A person from South Africa or Namibia who speaks Afrikaans. (More properly called "Afrikaans people" or Afrikaners.)
Used in a Sentence
afrikaans
Definitions, parts of speech, synonyms, and sentence examples for afrikaans.
Editorial note
Edited to add: Most Afrikaans speakers will tell you that Afrikaans is a dying language.
Examples17
Definitions3
Parts of speech2
Quick take
A person from South Africa or Namibia who speaks Afrikaans. (More properly called "Afrikaans people" or Afrikaners.)
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of afrikaans gathered in one view.
Of or pertaining to the Afrikaans language.
A Germanic language descending from Dutch; the primary language of the descendants of Dutch and other European settlers, as well as many mixed-race (e.g. Rehoboth Basters) living in South Africa and in Namibia. Also, one of the eleven official languages of South Africa and until 1990 one of three official languages of Namibia.
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for afrikaans.
noun
A person from South Africa or Namibia who speaks Afrikaans. (More properly called "Afrikaans people" or Afrikaners.)
adjective
Of or pertaining to the Afrikaans language.
noun
A Germanic language descending from Dutch; the primary language of the descendants of Dutch and other European settlers, as well as many mixed-race (e.g. Rehoboth Basters) living in South Africa and in Namibia. Also, one of the eleven official languages of South Africa and until 1990 one of three official languages of Namibia.
Example sentences
Edited to add: Most Afrikaans speakers will tell you that Afrikaans is a dying language.
Apparently Afrikaans and Dutch are so close that she was able to translate Spanish or English into Afrikaans for them, and they were able to understand that through skills in Dutch.
If Afrikaans is a non-weird language that would be because it's a creole (indiginous African and Dutch).
Again, Afrikaans and Dutch seem to be dialects of the same language (and, I think, Flemish as well).
Only the first few seconds are in Afrikaans in case you don't speak that.
The syntax and pragmatics of Afrikaans are nearly the same as English.
There aren't nearly as many resources to learn Afrikaans as Spanish, though.
This might just be me though - I think in German, read in English and hear Afrikaans in coffee shops.
Dis omdat ek Afrikaans is dat ek sukkel met die spel.
I would predict from this that Afrikaans would be a very non-weird language.
I know this is not really the point of the article, but what language other than Afrikaans could Mandela and de Klerk have used?
The Afrikaans language is similar to Dutch.
Quote examples
As an amusing aside "dom kop" (same phonetic as their domain name) in Dutch or Afrikaans translates to "stupid head"
"The Orange Free State (Dutch: Oranje-Vrijstaat Afrikaans: Oranje-Vrystaat) was an independent Boer sovereign republic in southern Africa" This was Recognized by who?
Proper noun examples
Afrikaans is super easy for Anglophones to learn also.
I have a secret weapon though - I'm also native-fluent in Afrikaans, which I use when I scrape a shin, drive angry, or tease.
OR Join Mukuru, be part of an elite development team and live in Cape Town for a couple of years soaking up the sun and practising your Afrikaans.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use afrikaans in a sentence?
Edited to add: Most Afrikaans speakers will tell you that Afrikaans is a dying language.
What does afrikaans mean?
A person from South Africa or Namibia who speaks Afrikaans. (More properly called "Afrikaans people" or Afrikaners.)
What part of speech is afrikaans?
afrikaans is commonly used as noun, adjective.