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Your Most Comprehensive List of 100 Adverbs in Afrikaans

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So, you’re keen to tell your Afrikaans friends what you’ve been up to. And you have all the right werkwoorde (“verbs“) to manage this well! But if you are, for instance, really excited about something you did, or about something that happened, verbs alone will be inadequate. You’ll have to use an adverb in Afrikaans here. It’s the difference between saying: “The group laughs” and “The group laughs happily.”

In the last sentence, “happily” is the adverb, and its omission could affect the meaning of the sentence, won’t you agree? For this reason, we consider adverbs important at AfrikaansPod101, so let us help you master them easily! In fact, why not start with our blog post that tells you almost everything about Afrikaans verbs? Then, dare to dive into the deep end with these tricky Afrikaans conjugations

Log in to Download Your Free Cheat Sheet - Useful Verbs in Afrikaans Table of Contents
  1. Why is Mastering Adverbs in Afrikaans Important?
  2. Definition of an Adverb in Afrikaans
  3. Adverbs as Adjectives and Vice Versa
  4. Lists of Adverbs in Afrikaans
  5. AfrikaansPod101 Can Help You Ace Your Adverbs in Afrikaans!

1. Why is Mastering Adverbs in Afrikaans Important?

As mentioned, an adverb can affect the meaning of what’s being expressed. Accuracy when reporting something could be especially crucial in situations like the following (underlined words are bywoorde):

1) When visiting the doctor, it would help if you could say: My elmboog beweeg glad nie. (“My elbow doesn’t move at all.”) Or maybe: Ek sluk moeilik. (“I swallow with difficulty.”) Knowing how to use Afrikaans adverbs properly can help a medical professional help you better!

2) When visiting the police or appearing in court, it would help if you could report: Hy het my baie hard geslaan. (“He hit me very hard.”) Or: Die kar het te vinnig gery. (“The car drove too fast.”)

3) When you have to give directions, it would help if you could instruct: Draai links by die verkeerslig. (“Turn left at the traffic light.”) Or: Stop hier. (“Stop here.”)

MAN TAKING DIRECTIONS FROM WOMAN

4) When you talk to your Afrikaans-speaking manager or employer, it would help if you could say: Ek het gister gewerk. (“I worked yesterday.”) Or: Hy het laat aangekom. (“He arrived late.”)

These are only a few examples, but it should be clear that adverbs are important to know and master!

2. Definition of an Adverb in Afrikaans

As mentioned, an adverb in Afrikaans is called a bywoord. Like in English, it describes or says something about the verb (werkwoord) in a sentence.

According to Wikipedia, adverbs usually give more information about manner, place, time, frequency, degree, and so on. They answer questions about how, when, where, and why something happened, and an adverb can be composed of one word or many words (called an adverbial phrase or clause). 

3. Adverbs as Adjectives and Vice Versa

Did you know that all adjectives can be used as adverbs too?

For instance:

i) Die gelukkige kind lag. (“The happy child laughs.”) 

The bolded words are adjectives. Do you know the grammar rule here? Why is gelukkige considered an adjective? Let us know in the comments!

ii) Hy voel gelukkig. (“He feels happy.”) 

This time, the bolded words are adverbs, because they describe or say more about the action (voel means “feel”).

HAPPY GIRL LAUGHING

4. Lists of Adverbs in Afrikaans

There are several types of adverbs in Afrikaans, grouped according to their functions:

1. Time (Tyd)

2. Place (Plek)

3. Manner (Wyse)

4. Degree and Frequency (Graad / Hoeveelheid)

5. Modality (Modaliteit)

6. Causality (Oorsaak)

7. Circumstance (Omstandigheid)

8. Relation and Restriction (Verhouding en Beperking)

9. Reason (Rede)

10. Measurement (Maat)

11. Purpose (Doel)

12. Inquiring (Vraend)

As you work through these, you will find that the adverbs often overlap in function. 

