Have you ever typed a perfectly good English sentence into a translator, clicked “Afrikaans,” and received something that sounded like a robot tried to speak a foreign language after a rough night? You are not alone. English to Afrikaans translation looks simple because the two languages share so many Germanic roots, but the moment sentences get longer, the rules start to diverge in frustrating ways.
Whether you are a copywriter, an office worker, a student, or someone helping a relative with a letter, the quality of your translation matters. A small error can change the meaning of a whole document — or quietly embarrass you in front of a client. The good news is that the most common mistakes are predictable, and once you know them, you can catch them in seconds.
So grab a coffee (or a rooibos), and let’s look at the ten mistakes that trip up almost every English-to-Afrikaans translation, with examples you can use immediately. You can do this.
Why English to Afrikaans translation is harder than it looks
Afrikaans evolved from the Dutch spoken by settlers at the Cape, but it picked up vocabulary and grammar from Malay, Portuguese, Khoisan languages, French, and English along the way. This makes it a distinctly South African language with its own logic — not a simplified version of Dutch, and definitely not English with different words.
The biggest hidden challenge is Afrikaans word order. English mostly follows a subject-verb-object pattern, but Afrikaans often sends verbs to the end of the sentence, especially in subordinate clauses. Add the famous double negative, some stubborn prepositions, and a few sneaky false friends, and you have a recipe for subtle but meaningful errors.
A quick literal swap will get you about 60% of the way. That last 40% is where the real translation skill lives. Let’s break down the ten traps you need to avoid.
Mistake 1: Translating word for word instead of meaning
Word-for-word translation (also called “literal translation”) is the most common mistake in the entire English-to-Afrikaans translation game. It happens when you translate every English word into the closest Afrikaans word and hope the sentence sorts itself out. It rarely does.
Take the English sentence “I had a good time.” A literal translation gives you “Ek het ‘n goeie tyd.” An Afrikaans reader will understand it, but it tastes foreign. A natural translation would be “Ek het dit baie geniet” (I enjoyed it a lot) or “Ek het ‘n lekker tyd gehad” (I had a nice time).
The same problem shows up with common phrases like “I am looking forward to it.” A literal attempt might give you “Ek is vorentoe kyk na dit” — which is completely wrong. The natural Afrikaans is “Ek sien uit daarna,” because the idiom is “uitsien na,” meaning to look forward to.
| English | Literal (wrong) | Natural Afrikaans |
|---|---|---|
| I had a good time | Ek het ‘n goeie tyd | Ek het dit baie geniet |
| I am looking forward to it | Ek is vorentoe kyk na dit | Ek sien uit daarna |
| What is your name? | Wat is jou naam? | Wat is jou naam? (informal) / Hoe word jy genoem? (formal) |
| I have a cold | Ek het ‘n koue | Ek is verkoue |
Key takeaway: Translate the meaning of a sentence, not the individual words. If your Afrikaans translation sounds flat or robotic, you are probably still thinking in English.
Mistake 2: Getting the word order wrong
If there is one rule that separates good Afrikaans from “English in disguise,” it is word order. In a simple main clause, Afrikaans works like English: “Ek lees ‘n boek” (I read a book). But throw in a helping verb, a subordinate clause, or a question, and the verbs start migrating to the end of the sentence.
Compare these:
- English: “I will see you tomorrow.”
- Incorrect: “Ek sal sien jou môre.”
- Correct: “Ek sal jou môre sien.”
Notice how “sien” (see) moves to the end. Afrikaans puts the main verb in the final position when there is an auxiliary verb like “sal” (will) or “het” (have). The same rule applies in subordinate clauses introduced by words like dat (that), omdat (because), and as (if):
- English: “He said that he is sick.”
- Incorrect: “Hy het gesê dat hy is siek.”
- Correct: “Hy het gesê dat hy siek is.”
This is one of the hardest habits for English speakers to break. You can recognise it immediately if your translation uses English word order after “dat” or “omdat.”
Red flags to watch for:
- Verbs appearing before the object in future or past constructions.
- “Sal” or “het” followed by English verb placement.
- Subordinate clauses that ignore the “verb to the end” rule.
Key takeaway: When you see “dat,” “omdat,” “as,” or “toe” at the start of a clause in Afrikaans, move the verb to the end of that clause. This simple check fixes a surprising number of errors.
