How do you say hello in Afrikaans? Say Hallo for a straightforward hello, Goeiemôre for good morning, Goeiemiddag for good afternoon, and Goeienaand for good evening. To continue, ask Hoe gaan dit? (“How are you?”). To finish, say Totsiens (“Goodbye”). These are short phrases you can actually use, not a substitute for listening to an Afrikaans speaker.
The most useful Afrikaans greeting depends on the time of day, who you are talking to, whether you already know one another and what response you expect. A visitor who knows one opening but no reply may still be lost within five seconds. This guide therefore gives you a complete beginning, middle and end of a conversation, with English meanings, pronunciation help, examples and recovery phrases.
Start with a single exchange: Hallo. Hoe gaan dit? — Goed, dankie. En met jou? — Goed, dankie. The English is “Hello. How are you?” — “Good, thanks. And you?” — “Good, thanks.” Listen to each phrase, practise after a pause, and then switch roles. That simple switch tests whether you can respond rather than only recite.
Quick answer: Afrikaans greetings and what to say back
| English purpose | Afrikaans phrase | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Hallo | General greeting; simple and widely understood |
| Hi | Haai; Hi | Informal opening; choose according to context |
| Good morning | Goeiemôre; Goeie môre | Morning greeting; spacing variants appear in reference collections |
| Good afternoon | Goeiemiddag; Goeie middag | Afternoon greeting |
| Good evening | Goeienaand | Greeting in the evening |
| Good night | Goeienag; Goeie nag | Often a night-time parting or bedtime expression |
| Good day | Goeiedag; Goeie dag | General polite daytime greeting |
| How are you? | Hoe gaan dit? | Neutral familiar check-in |
| How are you? (to one person) | Hoe gaan dit met jou? | Informal singular |
| How are you? (formal) | Hoe gaan dit met u? | Formal / respectful address |
| Good, thanks | Goed, dankie | Short reply |
| And you? | En met jou? | Informal return question |
| Very well, thank you | Baie goed, dankie | More positive reply |
| Pleased to meet you | Aangename kennis | Introduction |
| My name is … | My naam is … | Give your name |
| Thank you | Dankie | Courteous response |
| Thank you very much | Baie dankie | Stronger gratitude |
| Please | Asseblief | Softens a request |
| You’re welcome | Dis ‘n plesier | Response to thanks |
| Goodbye | Totsiens | Safe parting |
| See you later | Sien jou later | Familiar / informal parting |
| Until later | Tot later | Short familiar parting |
| Excuse me | Verskoon my; Ekskuus | Attract attention or apologise |
| I’m sorry | Ek is jammer | Apology |
| Please repeat that | Herhaal dit, asseblief | Clarification |
| I don’t understand | Ek verstaan nie | Useful recovery line |
These phrases have different jobs. A greeting opens the interaction; a reply acknowledges the other person; a request for repetition helps when you did not hear; a parting ends the exchange. Memorising them as one giant undifferentiated list makes it harder to choose the right phrase at the right moment. Learn the job first, then the wording.
How to say hello without sounding like a word list
In English, a person might simply say “Hi” and wait. Afrikaans works naturally with short openings too. Hallo is useful because it is transparent, easy to recognise and suitable in many ordinary contexts. But a friendly opening may lead to a question about someone’s wellbeing. Prepare the next turn in advance so you can answer rather than freeze.
Try this sequence with a partner. You say Hallo. The partner returns the greeting. You ask Hoe gaan dit?. The partner answers Goed, dankie and asks En met jou?. You respond Goed, dankie. Now swap roles. There is no need to invent an elaborate conversation. The purpose is to recognise the change from your question to their question.
If the other person replies in words you do not know, do not nod as though you understood. You can say Ek verstaan nie (“I don’t understand”) or Herhaal dit, asseblief (“Please repeat that”). An interaction that recovers honestly is better than a memorised performance that collapses when someone answers differently.
