What is “I” in Afrikaans?
English “I” is the word a speaker uses for himself or herself as the subject of a sentence: “I live in Pretoria”, “I am tired”. In Afrikaans the word is ek, pronounced /ɛk/. You have met it in almost every lesson so far: ek is moeg (2.1), ek woon in Pretoria (7.1), ek sal die sleutels nooit weer in die yskas sit nie (7.30). This lesson teaches ek as the headword, together with the two other forms that belong to it: my, “me” and “my”, and myne, “mine”.
Ek is the subject form. When the speaker is the object of a verb or comes after a preposition, Afrikaans uses my: Hy sien my, “He sees me”; Kan jy my help?, “Can you help me?”; vir my, “for me”. The same word my is also the possessive: my ma, my sleutels. So my does the work of both English “me” and English “my”. When “mine” stands on its own, without a noun after it, the form is myne: Dis myne, “It’s mine”.
Two things about ek differ from English “I”. First, ek is written with a small letter, except at the start of a sentence: Môre werk ek, not ✗ Môre werk Ek. Second, ek does not always stand first. Afrikaans puts the verb in second place, so when another word opens the sentence, ek moves to the other side of the verb: Ek werk môre, but Môre werk ek.
The verb never changes after ek. Afrikaans has one present form for every person: ek is, jy is, hulle is; ek werk, sy werk, ons werk. There is nothing like English “I am” beside “he is”.
Ek comes from Dutch ik, which goes back to Middle Dutch ic and to Proto-Germanic *ek. English “I” (Old English ic) and German ich are cousins from the same ancestor. As it happens, the Afrikaans form looks exactly like the reconstructed Germanic one.
FAQ: How do you say “I” in Afrikaans?
Q: What is “I” in Afrikaans? A: Ek, pronounced /ɛk/: Ek is honger, “I am hungry”.
Q: How do I say “me”? A: My, pronounced /məɪ/: Hy sien my, “He sees me”; vir my, “for me”.
Q: How do I say “my” and “mine”? A: My before a noun: my boek. Myne when it stands alone: Die boek is myne.
Q: Do I write ek with a capital letter? A: No, only at the start of a sentence: Ek is laat, but Vandag is ek laat.
Q: How do I say “It’s me”? A: Dis ek, with the subject form ek after dis.
Q: How do I say “I love you”? A: Ek is lief vir jou, or Ek het jou lief.
Key Takeaways:
- Ek /ɛk/ means “I”: ek is, ek het, ek werk; the verb has the same form for every person - Ek is written small, except at the start of a sentence - My /məɪ/ is both “me” (Hy sien my, vir my) and “my” (my ma); myne is “mine” on its own - When another word opens the sentence, the verb comes second and ek follows it: Môre werk ek - With some verbs my means “myself”: Ek skaam my, “I am ashamed”
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ek /ɛk/ — a short e, as in English “neck”, followed by a clear k. This course writes /ɛk/. Many speakers open the vowel further, towards the a of English “cat”: /æk/. Both are heard. In a sentence ek is usually unstressed. When it is stressed for contrast, it is said more strongly, but it has the same sound.
my /məɪ/ — like English “may” said with a weak first vowel; not like English “my” /maɪ/. The same sound is written y in sy /səɪ/, jy /jəɪ/ and gekry /χəˈkrəɪ/.
myne /ˈməɪnə/ — two syllables, stress on the first; the final e is a weak /ə/.
myself /məɪˈsɛlf/ — the stress is on -self.
Sounds that recur in this lesson:
w /v/ — woon /vʊən/, werk /vɛrk/, weet /vɪət/, wag /vaχ/, wees /vɪəs/, word /vɔrt/.
v /f/ — vir /fər/, van /fan/, vergeet /fərˈχɪət/, venster /ˈfɛnstər/, ver /fɛr/, verkeer /fərˈkɪər/, Vader /ˈfɑːdər/.
g /χ/ — gister /ˈχəstər/, goed /χut/, gemis /χəˈməs/, gebel /χəˈbɛl/, gebruik /χəˈbrœɪk/, goeie /ˈχujə/.
oe /u/ — moeg /muχ/, boek /buk/, broer /brur/, moenie /ˈmuni/.
ee /ɪə/ and oo /ʊə/ — weet /vɪət/, meer /mɪər/, verkeer /fərˈkɪər/, woon /vʊən/, loop /lʊəp/, ook /ʊək/.
ui /œɪ/ — suiker /ˈsœɪkər/, gebruik /χəˈbrœɪk/.
ou /œʊ/ — jou /jœʊ/, joune /ˈjœʊnə/, hou /ɦœʊ/, nou /nœʊ/, koud /kœʊt/.
