South African slang you'll hear in the first week
Now now, just now, robot, lekker, eish and the rest. What people mean, not what the words say.
South Africa runs on twelve official languages and plenty that aren't. Everyday English borrows from all of them.
Time, roughly
- Now means soon. Not now.
- Now now means sooner than now, but still not now.
- Just now means at some point. It could be in five minutes or tomorrow.
Getting around
- Robot: a traffic light.
- Bakkie: a pickup truck.
- Short left: "drop me at the next corner on the left", said in a taxi.
Words you'll hear every day
- Howzit: hello, how are you. The answer is "good, and you?"
- Lekker: nice, great, tasty.
- Eish: an expression of surprise, frustration or sympathy, depending on the tone.
- Ja: yes. Ja nee means "yes, definitely" or "well, there you go", depending on context.
- Shame: said when something is cute or sad. It's sympathy, not blame.
- Sharp (or sharp sharp): okay, goodbye, all good.
- Braai: a barbecue, and the event around it.
- Biltong: dried, spiced meat.
- Boerewors: a thick, spiced farm sausage.
- Takkies: sneakers.
- Is it?: "really?", said back to almost anything.
People mix languages in one sentence all the time. If you don't understand, ask. Most people are happy to explain.
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