Learning a new language is a rewarding experience that opens up new cultural and communicative avenues. Afrikaans, a West Germanic language spoken predominantly in South Africa and Namibia, is no exception. If you’ve reached the B1 level in Afrikaans, you are already able to understand and produce more complex sentences and engage in more meaningful conversations. To help you advance further, this article will highlight some essential Afrikaans words that you should know at the B1 level.

Common Verbs

Verbs are the backbone of any language, and mastering them is crucial for effective communication. Here are some common Afrikaans verbs you should be familiar with:

1. **Verstaan** – to understand
– Example: Ek verstaan wat jy sê. (I understand what you are saying.)

2. **Praat** – to speak
– Example: Hy praat Afrikaans en Engels. (He speaks Afrikaans and English.)

3. **Skryf** – to write
– Example: Sy skryf ‘n brief aan haar vriend. (She is writing a letter to her friend.)

4. **Lees** – to read
– Example: Ek lees ‘n interessante boek. (I am reading an interesting book.)

5. **Leer** – to learn
– Example: Ons leer Afrikaans in die klas. (We are learning Afrikaans in the class.)

6. **Werk** – to work
– Example: Hy werk by ‘n groot maatskappy. (He works at a big company.)

7. **Eet** – to eat
– Example: Ons eet aandete saam. (We are eating dinner together.)

8. **Drink** – to drink
– Example: Sy drink ‘n koppie koffie. (She is drinking a cup of coffee.)

9. **Loop** – to walk
– Example: Ek loop elke oggend werk toe. (I walk to work every morning.)

10. **Ry** – to drive
– Example: Hulle ry na die strand. (They are driving to the beach.)

Useful Adjectives

Adjectives help us describe objects, people, and situations. Knowing a variety of adjectives can significantly enhance your ability to express yourself. Here are some useful Afrikaans adjectives:

1. **Groot** – big
– Example: Die huis is baie groot. (The house is very big.)

2. **Klein** – small
– Example: Sy het ‘n klein hondjie. (She has a small dog.)

3. **Mooi** – beautiful
– Example: Die tuin is baie mooi. (The garden is very beautiful.)

4. **Lelik** – ugly
– Example: Dit is ‘n lelike gebou. (That is an ugly building.)

5. **Jong** – young
– Example: Hy is ‘n jong man. (He is a young man.)

6. **Oud** – old
– Example: Sy ouma is baie oud. (Her grandmother is very old.)

7. **Vinnig** – fast
– Example: Die motor is baie vinnig. (The car is very fast.)

8. **Stadig** – slow
– Example: Hierdie rekenaar is baie stadig. (This computer is very slow.)

9. **Skoon** – clean
– Example: Die kamer is skoon. (The room is clean.)

10. **Vuil** – dirty
– Example: Die vloer is vuil. (The floor is dirty.)

Common Nouns

Nouns are essential for naming people, places, things, and ideas. Here are some common nouns that you should know:

1. **Boek** – book
– Example: Ek lees ‘n boek. (I am reading a book.)

2. **Skool** – school
– Example: Die kinders gaan skool toe. (The children go to school.)

3. **Werk** – work
– Example: Sy geniet haar werk. (She enjoys her work.)

4. **Huis** – house
– Example: Hulle het ‘n nuwe huis gekoop. (They bought a new house.)

5. **Motor** – car
– Example: Hy het ‘n nuwe motor. (He has a new car.)

6. **Vriend** – friend
– Example: Sy is my beste vriend. (She is my best friend.)

7. **Familie** – family
– Example: Ons familie is baie groot. (Our family is very big.)

8. **Kos** – food
– Example: Die kos is lekker. (The food is delicious.)

9. **Water** – water
– Example: Ek drink ‘n glas water. (I am drinking a glass of water.)

10. **Lughawe** – airport
– Example: Hulle is by die lughawe. (They are at the airport.)

Everyday Expressions

Being able to use everyday expressions will make your conversations in Afrikaans more natural and fluid. Here are some common expressions you should know:

1. **Hoe gaan dit?** – How are you?
– Example: Hoe gaan dit met jou? (How are you doing?)

2. **Ek is jammer** – I am sorry
– Example: Ek is jammer vir die fout. (I am sorry for the mistake.)

3. **Baie dankie** – Thank you very much
– Example: Baie dankie vir jou hulp. (Thank you very much for your help.)

4. **Tot siens** – Goodbye
– Example: Tot siens, ek sien jou môre. (Goodbye, see you tomorrow.)

5. **Asseblief** – Please
– Example: Kan jy my asseblief help? (Can you please help me?)

6. **Geen probleem nie** – No problem
– Example: Dit is geen probleem nie. (It is no problem.)

7. **Wat is jou naam?** – What is your name?
– Example: Wat is jou naam? (What is your name?)

8. **Ek verstaan nie** – I do not understand
– Example: Ek verstaan nie wat jy sê nie. (I do not understand what you are saying.)

9. **Waar is die badkamer?** – Where is the bathroom?
– Example: Waar is die badkamer? (Where is the bathroom?)

10. **Hoeveel kos dit?** – How much does it cost?
– Example: Hoeveel kos dit? (How much does it cost?)

Time and Date

Understanding time and date is crucial for making plans and scheduling. Here are some essential Afrikaans words and phrases related to time and date:

1. **Uur** – hour
– Example: Dit neem ‘n uur om daar te kom. (It takes an hour to get there.)

2. **Minuut** – minute
– Example: Ek sal oor vyf minute terug wees. (I will be back in five minutes.)

3. **Sekonde** – second
– Example: Wag ‘n sekonde! (Wait a second!)