ê /ɛː/ — hê /ɦɛː/, lê /lɛː/; ô /ɔː/ — môre /ˈmɔːrə/.
Final d is /t/: tyd /təɪt/, koud /kœʊt/, word /vɔrt/, goed /χut/.
Stress falls on the first syllable unless the word begins with an unstressed prefix such as ge-, ver- or be-: ˈjammer, ˈvenster, but geˈmis, verˈgeet, beˈstel.
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Duplex Method: line a gives each Afrikaans word with its meaning; line b gives the same words with IPA and grammatical glosses.
8.1a Ek I is am honger hungry
8.1b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG is /əs/ be.PRES honger /ˈɦɔŋər/ hungry
8.2a Ek I weet know nie not
8.2b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG weet /vɪət/ know.PRES nie /ni/ not.NEG
8.3a Ek I is am jammer sorry
8.3b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG is /əs/ be.PRES jammer /ˈjamər/ sorry
8.4a Môre tomorrow werk work ek I
8.4b Môre /ˈmɔːrə/ tomorrow werk /vɛrk/ work.PRES ek /ɛk/ I.1SG
8.5a Ek I woon live in in Bloemfontein Bloemfontein
8.5b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG woon /vʊən/ live.PRES in /ən/ in.PREP Bloemfontein /ˈblumfɔntəɪn/ Bloemfontein
8.6a Ek I hou hold baie much van of koffie coffee
8.6b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG hou /ɦœʊ/ hold.PRES baie /ˈbajə/ much van /fan/ of.PREP koffie /ˈkɔfi/ coffee.SG
8.7a Ek I het have my my sleutels keys vergeet forgotten
8.7b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG het /ɦɛt/ have.AUX.PERF my /məɪ/ my.1SG.POSS sleutels /ˈslʏətəls/ key.PL vergeet /fərˈχɪət/ forget.PTCP
8.8a Kan can jy you my me asseblief please help help
8.8b Kan /kan/ can.AUX.MOD jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG my /məɪ/ me.1SG.OBJ asseblief /ˈasəblif/ please help /ɦɛlp/ help.INF
8.9a Hy he sien sees my me maar but ek I sien see hom him nie not
8.9b Hy /ɦəɪ/ he.3SG sien /sin/ see.PRES my /məɪ/ me.1SG.OBJ maar /mɑːr/ but.CONJ ek /ɛk/ I.1SG sien /sin/ see.PRES hom /ɦɔm/ him.3SG.OBJ nie /ni/ not.NEG
8.10a Gister yesterday het have ek I my my ma mother in in Kaapstad Cape-Town gebel phoned
8.10b Gister /ˈχəstər/ yesterday het /ɦɛt/ have.AUX.PERF ek /ɛk/ I.1SG my /məɪ/ my.1SG.POSS ma /mɑː/ mother.SG in /ən/ in.PREP Kaapstad /ˈkɑːpstat/ Cape-Town gebel /χəˈbɛl/ phone.PTCP
8.11a Ek I skaam shame my myself nie not vir for my my Afrikaans Afrikaans nie not
8.11b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG skaam /skɑːm/ shame.PRES my /məɪ/ myself.1SG.REFL nie /ni/ not.NEG1 vir /fər/ for.PREP my /məɪ/ my.1SG.POSS Afrikaans /afriˈkɑːns/ Afrikaans nie /ni/ not.NEG2
8.12a Moenie don’t bang afraid wees be nie not Ma Mum dis it-is net only ek I
8.12b Moenie /ˈmuni/ must-not.NEG1 bang /baŋ/ afraid wees /vɪəs/ be.INF nie /ni/ not.NEG2 Ma /mɑː/ Mum dis /dəs/ it-is.CONTR net /nɛt/ only ek /ɛk/ I.1SG
8.13a Ek I dink think dat that ek I die the trein train gemis missed het have
8.13b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG dink /dəŋk/ think.PRES dat /dat/ that.SUBORD ek /ɛk/ I.1SG die /di/ the.DEF trein /trəɪn/ train.SG gemis /χəˈməs/ miss.PTCP het /ɦɛt/ have.AUX.PERF
