Afrikaans (South Africa)→English

Translate Afrikaans (South Africa) to English the way locals mean it.

Afrikaans speakers often use small words like ag, man, and sommer to soften, intensify, or reshape a sentence, so a literal translation can sound harsher or stranger than intended.

Going the other way? English to Afrikaans (South Africa)

474 local dialects

AIRTranslate on iPhone choosing between Afrikaans varieties

What locals actually say

Ag nee man, moenie so wees nie.

Oh, come on, don't be like that.

“Ag nee man” signals affectionate exasperation or disbelief; man is a conversational marker here, not a reference to a male person.

Ek sal gou-gou by jou draai.

I'll pop by your place for a quick visit.

The repeated gou-gou means soon or briefly, while by jou draai means to drop by, not to physically turn.

Ons het lekker gelag.

We had a great laugh.

Lekker describes something enjoyable or satisfying here, not something that tastes good.

Kan jy my asseblief ’n tientjie leen? Ek betaal jou Vrydag terug.

Can you lend me a tenner, please? I’ll pay you back on Friday.

Tientjie is informal South African Afrikaans for ten rand, signalling a small amount of money in a casual register.

Hou aan reguit, dan vat jy die tweede robot links.

Keep going straight, then take the second traffic light on the left.

Robot is the South African Afrikaans word for a traffic light, signalling local South African usage.

Gooi vir my sommer ’n bietjie blatjang by die braaivleis.

Add a little chutney to my barbecue meat, please.

Braaivleis signals meat prepared for a South African braai, while blatjang is the local Afrikaans term for chutney.

My ouma-hulle kom Sondag by ons kuier.

My gran and the family are coming to visit us on Sunday.

Ouma-hulle is a colloquial Afrikaans grouping construction that means the named person together with her household or companions.

Ons skuif die vergadering tot ná beurtkrag.

We’ll move the meeting to after load-shedding.

Beurtkrag is the South African term for scheduled power cuts, signalling a specifically local everyday reality.

Notes like these come with every AIRTranslate translation, so you learn why locals phrase it that way as you go.

How Afrikaans (South Africa) differs

Afrikaans. Jy/jou informal, u formal-respectful; warm direct register; lekker, baie where natural.

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Every one of 474 dialects, with voice, camera, a keyboard for any app, and offline packs.

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Localization Notes explaining why locals say it that way