hoe gaan dit?

How Are You?

Level 1

Ask Hoe gaan dit? (How are you?) and answer Dit gaan goed, dankie (I'm fine, thanks).

How It Works

The question. Hoe gaan dit? literally means how goes it. The dit does not point to anything, just like it in it is raining.

Asking about a person. Add met and the person. After met, use the object pronoun (my, jou, hom, haar):

Answers.

Asking back. En met jou? (And you?)

Hoe gaan dit? — Goed, dankie. En met jou?
How are you? — Fine, thanks. And you?
Word by Word: How goes it? — Good, thanks. And with you?
Dit gaan goed, dankie.
I'm fine, thank you.
Word by Word: It goes well, thanks.
Hoe gaan dit met u, tannie?
How are you, ma'am?
Word by Word: How goes it with you, auntie?
U is the polite you; tannie is a respectful way to address an older woman.
Hoe gaan dit met jou ma?
How is your mother?
Word by Word: How goes it with your mom?
Dit gaan nie so goed nie.
Things are not going so well.
Word by Word: It goes not so well not.
Hoe gaan dit met die werk?
How is work going?
Word by Word: How goes it with the work?

Using the subject pronoun jy after met.
Hoe gaan dit met jy?
Hoe gaan dit met jou?
After met, use the object form jou, not jy.
Making jy the subject of gaan.
Hoe gaan jy?
Hoe gaan dit met jou?
Hoe gaan jy? asks how you are travelling or getting somewhere. To ask how someone is, dit is the subject: Hoe gaan dit met jou?

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

hoe gaan dit?Level 1How Are You?

Hoe gaan dit uses the question word hoe and the empty subject dit.

hoe gaan dit

Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Afrikaans lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.