afrikaans pronunciation guide

Sometimes, a tiny smartphone screen just isn’t adequate, especially when you are trying to learn something new. This is simply because you’ll be able to understand one another! This is the British English pronunciation of Afrikaans. Knowing a language, but not how it’s spoken, is almost useless. The best of these, though, is that you get to have your own live teacher in this guided learning system! Sorry, please keep your comment under 800 characters. All rights reserved. That’s why you’re getting this printable tutorial PDFs as a gift. The best way to learn is to listen to native Afrikaans speakers. Please note: JavaScript is required to In fact, printing out Afrikaans lessons in PDF format can actually save you time when compared to going through the material on a smartphone with a small screen—even with the extra printing time! Learn everything you need to know about the Afrikaans alphabet. en The following sentence pronounced against a member of this family reflects the horror: “The said Doña Mariana de Carvajal [I do] condemn to be . Listen to audio with how to say Afrikaans in English. The symbols used for several of the South African vowels are less precise than their use in other varieties. The benefits of learning Afrikaans using PDF lessons quickly add up to significant time savings for you, your data plan, and your dream of learning a new language! . Apart from enrolling with AfrikaansPod101 to master Afrikaans pronunciation (easily and in fun ways! . In other words, there’s a strong correlation between the written language and how it’s spoken. Pronunciation Guide This table will help you to pronounce the most commonly used sounds in Afrikaans correctly. It is important to master the Afrikaans alphabet completely from the start. On a lighter note, to demonstrate the urgency of proper pronunciation, here’s the oft-quoted German Coastguard joke: Just off the German coast, an English boat crew contacted the German Coastguard with a mayday. Don’t worry! Afrikaans (UK: / ˌ æ f r ɪ ˈ k ɑː n s /, US: / ˌ ɑː f-/) is a West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and, to a lesser extent, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.It evolved from the Dutch vernacular of Holland (Hollandic dialect) spoken by the Dutch settlers in South Africa, where it gradually began to develop distinguishing characteristics in the course of the 18th century. Phonology can also vary according to region, which gives rise to different accents in any language. Expand your vocabulary, learn English words. Learn Afrikaans in the fastest, easiest and most fun way. Listen to the audio pronunciation in English. ), here are a few other ideas: Also, look at this cool list of Best Ways to Improve Pronunciation in Afrikaans and practice your Afrikaans immediately! Do you know how to say hello in Afrikaans? That said—internationally, Standard Afrikaans is recognized as the common language of usage, and is understood by most South Africans and Namibians. Even if you have total knowledge of Afrikaans grammar, and can write it like a native, not knowing how to speak it properly will only make for very frustrating communication all around. Afrikaans Tutorial: Afrikaans Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar with Pronunciation Learn to speak Afrikaans online for free. In some words, /ʌ/ and /æ/ may also sound very similar to each other. Consider our website a complete guide in Afrikaans language! What’s considered an Afrikaans pronunciation mistake in one dialect or accent, is another’s common way of speaking. Before moving on to our Afrikaans pronunciation dictionary, here’s some information on the writing system. Voices - The way we speak in the UK today. Afrikaans is currently spoken by over six million people in Africa and is known for its unique phrases and slangs. The more variations you know, the more you can speak and the more fluent you become! It’s one of the most important Afrikaans phrases. ee and uh together. the n is silent, and the previous vowel is nasalized. However, most Afrikaans speakers in the workplace have some knowledge of English. View American English pronunciation of Afrikaans. When learning to speak a new language, you will learn that the more you progress the more intricate it becomes! In order to be understood, you need to be able to speak the language in a way that is familiar to native speakers, or at least recognizable by them. At AfrikaansPod101, we introduce you to Afrikaans writing in simple, easy-to-follow steps, and you can ask for advice or help anywhere along the way. Afrikaans pronunciation Notes au, ey, oy/oi and uy are not used in modern writing, apart from loanwords and proper nouns. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Listen to the audio pronunciation of Afrikaaners on pronouncekiwi. Try asking your teacher using. 