Afrikaans Gender

Welcome to the fifth Afrikaans lesson about gender. This time we will view a list of people, feminine and masculine, followed by grammar rules, finally a list of expressions in Afrikaans to help you practice your daily phrases.

man man

woman vrou

husband man

wife vrou

boy seun

girl meisie

father pa/vader

mother ma/moeder

Gender Grammar Rules

In general, gender is used to distinguish between male and female, sometimes referred to as masculine and feminine. For example: my son and daughter are students the noun [son] is masculine, while [daughter] is feminine. The following examples use gender in different ways and places to demonstrate their behavior.

Grammar + Rules - Afrikaans
my son is a student [masculine + noun] My seun is 'n student
her daughter is a student [feminine + noun] Haar dogter is 'n student
he has a tall brother [adjective + masculine] Hy het 'n lang broer
she has a tall sister [adjective + feminine] Sy het 'n lang suster
his brothers are young [plural masculine + adjective] Sy broers is jonk
his sisters are young [plural feminine + adjective] Sy susters is jonk

The list below will probably provide more clarification. These are family members (males and females). I think it would be wise to memorize them as part of your important vocabulary list.

son seun

daughter dogter

brother broer

sister suster

grandfather oupa

grandmother ouma

child kind

children kinders

Expressions in Afrikaans

Now it's time to practice expressions used in daily conversations. If you're a beginner in learning Afrikaans, then the phrases below are something you would want to know.

English - Afrikaans
What do you mean? Wat bedoel jy?
I don't understand Ek verstaan nie!
I don't know Ek weet nie!
What is that called in Afrikaans? Wat noem jy dit in Afrikaans?
What is this? Wat is dit?
What does that word mean in English? Wat beteken daardie woord in Engels?
Sorry (if you made a mistake) Jammer

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