Afrikaans language

Afrikaans phrases

Afrikaans is a very centralized language, meaning that most of the vowels are pronounced in a very centralized (i.e. very schwa-like) way. There are a lot of different dialects and different pronunciations — but the transcription should be fairly standard.

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• Hallo! Hoe gaan dit? {{IPA|}} Hello! How are you?
• Baie goed, dankie. {{IPA|}} Very good, thanks.
• Praat jy Afrikaans? {{IPA|}} Do you speak Afrikaans?
• Praat jy Engels? {{IPA|}} Do you speak English?
• Ja. {{IPA|}} Yes.
• Nee. {{IPA|}} No.
• 'n Bietjie. {{IPA|}} A little.
• Wat is jou naam? {{IPA|}} What is your name?
• Die kinders praat Afrikaans {{IPA|}} The children speak Afrikaans.

Two sentences that are written the same in Afrikaans as in English:

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• My pen was in my hand ({{IPA|}}) My pen was in my hand.
• My hand is in warm water. ({{IPA|}}) My hand is in warm water.