8.14a Die the boek book is is nie not joune yours nie not dis it-is myne mine
8.14b Die /di/ the.DEF boek /buk/ book.SG is /əs/ be.PRES nie /ni/ not.NEG1 joune /ˈjœʊnə/ yours.2SG.POSS.INDEP nie /ni/ not.NEG2 dis /dəs/ it-is.CONTR myne /ˈməɪnə/ mine.1SG.POSS.INDEP
8.15a As if ek I môre tomorrow tyd time het have sal shall ek I jou you kom come help help
8.15b As /as/ if.SUBORD ek /ɛk/ I.1SG môre /ˈmɔːrə/ tomorrow tyd /təɪt/ time.SG het /ɦɛt/ have.PRES sal /sal/ shall.AUX.FUT ek /ɛk/ I.1SG jou /jœʊ/ you.2SG.OBJ kom /kɔm/ come.INF help /ɦɛlp/ help.INF
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8.1 Ek is honger. → “I’m hungry.”
8.2 Ek weet nie. → “I don’t know.”
8.3 Ek is jammer. → “I’m sorry.”
8.4 Môre werk ek. → “Tomorrow I’m working.”
8.5 Ek woon in Bloemfontein. → “I live in Bloemfontein.”
8.6 Ek hou baie van koffie. → “I like coffee very much.”
8.7 Ek het my sleutels vergeet. → “I’ve forgotten my keys.”
8.8 Kan jy my asseblief help? → “Can you help me, please?”
8.9 Hy sien my, maar ek sien hom nie. → “He sees me, but I don’t see him.”
8.10 Gister het ek my ma in Kaapstad gebel. → “Yesterday I phoned my mother in Cape Town.”
8.11 Ek skaam my nie vir my Afrikaans nie. → “I’m not ashamed of my Afrikaans.”
8.12 Moenie bang wees nie, Ma, dis net ek. → “Don’t be afraid, Mum, it’s only me.”
8.13 Ek dink dat ek die trein gemis het. → “I think I’ve missed the train.”
8.14 Die boek is nie joune nie, dis myne. → “The book isn’t yours, it’s mine.”
8.15 As ek môre tyd het, sal ek jou kom help. → “If I have time tomorrow, I’ll come and help you.”
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8.1 Ek is honger.
8.2 Ek weet nie.
8.3 Ek is jammer.
8.4 Môre werk ek.
8.5 Ek woon in Bloemfontein.
8.6 Ek hou baie van koffie.
8.7 Ek het my sleutels vergeet.
8.8 Kan jy my asseblief help?
8.9 Hy sien my, maar ek sien hom nie.
8.10 Gister het ek my ma in Kaapstad gebel.
8.11 Ek skaam my nie vir my Afrikaans nie.
8.12 Moenie bang wees nie, Ma, dis net ek.
8.13 Ek dink dat ek die trein gemis het.
8.14 Die boek is nie joune nie, dis myne.
8.15 As ek môre tyd het, sal ek jou kom help.
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These are the grammar rules for “I” (ek) in Afrikaans:
1. Ek, my, myne
The first person singular has three forms:
ek — “I”, the subject: Ek is honger (8.1).
my — “me”, the object, and after a preposition: Hy sien my (8.9), Kan jy my help? (8.8), vir my, by my, met my.
my — “my”, before a noun: my sleutels (8.7), my ma (8.10).
myne — “mine”, standing alone: dis myne (8.14).
The other persons work in the same way: jy, jou, jou, joune; hy, hom, sy; sy, haar, haar. English has three different words, “I”, “me” and “my”; Afrikaans has two, ek and my.
2. A small letter
Ek is written with a small e inside a sentence: Môre werk ek (8.4), Gister het ek my ma gebel (8.10). Only the first word of a sentence takes a capital: Ek weet nie (8.2). English “I” is always a capital; Afrikaans ek is not.
