SemaSoma
Afrikaans overview

How to say hello, thank you and more in Afrikaans

25 essential Afrikaans phrases with pronunciation written out for English speakers. Everything below is what a beginner actually needs first: greetings, polite words, numbers, family, food, time and getting around. The stressed syllable is in capitals so you can say it out loud without guessing.

Quick answers

Hello

Hallo

/ha-LOH/

Thank you

Dankie

/DAHN-kee/

Goodbye

Totsiens

/tot-SEENS/

Yes

Ja

/YAH/

No

Nee

/NEE-uh/

Please

Asseblief

/AH-suh-bleef/

Welcome

Welkom

/VEL-kom/

Sorry

Jammer

/YAH-mer/

How are you?

Hoe gaan dit?

/hoo GHAAN dit/

Practise these in the Afrikaans courseTranslate your own phrase

Free

Get one Afrikaans phrase a day by email

A short phrase with its pronunciation, every day. No account and no card needed — just an email address.

One click to unsubscribe. We never sell your email.

First words

Greet someone and be polite

  • HalloHello/ha-LOH/
  • DankieThank you/DAHN-kee/
  • WelkomWelcome/VEL-kom/
  • TotsiensGoodbye/tot-SEENS/
  • JaYes/YAH/
  • NeeNo/NEE-uh/
  • AssebliefPlease/AH-suh-bleef/
  • JammerSorry/YAH-mer/

Meeting people

Introduce yourself and ask how someone is

  • My naam is AmaraMy name is Amara/my NAAM is a-MA-ra/
  • Wat is jou naam?What is your name?/vut is yo NAAM/
  • Hoe gaan dit?How are you?/hoo GHAAN dit/
  • Dit gaan goedI am fine/dit GHAAN khoot/
  • WaterWater/VAH-ter/
  • KosFood/KOHS/
  • VriendFriend/FREENT/
  • HuisHouse/HAUS/

Counting

Numbers one to five and shopping at the market

  • EenOne/AYN/
  • TweeTwo/TVEE-uh/
  • DrieThree/DREE/
  • VierFour/FEER/
  • VyfFive/FAYF/
  • Hoeveel kos dit?How much is it?/hoo-FEEL kos dit/
  • MarkMarket/MARK/
  • WaterWater/VAH-ter/
  • GeldMoney/KHELT/

Questions people ask about Afrikaans

How do you say "hello" in Afrikaans?

"Hello" in Afrikaans is Hallo, pronounced /ha-LOH/ (stressed syllables in capitals).

How do you say "thank you" in Afrikaans?

"Thank you" in Afrikaans is Dankie, pronounced /DAHN-kee/ (stressed syllables in capitals).

How do you say "how are you?" in Afrikaans?

"How are you?" in Afrikaans is Hoe gaan dit?, pronounced /hoo GHAAN dit/ (stressed syllables in capitals).

Is Afrikaans hard to learn?

  • Verbs barely change form — ek is, jy is, hy is.
  • Double negatives are standard: ek het nie geld nie.
  • Vocabulary overlaps heavily with Dutch, with Malay and Khoi influences.

Where is Afrikaans spoken?

South Africa and Namibia — around 17 million including second-language speakers. Writing system: Latin alphabet.

Can I learn Afrikaans for free?

Yes. This phrasebook is free to read, and SemaSoma gives you the first three units of the course plus 15 translations a day before anything is paid.

Comparing apps? See how SemaSoma compares to other African language apps.