Around 1000 words are enough to understand roughly 85% of everyday speech. That is exactly what 1000 Words focuses on: instead of endless grammar tables, you first learn the Afrikaans vocabulary you will actually meet in real life – nouns, verbs, adjectives and full sentences, each with translation, example sentence and native-speaker audio.
Learn the way that fits your day: as a video to read along, as an audiobook for your commute or for falling asleep, as an ebook, or with the built-in vocabulary trainer that shows you every word again at the scientifically optimal moment (spaced repetition). Everything is available on the website and in the free app for iOS and Android.
| English | Afrikaans | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| the apple | die appel | I eat the apple. Ek eet die appel. |
| the book | die boek | She reads the book. Sy lees die boek. |
| the cat | die kat | The cat is sleeping. Die kat slaap. |
| the dog | die hond | The dog is barking. Die hond blaf. |
| the car | die kar | He drives the car. Hy ry die kar. |
| the house | die huis | We live in a house. Ons woon in 'n huis. |
| the chair | die stoel | She sits on the chair. Sy sit op die stoel. |
| the table | die tafel | Put the book on the table. Sit die boek op die tafel. |
| the window | die venster | Open the window. Maak die venster oop. |
| the door | die deur | Close the door. Maak die deur toe. |
| the pencil | die potlood | I write with the pencil. Ek skryf met die potlood. |
| the paper | die papier | The paper is on the table. Die papier is op die tafel. |
| the school | die skool | The school is big. Die skool is groot. |
| the teacher | die onderwyser | The teacher teaches math. Die onderwyser gee wiskunde. |
| the student | die student | The student is studying. Die student studeer. |
| the boy | die seun | The boy is playing. Die seun speel. |
| the girl | die meisie | The girl is singing. Die meisie sing. |
| the adult | die volwassene | The adult is working. Die volwassene werk. |
| the friend | die vriend | My friend is here. My vriend is hier. |
| the tree | die boom | The tree is tall. Die boom is hoog. |
| to accept | aanvaar |
| to add | byvoeg |
| to agree | saamstem |
| to allow | toelaat |
| to ask | vra |
| to believe | glo |
| to borrow | leen |
| to break | breek |
| to bring | bring |
| to build | bou |
| I like apples | Ek hou van appels |
| She is my friend | Sy is my vriendin |
| It is a sunny day | Dit is 'n sonnige dag |
| He runs fast | Hy hardloop vinnig |
| We are happy | Ons is gelukkig |
| They play soccer | Hulle speel sokker |
Every word narrated and illustrated – read along and repeat.
All vocabulary as audio – including a 3x repetition version, perfect for learning while you sleep.
All words and sentences to look up and read offline.
Spaced-repetition system like flashcards – reviews exactly when you need them.
Short stories built from the words you already know, with audio and tap-to-explain.
Download Premium content and keep learning without internet.
With the 1000 most frequent words you understand about 85% of everyday spoken language. That is why 1000 Words focuses exactly on this core vocabulary – organized into nouns, verbs & adjectives and full sentences.
Research shows the brain consolidates previously learned material during sleep. Our audiobooks with triple repetition are made for this: listen in the evening, relax, and anchor what you learned. Read more in our article on learning while you sleep.
Yes, getting started is free: parts of the videos and audiobooks, the vocabulary trainer, the matching game and previews of all content. Premium unlocks everything – including downloads for offline mode.
For beginners and returners (level A1–B1) who want to build a usable Afrikaans vocabulary fast – without grammar overload, with native-speaker audio.