In this post, you will learn how to say ‘how are you?’ in Afrikaans. You’ll also learn common responses so you can respond if you’re asked this question. This can be really useful if you’re speaking with someone from South Africa or Namibia or if you’re travelling to either.
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language spoken in some African countries, mainly South Africa and Namibia but also to a lesser extent in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
It evolved from Dutch due to the Dutch colonization of South Africa.
There are between 15 and 23 million speakers of Afrikaans.
Table of Contents
How To Say ‘How Are You?’ In Afrikaans
There are a few different ways to ask ‘how are you?’.
Below I have listed the most common. Where possible, I have added a sound link so you can hear the pronunciation by a native speaker.
| English | Afrikaans | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| How are you? (singular) | Hoe gaan dit met jou? | Hoo haan dit met yow |
| How are you? (plural) | Hoe gaan dit met julle? | Hoo haan dit met yul-eh |
If you want to be a bit more formal, such as if you’re talking to someone you don’t know, then use this phrase instead:
| English | Afrikaans | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| How are you? | Hoe gaan dit met u? | Hoo haan dit met ee |
You can also check out the below video to hear the pronunciation of some of these phrases:
How To Respond To ‘How Are You?’ In Afrikaans
There are many different ways that you can reply to this question. Below are the most common responses to this question. I’ve also included how to say ‘thank you’ as it’s polite to thank someone if they ask how you are.
| English | Afrikaans | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Thank you | Dankie | Dan-kee |
| I’m fine | Ek is goed | Ak es khoot |
| Fine | Goed | Khoot |
| Very good | Baie goed | Bai khoot |
| I’m sick | Ek is siek | Ak es sick |
| I’m happy | Ek is gelukkig | Ak es gel-uhk-huh |
| I’m tired | Ek is moeg | Ak es mukh |
| I’m great | Ek is wonderlik | Ak es vonder-lek |
It’s also useful to know how to say ‘and you?’ or ‘what about you?’ to find out how someone else is if they ask you.
| English | Afrikaans | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| And with you? (informal) | En met jou? | En met yow |
| And with you? (formal) | En met u? | En met ee |
Example Conversation:
Person 1: Hoe gaan dit met jou? (How are you?)
Person 2: Goed, dankie. En met jou? (Fine, thanks. And you?)
Person 1: Ek is goed. (I’m fine)
Thanks for reading this post.
You should now know how to say ‘how are you?’ in Afrikaans and you should also be able to respond if you’re asked!
You can’t go wrong with these simple phrases.
If you found this useful, you may also want to check out our post on how to say ‘I love you’ in Afrikaans.
And if you have a friend’s birthday coming up then learn how to say happy birthday in Afrikaans.
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