Adjectives

1. Groot

   Big

   Usage

   For asking for another size; use it with a gesture

2. Klein

   Small

   Usage

   For describing clothing or room size

3. Swaar

   Heavy

   Usage

   For excess baggage, or asking someone to lift something

4. Lig

   Light (weight)

   Usage

   About weight only — in many languages this is a different word from “bright”

   Grammar Note

   "Lig" means light in weight but also bright; when talking about luggage, "nie swaar nie" removes the ambiguity.

5. Duur

   Expensive

   Usage

   The opening move in a haggle; pair it with a face

6. Goedkoop

   Cheap

   Usage

   For asking whether a cheaper option exists

7. Warm

   Hot (thing)

   Usage

   About food, drink, or water — not the same word as hot weather

   Grammar Note

   Afrikaans uses "warm" for both, but the weather is normally phrased as a sentence: "Dit is warm."

8. Koud

   Cold (thing)

   Usage

   About drinks and food — not the same word as cold weather

9. Nuut

   New

   Usage

   For checking whether something is unused

10. Oud

    Old (thing)

    Usage

    For objects only; used of people it is rude in many languages

    Grammar Note

    Use "oud" for objects. For people it sounds blunt, so use "bejaard" (elderly).

11. Jonk

    Young

    Usage

    About a person’s age; a small-talk word

12. Bejaard

    Old (person)

    Usage

    The dedicated word for people; pick the respectful one

    Grammar Note

    "Bejaard" is the courteous word for an elderly person.

13. Skoon

    Clean

    Usage

    For a clean room or clean water, and for a beautiful view

14. Vuil

    Dirty

    Usage

    Useful when asking to change rooms

15. Goed

    Good

    Usage

    The all-purpose word for agreement and approval

16. Sleg

    Bad

    Usage

    For saying that your health or an item’s quality is poor

17. Naby

    Near

    Usage

    For checking whether somewhere is within walking distance

18. Ver

    Far

    Usage

    Tells you whether you need transport

19. Vroeg

    Early

    Usage

    About clock time; in many languages a different word from “fast”

    Grammar Note

    "Vroeg" is early in time; fast in speed is "vinnig."

20. Laat

    Late

    Usage

    About clock time; in many languages a different word from “slow”

    Grammar Note

    "Laat" is late in time; slow in speed is "stadig."

21. Baie

    Many

    Usage

    About quantity or how crowded somewhere is

22. Min

    Few

    Usage

    Also useful for asking for a smaller portion

23. Dit is warm

    Hot (weather)

    Usage

    About the weather — a different word from a hot object

24. Dit is koud

    Cold (weather)

    Usage

    About the weather — a different word from a cold object

25. Oulik

    Cute

    Usage

    Used broadly for people, objects, and animals

26. Gaaf

    Cool

    Usage

    Mainly for praising the look of a person or thing

27. Heerlik

    Delicious

    Usage

    The most common compliment at a meal

28. Wonderlik!

    Amazing

    Usage

    Used to express surprise or admiration

29. Lekker

    Fun

    Usage

    For reacting to an experience itself; an extremely common all-purpose word in everyday speech

30. Meer

    More

    Usage

    To ask for more; show it while pointing at the item

31. 'n Bietjie

    Just a little

    Usage

    When you want only a small amount

    Grammar Note

    The article "'n" stays lowercase even at the start of a sentence; the next word is capitalised

32. Helfte

    Half

    Usage

    When asking for half the amount

33. Alles

    All of it

    Usage

    To say you want all of it, or all of it together

34. Genoeg

    Enough

    Usage

    To stop someone pouring or serving more

35. Nou dadelik

    Right now

    Usage

    To signal urgency; note that "nou-nou" can actually mean "in a little while"

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