Afrikaans Verbs

If you're trying to learn Afrikaans Verbs you will find some useful resources including a course about Verbs in the present past and future tense... to help you with your Afrikaans grammar. Try to concentrate on the lesson and notice the pattern that occurs each time the word changes its place. Also don't forget to check the rest of our other lessons listed on Learn Afrikaans. Enjoy the rest of the lesson!

Afrikaans Verbs

Learning the Afrikaans Verbs displayed below is vital to the language. Afrikaans verbs are words that convey action (bring, read, walk, run), or a state of being (exist, stand). In most languages a verb may agree with the person, gender, and/or number of some of its arguments, such as its subject, or object.

Grammar Tips:

-       Present Tense

In Afrikaans, verbs remain the same for everyone in the present tense, unlike English, where they change, for example: I am, you are, he is, she is, they are, we are and everyone is.

In Afrikaans you’ll therefore say: Ek is, jy is, hy is, sy is, hulle is, ons is en almal is.

 

-       Past Tense

In Afrikaans we use (het ge-) added to the verb, to describe past events, for example:  

Ek het gespeel (I played), jy het gespeel (you played), hy het gespeel (he played), ons het gespeel (we played). We do not conjugate the verb in any way, like one would notrmally do in French, German or Spanish

 

 

-       Future Tense

To form the future in Afrikaans it’s very easy, just use the word (sal) with the verb, for example: Ek sal speel (I will play), hy sal speel (he will play), ons sal speel (we will play). No conjugation of the verb is needed.


Here are some examples:

English VerbsAfrikaans Verbs
VerbsWerkwoorde
PastVerlede
I spokeek het gepraat
I wroteek het geskryf
I droveek het gery
I lovedek het lief gehad
I gaveek het gegee
I smiledek het geglimlag
I tookek het geneem
he spokehy het gepraat
he wrotehy het geskryf
he drovehy het gery
he lovedhy het lief gehad
he gavehy het gegee
he smiledhy het geglimlag
he tookhy het geneem
we spokeons het gepraat
we wroteons het geskryf
we droveons het gery
we lovedons het lief gehad
we gaveons het gegee
we smiledons het geglimlag
we tookons het geneem
FutureDie toekoms
I will speakEk sal praat
I will writeEk sal skryf
I will driveEk sal ry
I will loveek sal liefhê
I will giveek sal gee
I will smileEk sal glimlag
I will takeek sal neem
he will speakHy sal praat
he will writeHy sal skryf
he will driveHy sal ry
he will lovehy sal liefhê
he will givehy sal gee
he will smileHy sal glimlag
he will takehy sal neem
we will speakOns sal praat
we will writeOns sal skryf
we will driveons sal ry
we will loveons sal liefhê
we will giveons sal gee
we will smileons sal glimlag
we will takeons sal gaan
PresentTeenwoordig
I speakEk praat
I writeEk skryf
I driveEk ry
I loveEk is lief vir
I giveEk gee
I smileEk glimlag
I takeEk neem
he speaksHy praat
he writesHy skryf
he driveshy ry/ hy bestuur
he lovesHy is lief
he givesHy gee
he smilesHy glimlag
he takesHy neem
we speakons praat
we writeons skryf
we driveOns ry
we loveons is lief vir…
we giveons gee
we smileons lag
we takeOns neem

Notice the structure of the Verbs in Afrikaans has a logical pattern. Locate the Verbs above and see how it works with the rest of the sentence in Afrikaans.

Note: There is no distinction for example between the infinitive and present forms of verbs, with the exception of these verbs, except with the verbs to be: "wees" becomes "is", and the verb to have: "hê" becomes "het".

One more good news is that verbs do not conjugate differently depending on the subject. For example you can say:
I'm (ek is), you're (jy is), he is (hy is).

For most verbs, the past tense (pretirite) (for example: I played) has been completely replaced by the perfect (I have played).

The future tense is in turn indicated using the auxiliary sal + infinitive. For example,
Ek sal kom - I will come, which sounds something like "I shall come".

Grammar Tips:

-       Present Tense

In Afrikaans, there is no distinction for example between the infinitive and present forms of verbs, with the exception of these verbs:

infinitive form

English

present indicative form

wees

be

is

have

het

In addition, verbs do not conjugate differently depending on the subject. For example,

Afrikaans

English

ek is

I am

jy/u is

you are (sing.)

hy/sy/dit is

he/she/it is

ons is

we are

julle is

you are (plur.)

hulle is

they are

 

 

-       Past Tense

In Afrikaans as well as in English the simple past tense (imperfect) is used to describe past events. The endings for the past tense verbs are:

For most verbs, the preterite (e.g. I watched - Ek het gekyk) has been completely replaced by the perfect (e.g. I have watched). The only common exceptions to this are the modal verbs (see the following table) and the verb wees "be" (preterite form was).