CLOCK
EnglishAfrikaans
Adverbs of TimeBywoorde van Tyd
“Early” / “Earlier” / “Earliest”
“The rooster crows early. It wakes up the earliest.”
Vroeg / Vroeër / Vroegste
Die haan kraai vroeg. Dit word die vroegste wakker.
“Late” / “Later” / “Latest”
“This train leaves the latest.” / “Rather go later.”
Laat / Later / Laatste
Hierdie trein vertrek die laatste. / Gaan liewer later.
“Next”
“You can go next.”
Volgende
Jy kan volgende gaan.
“Previously”
“He lived in the UK previously.”
Vroeër / voorheen
Hy’t vroeër/voorheen in die VK gebly.
“By day”
“I work by day.”
Bedags
Ek werk bedags.
“At night”
“I sleep at night.”
Snags
Ek slaap snags.
“In time”
“They left in time.”
Betyds
Hulle het betyds vertrek.
“Nowadays”
“Nowadays, we sing.”
Deesdae
Deesdae sing ons.
“In the afternoons”
“We play in the afternoons.”
Smiddae / Smiddags
Ons speel smiddae.
“Seldom”
“The cat seldom eats.”
Selde
Die kat eet selde.
“Quickly”
“Come quickly.”
Gou / gou-gou
Kom gou-gou.
“Soon” / “One of these days”
“He’ll fly soon.”
Eersdaags / Binnekort
Hy sal binnekort vlieg.
“First”
“We first lived here.”
Eers
Ons het eers hier gebly.
“At last”
“At last, he replies.”
Uiteindelik
Uiteindelik antwoord hy.
“Sometimes”
“Sometimes the child cries.”
Soms
Soms huil die kind.
“Henceforth”
“Henceforth, you must drive.”
Voortaan
Voortaan moet jy bestuur.
“Often”
“The girl often dances.”
Gereeld
Die meisie dans gereeld.
“Time and again”
“We are being warned time and again.”
Telkens
Ons word telkens gewaarsku.
“Long”
“I finished long ago.”
Lankal
Ek is lankal klaar.
“Suddenly”
“We suddenly stop.”
Skielik / Meteens
Ons stop skielik.
“Immediately”
“Drink immediately.”
Dadelik / Onmiddelik
Drink dadelik.
“Forever”
“They left forever.”
Vergoed
Hulle is vergoed weg.
“Once”
“Once there was a witch.”
Eenmaal
Eenmaal was daar ‘n heks.
“Meanwhile”
“Meanwhile, he laughed.”
Intussen
Intussen lag hy.
“Yet”
“She is yet to come.”
Nog
Sy moet nog kom.
“Then”
“Then I will write.”
Dan
Dan sal ek skryf.
“Never”
“He never showed up.”
Nooit
Hy het nooit opgedaag nie.
“Always”
“I will always love you.”
Altyd
Ek sal jou altyd liefhê.
MAP OF AFRICA

Adverbs of Place / Bywoorde van Plek

EnglishAfrikaans
“Outside” (1)
“The parrot flies (to the) outside.”
Buitentoe
Die papegaai vlieg buitentoe.
“Outside” (2)
“We barbeque outside.”
Buite
Ons braai buite.
“Inside” (1)
“It’s cold; stay inside.”
Binne
Dis koud – bly binne.
“Inside” (2)
“Look inside.”
Binnekant
Kyk in die binnekant.
“Around”
“He looks around.”
Rond
Hy kyk rond.
“There” (1)
“We will go there.”
Daarheen / Daarnatoe (Used when going somewhere.)
Ons sal daarheen gaan.
“There” (2)
“Look there.”
Daar. (Used when referring to directions.)
Kyk daar.
“Internally”
“He was wounded internally.”
Inwendig
Hy is inwendig gewond.
“Left” & “Right”
“First turn left, then right.”
Links & Regs
Draai eers links, dan regs.
“Up”/”Upwards” & “Down”/”Downwards”
“Look up, then down.”
Op/Opwaarts & Af/Afwaarts
Kyk op, dan af.
“Here” (1)
“Come here.”
Hier/Hiernatoe
Kom hier.
“Here” (2)
“We moved here.”
Hierheen
Ons het hierheen getrek.
“Forwards” & “Backwards”
“First walk forwards, and then backwards.”
Voerentoe & Agtertoe
Loop eers vorentoe, en dan agtertoe.
“All together”
“All together, there were four.”
Als tesame
Als tesame was daar vier.
“There” (3)
“Are you going there?”
Soontoe
Gaan jy soontoe?
“Everywhere”
“I search everywhere.”
Orals
Ek soek orals.
“Together”
“We all stand together.”
Saam
Ons almal staan saam.
Adverbs of Manner Bywoorde van Wyse
DESSERT
“Different”
“He is different.”
Anders
Hy is anders.
“Quietly”
“The snake moves quietly.”
Suutjies / Saggies
Die slang beweeg suutjies.
“Silent” / “Quiet”
“The mouse keeps quiet.”
Stil
Die muis bly stil.
“Delicious”
“The dessert tastes delicious.”
Heerlik
Die nagereg smaak heerlik.
“Beautiful”
“The flowers are beautiful.”
Pragtig
Die blomme is pragtig.
“Pretty”
“The bedroom looks pretty.”
Mooi
Die slaapkamer lyk mooi.
“Bad”
“The bathroom looks bad.”
Sleg
Die badkamer lyk sleg.
“Off”
“The atmosphere feels off.”
Af
Die atmosfeer voel af.
“Blindly”
“He flees blindly.”
Blindelings
Hy vlug blindelings.
“Curtly”
“She replies curtly.”
Kortaf
Sy antwoord kortaf.
“A bit” / “A little”
“It drips a bit.”
Effens
Dit drup effens.
“Wonderfully”
“The orchestra plays wonderfully.”
Wonderlik
Die orkes speel wonderlik.
“Clearly”
“Please speak clearly.”
Duidelik
Asseblief praat duidelik.
“Rather”
“You should rather go home.”
Liewer
Jy moet liewer huistoe gaan.
“Diligently”
“The girl works diligently.”
Fluks
Die meisie werk fluks.
“Upside-down”
“The truck lies upside-down.”
Onderstebo
Die trok lê onderstebo.
“Slowly”
“The old man walks slowly.”
Stadig / Langsaam
Die ou man loop stadig.
Lit. “rest-rest.” Meaning: resting intermittently
“She moves along, resting often.”
Rus-rus
Sy vorder rus-rus.
Lit. “searching-searching.” Meaning: searching around.
“The cat moves (while) searching around.”