3. The verb does not change
After ek the verb has the one form it has for every person: ek is, jy is, hy is; ek werk, ons werk; ek het, hulle het. So ek is (8.1) is “I am”, and ek het (8.7) is “I have”. Nothing is added to the verb for “I”.
4. Ek and word order
The verb stands in second place in a main clause. When ek opens the sentence, the verb follows it: Ek werk môre. When something else opens the sentence, a time word or a clause, the verb still comes second and ek follows the verb: Môre werk ek (8.4); Gister het ek my ma in Kaapstad gebel (8.10); As ek môre tyd het, sal ek jou kom help (8.15).
In a yes-or-no question the verb comes first: Kan ek help?, Het ek dit gesê?
In a clause after dat, as, toe or wat, the verbs go to the end, and ek stays near the front: dat ek die trein gemis het (8.13); As ek môre tyd het (8.15).
5. My as the object
When someone does something to or for the speaker, Afrikaans says my: Hy sien my (8.9), Kan jy my help? (8.8), Sal jy my bel? After a preposition it is also my: vir my, “for me, to me”; by my, “at my place”; saam met my, “with me”. Vir my is often used where English has a plain “me”: Gee vir my die sout, “Give me the salt”; Bestel vir my ’n koffie (8.21).
6. My as “myself”
Some verbs always take a pronoun that points back to the subject. For “I” this pronoun is my: Ek skaam my, “I am ashamed” (8.11); Ek verbeel my, “I imagine”. English has no “myself” here, so it is easy to leave the my out; but Afrikaans needs it. With an ordinary verb, myself adds weight: Ek ken myself, “I know myself”.
7. Dis ek
“It’s me” is Dis ek (8.12), with the subject form ek after dis: Wie is daar? Dis ek. Not ✗ Dis my.
8. My and myne
My stands before a noun: my boek. When the noun is not repeated, use myne: Die boek is myne, “The book is mine”; Dis myne (8.14). In the same way, joune stands for “yours” when no noun follows: Die boek is nie joune nie (8.14).
9. Ek and the negative
Ek does not change in a negative sentence. The negative has nie after the verb, and a second nie at the end when the clause goes on: Ek weet nie (8.2); Ek skaam my nie vir my Afrikaans nie (8.11). Lesson 4 gives the rule for the double nie.
10. Ek in common phrases
Ek is jammer, “I’m sorry” (8.3). Ek weet nie, “I don’t know” (8.2). Ek hou van, “I like”: Ek hou van koffie (8.6). Ek is lief vir jou, “I love you”, and its partner Ek het jou lief. Ek dink, “I think” (8.13).
Common mistakes for English speakers:
Mistake: A capital E inside a sentence. ✗ Môre werk Ek. → ✓ Môre werk ek.
Mistake: Ek in the object place. ✗ Hy sien ek. → ✓ Hy sien my.
Mistake: Keeping English word order after a time word. ✗ Môre ek werk. → ✓ Môre werk ek.
Mistake: My where myne is needed. ✗ Die boek is my. → ✓ Die boek is myne.
Mistake: Leaving out the reflexive my. ✗ Ek skaam vir my Afrikaans. → ✓ Ek skaam my vir my Afrikaans.
Mistake: Saying my like English “my”. ✗ /maɪ/ → ✓ /məɪ/.
Mistake: Leaving out vir in “I love you”. ✗ Ek is lief jou. → ✓ Ek is lief vir jou.
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Frequency
Ek is the eighth word in the course’s list, and in conversation it is one of the most frequent words in the language. Almost every first sentence a learner says, Ek is …, Ek woon in …, Ek hou van …, opens with it.
Ek is lief vir jou
There are two ways of saying “I love you”: Ek is lief vir jou and Ek het jou lief. Both are standard and both are heard in South Africa. The first is very common in everyday speech, in messages and on cards. The second may sound a little more formal or literary.
Ekke
In relaxed speech you may hear ekke for ek, with weight on the speaker. It is a colloquial form; in writing, and in this course, the form is ek.
Pronunciation across the country
The vowel of ek varies from speaker to speaker and from region to region: /ɛk/ and the more open /æk/ are both heard. Either is understood everywhere.
