Afrikaans greetings and introductions.
These eight phrases come from Praat’s opening lessons. Practise them to greet someone, ask how they are, introduce yourself and say goodbye.
Two things to know. “Hoe gaan dit?” literally asks how it goes, and the answer is almost always “Goed, dankie” whatever the truth. And Afrikaans speakers greet with the time of day: goeiemôre until lunch, goeiemiddag after, goeienaand in the evening.
Start your first lesson, free →Five to ten minutes. Speaking is always optional.
The greetings.
- Hallo!Hello!Start with the familiar Hallo, then keep the conversation going with Hoe gaan dit? (How are you?).
- Goeiemôre!Good morning!The ô marks a longer vowel, and the g is the throaty Afrikaans sound. In typed practice, goeiemore is accepted too.
- Hoe gaan dit?How are you?It asks how things are going, which is why the answer talks about dit rather than about you.
- Dit gaan goed, dankie.It’s going well, thank you.Literally, “It’s going well, thank you.” Dit gaan echoes the question Hoe gaan dit? and is a natural way to say you are well.
- Ek is Holly.I am Holly.Ek is covers I am in every situation; Afrikaans has no separate am, is and are to choose between.
- Wat is jou naam?What is your name?Jou is the everyday your; u naam is the formal version, kept for elders and officials.
- Lekker om jou te ontmoet.Nice to meet you.Lekker is the all-purpose word for anything pleasant, from food to weather to meeting someone.
- Tot siens!Goodbye!Tot means until, so this parting quietly promises a next time.
How Praat works.
- 1Hear it. Real situations: the gate, the braai, the shop, the phone call home.
- 2Say it. Speaking is optional. Praat Plus adds AI feedback on your voice.
- 3Remember it. Short reviews bring the words back before you forget them.
Built by a South African in New Zealand.
Praat was made for a Kiwi partner who wanted to follow the conversation. Level 1, sixteen lessons, is free with a free account. Praat Plus opens the rest of the course and the voice coach.
Try the first lesson →