ik

(Cape Afrikaans or archaic) Alternative form of ek


die

From Dutch die, which is used only as a demonstrative in Dutch. The replacement of the article de with stronger die is also common in Surinamese Dutch and among non-native speakers of Dutch.

Die dokter het gesê dat jy siek is. Die is die rede hoekom jy in die bed moet bly.

The doctor said that you are sick. That is the reason why you must stay in bed.


elk

(rather rare, literary) everyone; everybody


my

ek (subjective)
mij (alternative)
mijn (alternative)


haar

From Dutch haar, from Middle Dutch haer, from Old Dutch hiro, from Proto-Germanic *hezōi.


hare

Sy het my hemp aangehad en ek hare.


u

(formal) you (singular, subject and object)


ons

From Dutch ons, from Middle Dutch ons, from Old Dutch uns, from Proto-Germanic *uns, *unsiz.

Ons is ’n familie.


wat

From Dutch wat, from Middle Dutch wat, from Old Dutch wat, from Proto-Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷód, *kʷod.

Wat het julle gedrink?

die man wat hier woon

die huis wat ons gebou het

(relative, personal and non-personal, subject and object) who, whom, which, that

personal and non-personal; subject and object; personal and non-personal; subject and object

die meisie wat ek mee gedans het

die maatskappy wat ek voor gewerk het

(relative, personal and non-personal, with preposition stranding) who, which, that

die land wat se president afgetree het

the country whose president stepped down

(relative, non-personal, before se) whose, of which


jy

From Dutch jij (which see), from Middle Dutch ji, northern form of gi.

Sal jy met my dans?

2016, “Sal Jy Met My Dans”, in Sal Jy Met My Dans?, performed by Kurt Darren, South Africa:


wie

Wie het jou gesien?

(Vir) wie het jy gesien?

(interrogative, personal) who, whom (object use predominantly with vir)

die man met wie ek gespreek het

(relative, personal, after prepositions) whom

die man wie se vrou dood is


ek

my (possessive)
ik (alternative)
ekke (alternative)

From Dutch ik, from Middle Dutch ic, from Old Dutch ik, from Proto-West Germanic *ik, from Proto-Germanic *ek, from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂om (“I”).

Hy het na my geskop, maar ek het dit verwag en het vinnig my been gelig en dwars gedraai.

1976, Tydskrif vir Letterkunde, page 19:

He kicked towards me, but I expected this and quickly lifted my leg and turned it sidewards.

1994, in Annemarié Van Niekerk, Vrouevertellers. 1843-1993, Tafelberg-Uitgewers (publ.), page 308.
"[…] Ek is jou vader. Ek sal jou doodslaan as jy nie luister nie!"

" […] I am your father. I shall beat you to death if you do not listen!"

2011, Kashiefa, Sedick, Zakeer & Sedeeqa Jacobs, "Die pad is toe", in No Land! No House! No Vote! Voices from Symphony Way, Pambazuka Press (publ.), page 132.
Ek het nog nooit 'n huis gehad nie, my ouers het ook nog nooit een besit nie

I have never owned a house, my parents also have never possessed one either.


syne

Hy het my hemp aangehad en ek syne.


mens

From Dutch mens, from Middle Dutch mensche, from Old Dutch mennisko, from Proto-Germanic *manniskaz.


dit

From Dutch dit (“this”), from Middle Dutch dit, from Old Dutch thit.

Dit lyk baie moeilik.

it, this, that (subject and object)
referring to the context

Dit is ’n huis.

referring to something seen or heard in the real world

Sy het my die boek gegee, maar ek het dit nog nie gelees nie.

She gave me the book, but I haven’t read it yet.

referring to non-personal singular nouns


ander

From Dutch ander, from Middle Dutch ander, from Old Dutch andar, from Proto-West Germanic *anþar, from Proto-Germanic *anþeraz.

Behandel ander soos jy behandel wil word.


veel

From Dutch veel, from Middle Dutch vele, from Old Dutch filo, from Proto-Germanic *felu.

baie

with a mostly complementary distribution

Sy weet nie veel nie, maar haar moeder wis baie veel.

She doesn't know much, but her mother really knew a lot

(chiefly with negatives or when modified by adverbs) much, a lot


jou

From Dutch jou. Also related to English you.


niemand

From Dutch niemand, from Middle Dutch nieman, from Old Dutch nieman.


baie

From Malay banyak (“many; very”), likely combining the influence of the unrelated Low German bannig (“very”).

baieng (alternative)
baing (alternative)

veel

more or less in complementary distribution

Ons het baie gehad om te bespreek.

(with positive polarity, when not modified by adverbs) a lot, much


iemand

From Dutch iemand, from Middle Dutch ieman, iemant, from Old Dutch ieman, *ioman.


myne

Daardie is jou hemp en hierdie is myne.

That is your shirt and this one is mine.


hy

From Dutch hij, from Middle Dutch hi, from Old Dutch hie, hē, from Proto-Germanic *hiz.

Hy sien my nie.

third-person singular subject pronoun
he (referring to a male person)

Ek het die boek gelees, maar hy is baie moeilik om te volg.

I’ve read the book, but it is very difficult to follow.

third-person singular subject pronoun
it (referring to a non-personal noun)


hom

Ek sien hom nie.

third-person singular object pronoun
him (referring to a male person)

Sy het my die boek gegee, maar ek het hom nog nie gelees nie.

third-person singular object pronoun
it (referring to a non-personal noun)


enigste

Pas jouself op, jy is my enigste.

Take care of yourself, you're my only one.


niks

From Dutch niks, probably from German nix.


hulle

From dialectal Dutch hullie, contraction of hunlieden (“they, them-people”) or hunlui (“they, them-people”).


julle

From Dutch jullie, contraction of je lieden or je lui (“you people”).


hierdie

From hier (“here”) + die (“this; that”).


joune

From earlier joue, from Dutch (de/het) jouwe. The -n- was interfixed in the hiatus on the model of the pronouns myne (“mine”) and syne (“his”), whose -n- is etymological, but which accord with the Afrikaans determiners my and sy (like joune with jou).

Hierdie is my hemp en daardie is joune.

yours; thine (that or those of you (singular))


اِتْسْ

head

اِتْسْ (its)


elkeen

From (chiefly dialectal) Dutch elkeen, from elk + een.


Hy

God het die lig toe "dag" genoem, en die donker het Hy "nag“ genoem. Dit het aand geword en dit het môre geword. Dit was die eerste dag.

1983, “Genesis 1:5”, in E. P. Groenewald, A. H. van Zyl, P. A. Verhoef, J. L. Helberg, W. Kempen, editor, Die Bybal [The Bible], Bible Society of South Africa:

God called the light "day," and the darkness He called "night." There was evening and there was morning. This was the first day.

He: honorific alternative letter-case form of hy (“he”), sometimes used when referring to God or another important figure who is understood from context.


almal

From Dutch allemaal (“all”), originally an adverb and still used in a way that might be considered adverbial rather than pronominal. In Afrikaans, the word has developed into an actual pronoun.

Almal het die waarheid geweet, maar niemand het niks gesê nie.

Everybody knew the truth, but nobody said anything.


djou

(Cape Afrikaans) Alternative form of jou


djulle

(Cape Afrikaans) Alternative form of julle


fokkol

Fokkol regkry (nie)