Nou-nou
The Genre Section closes with Ek sien jou nou-nou (8.24), a very South African phrase. Nou-nou means “in a little while”, not “now”. South African English has borrowed the idea: “I’ll see you just now” means “later”, not “immediately”.
Afrikaans and Dutch
Dutch ik /ɪk/ and Afrikaans ek are the same word. Dutch keeps two object forms, mij and me; Afrikaans has the single my. Dutch has one word for “I am” (ik ben) and another for “he is” (hij is); Afrikaans has only is: ek is, hy is.
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Source: John 10:11 and 14–15, in Die Bybel, the Afrikaans translation of 1933 with the revision of 1953 (Bybelgenootskap van Suid-Afrika). The text follows the 1933/1953 translation (AFR53) on bible.com and agrees word for word with the 1933/1953 text on bibliaonline.com.br. Verses 12 and 13 are left out.
Context: Lesson 7 read the opening of John’s Gospel in this translation. In chapter 10, Jesus speaks of himself in the first person: Ek is die goeie herder, “I am the good shepherd”. In these three verses all three forms of this lesson appear: Ek as subject, my as possessive (my eie, my lewe) and My as object (die Vader My ken). The translation gives Ek and the object My a capital letter when Christ speaks of himself, as it does with Hy and Hom (Lesson 7); the possessive my in these verses is printed small. In ordinary writing ek and my take a small letter.
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Ek I is am die the goeie good herder shepherd
F.1b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG is /əs/ be.PRES die /di/ the.DEF goeie /ˈχujə/ good.ATTR herder /ˈɦɛrdər/ shepherd.SG
F.2a Die the goeie good herder shepherd lê lays sy his lewe life af down vir for die the skape sheep
F.2b Die /di/ the.DEF goeie /ˈχujə/ good.ATTR herder /ˈɦɛrdər/ shepherd.SG lê /lɛː/ lay.PRES sy /səɪ/ his.3SG.POSS lewe /ˈlɪəvə/ life.SG af /af/ down.SEP vir /fər/ for.PREP die /di/ the.DEF skape /ˈskɑːpə/ sheep.PL
F.3a Ek I is am die the goeie good herder shepherd en and Ek I ken know my my eie own en and word am deur by my my eie own geken known
F.3b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG is /əs/ be.PRES die /di/ the.DEF goeie /ˈχujə/ good.ATTR herder /ˈɦɛrdər/ shepherd.SG en /ɛn/ and.CONJ Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG ken /kɛn/ know.PRES my /məɪ/ my.1SG.POSS eie /ˈəɪə/ own en /ɛn/ and.CONJ word /vɔrt/ become.AUX.PASS deur /dʏər/ by.PREP my /məɪ/ my.1SG.POSS eie /ˈəɪə/ own geken /χəˈkɛn/ know.PTCP
F.4a Net just soos as die the Vader Father My me ken knows ken know Ek I ook also die the Vader Father en and Ek I lê lay my my lewe life af down vir for die the skape sheep
F.4b Net /nɛt/ just soos /sʊəs/ as.SUBORD die /di/ the.DEF Vader /ˈfɑːdər/ father.SG My /məɪ/ me.1SG.OBJ ken /kɛn/ know.PRES ken /kɛn/ know.PRES Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG ook /ʊək/ also die /di/ the.DEF Vader /ˈfɑːdər/ father.SG en /ɛn/ and.CONJ Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG lê /lɛː/ lay.PRES my /məɪ/ my.1SG.POSS lewe /ˈlɪəvə/ life.SG af /af/ down.SEP vir /fər/ for.PREP die /di/ the.DEF skape /ˈskɑːpə/ sheep.PL
F-B: Authentic Text with Idiomatic English Translation
Ek is die goeie herder. Die goeie herder lê sy lewe af vir die skape. … Ek is die goeie herder, en Ek ken my eie en word deur my eie geken. Net soos die Vader My ken, ken Ek ook die Vader; en Ek lê my lewe af vir die skape.
→ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. … I am the good shepherd, and I know my own and am known by my own. Just as the Father knows me, so I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (Latinum Institute.)
F-C: Authentic Text Only
Ek is die goeie herder. Die goeie herder lê sy lewe af vir die skape. … Ek is die goeie herder, en Ek ken my eie en word deur my eie geken. Net soos die Vader My ken, ken Ek ook die Vader; en Ek lê my lewe af vir die skape.
