If you grew up speaking Afrikaans, your first week in the Netherlands is a strange mix of “I understand everything!” and “I understand absolutely nothing.” Signs, menus and letters from the gemeente suddenly make sense. Then someone speaks to you at full speed at the Albert Heijn and you’re lost.
I still struggle to form a sentence in public when I’m under pressure. I can read everything but when someone speaks really fast I need to ask them to slow down. My neighbour in Zandvoort only speaks Dutch so I’m forced to speak a mix of Afrikaans but then I Dutchify it and throw a bit of an accent and she gets everything I’m saying. But it will come with time and a Dutch course will also help a lot.
Short answer: Dutch is easier for Afrikaans speakers than for almost anyone else. Reading comes quickly, listening takes practice, and speaking correct Dutch means unlearning a few Afrikaans habits.
Why Afrikaans and Dutch are so close
Afrikaans grew out of the Dutch that settlers brought to the Cape in the 17th century. Over the centuries it simplified a lot and picked up words from Malay, Portuguese, French, German and indigenous languages. So the two are like siblings who grew up on different continents: clearly family, but with very different habits.
What you’ll find easy
- Reading. Most written Dutch is surprisingly readable, from road signs to menus to your huurcontract.
- Lots of vocabulary. Huis, water, brood, mooi, lekker: plenty of everyday words are the same or nearly the same.
- Word order. The way sentences are built will often feel familiar.
- The g. Dutch people love to watch foreigners fail at the throaty g. You won’t have that problem.
Where Afrikaans speakers get caught out
De and het
Afrikaans has one word for “the”: die. Dutch has two: de and het, and there’s no reliable rule for which word gets which. You just have to learn them.
Verbs change
In Afrikaans, verbs stay the same no matter who does the action: ek werk, jy werk, hy werk. In Dutch they change: ik werk, jij werkt, hij werkt.
The past tense
Afrikaans mostly uses het plus the past participle: ek het geloop. Dutch also has a simple past with its own forms: ik liep. You’ll hear it all the time.
One no is enough
Afrikaans loves a double negative: Ek praat nie Nederlands nie. In Dutch, one is plenty: Ik spreek geen Nederlands.
The speed
Spoken Dutch is fast, clipped and full of regional accents. What reads easily on paper can sound like a completely different language out loud, especially at first.
False friends and funny differences
Some words look familiar but mean something else, or are just different:
- Kombuis: your kitchen in Afrikaans, but a ship’s galley in Dutch. The Dutch word for kitchen is keuken.
- Bakkie: your pickup truck in Afrikaans, but a cup of coffee in Dutch (een bakkie koffie).
- Vrek: in Afrikaans an animal dies (vrek) or something is very (vrek koud). In Dutch a vrek is a stingy person.
- Piesang: banana in Afrikaans, banaan in Dutch.
- Baie: say veel or heel in Dutch.
- Rerig: in Dutch it’s echt.
One that Dutch people always point out is hysbak (or hysbakkie), our word for a lift. In Dutch it’s just lift, but Dutch people find hysbak hilarious, because to them it literally means a bak (a box or bin) that gets hoisted up. Which, to be fair, is exactly what a lift is.
Then there’s candy floss. In Afrikaans we call it spookasem, ghost breath, which is honestly the best name for it. In Dutch it’s suikerspin, a sugar spider. I’m not sure which one is weirder.
Tips for learning Dutch as a South African
- Don’t just speak Afrikaans and hope for the best. Dutch people will mostly understand you, but it sounds old-fashioned and funny to them, and you won’t improve.
- Ask people to stay in Dutch. The Dutch switch to English the second they hear an accent. Politely ask them to keep going in Dutch.
- Watch Dutch TV with Dutch subtitles. It trains your ear for the speed, and you can read along.
- Switch your phone to Dutch. Easy daily exposure.
- Take a course that focuses on grammar. Vocabulary is your strength, so spend your effort on de/het, verbs and word forms.
Do you have to do the inburgering exam?
Not everyone does. According to the Dutch government, people who come to the Netherlands temporarily, for example for work or study, don’t have to complete civic integration (inburgering). EU citizens don’t either. If you do have to, most people follow the B1 route under the 2021 civic integration act.
The rules for permanent residence and Dutch citizenship have their own language requirements, and they have been changing, so check with the IND or DUO for your situation. The good news: as an Afrikaans speaker, you start miles ahead of most people in your class.
I found some Dutch A2 courses for about €585 at Die Taalhuis, and they even have a course made specifically for Afrikaans speakers that takes you from Afrikaans straight to Dutch at A2 level.
FAQ
Can Dutch people understand Afrikaans?
Mostly, yes, especially when it’s written down. Spoken Afrikaans is harder for them, and many find it sounds charming and a bit old-fashioned.
Is Dutch easy to learn for Afrikaans speakers?
Easier than for almost anyone else. The vocabulary gives you a big head start. The grammar, especially de/het and verb forms, takes real practice.
More for South Africans in the Netherlands: my survival guide and where to find proper boerewors.