Mistake 3: Forgetting the double negative
Afrikaans is one of the only Germanic languages that uses a double negative, and it confuses almost every English speaker who tries to translate into it. In English, two negatives cancel each other out. In Afrikaans, they work as a team.
The most common error is translating “I have no money” as “Ek het nie geld” — with only one “nie.” The correct standard Afrikaans is:
- “Ek het nie geld nie.”
The first “nie” comes after the verb, and the second “nie” comes at the end of the sentence, closing the negative thought. This pattern applies to almost every negative sentence:
- “I did nothing” → “Ek het niks gedoen nie.”
- “He is not here” → “Hy is nie hier nie.”
- “I will never do that” → “Ek gaan dit nooit doen nie.”
In informal spoken Afrikaans, you might hear the final “nie” dropped. But in written Afrikaans, formal documents, and most professional contexts, the double negative is non-negotiable. Think of it as the Afrikaans version of a full stop — it is how you finish the sentence properly.
Key takeaway: Listen for the closing “nie.” If your negative sentence does not have a second “nie” at or near the end, it is grammatically incomplete in standard Afrikaans.
Mistake 4: Relying on false friends
False friends are words that look or sound similar in English and Afrikaans but have different meanings. They are dangerous because they feel safe — and they are wrong in the exact moment you trust them most.
| English word | Afrikaans false friend | What it actually means | Correct Afrikaans |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actually | Aktueel | Topical / current | Eintlik |
| Gift | Gif | Poison | Geskenk |
| Brave | Braaf | Well-behaved | Dapper |
| Directions | Direksies | Board of directors / directorates | Aanwysings |
| Eventually | Eventueel | Possibly | Uiteindelik |
| Wins (verb) | Wins | Profit | Wen / oorwinning |
| Attend | Attendeer | To apply (paint, ointment) | Bywoon |
A classic example: “Sy het ‘n gif gekry” does not mean “she got a gift.” It means “she got poison.” That is a translation mistake with potentially dramatic consequences.
These false friends exist because English and Afrikaans share ancestry but evolved separately for centuries. The best defence is a good dictionary and a healthy dose of suspicion whenever you see a word that looks identical in both languages.
Key takeaway: If an Afrikaans word looks exactly like an English word, check it before you commit. It probably means something slightly (or completely) different.
Mistake 5: Losing the idiom in translation
Idioms are the soul of a language, and they are almost impossible to translate literally. When you try, the results range from confusing to hilarious.
The English idiom “It’s raining cats and dogs” becomes “Dit reën katte en honde” in a literal translation. An Afrikaans speaker will understand the words but will have no idea what you are trying to say. The natural Afrikaans equivalent is “Dit reën pype” or “Dit gooi met reën” — it is pouring with rain.
Similarly, “to kill two birds with one stone” sounds nonsensical when translated literally. The Afrikaans equivalent is “Twee vlieë in een klap slaan” — to hit two flies with one swat. Same idea, completely different image.
Here are a few more worth remembering:
- “Under the weather” → “Nie lekker nie” (Ek voel nie lekker nie).
- “Break a leg” → just say “Sterkte” (good luck).
- “Piece of cake” → “Kinderspeletjie” (child’s play) or “Maklik” (easy).
English idioms are increasingly creeping into Afrikaans as direct calques, especially in social media. But if you want polished, professional Afrikaans, choose the expression that carries the same meaning in the target language.
Key takeaway: When you meet an idiom, ask yourself: “How would an Afrikaans person say this idea?” Then use that expression, not a word-for-word copy.
Mistake 6: Choosing the wrong preposition
Prepositions are stubborn. They do not follow rules so much as habits, and each language has its own habits. English speakers translating to Afrikaans often default to the English preposition, which produces sentences like these:
- “On the bus” does not translate to “op die bus.” In Afrikaans you sit in the bus: “in die bus.”
- “At the moment” becomes “op die oomblik” (on the moment), not “by die oomblik.”
- “Listen to music” is “na musiek luister,” not “luister musiek.”
- “Good at maths” is “goed in wiskunde,” not “goed by wiskunde.”