Good morning, good afternoon, good evening and good night
Goeiemôre: good morning
Goeiemôre is the direct morning greeting. You may encounter Goeie môre as a spaced form in some phrase references. The small mark over the ô matters for spelling. It is tempting for English speakers to pronounce every letter as though it belonged to English; use a recording instead. The New Zealand government’s Afrikaans greetings page includes audio for its examples, and the pronunciation notes there are approximations rather than exact phonetic transcriptions.
Use the morning expression when you actually meet someone in the morning. The purpose is not to calculate an exact universal minute when morning ends, but to offer a natural time-appropriate greeting. If a setting is casual, Hallo may be entirely fine. The word choice should support the exchange, not turn a friendly greeting into an examination.
Goeiemiddag: good afternoon
Goeiemiddag expresses good afternoon. A two-word form, Goeie middag, also appears in phrase collections. Learners sometimes confuse the morning and afternoon words because both begin with goeie. Compare the distinctive ending of each aloud and in writing. Instead of memorising both as isolated translations, match them to two scenes: arriving in the morning and arriving after midday.
A useful practice is to have a partner hold up cards labelled “morning,” “afternoon” and “evening” in a random order. Give the matching greeting immediately, without reciting the full three-item list first. Then the partner answers in Afrikaans, even if the reply is just the same greeting returned.
Goeienaand: good evening
Goeienaand is a greeting for the evening. It is also easy to confuse with goeienag, which is good night. In ordinary usage, English itself distinguishes “good evening” on arrival from “good night” when parting or going to sleep. Keep that broad practical distinction here. Do not treat the phrases as interchangeable because both occur after dark.
Imagine entering a quiet dinner gathering. You open with a friendly evening greeting. Later, when leaving late or saying goodbye for the night, you may say goeienag. Your second phrase fits a different moment. This is the hidden vocabulary problem: what matters is not simply “both refer to night,” but which social action the speaker is performing.
Goeiedag: an all-purpose daytime greeting
Goeiedag is a useful polite “good day.” Reference works also show Goeie dag. It is a reasonable fallback when the precise morning-versus-afternoon distinction is unimportant, though speakers may favour different greetings in their community. Follow actual local speech when possible rather than insisting one textbook choice is mandatory everywhere.
Pronunciation: what an English reading guide can and cannot do
You can recognise the Roman alphabet in Afrikaans and still pronounce words incorrectly. Letters and letter combinations can represent sounds differently from English. A written hint like “dahn-key” for dankie may be a useful reminder, but it is not the same as hearing an authentic pronunciation. Regional variation, individual speech and the learner’s own accent also affect the result.
| Phrase | English | Approximate cue from NZ government resource |
|---|---|---|
| Hallo | Hello | huh-loh |
| Hoe gaan dit | How are you? | hoo-gahn-det |
| Dankie | Thank you | dahn-key |
| Goeie môre | Good morning | goo-uh-moo-ruh |
| Goeie middag | Good afternoon | goo-uh mu-dagh |
| Goeienaand | Good evening | goo-uh-naand |
| Goeie nag | Good night | goo-uh nagh |
| Totsiens | Goodbye | toh-t-seens |
The cues in that table are the educational source’s English-oriented approximations, not an International Phonetic Alphabet transcription and not a guarantee of how every speaker sounds. For precise listening, open the New Zealand government audio examples. Listen once without repeating, listen again while following the text, and repeat after the recording. For a tricky sound, practise the whole short phrase rather than drilling one letter without context.
Make a recording of yourself for private comparison. Play the original speaker, then your attempt, and identify one feature to improve: the length of a vowel, the stress, a final consonant or overall rhythm. Do not try to fix every sound simultaneously. A meaningful test is whether your partner can recognise the intended greeting without reading the English cue.
How are you in Afrikaans? Ask and answer the whole question
The short question Hoe gaan dit? means “How are you?” or “How is it going?” It does not require you to translate every word literally before you use it. As a language learner, you should know the exact communicative function: someone is asking how things are going, and they expect a genuine or polite response.