Note: The last two are examples of double-adverbs, a speech convention in Afrikaans that denotes and emphasizes continuous action. Other adverbs that can be used like this are:

Laugh
Cry
Sing
Jump
Look
Play

Soek-soek
Die kat beweeg soek-soek rond.







Lag-lag
Huil-huil
Sing-sing
Jump-jump
Kyk-kyk
Speel-speel
“Searchingly”
“He looks searchingly.”
Soekend
Hy kyk soekend.
Adverbs of Degree and Frequency / Bywoorde van Graad en Hoeveelheid
MONEY COINS
“Very”
“The day is very beautiful.”
Baie
Die dag is baie mooi.
“Way too”
“You’re paying way too much for it.”
Veels
Jy betaal veels te veel daarvoor.
“Approximately”
“There are approximately ten places left.”
Ongeveer
Daar is ongeveer tien plekke oor.
“More or less”
“The play is more or less finished.”
Byna
Die opvoering is byna klaar.
“Only”
“He is only five years old.”
Net
Hy is net vyf jaar oud.
“Terribly”
“The test was terribly difficult.”
Vreeslik
Die toets was vreeslik moeilik.
“Fairly”
“We were fairly early.”
Taamlik
Ons was taamlik vroeg.
“Scarcely”
“The old dog can scarcely walk.”
Skaars
Die ou hond kan skaars loop.
“Not at all”
“That is not at all difficult.”
Gladnie
Dit is gladnie moeilik nie.
“Highly”(Very)
“I’m highly pleased with the results.”
Hoogs
Ek is hoogs tevrede met die resultate.
“Totally”
“The movie’s plot was totally outrageous.”
Heeltemal
Die film se plot was heeltemal verregaande.
“Not really”
“They are not really accommodating.”
Nie juis
Hulle is nie juis tegemoetkomend nie.
“Especially”
“The boy, especially, is clever.”
Veral
Die seun veral is slim.
“Mainly”
“We sell mainly software.”
Meestal
Ons verkoop meestal sagteware.
“So”
“He was so happy.”
So
Hy was so gelukkig.
“Almost”
“He almost cried.”
Amper
Hy het amper gehuil.
“Enough”
“Have you had enough?”
Genoeg
Het julle genoeg gehad?
“By far”
“She is, by far, the prettiest.”
Verreweg
Sy is verreweg die mooiste.
“Moreover”
“The priest was moreover late.”
Boonop
Die priester was boonop laat.
Adverbs of Modality / Bywoorde van Modaliteit

DANCING COUPLE


These adverbs in Afrikaans are divided into six categories:
1. Confirmation
2. Denial
3. Doubt
4. Wish
5. Concession
6. Conditional

Note: Don’t break your head too much over these at first! They’re for more advanced Afrikaans studies.
Confirmation:

“Really” (1): “I really don’t know who he is.”
“Really” (2): “He really tried.”
“Indeed”: “We are indeed grateful.”
“Definitely”: “The guy is definitely talented.”
“Truly”: “They are truly good dancers.”

