Phrases and Words
“Where can I find a nice restaurant?” “Go to the second robot, turn left and it is in the building on the right. Then take the lift to the first floor.” “Where?” To find out read the list below. South African English South African Dictionary Afrikaans
South African English
In general, the English spoken in Africa is more related to British English than American English. Over the centuries some words from native and other languages also became part of the South African English vocabulary. This list highlights some of the phrases and words used in southern Africa that can be confusing and may even have the opposite meaning to American English.
| SA English | American |
| Phrases | |
| Come and fetch me | Can you pick me up? |
| How is it? or What is going on? | What’s up? |
| It is a (my) pleasure | You’re welcome |
| Just joking | Just kidding |
| Just now | Soon, or in a minute, or in a second, or in a short while. Also a minute ago or a short while ago |
| Are you finished? | Are you done? |
| I am finished | I am done. I am set |
| Make a plan | Devise a way of accomplishing something, even if it means to bend the rules |
| Now-now | A moment ago; In a moment; Just now |
| Travel | |
| Holiday | Vacation |
| Rucksack | Backpack |
| Torch | Flashlight |
| Passport/Visa | |
| Dates are written as Day – Month – Year | |
| Surname | Last name |
| Clothes | |
| Costume | Bathing (swimming) suit |
| Jersey or pullover | Sweater |
| Nappie (similar sounding to Napkin) | Diaper |
| Takkies | Sneakers |
| Housing | |
| Bungalow or rondavel | Round cabin-type accommodation |
| Chalet | Cabin |
| Cupboard | Closet (also known as a toilet) |
| Dustbin | Trashcan |
| Flat | Apartment |
| Geyser | Water heater |
| Lodge | Typically exclusive, expensive chalet type of accommodation. Not to be confused with chain hotels found in the USA |
| Rubbish | Garbage, Trash |
| Tap | Faucet, spicket |
| Toilets | Restroom |
| Toilet paper | Bathroom tissue |
| Food/Shopping | |
| Biltong | Jerky |
| Biscuit | Cookie |
| Boerewors | BBQ sausage (direct translation means farmers sausage) |
| Braai or Braaivleis | BBQ |
| Chips | French Fries or chips |
| Cooldrinks or Colddrinks | Soda or soft drinks e.g. Coke, Pepsi etc. Also juice |
| Pap (pronounced pup) or porridge | Grits |
| Pie | Pastry with meat (e.g. Cornish pie, Steak & Kidney pie) |
| Dessert or pudding | Dessert |
| Rusk | Large, dried cookie similar to Italian biscotti |
| Scone | Biscuit |
| Sweets | Candy |
| Take-Away | Take-Out |
| Tart | Pie |
| Tin | Can |
| Trolley (shopping) | Cart (shopping) |
| Restaurant | |
| Bill | Check |
| Entrée | Appetizer |
| Serviette | Napkin (a similar sounding word, Nappie is a Diaper) |
| Building | |
| Lift | Elevator or giving someone a ride |
| Ground floor | First floor |
| First floor | Usually second floor, but sometimes third floor |
| Second floor | Usually third floor, but sometimes fourth floor |
| Roads | |
| Gravel road | Unpaved road |
| Pavement | Sidewalk |
| Robot | Traffic light |
| Tar road | Paved road |
| Vehicles | |
| Bakkie (pronounce buck-key) | Truck (small) |
| Bonnet | Hood |
| Boot | Trunk |
| Garage | Garage or auto repair shop |
| Hoot(ing) | Honk(ing) |
| Lorrie | Truck (large) |
| Mudguard | Fender |
| Petrol | Gas |
| Petrol Station | Gas Station |
| Quadbike | Four Wheeler ATV |
| Taxi | Minibus for mass transportation, but can also be a commonly known taxi (car) |
| Towbar | Hitch |
| Administrative/Political | |
| District | County |
| Municipality | City Council |
| Province | State |
| State or government | Government |
| Academic | |
