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Afrikaans phrasebook: 14 phrases and numbers
Afrikaans developed from Dutch in southern Africa and is spoken in South Africa and Namibia. It is simpler in grammar than Dutch.
- In its own name: Afrikaans
- Writing system: Latin
- Family: Indo-European, Germanic
- Official language in: South Africa
Essential Afrikaans phrases
| English | Afrikaans | Romanisation |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Hallo | |
| Goodbye | Totsiens | |
| Good morning | Goeie môre | |
| Good night | Goeie nag | |
| Thank you | Dankie | |
| You're welcome | Dis 'n plesier | |
| Please | Asseblief | |
| Sorry | Jammer | |
| Yes | Ja | |
| No | Nee | |
| My name is ___ | My naam is ___ | |
| What is your name? | Wat is jou naam? | |
| How are you? | Hoe gaan dit? | |
| I love you | Ek het jou lief |
Phrases are cross-checked against independent sources but still await a native-speaker review.
Numbers 1 to 10 in Afrikaans
| # | Word | Romanisation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | een | |
| 2 | twee | |
| 3 | drie | |
| 4 | vier | |
| 5 | vyf | |
| 6 | ses | |
| 7 | sewe | |
| 8 | agt | |
| 9 | nege | |
| 10 | tien |
Pronunciation
Afrikaans pronunciation is close to Dutch but softer. The g is a throaty sound, and the double negative is used for emphasis.
Good to know
Afrikaans has no verb conjugations by person, and the double negative (nie ... nie) is standard. Dutch speakers can read it with little difficulty.
Mini quiz
A quick check of what you just read.
Play with Afrikaans
Meet Afrikaans in Mystery Phrase, Listen and Guess and Memory Match.
Questions
How do you say hello in Afrikaans?
Hallo.
What writing system does Afrikaans use?
Afrikaans is written in Latin.