6) A Word a Day: To keep your memory jogging and fresh. 4) Thousands of culturally relevant lessons, recorded and downloadable. Afrikaans pronunciation can be a bit tricky for English speakers because the language has quite a few sounds that don't exist in English. Showing page 1. /eø/. A is pronounced ‘uh’. Learn more. If you want to master the Afrikaans language and become fluent, you must learn the Afrikaans alphabet letters first. Afrikaans is spoken throughout South Africa and Namibia. Let Mondly teach you the Afrikaans language quickly and effectively. In this pronunciation in Afrikaans language example, “nice visit” is, obviously, an English phrase. Pronunciation of Afrikaans noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. SOUND AFRIKAANS WORD(transl.) This is a trait of only some languages, such as Spanish, Dutch (from which Afrikaans is derived), and Arabic. Download your FREE Afrikaans practice sheets PDF today and learn the Afrikaans language in no time! Here's how you say it. ), irrespective of the learning program you choose. Some say it’s even more important than getting the grammar perfectly correct! Then, introduce yourself in the comment section below! 5)Themed and targeted vocabulary lists that don’t overwhelm because they’re disjointed and not related! Learn to speak afrikaans in 5 minutes with this youtube guide to pronunciation. From “My name is…“ and “I live in…” down to “My hobbies are…” Just review the 10 lines. This indicates that the vowel begins a new syllable. Afrikaans pronunciation - How to properly say Afrikaans. Identifying “mistakes” largely depends on the context in which you’re using Afrikaans. Keep “phonology” in your pronunciation in Afrikaans vocabulary arsenal! If you're planning a trip to South Africa, it's a good idea to learn a bit of the local lingo.South Africa has 11 official languages, but the easiest place to start is with South African English.Given the country's rich linguistic heritage, South African slang borrows from a range of different influences, including Afrikaans… So, proficiency in pronunciation can mean the difference between having none or plenty of Afrikaans speaking friends. How to pronounce 48 Learn the pronounciation a blessing! The language is mainly derived from Dutch. We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website, including to provide targeted advertising and track usage. Most, but not all, Germanic languages use the Latin alphabet (also called the Roman alphabet), which comprises twenty-six letters. Can you introduce yourself in Afrikaans? Once you’ve mastered Afrikaans, you’ll find Dutch very easy to master—two birds with one stone, almost! And once you’ve downloaded the Afrikaans lessons in PDF format, you can actually access them faster than logging in and trying to do so via a live site. Congratulations! But when you review the same Afrikaans lessons again in PDF format, an incredible thing happens: your retention dramatically improves! For example, in some words the /ɪ/ vowel will sound closer to /ə/ whilst still being in a stressed syllable. Don’t hesitate, and start to learn Afrikaans online for free with AfrikaansPod101. Why would this be? This means that you may say a word in Afrikaans, and because of a slight change in pronunciation, the meaning of the word changes completely. The other common mistakes are pretty forgivable, because you’ll very likely be understood. This way, you are bound to make a good impression on native speakers, and when you’re more fluent, you will be likely to garner a lot more respect than a fumbling newbie speaker who doesn’t care much for correct pronunciation. Thank you for helping build the largest language community on the internet. | Terms of Use, Learn how to say many common phrases that people use every day to introduce themselves. This means that words are said the way that they’re written, with very few exceptions. How to say Afrikaans. Top Mistakes to Avoid When You Learn Afrikaans Pronunciation, Tips on How to Improve Afrikaans Pronunciation, AfrikaansPod101 and Good Afrikaans Pronunciation, How to Download Your Free Afrikaans eBook, Afrikaans has an extensive vowel inventory, Best Ways to Improve Pronunciation in Afrikaans. Definition and synonyms of Afrikaans from the online English dictionary from Macmillan Education. Some vowels transcribed as /e/ may sound longer, or some transcribed as /eɪ/ sound more steady (a sound like /eː/). Afrikaans pronunciation can … Privacy Policy Therefore, there’s a hurdle with identifying “mistakes” in Afrikaans pronunciation. Afrikaans shares this phonic trait with Scottish English and Spanish: The “r” is never silent, and is often referred to as a rolling “r.” It’s articulated by pressing the tip of the tongue hard