Afrikaans and Dutch — what is the connection? Are these two languages as similar as they’re rumoured to be?

When my cousins were younger, they used to dress identically. It was so cute. They’d show up at our house for a visit with my aunt and uncle, dressed in matching dresses or dungarees. 👯‍♂️

As you can imagine, outsiders often confused the two. But since my cousins were siblings and not identical twins, it didn’t take long for people to realise they were actually very different.

This is kind of what it’s like with Afrikaans and Dutch. Many people, including the Dutch, seem to have the idea that Afrikaans is practically identical to Dutch.

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Although there are, of course, many similarities, they’re officially listed as different languages for a reason.

Afrikaans is basically Dutch, right?

Almost every time I mention that I am South African to a Dutchie, I’m met with a look of surprise mingled with recognition. 👀

They usually exclaim: “Oh, so then you speak Zuid-Afrikaans, right? That’s basically Dutch!” — to which I smile and nod.

My response is, in essence, a lie: “Yes! Sort of.”

But, no more white lies. No more! 😤

I’m writing this article to finally expose the truth: No. It’s not basically Dutch. In fact, much like two siblings dressed identically, Afrikaans and Dutch are from the same family but not twins.

Afrikaans: a brief history

I’ve decided to invoke the use of the Google Dictionary to best explain this:

“Afrikaans: a language of southern Africa, derived from the form of Dutch brought to the Cape by Protestant settlers in the 17th century. It is an official language of South Africa, spoken by around six million people as their first language.”

So, Afrikaans is a 17th-century import of Dutch colonialism.

It’s important to add that while the root of the language is Dutch, it’s also an amalgamation of German, French, and Indonesian. Interesting, right?

Fun fact: Afrikaans is only one of twelve official languages in South Africa (yes, twelve — hello Rainbow Nation!).

Can South Africans understand Dutch?

As noted by Google, Afrikaans is “derived from Dutch”, so the saving grace is that the language is still very relevant to the Netherlands.

Dutchies haven’t got it entirely wrong this time. If you can speak Afrikaans, you will most likely understand some Dutch.

What makes it more nuanced is that not all South Africans speak Afrikaans as their first language with native proficiency.

Many do, but there is a high chance that the sunny South African you do meet has another first language. English, Xhosa, or Zulu are just some examples.

Many South Africans only speak Afrikaans at the high-school level (guilty!), and some not at all.

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Some parts of Afrikaans and Dutch are incredibly similar. The written Dutch words are often comparable to Afrikaans words, which means that you can easily grasp the gist of a sentence.

Spoken Dutch, however, can be mind-boggling! The majority of spoken Dutch is as difficult for an Afrikaans speaker to learn and understand as it is for a German, for example.

That being said, the basis of Afrikaans does mean South Africans can pick up Dutch relatively easy, so there is that little advantage.

Feel free to ask any South Africans you may know for further insight into the challenges and similarities between the two languages.

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Similar words in Afrikaans and Dutch

A favourite pastime of mine is to do the Afrikaans-Dutch conversation table and see similarities and differences between two words. Here’s a little taster:

English	Afrikaans	Dutch
Understand	Verstaan	Begrijpen/Verstaan
A bit	’n Bietjie	Een beetje
Left/Right	Links/Regs	Links/Rechts
The	Die	Het/De
Really!?	Rerig	Echt
Of course	Natuurlik	Natuurlijk
Banana	Piesang (also Indonesian)	Banaan

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In general, I think Afrikaans and Dutch are like my cousins: not twins but sisters. The same roots but different branches. The analogies could go on and on!

I hope this musing makes it easier for South Africans to explain and for Dutchies to understand. After all, in a way, we are family. 🫂

Did you know about the similarities and differences between the languages? Tell us in the comments!

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