10 Funny Afrikaans Idioms 🇿🇦

Learn how to speak Afrikaans with these funny Afrikaans idioms and Afrikaans expressions. These Afrikaans idioms will have you in stitches. For more Afrikaans expressions go to bit.ly/afrikaans-expressions
The Afrikaans idioms and expressions in this video include:
1. Hang aan ń tak
Literally: Hang onto a branch
Meaning: Hold on a sec(ond)
2. Jakkals trou met wolf se vrou
Literally: The jackal is marrying the wolf’s wife
Meaning: Used when it’s raining and the sun shines at the same time
3. Moenie die hoender ruk nie
Literally: Don’t shake the chicken
Meaning: Don’t overdo it
4. Twee rye spore loop
Literally: Walk in two lines
Meaning: To be drunk
5. ń Klap van die windmeul weg hê
Literally: Be hit by a windmill
Meaning: To not be in your right mind
6. ń Hond uit ń bos gesels
Literally: Talk a dog out of a bush
Meaning: To have a great conversation
7. Jy krap met ń kort stokkie aan ń groot leeu se bal
Literally: Scratch a lion’s ball with a short stick
Meaning: Being arrogant or to push one’s luck
8. ń Aap in die mou hê
Literally: Have a monkey up your sleeve
Meaning: To hide mischievous plans
9. Die berge het ń muis gebaar
Literally: The mountains gave birth to a mouse
Meaning: To put in a lot of effort and have nothing to show for it
10. Jy kan hom met ń blaas ertjies die skrik op die lyf jag
Literally: Chase away fright with a bladder of peas
Meaning: A person who is scared or scares easily
For more Afrikaans expressions go to bit.ly/afrikaans-expressions.
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[@theintrepidguide]

Got a question? Leave a comment below ;) Don't forget to subscribe and leave a lovely big thumbs up.

[@wouterkabouter102]

Pragtig! Ons taal is nou maar eenmaal besonders!

[@yoyo-yf7ww]

Another expression for someone who scares easily is "hy skrik vir koue pampoen" which literally translates to "he fears cold pumpkin"

[@theintrepidguide]

Haha that’s awesome 😎 thanks for sharing 😊

[@thatdutchguy2882]

Ik vindt deze Afrikaanse woorden nogal grappig: NL Brommer= Brompony ZA. NL Lift= Hijsbakkie ZA. NL Helm= Pletterpet ZA. NL Tangaslip= Amperbroekkie ZA. Hahahaha 😂 😂, it's hilarious. (sorry, you'll have to speak both languages or be a native level Afrikaans or Dutch speaker to get it, it's funny though hahaha 👍😂)

[@safetyamsv3515]

Lived in South Africa for 26 years and speak fluent Afrikaans but I've never heard a single one of these sayings...!! I expected to at least see "jy speel op AVBOB se stoep" :)

[@AndredeWet-hf8gj]

Ek ken al die idiome en gebuik hulle gereeld. Ek het nog nooit die AVOB een gehoor nie maar hou daarvan.

[@mirola73]

Veel typisch Zuid Afrikaanse uitdrukkingen (waar Afrikaanse dieren in voorkomen), maar ook een paar geleend van het oude Nederland en lichtelijk aangepast.

[@thatdutchguy2882]

ZA 'n klap van die windmeul weg hê, in Dutch NL we say : Heb jij een klap van de windmolen gehad. It's a very old Dutch saying.

[@theintrepidguide]

haha brilliant! :)

[@hongaarsekeukenspecialitei6250]

Heb je een een klap van de molenwiek gehad*

[@cvdm9663]

here's another one: "jy speel met 'n honger leeu se bal" translated as "you're playing with a hungry lion's ball" which means you're looking for trouble.

[@theintrepidguide]

haha, that's one of my absolute favourites :) It's in my guide too! bit.ly/afrikaans-expressions

[@SallyOddy]

This made me laugh! Uitstekend! x

[@basilpereira2107]

Thank you Intrepid Guide. Another great video.

[@theintrepidguide]

Thanks Basil. Glad you enjoyed it :) Do you have any requests for a future video?

[@rustedskelotonproductionse3687]

My gunsteling bly "Ek gaan hom wys waar Dawid die wortels begrawe het" lol!!! I'm going to show him where David buried the carrots

[@theintrepidguide]

Haha I love this one. Thanks for sharing 😊

[@rustedskelotonproductionse3687]

The Intrepid Guide Hehehe!! Anytime. I'm so used to these expressions, if I remember some others I will share with pleasure. Love the video lol!!! I subscribed and shared too. Groete

[@theintrepidguide]

please do! I love learning new expressions :)

[@GoodVideos4]

I'm in South Africa, and I've only heard before of Expression #4

[@kellyclearly7327]

Afrikaans is my gunsteling taal 😊

[@thesupersnail5106]

selde

[@marilynr7469]

My mooie taal 💚❤️💚

[@theintrepidguide]

Glad you enjoyed the video Marilyn :)

[@basilpereira2107]

I went to Norway and Denmark awhile back. It would be great if you could do one for one of the Scandinavian languages.