Afrikaans

English

Afrikaans

English

kan

can

kon

could

sal

will/shall

sou

would/should

moet

must

moes

had to

mag

may

mog (arch.)

was allowed to

wil

want

wou

wanted

 

 

So just take any regular verb stem and add it to the endings of "ge", for example "ek speel" (I play), its stem is “speel”, plus the endings above becomes ek het gespeel (ek het gespeel).

 

-       Future Tense

Example:

I will play, Ek sal speel; You may continue, Jy mag voortgaan; He had to leave, Hy moes gaan.


List of Verbs in Afrikaans

Below is a list of the conjugated Verbs in the present past and future in Afrikaans placed in a table. Memorizing this table will help you add very useful and important words to your Afrikaans vocabulary.

English VerbsAfrikaans Verbs
I can accept thatEk kan dit aanvaar 
she added itsy het dit bygevoeg
we admit itons erken dit 
they advised himhulle het hom aangeraai om 
I can agree with thatEk kan daarmee saamstem
she allows itsy laat dit toe
we announce itons kondig dit aan
I can apologizeek kan jammer sê
she appears todaySy verskyn vandag 
they arranged thathulle het dit gereël 
I can arrive tomorrowEk kan môre kom 
she can ask himsy kan hom vra 
she attaches thatsy voeg toe dat
we attack themons val hulle aan
they avoid herhulle vermy haar
I can bake itek kan dit bak
she is like himSy is soos hy 
we beat itons klop dit
they became happyhulle het gelukkig geword
I can begin thatEk kan dit begin 
we borrowed moneyons het geld geleën
they breathe airhulle asem lug in
I can bring itEk kan dit bring 
I can build thatek kan dit bou
she buys foodSy koop kos
we calculate itons bereken dit
they carry ithulle dra dit
they don't cheathulle is nie oneerlik nie
she chooses himsy kies hom
we close itons maak dit toe
he comes herehy kom hiernatoe
I can compare thatEk kan dit vergelyk 
she competes with mesy kompeteer met my
we complain about itons kla daaroor
they continued readinghulle het verder gelees
he cried about thathy het daaroor gehuil
I can decide nowEk kan nou besluit
she described it to mesy he dit vir my beskryf
we disagree about itons stem nie saam daaroor nie
they disappeared quicklyhulle het vinnig verdwyn
I discovered thatek het ontdek dat
she dislikes thatsy keur dit af
we do itOns doen dit 
they dream about ithulle droom oor
I earnedek het dit verdien
he eats a lothy eet baie
we enjoyed thatons het dit geniet
they entered herehulle het hier ingegaan
he escaped thathy het dit ontsnap
I can explain thatek kan dit verduidelik
she feels that toosy voel dit ook 
we fled from thereons het van daar af gevlug
they will fly tomorrowhulle sal môre vlieg
I can follow youEk kan jou volg 
she forgot mesy het van my vergeet
we forgive himOns vergewe hom 
I can give her thatek kan dit aan haar gee
she goes theresy gaan daarnatoe
we greeted themons het hulle gegroet
I hate thatEk haat dit 
I can hear itek kan dit hoor
she imagine thatSy dink dit 
we invited themons het hulle uitgenooi
I know himEk ken hom 
she learned itsy het dit geleer
we leave nowons vertrek nou
they lied about himhulle het oor hom gelieg
I can listen to thatek kan daarna luister
she lost thatSy het jy dit verloor 
we made it yesterdayons het dit gister gemaak
they met himHulle het hom ontmoet 
I misspell thatek spel dit nie reg nie
I always prayek bid altyd
she prefers thatSy verkies dit 
we protected themons het hulle beskerm
they will punish herhulle sal haar straf 
I can put it thereek kan dit daar sit
she will read itsy sal dit lees 
we received thatons het dit ontvang
they refuse to talkhulle weier om te praat 
I remember thatEk onthou dit 
she repeats thatsy herhaal dit
we see itOns sien dit 
they sell ithulle verkoop dit 
I sent that yesterdayek het dit gister gestuur
he shaved his beardhy het sy baar geskeer
it shrunk quicklydit het vinnig gekrimp
we will sing itOns sal dit sing 
they sat therehulle het daar gesit
I can speak itek kan dit praat
she spends moneysy het geld gespandeer
we suffered from thatons het aan dit gely
they suggest thathulle stel dit voor
I surprised himek het hom verbaas
she took thatsy het dit geneem
we teach itOns leer dit 
they told usHulle het ons vertel 
she thanked himsy het hom bedank
I can think about itek kan daaroor dink
she threw itsy het dit gegooi
we understand thatons het dit verstaan
they want thathulle wil dit hê
I can wear itek kan dit dra
she writes thatSy skryf dit 
we talk about itons praat daaroor
they have itHulle het dit 
I watched itek het dit gekyk
I will talk about itek sal daaroor praat
he bought that yesterdayhy het dit gister gekoop
we finished itons het dit klaargemaak

Verbs in the present past and future tense have a very important role in Afrikaans. Once you're done with Afrikaans Verbs, you might want to check the rest of our Afrikaans lessons here: Learn Afrikaans. Don't forget to bookmark this page.

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