To make the addressee explicit, you can ask Hoe gaan dit met jou? to one person you address informally. The respectful counterpart is Hoe gaan dit met u?. Do not assume the polite form is demanded for every stranger; social register varies. The Stellenbosch University learning material, Omniglot phrase collection and AfrikaansPod101 resources distinguish these forms.
| You hear | You can reply | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Hoe gaan dit? | Goed, dankie. | Good, thank you. |
| Hoe gaan dit met jou? | Dit gaan goed met my, dankie. | I’m doing well, thank you. |
| Hoe gaan dit met jou? | Goed, dankie. En met jou? | Fine, thanks. And you? |
| Hoe gaan dit met u? | Goed, dankie. En met u? | Fine, thank you. And you? |
| Baie dankie. | Dis ‘n plesier. | Thank you very much. / It’s a pleasure. |
Treat these as model exchanges, not predictions of what a person will say. Someone may mention that their day is difficult, answer with a joke or speak in another language. An authentic conversation means listening to the actual reply. If you are at the edge of your ability, use the clarification line rather than forcing their response into the one answer you memorised.
Formal versus informal: choosing jou or u
Register is about the relationship between speaker and listener. Jou is part of familiar, informal address in the question Hoe gaan dit met jou?. U is used in more respectful or formal address: Hoe gaan dit met u?. The vocabulary changes only slightly, but that change signals how you are positioning the conversation.
A learner should understand three points. First, formality does not make someone a better or worse speaker; it is a social choice. Second, communities and generations may have different norms. Third, adopting someone’s preferred language or form of address matters more than displaying a full set of ceremonial phrases. When uncertain, a neutral greeting and attentive listening are safer than a confident assumption.
At a first professional meeting, you might use Goeiemôre, your name, and Aangename kennis (“Pleased to meet you”). With a friend you already know, Hallo and Hoe gaan dit? may be enough. Both can be respectful. The two scenes differ in the amount of social framing expected, not in whether the language is correct.
Introduce yourself after the greeting
My naam is … means “My name is …” and is easy to combine with a greeting. A practical opening is Goeiemôre. My naam is Sara. Aangename kennis. This translates as “Good morning. My name is Sara. Pleased to meet you.” The personal name is a sample, not a real person whom you are expected to meet.
A useful introduction is short enough to fit a genuine first meeting. Say your greeting, give the name, pause for the other person’s response and listen. Avoid racing through five scripted lines before they have a chance to answer. The next speaking turn depends on what you hear, not on what is printed in your notebook.
Practice using different invented first names so the construction does not attach itself to one memorised sound. Then hide the card and introduce yourself. Do not substitute personal contact information or private details into an online exercise; the learning objective is sentence structure and social fluency, not disclosure.
Thank you, please, you’re welcome and excuse me
Dankie is “thank you.” Baie dankie is “thank you very much.” Asseblief means “please” in requests. Dis ‘n plesier means “It’s a pleasure,” a natural response to someone thanking you. The phrases are short, but their jobs are different: one acknowledges another person’s action, one requests something politely and one accepts gratitude.
A two-turn pattern is enough to train this: “Baie dankie.” — “Dis ‘n plesier.” Now change the first line to Dankie and return the same response. The response does not have to be longer than the thanks. What you should notice is that the conversation has an expected relationship between its two turns.
Verskoon my is useful as “excuse me” or “pardon me.” You might need it when attracting attention before a question. Ek is jammer means “I’m sorry,” often for an apology. Although the English expressions sometimes overlap, do not assume the Afrikaans phrases are interchangeable in all situations. Ask whether you are requesting attention, apologising for an error, or expressing sympathy, and use a checked model suited to that purpose.
Goodbye in Afrikaans: how to close a conversation
Totsiens is an all-purpose goodbye and often the simplest first choice. Sien jou later is “See you later” in a familiar setting, and Tot later similarly means “Until later.” These phrases imply different kinds of social continuity. If you have no expectation of seeing someone again soon, a neutral Totsiens avoids making an unnecessary promise.
