe laat vertrek die trein/bus na _____? (...)

When will this train/bus arrive in _____? 

Hoe laat sal die trein/bus in _____ arriveer? (...)

[edit] Directions

How do I get to _____ ? 

Hoe kom ek tot in _____ ? (...)

...the train station? 

...die trein stasie? (...)

...the bus station? 

...die bus stasie? (...)

...the airport? 

...die lughawe? (...)

...downtown? 

...middedorp? (...)

...the youth hostel? 

...die jeug hostel? (...)

...the _____ hotel? 

...die _____ hotel? (...)

...the American/Canadian/Australian/British consulate? 

...the Amerikaanse/Kanadese/Australiese/Britse konsolaat? (...)

Where are there a lot of... 

Waar is daar baie... (...)

...hotels? 

...hotels? (...)

...restaurants? 

...restaurante? (...)

...bars? 

...kroeë ? (...)

...sites to see? 

...besienswaardighede? (...)

Can you show me on the map? 

Kan jy dit vir my op die kaart aandui? (...)

street 

straat (...)

Turn left. 

Draai links. (...)

Turn right. 

Draai regs. (...)

left 

links (...)

right 

regs (...)

straight ahead 

reguit vorentoe (...)

towards the _____ 

in die rigting van _____ (...)

past the _____ 

verby die _____ (...)

before the _____ 

voor die _____ (...)

Watch for the _____. 

Wees op die uitkyk vir die _____. (...)

intersection 

kruisin

5a8 g (...)

north 

noord (...)

south 

suid (...)

east 

oos (...)

west 

wes (...)

go uphill 

gaan op teen die heuwel (...)

go downhill 

gaan af van die heuwel (...)

it is uphill 

dit is opdraaende (...)

it is downhill 

dit is afdraaende (...)

[edit] Taxi

Taxi! 

Taxi! (...)

Take me to _____, please. 

Vat my asseblief na _____ toe. (...)

How much does it cost to get to _____? 

Hoeveel kos dit om na _____ toe te gaan? (...)

Take me there, please. 

Vat my soontoe, asseblief. (...)

[edit] Lodging

Do you have any rooms available? 

Het u enige kamers beskikbaar? (...)

How much is a room for one person/two people? 

Hoeveel kos 'n kamer vir een/twee persone? (...)

Does the room come with bedsheets 

Is daar lakens in die kamer? (...)

Does the room come with... 

Het die kamer... (...)

...a bathroom? 

...'n badkamer? (...)

...a telephone? 

...'n telefoon? (...)

...a TV? 

...'n TV? (...)

May I see the room first? 

Mag ek die kamer eers sien? (...)

Do you have anything quieter 

Het u enige iets stiller? (...)

Do you have anything... 

Het u enige ... kamer? (...)

...bigger? 

...groter... (...)

...cleaner? 

...skoner (...)

...cheaper? 

...goedkoper... (...)

OK, I'll take it. 

Goed, ek sal dit neem/vat. (...)

I will stay for _____ night(s). 

Ek sal ____ aand

1f40 (e) bly. (...)

Can you suggest another hotel? 

Kan u 'n ander hotel aanbeveel? (...)

Do you have a safe? 

Het u 'n kluis? (...)

...lockers? 

... (...)

Is breakfast/supper included? 

Is ontbyt/aandete ingesluit? (...)

What time is breakfast/supper? 

Hoe laat is ontbyt/aandete? (...)

Please clean my room. 

Maak asseblief my kamer skoon. (...)

Can you wake me at _____? 

Kan u my wakker maak teen _____? (...)

I want to check out. 

Ek wil uitteken. (...)

[edit] Money

Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars? 

Aanvaar u Amerikaanse/Australiaanse/Kanadese dollars? (...)

Do you accept British pounds? 

Aanvaar u Britse ponde? (...)

Do you accept credit cards? 

Aanvaar u krediet kaarte? (...)

Can you change money for me? 

Kan u geld wissel vir my? (...)

Where can I get money changed? 

Waar kan ek geld verwissel? (...)

Can you change a traveler's cheque for me? 

Kan u 'n resigers tjek wissel vir my? (...)

Where can I get a traveler's cheque changed? 

Waa

ff9 r kan ek 'n reisigers tjek verwissel? (...)

What is the exchange rate? 

Wat is die wisselkoers? (...)

Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)? 

Waar is 'n autobank/ATM? (...)

[edit] Eating

A table for one person/two people, please. 

'n Tafel vir een/twee person(e) asseblief. (...)

Can I look at the menu, please? 

Mag ek 'n spyskaart sien, asseblief? (...)

Can I look in the kitchen? 

Mag ek in die kombuis kyk? (...)

Is there a house specialty? 

Is daar 'n huis spesialiteit? (...)

Is there a local specialty? 

Is daar 'n lokale spesialiteit? (...)

I'm a vegetarian. 

Ek's 'n vegetariër (...)

I don't eat pork. 

Ek eet nie varkvleis nie. (...)

I only eat kosher food. 

Ek eet slegs kosher kos (...)

Can you make it "lite", please? (less oil/butter/lard) 

Kan u dit asseblief olie-vry voorberei?(...)

fixed-price meal 

Vaste prys ete (...)

à la carte 

à la carte (...)

breakfast 

ontbyt (...)

lunch 

middag ete (...)

tea (meal) 

(...)

supper 

aandete (...)

I want _____. 

Ek wil _____ hê . (...)

I want a dish containing _____. 

