English-Afrikaans Dictionary
Browse common English words and their Afrikaans translations, with parts of speech and example sentences. Use this dictionary to look up everyday vocabulary or as a starting point for learning Afrikaans.
Translate full sentences into AfrikaansAbout Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language derived from Dutch, spoken in South Africa and Namibia. It is one of the 11 official languages of South Africa. Afrikaans has a simpler grammar than Dutch, with no grammatical gender and very limited verb conjugation.
Cultural Note
Afrikaans evolved from 17th-century Dutch. It has no grammatical gender and minimal verb conjugation, making it one of the easiest Germanic languages to learn.
Browse common Afrikaans vocabulary
| Word | Part of speech | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pronouns | |||
| I | pron. | ek | I am ready now. Ek is nou gereed. |
| you | pron. | jy | You are very kind. Jy is baie vriendelik. |
| he | pron. | hy | He works in the city. Hy werk in die stad. |
| she | pron. | sy | She reads every morning. Sy lees elke oggend. |
| we | pron. | ons | We live near the river. Ons woon naby die rivier. |
| they | pron. | hulle | They work every day. Hulle werk elke dag. |
| Question Words | |||
| what | int. | wat | What is your name? Wat is jou naam? |
| where | int. | waar | Where do you live? Waar woon jy? |
| when | int. | wanneer | When does school start? Wanneer begin skool? |
| who | int. | wie | Who is at the door? Wie is by die deur? |
| Verbs | |||
| to be | v. | wees | They will be here soon. Hulle sal gou hier wees. |
| to have | v. | hê | I have a new book. Ek het 'n nuwe boek. |
| to go | v. | gaan | They go to school early. Hulle gaan vroeg skool toe. |
| to come | v. | kom | Please come to my house. Kom asseblief na my huis. |
| to eat | v. | eet | We eat rice and fish. Ons eet rys en vis. |
| to love | v. | liefhê | I love my family deeply. Ek het my familie baie lief. |
| Nouns | |||
| man | n. | man | The man is my father. Die man is my vader. |
| woman | n. | vrou | The woman reads every evening. Die vrou lees elke aand. |
| child | n. | kind | The child drinks warm milk. Die kind drink warm melk. |
| family | n. | familie | My family lives in town. My familie woon in die dorp. |
| house | n. | huis | Their house is very big. Hulle huis is baie groot. |
| world | n. | wêreld | The world is very big. Die wêreld is baie groot. |
| water | n. | water | Water is important. Water is baie belangrik. |
| Adjectives | |||
| good | adj. | goed | This is a good book. Hierdie is 'n goeie boek. |
| bad | adj. | sleg | That was a bad idea. Dit was 'n slegte idee. |
| big | adj. | groot | They live in a big house. Hulle woon in 'n groot huis. |
| small | adj. | klein | The room is very small. Die kamer is baie klein. |
| beautiful | adj. | mooi | The flower is beautiful. Die blom is baie mooi. |
| Prepositions | |||
| with | prep. | met | She came with her friend. Sy het met haar vriend gekom. |
| from | prep. | van | They came from the city. Hulle het van die stad gekom. |
| to | prep. | na | We walked to the river. Ons het na die rivier geloop. |
| Conjunctions | |||
| and | conj. | en | Bread and milk. Brood en melk. |
| or | conj. | of | Tea or coffee. Tee of koffie. |
| but | conj. | maar | Tired but happy. Moeg maar gelukkig. |
| Interjections | |||
| yes | interj. | ja | Yes, I can help. Ja, ek kan help. |
| no | interj. | nee | No, that is not true. Nee, dit is nie waar nie. |
How It Works
Type an English word above to find its Afrikaans translation.
Common Uses
- •Learning Afrikaans
- •Travel to South Africa
- •Reference for Afrikaans classes
FAQ
Is this Afrikaans-English dictionary free?
Yes, completely free.