oom/tannie

Respectful Address: Oom and Tannie

Level 3

Speak to an older man as oom and an older woman as tannie: Dankie, tannie! Wil oom koffie hê? (Would you like coffee, sir?)

How It Works

1. Not only for family. Children and younger adults call older people oom and tannie, even strangers: a shop assistant, a neighbour, a friend's parent.

2. Three ways to use them.

  • To call someone: Goeiemôre, oom! Dankie, tannie!
  • As a title before a first name: oom Piet, tannie Sarie
  • Instead of "you": Wil oom koffie hê? (Would you like coffee?)

3. Instead of jy. Using the word itself as "you" is very polite. It replaces jy and jou, and se makes it possessive:

  • Hoe gaan dit met tannie? (How are you?)
  • Kan ek oom help? (Can I help you?)
  • Is dit tannie se tas? (Is this your bag?)

4. How it compares with u. U is formal and distant. Oom and tannie are respectful but warm. Many speakers prefer them over u when talking to an older person they know.

Tip: the whole family can be named with -hulle: oom Piet-hulle.

Examples (5)

  1. Dankie, tannie!

    Thank you, ma'am!

    Word by Word: Thanks, aunt!

  2. Wil oom koffie hê?

    Would you like some coffee, sir?

    Word by Word: Want uncle coffee have?

    Oom takes the place of jy.

  3. Goeiemôre, oom. Hoe gaan dit met oom?

    Good morning, sir. How are you?

    Word by Word: Good morning, uncle. How goes it with uncle?

  4. Tannie, is dit tannie se tas?

    Excuse me, ma'am, is this your bag?

    Word by Word: Aunt, is it aunt POSS bag?

  5. Oom Piet en tannie Sarie kom vanaand kuier.

    Uncle Piet and Auntie Sarie are coming to visit tonight.

    Word by Word: Uncle Piet and aunt Sarie come tonight visit.

    Before a first name, oom and tannie work like a title.

Common Mistakes

  • Mixing up oom and tannie.

    Goeiemôre, oom Sarie!
    Goeiemôre, tannie Sarie!

    Oom is for a man and tannie is for a woman. Sarie is a woman's name, so she is tannie Sarie.

  • Using jy as the object instead of letting oom replace you.

    Kan ek jy help, oom?
    Kan ek oom help?

    Jy is only a subject, so the object would be jou. When you speak to an older man, oom itself can be the object: Kan ek oom help?

How It Connects

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

oom/tannieLevel 3Respectful Address: Oom and Tannie

Learn This First

Oom and tannie are respectful ways of addressing older people, next to u.

Words in This Pattern

oom