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
Ek is die goeie herder (F.1, F.3) — ek with is: the same is serves for every person, as in Section D, 3. The sentence is said twice, and the second time it opens a longer statement.
Ek ken my eie (F.3) — ek as subject and my as possessive in one clause. My eie, “my own”, stands without a noun: the shepherd’s own sheep, his own people. Eie is the word for “own”, as in my eie huis, “my own house”.
Word deur my eie geken (F.3) — a passive: word, “is, becomes”, with the participle geken and deur, “by”, for the one who does the knowing. Ek is not repeated before word; the one subject serves both halves of the sentence, joined by en.
Net soos die Vader My ken, ken Ek ook die Vader (F.4) — the most important sentence for this lesson. In the clause opened by soos, “as”, the verb ken goes to the end and My, the object form, stands before it. Then the main clause begins with its verb, because the whole soos clause has taken first place: ken Ek, not ✗ Ek ken. This is the rule of Section D, 4 (Môre werk ek; As ek tyd het, sal ek …). The two clauses mirror each other: die Vader My ken / ken Ek die Vader.
Lê … af (F.2, F.4) — aflê, “to lay down”, is a separable verb: in the present tense af goes to the end of the clause, after the object: lê sy lewe af, lê my lewe af. Compare uitkom in Lesson 7 (7.15): at the end of a subordinate clause the two parts are written together.
The style is the plain, balanced Afrikaans of the 1933 translation: short clauses linked by en, and a sentence that turns round on itself, die Vader My ken, ken Ek die Vader.
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A message conversation written for this lesson. Marike is meeting her friend Sanet for coffee, but her bus is stuck in traffic. Marike writes first (8.16); almost every message has ek or my in it. The writers are named in Part C.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
8.16a Sanet Sanet ek I is am jammer sorry ek I is am laat late
8.16b Sanet /saˈnɛt/ Sanet ek /ɛk/ I.1SG is /əs/ be.PRES jammer /ˈjamər/ sorry ek /ɛk/ I.1SG is /əs/ be.PRES laat /lɑːt/ late
8.17a Dis it-is reg right Waar where is are jy you nou now
8.17b Dis /dəs/ it-is.CONTR reg /rɛχ/ right Waar /vɑːr/ where is /əs/ be.PRES jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG nou /nœʊ/ now
8.18a Ek I sit sit in in die the bus bus en and daar there is is baie much verkeer traffic
8.18b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG sit /sət/ sit.PRES in /ən/ in.PREP die /di/ the.DEF bus /bœs/ bus.SG en /ɛn/ and.CONJ daar /dɑːr/ there.EXIST is /əs/ be.PRES baie /ˈbajə/ much verkeer /fərˈkɪər/ traffic.SG
8.19a Ek I wag wait vir for jou you by at die the koffiewinkel coffee-shop
8.19b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG wag /vaχ/ wait.PRES vir /fər/ for.PREP jou /jœʊ/ you.2SG.OBJ by /bəɪ/ at.PREP die /di/ the.DEF koffiewinkel /ˈkɔfivəŋkəl/ coffee-shop.SG
8.20a Ek I het have vir for ons us ’n a tafel table by by die the venster window gekry got
8.20b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG het /ɦɛt/ have.AUX.PERF vir /fər/ for.PREP ons /ɔns/ us.1PL.OBJ ’n /ə/ a.INDEF tafel /ˈtɑːfəl/ table.SG by /bəɪ/ by.PREP die /di/ the.DEF venster /ˈfɛnstər/ window.SG gekry /χəˈkrəɪ/ get.PTCP
8.21a Dankie thanks Bestel order asseblief please vir for my me ’n a koffie coffee
8.21b Dankie /ˈdaŋki/ thanks Bestel /bəˈstɛl/ order.IMP asseblief /ˈasəblif/ please vir /fər/ for.PREP my /məɪ/ me.1SG.OBJ ’n /ə/ a.INDEF koffie /ˈkɔfi/ coffee.SG
8.22a Wil want jy you melk milk en and suiker sugar hê have
8.22b Wil /vəl/ want.AUX.MOD jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG melk /mɛlk/ milk.SG en /ɛn/ and.CONJ suiker /ˈsœɪkər/ sugar.SG hê /ɦɛː/ have.INF