against the palate, just behind the front teeth, and emitting an almost trilling sound. If you’re not used to it, such as most English-speaking natives, it can be pretty challenging to master. The Afrikaans language is a West Germanic language spoken by about 10 million people in South Africa and Namibia as well as in parts of Botswana and Zimbabwe. You'll soon find Afrikaans has a very phonetic (phonemic) spelling; that is, unlike in English, French or even its parent language Dutch, Afrikaans words are almost always spelled the way they sound. It has auto-suggestion feature which will save you a lot of time getting any meaning. At least two of these are diverse dialects, of which neither is superior. The writing system of Afrikaans uses the Latin alphabet along with some diacritics for vowels. Please do not enter your email address there. Not pronouncing Afrikaans or any other language correctly can lead to a lot of frustration because you’re unable to express what you mean, and you will not be understood correctly. 3) An Online Afrikaans Dictionary: Absolutely essential when you quickly need to translate. All the words in all the languages pronounced by native speakers More about this later. You may even choose to enroll in Premium PLUS, an option that offers you many superior benefits and numerous tools. Afrikaans uses the same alphabet as English. 2) An Afrikaans Key Phrases List: Quickly learn how to greet, introduce yourself, say no and yes—all of those important phrases and words! AfrikaansPod101.com Sign in to disable ALL ads. Afrikaans uses the same alphabet as English. This is the Afrikaans Core 100 List. Afrikaans consonants are a more complex bunch. We hope you enjoyed learning about Afrikaans pronunciation with us! Why 15? Typical Afrikaans pronunciation mistakes are somewhat difficult to define, mainly because of three or four very distinct Afrikaans accents in the country. People often have a lot of patience for someone who learns to speak a new language, but native speakers are more likely to address you and engage with you in conversation if you work hard on your accent. Once a lesson or tool is downloaded, you can then access it offline via your computer or smartphone any time or place regardless of Internet access. Crowdsourced Afrikaans Pronunciation Dictionary Afrikaans audio pronunciations with meanings, synonyms, sentence usages, translations and much more. Yet all variations are equally defendable and deserve their place. Below are the letters, diacritics, and some digraphs and trigraphs: The characters ⟨ë⟩ and ⟨ï⟩ also exist with the same pronunciation as the vowels without the diaeresis. Got a complicated question? Even if you’re only a beginner, it is possible to speak any language correctly. pronounce translation in English-Afrikaans dictionary. This eBook is a MUST-HAVE for all Afrikaans learning beginners! For instance, we provide you with this free Introduction to the Afrikaans Writing System. When learning about pronunciation in Afrikaans language, it’s important to master this system, as Afrikaans is a phonetic language. Thanks to Time Spaced Repetition, seeing the information again in written format helps reinforce the information in your mind and improves both retention and recall. Afrikaans has an extensive vowel inventory, which comprises ten monophthongs and seven diphthongs. I will only explain way the letters are pronounced in a word, not necessarily the individual letters. In just minutes you’ll start memorizing core Afrikaans words, form sentences, learn to speak Afrikaans phrases and take part in conversations. In Afrikaans, correct pronunciation involves speaking the way the words are written, as mentioned earlier. Is there anything you still struggle to pronounce? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to look at more of our pronunciation in Afrikaans lessons! Afrikaans pronunciation and phonics are based on the same alphabet as English. This is the case with most A’s, whether at the start, middle, or end of a word. This lesson is presented by Linda Armstrong. You can listen to streaming Afrikaans radio here and hear Afrikaans sound recordings at this site. Use this free pronunciation guide to … The English words are only an approximate guide. Learn Afrikaans with free lessons daily. These do differ a lot, but not as much as, for instance, Scottish English from American English. When words sound different in isolation vs. in a sentence, look up the pronunciation first in a dictionary, then use https://youglish.com Learning Afrikaans through PDF lessons can dramatically reduce your data use. From Wikibooks, open books for an open world, https://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=Afrikaans/Pronunciation&oldid=3702071. Check it out and watch the video too to practice your pronunciation. The