Everything below is what a beginner actually needs first: greetings, polite words, numbers, family, food, time and getting around. Each entry shows the Afrikaans spelling, the English meaning, and a respelling with the stressed syllable in capitals so you can say it out loud without guessing.
First words Greet someone and be polite
Hallo Hello Dankie Thank you Welkom Welcome Totsiens Goodbye Ja Yes Nee No Asseblief Please Jammer Sorry Meeting people Introduce yourself and ask how someone is
My naam is Amara My name is Amara Wat is jou naam? What is your name? Hoe gaan dit? How are you? Dit gaan goed I am fine Water Water Kos Food Vriend Friend Huis House Counting Numbers one to five and shopping at the market
Een One Twee Two Drie Three Vier Four Vyf Five Hoeveel kos dit? How much is it? Mark Market Water Water Geld Money Questions people ask about Afrikaans 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.