8.23a Net only melk milk dankie thanks Ek I gebruik use nie not meer more suiker sugar nie not
8.23b Net /nɛt/ only melk /mɛlk/ milk.SG dankie /ˈdaŋki/ thanks Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG gebruik /χəˈbrœɪk/ use.PRES nie /ni/ not.NEG1 meer /mɪər/ more suiker /ˈsœɪkər/ sugar.SG nie /ni/ not.NEG2
8.24a Goed good Ek I sien see jou you nou-nou in-a-little-while
8.24b Goed /χut/ good Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG sien /sin/ see.PRES jou /jœʊ/ you.2SG.OBJ nou-nou /ˈnœʊnœʊ/ in-a-little-while.REDUP
8.25a Die the bus bus staan stands stil still Ek I klim climb nou now af off en and loop walk
8.25b Die /di/ the.DEF bus /bœs/ bus.SG staan /stɑːn/ stand.PRES stil /stəl/ still Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG klim /kləm/ climb.PRES nou /nœʊ/ now af /af/ off.SEP en /ɛn/ and.CONJ loop /lʊəp/ walk.PRES
8.26a Is is dit it nog still ver far
8.26b Is /əs/ be.PRES dit /dət/ it.3SG.N nog /nɔχ/ still ver /fɛr/ far
8.27a Nee no net only tien ten minute minutes Ek I kan can die the kerk church al already sien see
8.27b Nee /nɪə/ no net /nɛt/ only tien /tin/ ten.NUM minute /miˈnytə/ minute.PL Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG kan /kan/ can.AUX.MOD die /di/ the.DEF kerk /kɛrk/ church.SG al /al/ already sien /sin/ see.INF
8.28a Jou your koffie coffee is is hier here en and dit it word becomes koud cold
8.28b Jou /jœʊ/ your.2SG.POSS koffie /ˈkɔfi/ coffee.SG is /əs/ be.PRES hier /ɦir/ here en /ɛn/ and.CONJ dit /dət/ it.3SG.N word /vɔrt/ become.PRES koud /kœʊt/ cold
8.29a Ek I is am amper almost daar there Ek I sien see jou you deur through die the venster window
8.29b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG is /əs/ be.PRES amper /ˈampər/ almost daar /dɑːr/ there Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG sien /sin/ see.PRES jou /jœʊ/ you.2SG.OBJ deur /dʏər/ through.PREP die /di/ the.DEF venster /ˈfɛnstər/ window.SG
8.30a Kom come binne inside Ek I is am bly glad jy you is are hier here
8.30b Kom /kɔm/ come.IMP binne /ˈbənə/ inside Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG is /əs/ be.PRES bly /bləɪ/ glad jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG is /əs/ be.PRES hier /ɦir/ here
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Part B: Natural Text with Idiomatic Translation
8.16 Sanet, ek is jammer, ek is laat! → “Sanet, I’m sorry, I’m late!”
8.17 Dis reg. Waar is jy nou? → “That’s fine. Where are you now?”
8.18 Ek sit in die bus, en daar is baie verkeer. → “I’m sitting in the bus, and there’s a lot of traffic.”
8.19 Ek wag vir jou by die koffiewinkel. → “I’m waiting for you at the coffee shop.”
8.20 Ek het vir ons ’n tafel by die venster gekry. → “I’ve got us a table by the window.”
8.21 Dankie! Bestel asseblief vir my ’n koffie. → “Thanks! Please order me a coffee.”
8.22 Wil jy melk en suiker hê? → “Do you want milk and sugar?”
8.23 Net melk, dankie. Ek gebruik nie meer suiker nie. → “Just milk, thanks. I don’t take sugar any more.”
8.24 Goed. Ek sien jou nou-nou! → “Good. See you in a little while!”
8.25 Die bus staan stil. Ek klim nou af en loop. → “The bus isn’t moving. I’m getting off now and walking.”
8.26 Is dit nog ver? → “Is it still far?”
8.27 Nee, net tien minute. Ek kan die kerk al sien. → “No, only ten minutes. I can already see the church.”
8.28 Jou koffie is hier, en dit word koud! → “Your coffee is here, and it’s getting cold!”
8.29 Ek is amper daar. Ek sien jou deur die venster! → “I’m almost there. I can see you through the window!”
8.30 Kom binne! Ek is bly jy is hier. → “Come in! I’m glad you’re here.”
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Part C: Text in Afrikaans Only
Ek is laat!
