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 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.
You will start with everyday Afrikaans words like the food (die kos), the drink (die drankie), the cup (die koppie) — the vocabulary that appears most often in real conversations.
| English | Afrikaans | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| the food | die kos | The food is delicious. Die kos is heerlik. |
| the drink | die drankie | I want a drink. Ek wil 'n drankie hê. |
| the cup | die koppie | The cup is full. Die koppie is vol. |
| the bottle | die bottel | The bottle is empty. Die bottel is leeg. |
| the plate | die bord | The plate is clean. Die bord is skoon. |
| the spoon | die lepel | I use a spoon. Ek gebruik 'n lepel. |
| the fork | die vurk | I eat with a fork. Ek eet met 'n vurk. |
| the knife | die mes | The knife is sharp. Die mes is skerp. |
| the breakfast | die ontbyt | I eat breakfast. Ek eet ontbyt. |
| the lunch | die middagete | We have lunch at noon. Ons eet middagete om twaalfuur. |
| the dinner | die aandete | They eat dinner together. Hulle eet saam aandete. |
| the bread | die brood | I buy bread. Ek koop brood. |
| the butter | die botter | I put butter on the bread. Ek sit botter op die brood. |
| the cheese | die kaas | I eat cheese. Ek eet kaas. |
| the milk | die melk | I drink milk. Ek drink melk. |
| the coffee | die koffie | I drink coffee in the morning. Ek drink soggens koffie. |
| the tea | die tee | I like tea. Ek hou van tee. |
| the juice | die sap | I drink juice. Ek drink sap. |
| the soda | die koeldrank | I drink soda. Ek drink koeldrank. |
| the rice | die rys | I eat rice. Ek eet rys. |
The 100 most important Afrikaans words →
The 100 most important Afrikaans verbs →
| to borrow | leen |
| to buy | koop |
| to clean | skoonmaak |
| to close | toemaak |
| to cook | kook |
| to do | doen |
| to drink | drink |
| to eat | eet |
| to find | vind |
| to get | kry |
| She is my friend | Sy is my vriendin |
| They have fun together | Hulle het saam pret |
| We eat lunch together | Ons eet saam middagete |
| She smiles a lot | Sy glimlag baie |
| He tells funny jokes | Hy vertel grappige grappe |
| I visit my friends | Ek kuier by my vriende |
Every word narrated and illustrated – read along and repeat.
All vocabulary as audio – including a 3x repetition version, perfect for listening before you fall asleep.
All words and sentences to look up and read offline.
Spaced-repetition system like flashcards – reviews exactly when you need them.
Type your own words – AI translates them, adds example sentences and the trainer practises them with you.
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 audio.