Goeienag is “good night,” typically fitting a late-evening or bedtime parting rather than a new arrival. Lekker dag is a friendly way to wish someone a nice day. As with greetings, choose what fits the actual moment. A page of translated partings cannot replace observing how people really end a conversation.
Twelve practical scenes: which greeting would you choose?
1. You meet a colleague at the start of the morning.
Suggested phrase: Goeiemôre. Why: A time-specific opening is natural here. Now say the same interaction aloud with a partner. If the partner changes the situation slightly, decide whether the phrase still fits. Do not judge success by speed alone: the correct social move comes before the performance of the words.
2. You arrive at an afternoon meeting.
Suggested phrase: Goeiemiddag. Why: It marks the afternoon without a long introduction. Now say the same interaction aloud with a partner. If the partner changes the situation slightly, decide whether the phrase still fits. Do not judge success by speed alone: the correct social move comes before the performance of the words.
3. You meet a friend casually.
Suggested phrase: Hallo! Why: An easy neutral opening is sufficient. Now say the same interaction aloud with a partner. If the partner changes the situation slightly, decide whether the phrase still fits. Do not judge success by speed alone: the correct social move comes before the performance of the words.
4. You meet someone new at a formal event.
Suggested phrase: Goeienaand. My naam is … Aangename kennis. Why: Greeting, introduction and acknowledgement have separate functions. Now say the same interaction aloud with a partner. If the partner changes the situation slightly, decide whether the phrase still fits. Do not judge success by speed alone: the correct social move comes before the performance of the words.
5. A neighbour asks about your wellbeing.
Suggested phrase: Goed, dankie. En met jou? Why: Answer, then return the question. Now say the same interaction aloud with a partner. If the partner changes the situation slightly, decide whether the phrase still fits. Do not judge success by speed alone: the correct social move comes before the performance of the words.
6. You want to ask respectfully how someone is.
Suggested phrase: Hoe gaan dit met u? Why: This is the more formal addressee form. Now say the same interaction aloud with a partner. If the partner changes the situation slightly, decide whether the phrase still fits. Do not judge success by speed alone: the correct social move comes before the performance of the words.
7. You cannot follow the response.
Suggested phrase: Herhaal dit, asseblief. Why: Ask the person to repeat rather than pretend. Now say the same interaction aloud with a partner. If the partner changes the situation slightly, decide whether the phrase still fits. Do not judge success by speed alone: the correct social move comes before the performance of the words.
8. You want someone to speak more slowly.
Suggested phrase: Praat stadiger, asseblief. Why: A courteous repair request lets the conversation continue. Now say the same interaction aloud with a partner. If the partner changes the situation slightly, decide whether the phrase still fits. Do not judge success by speed alone: the correct social move comes before the performance of the words.
9. Someone helps you carry something.
Suggested phrase: Baie dankie. Why: Use the stronger thank-you when it fits. Now say the same interaction aloud with a partner. If the partner changes the situation slightly, decide whether the phrase still fits. Do not judge success by speed alone: the correct social move comes before the performance of the words.
10. Someone thanks you for a small favour.
Suggested phrase: Dis ‘n plesier. Why: A natural acknowledgement of thanks. Now say the same interaction aloud with a partner. If the partner changes the situation slightly, decide whether the phrase still fits. Do not judge success by speed alone: the correct social move comes before the performance of the words.
11. You leave at the end of a short conversation.
Suggested phrase: Totsiens. Why: A flexible goodbye. Now say the same interaction aloud with a partner. If the partner changes the situation slightly, decide whether the phrase still fits. Do not judge success by speed alone: the correct social move comes before the performance of the words.
12. You are saying good night before sleep.
Suggested phrase: Goeienag. Why: This is a parting, not an arrival greeting. Now say the same interaction aloud with a partner. If the partner changes the situation slightly, decide whether the phrase still fits. Do not judge success by speed alone: the correct social move comes before the performance of the words.