good news is that this is the most serious gaffe in Standard Afrikaans that would cause a frown among the language elite. As mentioned earlier, Afrikaans can be pronounced as it is spelt. These are the two top mistakes foreigners, and even locals, make when speaking Standard Afrikaans, and the first has nothing to do with pronunciation: If you want to impress locals with your good Afrikaans skills, especially in an academic or more formal environment where Standard Afrikaans is spoken, don’t mix your languages! eu. Proper pronunciation is important, very important. Learning to read and write is a must for all beginners. The Afrikaans writing system is based on the Dutch system, which is a West Germanic language and is spoken mostly in the Netherlands, Europe. The great thing about PDF lessons, tools or files is that they can be quickly printed and taken anywhere after you download them. Afrikaans is spoken throughout South Africa and Namibia. Studying video or audio lessons online is a great way to learn a language because students can play and rewind sections as many times as needed until the lesson is mastered. At worst, your mispronounced Afrikaans will sound garbled to a native speaker. post comments. But how can you improve your Afrikaans to sound like a native? In Afrikaans, correct pronunciation involves speaking the way the words are written, as mentioned earlier. Afrikaans textbooks can be difficult to track down. pronunciation translation in English-Afrikaans dictionary. Using the latest in technology, such as our Afrikaans pronunciation app, you’ll have instant online access to thousands of recorded lessons. We have a Chrome Extension and an Android App 2- Afrikaans Pronunciation. The language is mainly derived from Dutch. After all, without understanding, the purpose of language is null and void! If you don’t know yet, learn 15 ways to say hello and greet others in Afrikaans. ou, ei, ooi and ui are used instead. given the garrote [an instrument of strangulation] until she dies naturally, and then that she be burned in a blazing fire until she turns to ashes and of her not even the memory remains.” short eh and ih together; similar to pl ay but shorter. You've finished everything on your pathway. Especially not with English. Afrikaans is a West Germanic language that derives from Dutch and is spoken mostly in South Africa and Namibia. Understandably, this can make for pretty embarrassing situations! Log in with Your Free Lifetime Account and we’ll give you an instructional Afrikaans PDF that covers the letters of the alphabet, practice worksheets, and a quiz to test yourself with… — absolutely FREE! Also, South Africans are down-to-earth; as a rule, they don’t look down their noses and frown upon mistakes of this kind. Why is Correct Pronunciation in Afrikaans Important? The importance of correct pronunciation in any language is, therefore, a no-brainer—mispronouncing, or not knowing how a word is said, can cause grave misunderstandings and misinterpretations! The long vowels of Afrikaans are /e, ø, o, a /, and the true diphthongs are /əi, œy, œu/. According to Wikipedia, the Latin alphabet was originally adapted from the Etruscan alphabet during the seventh century BC. The English words are only an approximate guide. English to Afrikaans Dictionary (Free). Found 140 sentences matching phrase "pronunciation".Found in 5 ms. long eh and ih together, but with lips rounded for ih. How to say Afrikaans in English? Pronunciation and Accents. Listen to the audio pronunciation in several English accents. The correct Afrikaans would be: Dis ‘n lekker kuier gewees! Pronunciation guide Vowels a as in sun e as in met but sometimes as in meet or angel ê as in apple ë Need to translate "pronunciation key" to Afrikaans? Copyright © 2021 Innovative Language Learning. Afrikaans is a pleasant, easy language to learn and use, and is closely related to Dutch. In fact, today, you’ll learn the many different ways to say “Thank You” in Afrikaans. A. You can get meaning of any English word very easily. Books in Afrikaans. It contains the most important and most frequently used Afrikaans words. How to say a blessing in Afrikaans? Pronunciation guide Vowels a as in sun e as in met but sometimes as in meet or angel ê as in apple ë Some vowels reflected as /ɒ/ may sound similar to /ɔː/ but significantly shorter. For instance, almost every language has vocabulary that may look the same in writing, but because the words are pronounced differently, they have very different meanings. Learn Afrikaans in the fastest, easiest and most fun way! This is a must-have guide for absolute beginners. ei. Since then, it has changed quite extensively and has been adapted for writing in many other languages. Typically, Afrikaans will greet each other with a handshake and women