4. **Dag** – day
– Example: Vandag is ‘n goeie dag. (Today is a good day.)

5. **Week** – week
– Example: Ons gaan volgende week op vakansie. (We are going on vacation next week.)

6. **Maand** – month
– Example: Die maand is amper verby. (The month is almost over.)

7. **Jaar** – year
– Example: Ek het laas jaar begin werk. (I started working last year.)

8. **Gister** – yesterday
– Example: Ek het gister na die winkel gegaan. (I went to the store yesterday.)

9. **Vandag** – today
– Example: Vandag is ‘n besige dag. (Today is a busy day.)

10. **Môre** – tomorrow
– Example: Ek sal môre terugkom. (I will come back tomorrow.)

Question Words

Being able to ask questions is fundamental to any conversation. Here are some important Afrikaans question words:

1. **Wie** – who
– Example: Wie is jy? (Who are you?)

2. **Wat** – what
– Example: Wat is dit? (What is that?)

3. **Waar** – where
– Example: Waar woon jy? (Where do you live?)

4. **Wanneer** – when
– Example: Wanneer kom jy? (When are you coming?)

5. **Waarom** – why
– Example: Waarom is jy laat? (Why are you late?)

6. **Hoe** – how
– Example: Hoe gaan dit? (How are you?)

7. **Hoeveel** – how much / how many
– Example: Hoeveel kos dit? (How much does it cost?)

8. **Wat se** – what kind of
– Example: Wat se musiek luister jy? (What kind of music do you listen to?)

9. **Hoe lank** – how long
– Example: Hoe lank bly jy hier? (How long are you staying here?)

10. **Hoe ver** – how far
– Example: Hoe ver is dit na die stasie? (How far is it to the station?)

Prepositions

Prepositions are small but mighty words that show relationships between different elements in a sentence. Here are some common Afrikaans prepositions you should know:

1. **In** – in
– Example: Die boek is in die tas. (The book is in the bag.)

2. **Op** – on
– Example: Die pen is op die tafel. (The pen is on the table.)

3. **Onder** – under
– Example: Die kat is onder die bed. (The cat is under the bed.)

4. **Voor** – in front of
– Example: Hy staan voor die deur. (He is standing in front of the door.)

5. **Agter** – behind
– Example: Die tuin is agter die huis. (The garden is behind the house.)

6. **Langs** – next to
– Example: Die winkel is langs die poskantoor. (The shop is next to the post office.)

7. **Tussen** – between
– Example: Die park is tussen die skole. (The park is between the schools.)

8. **Bo** – above
– Example: Die lamp hang bo die tafel. (The lamp hangs above the table.)

9. **Binne** – inside
– Example: Hy is binne die huis. (He is inside the house.)

10. **Buite** – outside
– Example: Sy speel buite. (She is playing outside.)

Numbers

Numbers are essential for everyday activities like shopping, telling time, and giving your age. Here are some numbers in Afrikaans:

1. **Een** – one
– Example: Ek het een boek. (I have one book.)

2. **Twee** – two
– Example: Sy het twee honde. (She has two dogs.)

3. **Drie** – three
– Example: Daar is drie kinders. (There are three children.)

4. **Vier** – four
– Example: Ons het vier appels gekoop. (We bought four apples.)

5. **Vyf** – five
– Example: Hy het vyf minute om te wag. (He has five minutes to wait.)

6. **Ses** – six
– Example: Die klas begin om sesuur. (The class starts at six o’clock.)

7. **Sewe** – seven
– Example: Hulle het sewe dae oor. (They have seven days left.)

8. **Agt** – eight
– Example: Sy is agt jaar oud. (She is eight years old.)

9. **Nege** – nine
– Example: Daar is nege mense in die kamer. (There are nine people in the room.)

10. **Tien** – ten
– Example: Ek het tien rand. (I have ten rand.)

Conjunctions

Conjunctions link words, phrases, or clauses, making your sentences more complex and meaningful. Here are some important Afrikaans conjunctions:

1. **En** – and
– Example: Hy lees en skryf. (He reads and writes.)

2. **Maar** – but
– Example: Ek wil kom, maar ek is besig. (I want to come, but I am busy.)

3. **Of** – or
– Example: Wil jy koffie of tee hê? (Do you want coffee or tea?)

4. **Omdat** – because
– Example: Ek kom nie omdat ek siek is. (I am not coming because I am sick.)

5. **Dat** – that
– Example: Ek weet dat hy kom. (I know that he is coming.)

6. **As** – if
– Example: Ek sal kom as ek tyd het. (I will come if I have time.)

7. **Toe** – when (past)
– Example: Toe ek jonger was, het ek elke dag geswem. (When I was younger, I swam every day.)

8. **Wanneer** – when (future)
– Example: Ek sal jou bel wanneer ek klaar is. (I will call you when I am done.)

9. **Terwyl** – while
– Example: Sy lees terwyl sy wag. (She reads while she waits.)

10. **Hoewel** – although
– Example: Hoewel dit reën, gaan ons stap. (Although it is raining, we are going for a walk.)

Conclusion

Reaching the B1 level in Afrikaans is an admirable achievement, and expanding your vocabulary is key to progressing further. By incorporating these verbs, adjectives, nouns, everyday expressions, time-related terms, question words, prepositions, numbers, and conjunctions into your daily practice, you will enhance your ability to communicate more effectively and naturally in Afrikaans.

Remember, language learning is a journey, and every new word you learn brings you one step closer to fluency. Keep practicing, stay curious, and enjoy the process of mastering Afrikaans.