English Words in Afrikaans Speech

Level 6

In casual speech, English words slip into Afrikaans sentences: Ek sal jou later call. In writing, use the Afrikaans word: Ek sal jou later bel.

How It Works

1. Mixing is normal in everyday speech. Most Afrikaans speakers also speak English, and in casual talk they often drop English words and short phrases into an Afrikaans sentence. This happens among friends, on the radio, in messages and online. Linguists call it kodewisseling (code-switching). It is not broken Afrikaans, but it is informal.

  • Ek sal jou later call, okay? (I'll call you later, okay?)
  • Die meeting is om twee. (The meeting is at two.)

2. The grammar stays Afrikaans. Only the word is English. The sentence around it keeps its Afrikaans rules:

  • An English verb in the past usually gets het and the prefix ge-, and the participle still goes to the end: Ons het die hele naweek net ge-chill. (We just chilled all weekend.) Informal writing has no fixed spelling for these forms, so you will see both ge-chill and gechill. See the past tense with het + ge-.
  • Negation still needs both nie words: Ek is nie sure nie. (I'm not sure.) See double negation.
  • An English noun takes die or 'n and usually keeps its English -s plural: Ons het drie meetings gehad. (We had three meetings.)

3. Standard writing prefers the Afrikaans word. In school work, news, letters, official texts and anything formal, writers use the Afrikaans word when there is one. Many of these words are everyday words, not rare ones:

  • rekenaar (computer), selfoon (cellphone), e-pos (email)
  • webwerf (website), skakel (link), wagwoord (password), aflaai (download)
  • bel (call on the phone), vergadering (meeting), seker (sure)

So the spoken Ek sal jou later call becomes Ek sal jou later bel in writing. For the wider picture, see spoken and written Afrikaans and formal written Afrikaans.

4. Old loanwords are real Afrikaans. Some English words came into Afrikaans long ago and now have Afrikaans spelling and grammar. They are part of the standard language, not code-switching: sokker (soccer), fliek (movie; also a verb, to go to the movies), tjek (cheque), trollie (trolley), kar (car) and stres (stress). Kar is an everyday word, so formal writing still prefers motor. Borrowing words is normal in every language.

5. Hidden English: anglicisms. Sometimes the words are Afrikaans but the phrase is copied from English. Careful writers call this an anglisisme and avoid it. For example, Ek het my gedagte opgemaak copies I made up my mind; the usual Afrikaans is Ek het besluit. Style guides do not always agree on which phrases count, so treat such lists as advice for formal writing.

Where mixing is strongest. English mixing is especially common in the Western Cape and in Kaaps (Cape Afrikaans), where it is part of how the community speaks. See regional varieties. As a learner, understand the mixing when you hear it, and use the Afrikaans word when you write.

Examples (6)

  1. Ek sal jou later call, okay?

    I'll call you later, okay?

    Word by Word: I will you later call, okay?

    Casual speech with an English verb. The verb still goes to the end after sal. In writing: Ek sal jou later bel.

  2. Ons het die hele naweek net ge-chill.

    We just chilled all weekend.

    Word by Word: We have the whole weekend just chilled.

    The English verb chill gets Afrikaans het and ge-, and the participle stays at the end.

  3. Ek is nie sure nie, maar ek dink die meeting is om twee.

    I'm not sure, but I think the meeting is at two.

    Word by Word: I am not sure not, but I think the meeting is at two.

    The English words sit inside Afrikaans double negation. In writing: Ek is nie seker nie, maar ek dink die vergadering is om twee.

  4. My selfoon is pap. Kan ek jou rekenaar gebruik?

    My cellphone is dead. Can I use your computer?

    Word by Word: My cellphone is flat. Can I your computer use?

    Selfoon and rekenaar are the everyday standard words, used in speech and writing alike.

  5. Stuur vir my 'n e-pos met die skakel na die webwerf.

    Send me an email with the link to the website.

    Word by Word: Send for me an email with the link to the website.

  6. Ons gaan Saterdag fliek en daarna sokker kyk.

    On Saturday we're going to the movies and then watching soccer.

    Word by Word: We go Saturday go-to-the-movies and afterwards soccer watch.

    Fliek and sokker came from English long ago. They have Afrikaans spelling and are standard words.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the English word in a formal letter, where standard Afrikaans is expected.

    Geagte mev. Botha, stuur asseblief die vorm per email.
    Geagte mev. Botha, stuur asseblief die vorm per e-pos.

    Geagte opens a formal letter, and formal writing uses the standard Afrikaans word. Email is fine in a quick chat with a friend, but in a letter like this write e-pos.

  • Letting an English verb follow English word order.

    Ek het ge-check die e-pos.
    Ek het die e-pos ge-check.

    An English verb does not change Afrikaans word order. The participle still goes to the end of the clause. In careful speech or writing, use an Afrikaans verb: Ek het die e-pos nagegaan.

  • Dropping the closing nie when the sentence ends in an English word.

    Ek is nie sure.
    Ek is nie sure nie.

    The English word does not switch off Afrikaans negation. A negative sentence still needs the second nie at the end.

How It Connects

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English Words in Afrikaans SpeechLevel 6

Learn This First

English words are common in everyday speech.