| Assignment | Paper |
| Average % | GPA (Grade Percentage Average) |
| BSc | 3 year BS |
| BSc (Hons) | 4 year BS |
| BTech | 4 year technology BS. Similar to BSc (Hons) |
| Bursary | Scholarship |
| College | Community college |
| Course | Program |
| Diploma (national) | 3 year associate degree |
| Faculty | College e.g. College of Natural Resources |
| Graduate | from a university, not a high school |
| Hand in a paper | Turn in a paper |
| Hostel | Dormitory |
| Lecturer (Academic staff) | Faculty or Professor |
| Lecturing (at university) | Teaching (at university or school) |
| Matric | Grade 12 certificate or a senior at high school |
| Marking | Grading |
| Marks or Points | Grades |
| Programme | Itinerary |
| Scholar | Student at high school |
| Student (at university only) | Student (at university or high school) |
| Subject | Course |
| Technikon | Technical college, polytechnic or technical university |
| University | College or university |
| Agricultural | |
| Game ranch (farm) | Ranch used for farming and hunting wild animals, typically antelope |
| Lucerne | Alfalfa |
| Maize or Mielies | Corn |
| Plot or Small holding | Small farm of a few acres |
| Other | |
| Autumn | Fall |
| Bush | Like “in the woods” or a bush |
| Lipice | Chap stick or Lip balm |
| Post a letter | Mail a letter |
| Postal code | Zip code |
| Queue (stand in a queue) | Line (stand in line) |
South African Dictionary
These words are used both in English and Afrikaans
| Biltong | Salted and spicy dried meat; Jerky |
| Boerewors | BBQ sausage (direct translation means farmers sausage). Popular traditional South African sausage, usually a coarsely-ground mixture of beef and pork, seasoned with various spices. |
| Braai or Braaivleis | BBQ; To grill over a fire, to hold a barbecue, an outdoor gathering where meat and boerewors is grilled over an open fire. |
| Donga | Deep gully formed by erosion, usually dry with steep, bare sides |
| Hey | Impolite way of calling someone; Sometimes used aggressively; A request for an utterance to be repeated; Added to a statement or a question to give it emphasis or retain the attention of the addressed, through an implied request for reply; A request for confirmation of what has been said |
| Indaba | Meeting or discussion |
| Kraal | Traditional African village comprised of a cluster of huts; Enclosure or pen for livestock |
| Muti | Traditional medicine concocted from plant and animal products |
| Rondavel | Round chalet or cabin |
| Sangoma | Witch doctor |
| Sjambok | Short (about 4 feet long) whip made of skin, leather or plastic |
| Tannie | “Aunt”, used particularly for Afrikaner women which are not necessarily a blood-relation; a respectful and affectionate title for a older woman |
| Veld | Natural vegetation in savanna landscape |
| Vlei | Low-lying grassland inundated with water during the rainy season; Marshy area; Shallow natural pool of water |
| Voetsek | Go away! Get lost! A rough command typically used to chase a dog away; Also an expression of disgust or rejection used towards people (very aggressive and rude); An indeterminate time of long ago |
| Voortrekker | Afrikaner pioneers who migrated (trekked) from the Cape Colony to the interior of southern Africa to escape British rule |
| Yebo | Yes, I agree, I heard you, A general term of agreement or acknowledgement used mainly as slang |
AFRIKAANS