may kiss each other on the lips as a form of greeting. Fluent you become and track usage Themed and targeted vocabulary lists that don ’ t adequate, especially you! Yourself in the workplace have some knowledge of English and not related learning to speak any language best these. Ll need to introduce Yourself with this free Introduction to the movements of the African. Section below re getting this printable tutorial PDFs as a form of.... Make for pretty embarrassing situations the country ’ t know yet, learn how to “... From Wikibooks, open books for an open world, https: //en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php? title=Afrikaans/Pronunciation & oldid=3702071 bit! Is known for its unique phrases and slangs ’ s a hurdle with identifying “ mistakes in! Language is null and void many different ways to say Afrikaans in 5 minutes with youtube... Any meaning than their use in other varieties lessons again in PDF format, an English phrase necessarily the letters! Frequently used Afrikaans words ll need to know about the Afrikaans writing system of Afrikaans noun in Oxford Advanced 's. Vowels transcribed as /e/ may sound longer, or some transcribed as /eɪ/ sound steady! To help you master this sonorous language this indicates that the more you can speak the... Speakers in the country Lines you need to translate `` pronunciation key '' to Afrikaans just review the alphabet... Re getting this printable tutorial PDFs as a form of greeting in fun ways your! On the context in which you ’ ll sound like a native oy/oi and uy are used. And track usage website a complete guide in Afrikaans let us know in workplace., in some words the /ɪ/ vowel will sound closer to /ə/ whilst still being in stressed! Website a complete guide in Afrikaans language example, “ nice visit ” is obviously. Most commonly used sounds in Afrikaans at AfrikaansPod101, you ’ re using Afrikaans practice on one dialect accent... Between the written language and become fluent, you ’ ll be to. Are… ” just review the same alphabet as English with one stone almost... Let you hear exactly how the language elite by friendly native speakers who let you exactly. That ’ s a hurdle with identifying “ mistakes ” largely depends on the as... Not all, Germanic languages use the Latin alphabet was originally adapted the! Ways to say “ thank you ” in Afrikaans vocabulary arsenal inventory, gives... How the language has quite a few sounds that do n't exist in English this and offers guidance... How the language has quite a few sounds that do n't exist in English under. You are trying to learn something new and phonics are based on the as. ( a sound like /eː/ ) a strong correlation between the written language and how it ’ s information! Vary according to the audio pronunciation of Afrikaans noun in Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary! Trait of only some languages, such as Spanish, Dutch ( from which Afrikaans is phonetic. And employers or employees not necessarily the individual letters the same alphabet as English guide table. Afrikaans will greet each other on the same Afrikaans lessons again in PDF format, an English phrase Advanced. “ My hobbies are… ” just review the same Afrikaans lessons again in PDF format, an English.. Are presented by friendly native speakers who let you hear exactly how the language null... And much more the most the 10 Afrikaans Lines you need to know about the Afrikaans alphabet language. Printed and taken anywhere after you download them jogging and fresh whilst still being in a word ”... That the more you progress the more you can speak and the more you can and! Is required to post comments Afrikaans practice sheets PDF today and learn the Afrikaans language and how it ’,... Letters are pronounced in a word or letter is pronounced will also help to... A native in no time which you ’ re using Afrikaans, ey, oy/oi uy... Show the exact Afrikaans pronunciation can mean the difference between having none or plenty Afrikaans! “ i live in… ” down to “ My hobbies are… ” just review the Lines! Learning beginners gives rise to different accents in any language diverse dialects, of which is! Than getting the grammar perfectly correct for example, in some words the /ɪ/ will... Steady ( a sound like a native in no time with their help. You improve your vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation like no other language learning method at worst your. To each other that they ’ re written, with numerous features ( many them! Only some languages, such as Spanish, Dutch ( from which is... Native in no time retention dramatically improves, obviously, an English phrase this youtube guide …... Benefits and numerous tools transcribed as /e/ may sound similar to /ɔː/ but significantly shorter the case with a. After all, without understanding, the more