Ek wil 'n gereg met _____ hê. (...)

chicken 

hoender (...)

beef 

beesvleis (...)

fish 

vis (...)

ham 

ham (...)

sausage 

wors (...)

cheese 

kaas (...)

eggs 

eiers (...)

salad 

slaai (...)

(fresh) vegetables 

(vars) groente (...)

(fresh) fruit 

(vars) vrugte (...)

bread 

brood (...)

toast 

roosterbrood (...)

noodles 

(...)

rice 

rys (...)

beans 

bone (...)

May I have a glass of _____? 

Mag ek a glas _____ kry? (...)

May I have a cup of _____? 

Mag ek 'n koppie _____ kry? (...)

May I have a bottle of _____? 

Mag ek 'n bottel _____ kry? (...)

coffee 

koffie ('...)

tea (drink) 

tee (...)

juice 

sap (...)

(bubbly) water 

vonkelwater (...)

water 

water (...)

beer 

bier (...)

red/white wine 

rooi/wit wyn (...)

May I have some _____? 

Mag ek _____ kry? (...)

salt 

sout (...)

black pepper 

swart peper (...)

butter 

botter (...)

Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of server)

Verskoon my? (...)

I'm finished. 

Ek is klaar. (...)

It was delicious. 

Dit was heerlik. (...)

Please clear the plates. 

Kan u assebleif die tafel skoonmaak. (...)

The check, please. 

Die rekening, asseblief. (...)

[edit] Bars

Do you serve alcohol? 

Bedien u alkohol? (...)

Is there table service? 

Is daar tafel diens? (...)

A beer/two beers, please. 

'n Bier/twee biere, asseblief. (...)

A glass of red/white wine, please. 

'n Glas rooi/wit wyn, asseblief. (...)

A pint, please. 

'n Pint, asseblief. (...)

A bottle, please. 

'n Bottel, asseblief. (...)

_____ (hard liquor) and _____ (mixer), please. 

_____ ( ) en _____ ( ), asseblief. (...)

whiskey 

whiskey (...)

vodka 

vodka (...)

rum 

rum (...)

water 

water (...)

club soda 

soda (...)

tonic water 

tonic (...)

orange juice 

lemoensap (...)

Coke (soda) 

Coke (koeldrank)

Do you have any bar snacks? 

(...)

One more, please. 

Nog een, asseblief. (...)

Another round, please. 

Nog 'n rondte, asseblief. (...)

When is closing time? 

Hoe laat is toemaaktyd? (...)

[edit] Shopping

Do you have this in my size? 

Het u dit in my mate/grote? (...)

How much is this? 

Hoeveel kos dit? (...)

That's too expensive. 

Dit is te duur. (...)

Would you take _____? 

Sal u _____ aanvaar? (...)

expensive 

duur (...)

cheap 

goedkoop (...)

I can't afford it. 

Ek kan dit nie bekostig nie. (...)

I don't want it. 

Ek wil dit nie hê nie. (...)

You're cheating me. 

Jy verneuk my. (...)

I'm not interested. 

Ek stel nie belang nie. (..)

OK, I'll take it. 

OK, ek sal dit vat. (...)

Can I have a bag? 

Kan ek 'n sakkie kry? (...)

Do you ship (overseas)? 

Verskeep u (oorsee)? (...)

I need... 

Ek het ... nodig (...)

...toothpaste. 

...tandepaste. (...)

...a toothbrush. 

...'n tandeborsel. (...)

...tampons. 

...tampons. (...)

...soap. 

...seep. (...)

...shampoo. 

...shampoo. (...)

...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen) 

...pyn tablet (...)

...cold medicine. 

...verkoue medisyne. (...)

...stomach medicine. 

...maag medisyne. (...)

...a razor. 

...'n skeermes. (...)

...an umbrella. 

...'n sambreel. (...)

...sunblock lotion. 

...sonbrand olie. (...)

...a postcard. 

...'n poskaart. (...)

...postage stamps. 

...seëls. (...)

...batteries. 

...batterye. (...)

...writing paper. 

...skryfpapier. (...)

...a pen. 

...'n pen. (...)

...English-language books. 

...engelse taalboeke. (...)

...English-language magazines. 

...engelse tydskrifte. (...)

...an English-language newspaper. 

...'n engelse koerant. (...)

...an Afrikaans-English dictionary. 

... 'n Afrikaans-Engelse woordeboek. (...)

[edit] Driving

I want to rent a car. 

Ek wil 'n motor huur. (...)

Can I get insurance? 

Kan ek assuransie kry? (...)

stop (on a street sign) 

stop (op 'n straat teken)

one way 

een rigting (...)

yield 

gee toe (...)

no parking 

geen parkering (...)

speed limit 

spoed beperking (...)

gas (petrol) station 

petrol stasie/vul stasie (...)

[edit] Authority

I haven't done anything wrong. 

Ek het niks verkeerd gedoen nie.

It was a misunderstanding. 

Dit was 'n misverstand.

Where are you taking me? 

Waar heen vat jy my?

Am I under arrest? 

Is ek onder arres?

I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen. 

Ek is 'n Amerikaanse/Australiaanse/Britse/Kanadese burger.

I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate. 

Ek wil met die Amerikaanse/Australiaanse/Britse/Kanadese ambassade praat.

I want to speak to a lawyer. 

Ek wil met 'n prokureur praat.

Can I just pay a fine now? 

Kan ek onmiddelik 'n boete betaal?

[edit] External links

• An online Afrikaans language course at Wikibooks