Five conversations to practise and change
| Practice scene | Afrikaans dialogue | English | Transfer task |
|---|---|---|---|
| A first meeting | A: Goeiemôre. My naam is Alex. B: Goeiemôre. Aangename kennis. | A: Good morning. My name is Alex. B: Good morning. Pleased to meet you. | Change the invented name and time of day. |
| A short check-in | A: Hallo. Hoe gaan dit? B: Goed, dankie. En met jou? A: Goed, dankie. | A: Hello. How are you? B: Fine, thanks. And you? A: Fine, thanks. | Change who starts the exchange. |
| A thank-you | A: Baie dankie. B: Dis ‘n plesier. | A: Thank you very much. B: It’s a pleasure. | Practice both roles, then shorten the thank-you. |
| A difficulty with listening | A: Ek verstaan nie. Herhaal dit, asseblief. B: Ja, natuurlik. | A: I don’t understand. Please repeat it. B: Yes, of course. | One partner says an unfamiliar invented instruction; the other asks for repetition. |
| An evening goodbye | A: Totsiens. B: Totsiens. Goeienag. | A: Goodbye. B: Goodbye. Good night. | If the scene is late at night, replace the daytime wish with a suitable night-time parting. |
The model dialogues are deliberately short. Their purpose is not to create the illusion of a real spontaneous exchange; it is to give the reader a small controlled structure. After reading, hide the Afrikaans column, practise from the English intention, then introduce a surprise: change the time, who greets first or whether the speaker knows you.
The three most useful recovery phrases
Ek verstaan nie — “I don’t understand.” This is a complete, useful sentence. Learning it is not admitting defeat; it is the correct next action when the information you received is unclear.
Herhaal dit, asseblief — “Please repeat that.” It asks for the message again rather than guessing its content. You can combine it with an apologetic tone if appropriate, but there is no need to string together every courtesy word in the book.
Praat stadiger, asseblief — “Speak more slowly, please.” This is different from asking for a repetition: you are identifying speed as the obstacle. If the issue is vocabulary rather than speed, listening to the same unknown word more slowly may not solve it. Ask for an explanation or switch to a mutually understood language when necessary.
These phrases are especially valuable for travel and meeting new people. If an interaction involves medical consent, legal consequences, safety instructions or important financial information, do not rely on memorised beginner phrases as a substitute for competent interpretation and clear confirmation.
Quick practice: match the English intention to the right phrase
| English intention | Answer key |
|---|---|
| Greeting someone in the afternoon | Goeiemiddag |
| Asking a familiar person how they are | Hoe gaan dit met jou? |
| Asking the same question respectfully | Hoe gaan dit met u? |
| Saying thank you very much | Baie dankie |
| Responding to someone’s thanks | Dis ‘n plesier |
| Saying you do not understand | Ek verstaan nie |
| Asking for repetition | Herhaal dit, asseblief |
| Asking for slower speech | Praat stadiger, asseblief |
| Introducing your name | My naam is … |
| Saying pleased to meet you | Aangename kennis |
| Saying goodbye neutrally | Totsiens |
| Saying good night | Goeienag |
Cover the answer column and respond before you look. Then test the reverse direction: a friend reads an Afrikaans phrase and you give its purpose in English. Finally, play a one-minute role-play with just two of the prompts chosen at random. Practise the mistakes that occur; no score or streak can tell you precisely which step needs repair.
Why pronunciation and social judgement belong together
A language teacher might correct the sound of a greeting, but the speaker also needs to know when the greeting is appropriate. Saying “good morning” perfectly at midnight is still the wrong social action. Saying “good evening” when someone is leaving may be less apt than a goodbye. A learner needs both acoustic accuracy and situational understanding.
