Convenience Store

1. Is daar 'n spaza-winkel hier naby?

   Is there a spaza shop near here?

   Usage

   In South Africa a small informal neighbourhood shop is a "spaza shop"; a more formal corner shop is called a "café" and sells drinks, bread, cigarettes and airtime. Spar and Woolworths Food are the supermarket end of the scale

   Grammar Note

   "Is daar 'n ...?" is the standard existential question. "Spaza" is borrowed from South African English; Afrikaans often adds "winkel" (shop) to make "spaza-winkel"

2. Is die koeldrank koud?

   Is the cold drink actually cold?

   Usage

   Load-shedding regularly switches off shop fridges in South Africa, so drinks on the shelf are often lukewarm — worth checking before you buy. "Koeldrank" is the South African word for any soft drink

   Grammar Note

   "Koeldrank" is literally "cool drink", but whether it is actually chilled is another matter — hence the separate question with "koud" (cold)

3. Die yskas is af weens beurtkrag.

   The fridge is off because of load-shedding.

   Usage

   Said by staff. "Beurtkrag" is South Africa's rolling blackout schedule (load-shedding) — power is cut area by area for several hours a day. If you want a cold drink you may need a shop with a generator

   Grammar Note

   "Beurtkrag" = beurt (turn) + krag (power), i.e. power supplied by turns. "Weens" (because of) is slightly formal; spoken Afrikaans also uses "oor" or "as gevolg van"

4. Kan ek met SnapScan betaal?

   Can I pay with SnapScan?

   Usage

   SnapScan and Zapper are the widely used QR payment apps in South Africa — even small cafés and spaza shops often have a QR sticker at the till. Unlike mobile money elsewhere in Africa these are bank-linked apps

   Grammar Note

   Afrikaans puts the modal "kan" in second position and pushes the main verb "betaal" to the end — the same bracket structure as Dutch and German

5. Jammer, die kaartmasjien werk nie.

   Sorry, the card machine isn't working.

   Usage

   Said by staff. Card machines regularly go down with the power or the mobile network, so it pays to carry some cash

   Grammar Note

   Afrikaans normally uses a double negative, but when the clause already ends in "nie" a single one suffices; in longer sentences you get "... werk nie ... nie"

6. Ek het nie kleingeld nie.

   I don't have any change.

   Usage

   Said by staff. Small shops often cannot break a large note, so keeping R10 and R20 notes and coins on hand makes shopping much easier

   Grammar Note

   The standard Afrikaans negative brackets the clause with "nie ... nie". "Kleingeld" = klein (small) + geld (money)

7. Ek wil vyftig rand lugtyd koop, asseblief.

   I'd like to buy fifty rand of airtime, please.

   Usage

   "Lugtyd" (airtime) is prepaid mobile credit, sold at almost every spaza shop and café. Name an amount and you either get a voucher code on the slip or it is loaded straight onto your number

   Grammar Note

   "Lugtyd" is a calque of English "airtime" (lug = air, tyd = time). "Asseblief" (please) sits most naturally at the end of the sentence

8. Verkoop julle voorafbetaalde elektrisiteit?

   Do you sell prepaid electricity?

   Usage

   Many South African homes run on prepaid electricity meters: you buy a token (a 20-digit code) for a set amount at a spaza shop or café and key it into the meter. Guesthouses and long-stay accommodation may ask you to do this

   Grammar Note

   "Julle" (plural you) is the normal way to address a shop as an institution. "Voorafbetaalde" is the past participle of "vooraf betaal" (pay in advance) with the attributive ending -de

9. Gee my 'n half brood, asseblief.

   Give me a half loaf of bread, please.

   Usage

   South African spaza shops routinely cut a loaf and sell it by the half — it suits buying just what you need for the day. You will usually be asked whether you want white or brown

   Grammar Note

   "'n" is the reduced indefinite article; it is always written lower-case, and at the start of a sentence the following word is capitalised instead. Adding "asseblief" softens the imperative "Gee"

10. Het julle 'n klein pakkie koffie?

    Do you have coffee in a small packet?

    Usage

    Small shops sell coffee, sugar and washing powder in single-serve sachets rather than big packs. The unit price is higher, but you can buy just what you need for the day with the cash you have

    Grammar Note

    "Pakkie" is "pak" (pack) plus the diminutive -kie. Afrikaans makes very heavy use of diminutives (-tjie, -kie, -ie)

11. Weeg vir my 'n kilo aartappels, asseblief.

    Weigh me a kilo of potatoes, please.

    Usage

    Vegetables and rice are usually weighed out rather than pre-packed. Besides asking by the kilo you can also ask by value — "R20 worth, please"

    Grammar Note

    "Weeg vir my" = "weigh for me" (vir my = for me). "Aartappel" is literally "earth apple" (aarde + appel)

12. Moet ek vir die plastieksak betaal?

    Do I have to pay for the plastic bag?

    Usage

    South Africa charges an environmental levy on plastic bags, so both supermarkets and spaza shops sell them — usually one or two rand each. Bringing your own bag saves the charge

    Grammar Note

    "Betaal vir" = to pay for something. "Moet" is the obligation modal; in questions it moves to the front and swaps with the subject

13. Hoeveel wil u hê?

    How many would you like?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Where goods are weighed out or sold loose you will always be asked for a quantity — answering with an amount of money is perfectly normal too

    Grammar Note

    "Hê" is the infinitive of "het" (to have), used after a modal. "U" is the polite second person, which staff use towards customers

14. Nog iets?

    Anything else?

    Usage

    Said by staff. In counter-service shops this short prompt invites your next item. If you are done, answer "Nee dankie, dis al" (no thanks, that's all)

    Grammar Note

    A verbless elliptical question. The full form is "Wil u nog iets hê?", but two words are enough in shop speech

15. Dit is op.

    We're out of that.

    Usage

    Said by staff. Small shops carry little stock and restock irregularly; you will usually hear the contracted "Dis op". To ask when it will be back: "Wanneer kry julle weer?"

    Grammar Note

    The particle "op" carries the sense of "finished, used up". In speech "Dit is" contracts to "Dis"

16. Kan ek môre betaal?

    Can I pay tomorrow?

    Usage

    Spaza shops often let regulars buy on credit ("op boekie" — on the book), which the owner records in a notebook. A traveller is unlikely to be granted this, but knowing the phrase helps you follow what locals are doing

    Grammar Note

    The circumflex in "môre" marks a long open o. The same word also means "morning", as in "Goeiemôre" (good morning)

17. Hoe laat maak julle toe?

    What time do you close?

    Usage

    Spaza shops are not 24-hour; many close at dusk for safety reasons. Buy what you need for the evening while it is still light

    Grammar Note

    "Toemaak" is a separable verb: in a main clause "maak" stays in second position and "toe" goes to the end. The opposite, "to open", is "oopmaak"

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