Marike: Sanet, ek is jammer, ek is laat!
Sanet: Dis reg. Waar is jy nou?
Marike: Ek sit in die bus, en daar is baie verkeer.
Sanet: Ek wag vir jou by die koffiewinkel.
Sanet: Ek het vir ons ’n tafel by die venster gekry.
Marike: Dankie! Bestel asseblief vir my ’n koffie.
Sanet: Wil jy melk en suiker hê?
Marike: Net melk, dankie. Ek gebruik nie meer suiker nie.
Sanet: Goed. Ek sien jou nou-nou!
Marike: Die bus staan stil. Ek klim nou af en loop.
Sanet: Is dit nog ver?
Marike: Nee, net tien minute. Ek kan die kerk al sien.
Sanet: Jou koffie is hier, en dit word koud!
Marike: Ek is amper daar. Ek sien jou deur die venster!
Sanet: Kom binne! Ek is bly jy is hier.
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Part D: Grammar Notes for the Genre Section
Ek in messages: almost every message begins with ek, because messages report what the writer is doing: ek is laat (8.16), ek sit in die bus (8.18), ek wag (8.19), ek klim af (8.25). The verb is the plain present, which also does the work of English “I’m sitting”, “I’m waiting”: Afrikaans has no separate “-ing” form.
My as the object after vir: Bestel vir my ’n koffie (8.21), “order me a coffee”, and in the same way vir ons, “for us” (8.20) and vir jou, “for you” (8.19). Wag vir, “wait for”, always takes vir.
Ek is jammer, ek is laat (8.16) and Ek is bly jy is hier (8.30): adjectives after is need no ending: jammer, laat, bly, amper daar. Bly here means “glad”. In Ek is bly jy is hier, dat is left out, so the second clause keeps main-clause order; with dat it would be Ek is bly dat jy hier is.
Separable verbs: afklim, “get off”, splits in the present: Ek klim nou af (8.25). Compare lê … af in Section F.
Ek kan die kerk al sien (8.27): after kan the second verb sien goes to the end, as after sal and wil (8.15, 8.22). Wil jy … hê? (8.22) uses hê, the infinitive of het.
Dit word koud (8.28): word with an adjective is “gets, becomes”. In Section F the same word makes a passive.
Nou-nou (8.24): “in a little while”; see Section E.
Two nie: Ek gebruik nie meer suiker nie (8.23), as in Lesson 4.
Kom binne! (8.30): “Come in!”, as in Lesson 7, not ✗ Kom in!
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Ek /ɛk/: a short e; written small inside a sentence. My /məɪ/: the Afrikaans y sound, never English “my” /maɪ/. Myne /ˈməɪnə/ and joune /ˈjœʊnə/ have two syllables.
Dis is written as one word for dit is, without an apostrophe: dis ek (8.12), dis myne (8.14), dis reg (8.17).
Nou-nou is written with a hyphen. Compounds are written as one word: koffiewinkel (8.19), asseblief (8.8).
Môre /ˈmɔːrə/ has a circumflex on the o; hê /ɦɛː/ and lê /lɛː/ have a circumflex on the e. The circumflex marks the long open vowel.
Ee /ɪə/ and oo /ʊə/: weet /vɪət/, meer /mɪər/, verkeer /fərˈkɪər/, woon /vʊən/, loop /lʊəp/.
V is /f/ and w is /v/: vir /fər/, venster /ˈfɛnstər/, Vader /ˈfɑːdər/; werk /vɛrk/, wag /vaχ/.
Final d is /t/: tyd /təɪt/, koud /kœʊt/, goed /χut/.
Minute /miˈnytə/ is the plural of minuut; the u is /y/, as in French.
The IPA in this lesson follows standard Afrikaans, with each word said on its own, as in Lessons 1 to 7.
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✓ Lesson 8 Afrikaans complete — ek (I)
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Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)