The first word “aardvark” and the last word “Zoeloe or Zulu” in the English dictionary are Afrikaans words. Afrikaans originated from the old Dutch language, mixed with some German, French, English and native languages. It is spoken mainly in South Africa and Namibia. These are some basic and typical Afrikaans phrases and words used, that will facilitate your communication skills while visiting these countries. The “G” is pronounced as a guteral gggg The “R” is pronounced as rrrr, with the front of the tongue vibrating
| English | Afrikaans |
| Phrases | Uitdrukkings (Frases) |
| Can I … | Kan ek … |
| Don’t worry | Moenie worry nie (used in slang) |
| Good bye | Totsiens |
| Good morning | Goeie more |
| Good night | Goeie nag |
| Have a good sleep | Slaap lekker |
| Have a good sleep or Sleep well | Lekker slaap or Slaap lekker |
| How are you | Hoe gaan dit |
| How far is it? | Hoe vêr is dit? |
| How much does it cost? | Hoeveel kos dit? |
| I am … | Ek is … |
| I am going to bed | Ek gaan bed toe |
| I am going to sleep | Ek gaan slaap |
| I am looking for … | Ek soek die … |
| I want to … | Ek wil … |
| It’s my pleasure (You are welcome) | Dit is my plesier |
| Putting up a tent | Tent opslaan |
| Thank you | Dankie or Baie dankie |
| When are we … | Wanner is ons … |
| When are we going? | Wanneer gaan ons? |
| Where are the others? | Waar is die ander? |
| Where are they? | Waar is hulle? |
| Where are we going? | Waarnatoe gaan ons? |
| Where is the … | Waar is die … |
| Personal Pronoun | Persoonlike Voornaamwoord |
| I | Ek |
| He | Hy |
| Me | My |
| Mine | Myne |
| She | Sy |
| They | Hulle |
| We | Ons |
| You | Jy (for friends or acquaintances) and U for an adult unfamiliar person |
| Food/Eating | Kos/Eet |
| BBQ | Braai or braaivleis |
| Butter | Botter |
| Can | Blik |
| Eat | Eet (pronounce first “E” like in eat, second “E” like in elephant) |
| Food | Kos |
| Food for on the road | Padkos (literally means road food) |
| Fork | Vurk |
| Hungry | Honger |
| Knife | Mes |
| Maize or corn | Mielie |
| Meat | Vleis |
| Pan | Pan |
| Plate | Bord |
| Porridge usually made of maize (corn) | Pap |
| Pot | Pot |
| Sausage | Wors |
| Spoon | Lepel |
| Thirsty | Dors |
| Water | Water |
| Clothes | Klere |
| Hat | Hoed |
| Pants | (Lang) Broek |
| Shirt | Hemp |
| Shoes | Skoene |
| Shorts | (Kort) Broek |
| Camping | Kampeer |
| Blanket | Kombers |
| Chair | Stoel |
| Cold | Koud |
| Fire | Vuur |
| Freezing cold | Yskoud |
| Hot | Warm |
| Mattress | Matrass |
| Pack or packing | Pak |
| Pillow | Kussing |
| Restroom | Badkamer or Toilet |
| Shower | Stort |
| Sleep(ing) | Slaap |
| Sleeping bag | Slaapsak |
| Stick | Stok |
| Table | Tafel |
| Tent | Tent |
| Tired | Moeg |
| Wood | Hout |
| Landscape Features | |
| Gorge or ravine | Kloof |
| Hill or hillock, prominent or small | Koppie |
| Natural depression, often with a deposit of salt that remained after rain water has evaporated; Shallow periodic lake | Pan |
| Natural vegetation in savanna landscape | Veld |
| Ridge | Rant |
| Stream or watercourse, small, usually containing little or no water except during the rainy season | Spruit or Sloot |
| Waterhole | Watergat |
| Low-lying grassland inundated with water during the rainy season; Marshy area; Shallow natural pool of water | Vlei |
| Other | Ander |
| Angry, cross, strict | Kwaai |
| Animals | Diere |
| Beautiful, wonderful, great, nice | Mooi |
| Be careful! Beware! Look out! | Pas op! Oppas! |
| Drive | Ry |
| Finished; Done; Ready; Exhausted | Klaar |
| Grass | Gras |
| Help | Help |
| Just, Simply, For no specific reason | Sommer |
| Nice, Good, Fine | Lekker |
| Phoning | Bel |
| Pull; Migration of animals; Relocation or Exodus; A long arduous journey or trip; To leave an area; To go away; Move off; To travel constantly from place to place | Trek |
| Tree | Boom |
| Verandah or porch |