[@theintrepidguide]

Thanks Basil, I'll keep that in mind. Stay tuned :)

[@sibongokuhlenkosi4474]

Dankie vir die video🫶🏾

[@eknathnovella4735]

ek is afrikaans en ek bly in Suid Afrika

[@sagamer_awugf6995]

Ek ook

[@marieberezhna]

I really like the video and the material. Just a little thing - background music makes it somewhat difficult for me as a beginner who didn't develop an ear for this language yet. All the rest - very cool! Baie dankie!

[@theintrepidguide]

Plesier! Thanks for the feedback Marie :)

[@christopherellis2663]

Hang on a tick! To have a trick up your sleeve.

[@loveandllife]

the music is too loud

[@theintrepidguide]

Thanks Ela, I'll make sure I lower it next time.

[@petermurray2894]

It is a general problem. When I am whatching television, I often cannot hear the words - because of too loud music.

[@TheOneMOA]

I'm legit here to study for a test

[@theintrepidguide]

Amazing! Best of luck 😁

[@blueunicorn6508]

🤣🤣🤣

[@Oomdaan11]

Moenie die hoender uit die hol uit ruk nie. Miskien moet ons dit liewer nie vertaal nie. Kom ons bly maar by "Moenie die dam onder die eend uit ruk nie". Heelwat meer ordentlik.

[@willemh3319]

klap van de malle molen

[@NyraBrowniez]

Im partly deaf in both ears, but have difficulty understanding speaking when theres background noise. Please reconsider using music in your videos as it made your video impossible for me to learn from since i couldn't pick your words out from the music clearly enough to understand you.

[@theintrepidguide]

Thanks for the feedback Nyra. I'm sorry you have difficultly learning these phrases. You can find them all, and more, in my guide here bit.ly/afrikaans-expressions

[@foreignwarren7361]

Jy mag nie a sonbreel op n mens se gat oop maak nie!!!

[@theintrepidguide]

hahah what does this one mean?

[@petermurray2894]

Maybe a computer translation. It does not make sence.

[@JamzusMaximus]

You can't open an umbrella in someone's ass(hole)! 😂

[@sheribotha5122]

Just have to say that not all of these are 100% correct

[@theintrepidguide]

Hi Sheri, thanks for your message. Which ones? I asked several Afrikaans speakers to help with the making of this video. Feedback is always welcome :)

[@richardmeyer418]

Well, she may be refering to "moenie die hoender ruk nie" to mean "Don't overdo it" - the expression - and I apologise to gentle souls here, both of you - is "Moenie die poephol uit die hoender uit ruk nie". This means "Don't jerk the butthole out of the chicken" - which I am sure you can see as a real case of overdoing it. You asked, Sheri seemed shy to answer.

[@kiwidutch9778]

@@richardmeyer418 In Dutch 'ruk' means masturbate/pull. 'Rukker' means someone stupid.

[@biancamalan7499]

omw waar kom jul aan meeste van die goed waarvan nog nooit gehoor is nie???

[@basilpereira2107]

Bianca Malan meeste van die is korrek alhoewel ek n paar verskillende weergawes ook al gehoor het.

[@petermurray2894]

Very interesting. Some advise: Please ask someone from the countryside to assist you before you make a video. Some city Afrikaners can't speak their mother language properly and make a lot of mistakes. Afrikaners from the country side speak a far more good Afrikaans. As an alternative: Ask an Afrikaans teacher to help you. Afrikaans on television nowadays is aweful. I never listen to Afrikaans on tv anymore. That is not Afrikaans. They cannot pronounce an "a" anymore.

[@theintrepidguide]

Hi Peter, thanks for your message. I'm not sure if you're saying this video is incorrect or not. This video was made with and spoken by a native Afrikaans speaker from Piet Retief which is as you say, is from the countryside :)

[@petermurray2894]

The Intrepid Guide When a person pronounce an "a" as "ô", then you know he or she is not an Afrikaner. It is the power and the influence of television, and the poor school teachers who cannot teach their pupils correctly. We live in the year 2018. Many South African teachers themself cannot speak their own mother language - because they were not punished when they were at school. I can assure you: An "a" is not pronounced "ô". "Die Trônsvôlers prôt ôlmal Ôfrikôns verkeerd". They speak on television because the broadcasting corporation is in Johannesburg. The more people listen to Afrikaans on radio and television, the more they hear these wrong pronunsiotion. Then they think "that is the right way of speaking Afrikaans". It has then a snowball effect. It is time for the SABC and SA television to shift to Cape Town. After all; Afrikaans was born in Cape Town, not Johannesburg. When Johannesburg was born, Afrikaans in Cape Town was already 200 years old. I hate television, because it influences young people to talk their own mother language incorrectly.

[@petermurray2894]

Sorry, I am not referring to this video about idioms, but to most of the videos in Afrikaans we see now on the social media. Especially those of Annemarie and other tutors.

[@mariomulder3153]

Peter Murray Moet nou nie krap waar dit nie jeuk nie.

[@alidaboettcher7376]

@@petermurray2894 : In the north we prefer NOT to sound like capies.