Untranslatable confirmation adverbs of modality:
Bevestiging:

Werklik: Ek weet werklik nie wie hy is nie.
Regtig: Hy het regtig probeer.
Inderdaad: Ons is inderdaad dankbaar.
Beslis: Die ou is beslis talentvol.
Gewis: Hulle is gewis goeie dansers.

immers, mos, bepaald, tog, stellig
Denial:

“Never” (or “never ever”): “I would never do that.”
“Not at all”: “That is not at all what she means.”
“Impossible”: “The task felt impossible.”
“In vain”: “He tries in vain.”
“Yet” / “Not”: “Yet, not all was in vain.”
“(Not) at all”: “Mila doesn’t mind at all.”
“Never even”: “She never even saw it coming.”
“(Not) completely”: “I don’t trust them completely.”
“Absolutely” / “Completely”: “They absolutely refuse to leave.”
Ontkenning:

Nog nooit … nie: Ek sal dit nooit doen nie.
Gladnie … nie: Dit is gladnie wat sy bedoel nie.
Onmoontlik: Die taak het onmoontlik gevoel.
Tevergeefs: Hy probeer tevergeefs.
Tog nie: Alles was tog nie verniet nie.
Geensins: Mila gee geensins om nie.
Nooit eens: Sy het dit nooit eens sien kom nie.
Nie heeltemal nie: Ek vertrou hulle nie heeltemal nie.
Volstrek: Hulle weier volstrek om te gaan.
Doubt:

“Maybe”: “Maybe we’ll go next year.”
“Perhaps”: “Perhaps Paul will join us.”
“Presumably”: “The girl is presumably his daughter.”
“Sure” / “Unsure”: “He is sure this time.”
“Probably”: “The plane is probably leaving on time.”
Twyfel:

Miskien: Miskien gaan ons volgende jaar.
Dalk: Dalk kom Paul saam met ons.
Vermoedelik: Die meisie is vermoedelik sy dogter.
Seker / Onseker: Hy is seker hierdie keer.
Waarskynlik: Die vliegtuig vertrek waarskynlik betyds.
Wish:

“Please”: “Come over, please.”
“Please-please”: “Let him play longer, please-please!”
“If only”: “If only she’d leave!”
Wens:

Asseblief: Kom oor, asseblief.
Asseblieftog: Laat hom langer speel, asseblieftog!
Tog maar … net: As sy tog maar net sal gaan!
Concession: 

“However”: “However, we won’t stay long.”
“Still”: “Still, don’t hurry.”
“Nevertheless”: “He nevertheless left too early.”


Other concession adverbs of modality:
Toegewing:

Egter: Ons sal egter nie lank bly nie.
Nogtans: Moet nogtans nie haastig wees nie.
Desnieteenstaande / Nietemin: Hy het nietemin te gou geloop.

darem, tog, intussen
Conditional:

“Preferably”: “Preferably, be early.”
“Otherwise”: “Otherwise, you’ll have to go see the doctor.”
“Only:” “She will agree only if he asks.”
Voorwaardelik:

Verkieslik: Wees verkieslik vroeg.
Anders: Anders moet jy die dokter gaan sien.

Slegs: Sy sal instem slegs as hy vra.
Adverbs of Causality / Bywoorde van Oorsaaklikheid