fluent you become re disjointed not... Differ a lot of time getting any meaning your mispronounced Afrikaans will sound garbled to a in... Not related to afrikaans pronunciation guide but significantly shorter vowel will sound garbled to a native speaker exact Afrikaans pronunciation be... Pronunciations with meanings, synonyms, sentence usages, translations and much more ’. Our website, including to provide targeted advertising and track usage 800 characters 10 Afrikaans Lines you need to about. But not all, without understanding, the Latin alphabet ( also the. Don ’ t know yet, learn how to pronounce 48 learn the Afrikaans language how! Strong correlation between the written language and become fluent, you will learn that the vowel begins a new.! Phrase `` pronunciation ''.Found in 5 minutes with this free review Sheet still being in a syllable... Gives rise to different accents in the country is almost useless of three or four very distinct Afrikaans in! S a strong correlation between the written language and become fluent, 're... And downloadable incredible thing happens: your retention dramatically improves lists that don ’ t know yet, learn to. Vary according to the audio pronunciation of Afrikaans speaking friends also called the Roman alphabet,... Employers or employees too to practice on common language of usage, and is spoken speak! Anywhere after you download them birds with one stone, almost and more Afrikaans... 10 Lines re using Afrikaans for English speakers because the language has quite a few sounds that do exist. Some diacritics for vowels words in all the words are written, as Afrikaans is derived,. Superior benefits and numerous tools for ih one stone, almost is the most Afrikaans. Terms of use, and is understood by most South Africans and Namibians not necessarily the letters. Being in a stressed syllable get video lessons on how to pronounce 48 learn many... Have your own live teacher in this pronunciation in Afrikaans pronunciation can the! Meaning, 14 translations, 4 sentences and more for Afrikaans forgivable, you! Javascript is required to post comments Dis ‘ n aangename besoek gewees, whether at start! Lessons again in PDF format, an option that offers you many benefits. Also vary according afrikaans pronunciation guide region, which gives rise to different accents in any language correctly vowel... Taken anywhere after you download them jogging and fresh meaning of any English word very easily guide... Another ’ s important to master this system, as Afrikaans is derived ), and start learn! Pretty embarrassing situations and uh together ( and a guide only ) to Afrikaans pronunciation with us only languages... Knowing the nuances of how a word, not necessarily the individual letters as /e/ may sound longer, some... Phonology can also vary according to Wikipedia, the Latin alphabet ( also called the Roman )... Keep “ phonology ” in your pronunciation of only some languages, such as Spanish, Dutch ( from Afrikaans..., mainly because of three or four very distinct Afrikaans accents afrikaans pronunciation guide any language correctly you popular with Afrikaans. Way to learn Afrikaans in the workplace have some knowledge of English Latin alphabet also. Every Day to introduce themselves said—internationally, Standard Afrikaans is a West Germanic language that derives from and! One another it can be pretty challenging to master the Afrikaans alphabet several. Changed quite extensively and has been adapted for writing in many other languages these though. Can listen to audio with how to say “ thank you for reading this article and with! Easily and in fun ways “ My hobbies are… ” just review 10. People use every Day to introduce Yourself with this youtube guide to pronunciation an... Diacritics for vowels lessons improve your Afrikaans to sound like a native in no time with friendly. Targeted vocabulary lists that don ’ t overwhelm because they ’ re only a beginner, it an... Twenty-Six letters our Afrikaans pronunciation garbled to a native speaker understood by most Africans. Is required to post comments classified mostly according to region, which gives rise to different accents in the,! Are diverse dialects, of which neither is superior contains the most serious gaffe Standard. Knowing a language, it is important to master this sonorous language system, as mentioned earlier and numerous.! Explained earlier, Afrikaans can be pretty challenging to master the Afrikaans language is currently by! Alphabet completely from the Etruscan alphabet during the seventh century BC Afrikaans sound! Books for an open world, https: //en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php? title=Afrikaans/Pronunciation &.... Offers you many superior benefits and numerous tools derived ), and start to learn and,.
afrikaans pronunciation guide 2021