- “Afraid of the dark” is “bang vir die donker,” not “bang van die donker.”
| English phrase | Incorrect preposition | Correct Afrikaans |
|---|---|---|
| On the bus | Op die bus | In die bus |
| At the moment | By die oomblik | Op die oomblik |
| Listen to music | Luister musiek | Na musiek luister |
| Waiting for you | Wag na jou | Wag vir jou |
| Married to her | Getroud by haar | Getroud met haar |
Prepositions usually cannot be translated one-to-one. You have to learn them in phrases, pairs, and context. When in doubt, look up the whole phrase rather than the individual preposition.
Key takeaway: If your sentence feels “off” and you cannot find the reason, check the prepositions. They are often the invisible culprits in awkward translations.
Mistake 7: Mixing up “jy” and “u” (formality levels)
Afrikaans has a formal and an informal form of address, and choosing the wrong one can feel like showing up to a job interview in a costume. The informal “jy” is for friends, family, children, and close colleagues. The formal “u” is for clients, older people in a professional setting, strangers in formal situations, and official correspondence.
The mistake usually goes one way: English speakers use “jy” everywhere because it is the default they learn first. In a business email to a potential client, writing “Kan jy my help?” can come across as disrespectful. The safer formal version is “Kan u my help?”
The same distinction applies to possessives:
- Informal: “Jou brief” (your letter).
- Formal: “U skrywe” (your written correspondence).
For more than one person, use “julle” (you all): “Kan julle kom?”
When in doubt, use “u.” It is much easier to recover from being too formal than from being too familiar. This is especially important in South Africa, where respect for elders and authority figures remains an important cultural value.
Key takeaway: Know your audience. If you are unsure whether to use “jy” or “u,” choose “u.” It shows respect, and nobody will be offended by good manners.
Mistake 8: Letting English spelling and pronunciation sneak in
Afrikaans is a phonetic language, but its sounds do not always match English expectations. English speakers often read and write Afrikaans with an English accent — literally. These pronunciation habits can also sneak into spelling, especially when you are fast at the keyboard.
Four sounds cause the most trouble:
- “g” is guttural, like the “ch” in the Scottish “loch,” not a soft English “g.” The word “gegee” (given) starts with that throaty sound from the back of the mouth.
- “v” sounds like an English “f.” The word “vader” (father) sounds closer to “fah-der.”
- “w” is bilabial — pronounced with both lips, almost a “v” with rounded lips. “Water” sounds more like “vah-ter” than the English “water.”
- “oe” is pronounced like “oo” in “food.” The word “boer” sounds like “boor,” not “bo-er.”
There is also a spelling trap that catches new writers: “dié” (this) is written with an acute accent to distinguish it from “die” (the). In copy, the difference matters: “In dié tyd” means “in this time,” while “In die tyd” means “in the time.”
And do not forget the little apostrophe: the Afrikaans indefinite article is always “‘n”, never “n” without the apostrophe. It is a tiny detail, but it screams professionalism.
Key takeaway: Read your Afrikaans translation out loud. If it does not sound like Afrikaans when spoken, you have probably imported an English pronunciation or spelling habit.
Mistake 9: Skipping cultural localisation
Translation is not just about words; it is about context. South Africa has its own cultural vocabulary, and a good English-to-Afrikaans translation knows when to localise.
Consider the South African English word “robot” — which means “traffic light.” If you are translating that into Afrikaans, the correct term is “verkeerslig” (traffic light). If you write “robot,” the meaning changes to an actual machine robot, which is the only meaning “robot” carries in Afrikaans. Same word, two different worlds.
Other examples of cultural localisation:
- “Barbecue” → “braai” is the culturally appropriate word for a South African grill.
- “Pickup truck” → “bakkie” in Afrikaans, while “vragmotor” means a heavy truck.
- “Fridge” → “yskas” (literally “ice cupboard”), not “fridge.”
- Date formats → Write “3 Mei 2024” rather than “May 3, 2024.” South Africa uses day-month-year.
- Currency → In Afrikaans, write “R10,50” (comma decimal), while English in South Africa often writes “R10.50.”
Also think about cultural assumptions in the English source text. If something references cricket, school holidays in the UK, or American Thanksgiving, an Afrikaans reader may need the idea translated, not just the words.
Key takeaway: The best translation reads as if it was originally written in Afrikaans. If a concept only exists in one culture, find the closest South African equivalent and use that.