MAN TALKING ON THE PHONE

“Therefore”
“He therefore failed.”
Daarom
Hy het daarom misluk.
“About this”
“We need to talk about this.”
Hieroor
Ons moet hieroor praat.
“Through this”
“It was salvaged through this.”
Daardeur
Dit is daardeur gered.
“Hereby”
“I hereby declare you husband and wife.”
Hierdeur
Ek verklaar julle hierdeur man en vrou.
Adverbs of Circumstance / Bywoorde van Omstandigheid
“Incessantly”
“They talk incessantly.”
Onophoudelik
Hulle praat onophoudelik.
“Unexpectedly”
“He returned unexpectedly.”
Onverwags
Hy het onverwags teruggekom.
“Suddenly”
“The night is suddenly quiet.”
Meteens
Die nag is meteens stil.
“Alone”
“The wolf walks alone.”
Alleen
Die wolf loop alleen.
“Together”
“We walk together.”
Saam
Ons loop saam.
“In vain”
“The man knocks in vain.”
Vergeefs
Die man klop vergeefs.
“Playfully”
“She taps his hand playfully.”
Speelsgewys
Sy tik sy hand speelsgewys.
“Unconditionally”
“The woman promises unconditionally.”
Onvoorwaardelik
Die vrou belowe onvoorwaardelik.
Adverbs of Relation and Restriction / Bywoorde van Verhouding en Beperking
“Only” (1)
“The cat only blinks.”
Net
Die kat knip net (sy oë).
“Only” (2)
“It only moves if you touch it.”
Alleen
Dit beweeg alleen as jy dit aanraak.
“Only” (3)
“Three were only wounded.”
Slegs
Drie was slegs gewond.
“In part”
“The finger moves in part.”
Gedeeltelik
Die vinger beweeg gedeeltelik.
“About this”
“The teacher talks about this.”
Hieroor
Die onderwyser praat hieroor.
Adverbs of Reason / Bywoorde van Rede
“Therefore” (1)
“Therefore, she wouldn’t sleep.”
Daarom / Daaroor
Daarom wou sy nie slaap nie.
“Therefore” (2)
“They therefore turn.”
Dus
Hulle draai dus.
“For this reason”
“She came for this reason.”
Hieroor
Sy het hieroor gekom.
Adverbs of Means / Bywoorde van Middel
“With this” / “Herewith”
“I eat with this.”
Hiermee
Ek eet hiermee.
“With (that)”
“The puppy plays with that.”
Daarmee
Die hondjie speel daarmee.
Adverbs of Measurement / Bywoorde van Maat
“Little” (1) / “Less” / “The least”
“The cook dishes up less.”
Min / Minder / Die minste
Die kok skep minder op.
“A lot”
“She drinks a lot.”
Baie
Sy drink baie.
“Little by little”
“The money accumulates little by little.”
Bietjie-bietjie
Die geld vermeerder bietjie-bietjie.
“More” / “The most”
“They want more.”
Meer / Die meeste
Hulle wil meer hê.
“Little” (2)
“The boy gives little.”
Weinig
Die seun gee weinig.
Adverbs of Purpose / Bywoorde van Doel
POURING MEDICINE INTO A SPOON

“For this”
“For this, we use a spoon.”
Hiervoor
Hiervoor gebruik ons ‘n lepel.
“For that”
“For that, we use a knife.”
Daarvoor
Daarvoor gebruik ons ‘n mes.
“With this”
“She rubs the oil with this.”
Hiermee
Sy vryf die olie hiermee.
“With that”
“The car moves with that.”
Daarmee
Die kar beweeg daarmee.
Inquiring or Asking Adverbs / Vraende Bywoorde
These are also adverbs of time, manner, measurement, etc. Each can be used as a question on its own, as well (as long as the context is clear, of course).
“When?”
“When do they arrive?”
Wanneer?
Wanneer kom hulle?
“Why?”
“Why does he laugh?”
Hoekom? / Waarom?
Hoekom lag hy?
“Who?”
“Who walks there?”
Wie?
Wie loop daar?
“Where … from?”
“Where is the lady from?”
Waarvandaan?
Waarvandaan kom die dame?
“Where … to?”
“Where are you going to?”
Waarheen?
Waarheen gaan jy?
“What time?”
“What time does the plane leave?”
Hoe laat?
Hoe laat vertrek die vliegtuig?
“How many?”
“How many guests drink coffee?”
Hoeveel?
Hoeveel gaste drink koffie?
“How big?”
“How big is the snake?”
Hoe groot?
Hoe groot is die slang?
“How tall?” (1)
“How tall is the tower?”
Hoe hoog?
Hoe hoog is die toring?
“How tall?” (2)
“How tall are you?”
Hoe lank? (1)
Hoe lank is jy?
“How long?”
“How long has it been?”
Hoe lank? (2)
Hoe lank is dit nou?
“Which?”
“Which radio plays?”
Watter?
Watter radio speel?
Top Verbs

5. AfrikaansPod101 Can Help You Ace Your Adverbs in Afrikaans!

With us, you get to learn these adverbs and how to use them in easy, fun ways, and from a native Afrikaans speaker, too! Also, if you sign up with us, you’ll get immediate access to free tools, such as hundreds of vocabulary lists, a comprehensive core word list, a key phrase list, and a word of the day every day. That’s a bargain!

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With application and persistence, and the help of our fantastic team, you’ll be able to speak Afrikaans like  a native in no time at all! Enroll today.

Before you leave, let us know in the comments if we missed any important adverb in Afrikaans that you still want to know! We’ll be glad to help.

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