A second difficulty is expecting everyone in South Africa to speak Afrikaans. South Africa is multilingual. Afrikaans is one of its official languages, not a universal first language for every person in the country. In a conversation, a simple question about which language works best can be more considerate than launching into a long Afrikaans script. The aim is effective mutual understanding.
This also affects how you learn. Listen to a variety of fluent speakers, including speech at different speeds, rather than treating a single English pronunciation respelling as the definitive form. The recordings on the cited public resources are a useful start. A speaker in the real world may have a different accent or vocabulary choice; that is not evidence the language is inconsistent.
A seven-day greetings plan
| Day | Task | Evidence of progress |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hallo, Haai, Goeiemôre | Pick the correct opening for three scenes. |
| 2 | Goeiemiddag, Goeienaand, Goeienag | Distinguish greeting from parting. |
| 3 | Hoe gaan dit? Goed, dankie | Complete a two-turn exchange. |
| 4 | Hoe gaan dit met jou / met u | Choose the appropriate addressee form. |
| 5 | Dankie, Baie dankie, Dis ‘n plesier | Respond to gratitude in both roles. |
| 6 | Ek verstaan nie; Herhaal dit, asseblief | Recover from an unfamiliar reply. |
| 7 | Mixed greeting / introduction / parting | Complete a three-part conversation without reading. |
Start each session with a closed-book attempt and then correct mistakes against the recorded source. Speak slowly enough that the phrase stays recognisable. If pronunciation is the weak point, shorten the session and do more audio comparison; if recall is the weak point, change the prompt order; if social choice is the weak point, practise new situations. More repetitions of the wrong task are not a solution.
Frequently asked questions
What is hello in Afrikaans?
Hallo is the most straightforward written form for beginners. Haai or Hi can be informal alternatives, and the time-specific greetings offer additional choices.
Is Goeiemôre one word or two?
Reference collections show both Goeiemôre and Goeie môre. Keep the spelling used by your authoritative learning source consistently; do not omit the accent casually.
How do you say how are you?
Hoe gaan dit? is a short common question. Hoe gaan dit met jou? addresses one familiar person; met u is the more respectful form.
What do I answer to Hoe gaan dit?
Goed, dankie is a simple answer. You can add En met jou? to return the question in an informal exchange.
How do I say good afternoon?
Goeiemiddag, also written Goeie middag in some reference lists.
How do I say good evening?
Goeienaand. Compare it with Goeienag, which is more often a good-night parting or bedtime phrase.
How do I say goodbye?
Totsiens is a reliable neutral parting. Sien jou later fits a familiar ‘see you later’ situation.
What does Baie dankie mean?
Thank you very much. The word baie can intensify gratitude or indicate quantity in other contexts.
How do I say you’re welcome?
Dis ‘n plesier is a common reply to thanks and literally communicates that it is a pleasure.
How do I ask someone to repeat?
Herhaal dit, asseblief. If speaking speed is the issue, try Praat stadiger, asseblief.
Is Afrikaans spoken throughout Africa?
No. It is a specific language particularly associated with southern Africa. Ask speakers which language they prefer instead of assuming.
Should I learn formal phrases first?
Learn a neutral greeting and a polite response, then distinguish jou and u. The right register depends on the interaction rather than a fixed hierarchy of better words.
Continue to the right vocabulary guide
- 100 Common Afrikaans Words with English Meanings — beginner word bank
- Afrikaans Numbers 1–100 — counting, prices and quantities
- Afrikaans Days and Months — reading calendars and making plans
- How to Learn Afrikaans Quickly and Correctly — one complete request and sentence patterns
- eduKateSG Vocabulary Learning Hub — other reading and practice routes
Sources and language checks
The translations and contrasts were checked against the New Zealand government Afrikaans greeting collection and audio, Omniglot’s Afrikaans phrase reference, and AfrikaansPod101’s conversation and etiquette examples. Their alternate spellings, contexts and notes help avoid treating any one English translation as universal. The examples here are original practice situations; actual speaker usage and register can vary.