Mistake 10: Muddling tenses and aspect
English and Afrikaans handle time differently. English loves the progressive (“-ing”) tense: “I am working,” “I was eating,” “I have been living here for two years.” Afrikaans prefers simpler structures, and this is where confusion sets in.
The sentence “I am working” does not need “Ek is werk” — which is grammatically wrong. In Afrikaans, you simply say:
- “Ek werk” (I work / I am working).
If you really want to stress that you are busy right now, you can say “Ek is besig om te werk” (I am busy working) or “Ek is aan die werk” (I am at work). But the plain present tense “Ek werk” covers all three English meanings.
Another trap involves the phrase “I have been living here for two years.” A literal translation gives you “Ek het gewoon hier vir twee jaar” — clunky and wrong. The natural Afrikaans construction uses “al” with the present tense:
- “Ek woon al twee jaar hier” (literally: “I live already two years here”).
Similarly, the past tense in Afrikaans relies heavily on the auxiliary “het” with a past participle at the end of the sentence:
- “I gave him the book” → “Ek het hom die boek gegee.”
- “I did not give him the book” → “Ek het hom nie die boek gegee nie.” (Note the double negative and the verb at the end.)
Key takeaway: When you are tempted to translate the English continuous tense (“am … -ing”) literally, stop. Ask what a natural Afrikaans speaker would actually say, and use the present or “besig om te” construction instead.
Practical tools and habits for better English to Afrikaans translation
You do not need to be a professional translator to produce great Afrikaans. But you do need solid habits and the right tools. Here is a short toolkit that will immediately improve your output.
Tools worth using:
- Pharos English–Afrikaans dictionary — the gold standard for professional translators in South Africa.
- VivA (Virtuele Instituut vir Afrikaans) — an online dictionary and language resource portal designed by South African linguists.
- Google Translate — fine for a rough first draft, but always check it against the ten mistakes above. It still struggles with idioms, word order, and the double negative.
- Offline dictionary apps — download one for load shedding. Translation should not stop when the power does.
A simple five-step checklist for any important translation:
- Translate the meaning, not the words.
- Check every subordinate clause for correct verb placement at the end.
- Make sure every negative sentence has its closing “nie.”
- Read the whole thing aloud so your ears can catch pronunciation and rhythm problems.
- If it matters, ask a native Afrikaans speaker to review it.
This checklist will catch 90% of the mistakes in most English-to-Afrikaans translations. And if you are translating in the other direction too, take a look at our Afrikaans to English translation guide for a complete set of reverse traps.
Frequently asked questions about English to Afrikaans translation
What is the most common mistake when translating English to Afrikaans?
The most common mistake is translating word for word without considering Afrikaans sentence structure. This usually results in incorrect word order (especially in subordinate clauses) and forgetting the double negative, which makes the translated sentence sound unnatural to native speakers.
Is Google Translate accurate for English to Afrikaans?
Google Translate is improving, but it still makes systematic errors with idioms, word order, and the double negative. It is a useful starting point for a rough draft, but you should always review the output against the common mistakes in this article — or ask a fluent speaker to check it.
Are English and Afrikaans similar enough for a quick translation?
They share Germanic roots and a lot of vocabulary, so simple words and short phrases can often be swapped directly. Once sentences get longer, however, word order, tense constructions, and idioms diverge sharply. The similarities help beginners, but they also encourage the kind of lazy translation that produces awkward results.
Is Afrikaans a Dutch dialect?
Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch that developed at the Cape, but it is a separate official language with its own simplified grammar, vocabulary from Malay, Portuguese, Khoisan languages, and its own double-negative rule. Many Afrikaans speakers can understand Dutch to some degree, but the two are not mutually identical.
When should I use “jy” versus “u” in Afrikaans?
Use “jy” (and “jou”) with friends, children, and close colleagues. Use “u” when addressing older people, superiors, clients, or strangers in formal or professional situations. Using “jy” in a formal letter or with a client can come across as overly familiar or disrespectful.
What are the best resources for checking my English to Afrikaans translation?
The Pharos English–Afrikaans dictionary and the VivA language portal are excellent starting points. Google Translate can give you a first draft, but for important documents, a professional translator or a native-speaking friend who understands your intent is the best quality check you can get.