The purpose of this list is to give a rough idea of the Afrikaans language. The words listed below are not the most common words, but a broad sampling of words. See the Word Lists page for more details.
| English | Afrikaans |
| I | ek |
| you (singular) | jy (informal), u (formal) |
| he | hy |
| we | ons |
| you (plural) | julle (informal), u (formal) |
| they | hulle |
| this | dié, hierdie |
| that | dat, daardie |
| here | hier |
| there | daar |
| who | wie (interrogative) |
| what | wat (interrogative) |
| where | waar (interrogative) |
| when | wanneer (interrogative) |
| how | hoe (interrogative) |
| not | nie |
| all | alle |
| many | baie, vele |
| some | party, sekere, sommige |
| few | min |
| other | ander |
| one | een |
| two | twee |
| three | drie |
| four | vier |
| five | vyf |
| big | groot |
| long | lank, lang |
| wide | wyd |
| thick | dik |
| heavy | swaar |
| small | klein |
| short | kort |
| narrow | nou, smal |
| thin | dun |
| woman | vrou |
| man (adult male) | man |
| man (human being) | mens |
| child | kind |
| wife | vrou, gade, eggenoot |
| husband | man, gade, eggenoot |
| mother | moeder |
| father | vader |
| animal | dier |
| fish | vis |
| bird | voël |
| dog | hond |
| louse | luis |
| snake | slang |
| worm | wurm |
| tree | boom |
| forest | woud, bos |
| stick | stok |
| fruit | vrug |
| seed | saad |
| leaf | blaar |
| root | wortel |
| bark (of a tree) | bas |
| flower | blom |
| grass | gras |
| rope | tou, koord |
| skin | vel |
| meat | vleis |
| blood | bloed |
| bone | been |
| fat (noun) | vet |
| egg | eier |
| horn | horing |
| tail | stert |
| feather | veer |
| hair | haar |
| head | kop |
| ear | oor |
| eye | oog |
| nose | neus |
| mouth | mond |
| tooth | tand |
| tongue (organ) | tong |
| fingernail | nael, vingernael |
| foot | voet |
| leg | been |
| knee | knie |
| hand | hand |
| wing | vlerk |
| belly | maag |
| guts | ingewande |
| neck | nek |
| back | rug |
| breast | bors |
| heart | hart |
| liver | lewer |
| to drink | drink |
| to eat | eet |
| to bite | byt |
| to suck | suig |
| to spit | spoeg |
| to vomit | kots, opgooi, braak |
| to blow | waai, blaas |
| to breathe | asemhaal |
| to laugh | lag |
| to see | sien |
| to hear | hoor |
| to know | weet |
| to think | dink |
| to smell | ruik |
| to fear | vrees, bang |
| to sleep | slaap |
| to live | lewe |
| to die | sterf, doodgaan |
| to kill | doodmaak |
| to fight | veg |
| to hunt | jag |
| to hit | slaan, tref |
| to cut | knip, sny |
| to split | kloof |
| to stab | steek |
| to scratch | krap |
| to dig | grawe |
| to swim | swem |
| to fly | vlieg |
| to walk | loop, stap, wandel |
| to come | kom |
| to lie (as in a bed) | lê |
| to sit | sit |
| to stand | staan, opstaan (action) |
| to turn (intransitive) | draai |
| to fall | val |
| to give | gee |
| to hold | hou |
| to squeeze | druk |
| to rub | vryf |
| to wash | was |
| to wipe | vee |
| to pull | trek |
| to push | stoot |
| to throw | gooi |
| to tie | bind, knoop |
| to sew | naai |
| to count | tel |
| to say | sê |
| to sing | sing |
| to play | speel |
| to float | dryf, sweef |
| to flow | vloei |
| to freeze | vries |
| to swell | swel |
| sun | son |
| moon | maan |
| star | ster |
| water | water |
| rain | reën |
| river | rivier |
| lake | meer |
| sea | see |
| salt | sout |
| stone | klip |
| sand | sand |
| dust | stof |
| earth | grond |
| cloud | wolk |
| fog | mis |
| sky | lug |
| wind | wind, briesie |
| snow | sneeu |
| ice | ys |
| smoke | rook |
| fire | vuur |
| ash | as |
| to burn | brand |
| road | pad |
| mountain | berg |
| red | rooi |
| green | groen |
| yellow | geel |
| white | wit |
| black | swart |
| night | nag |
| day | dag |
| year | jaar |
| warm | warm |
| cold | koud |
| full | vol |
| new | nuut, nuwe |
| old | oud |
| good | goed |
| bad | sleg |
| rotten | vrot |
| dirty | vuil |
| straight | reguit |
| round | rond |
| sharp (as a knife) | skerp |
| dull (as a knife) | stomp |
| smooth | glad |
| wet | nat |
| dry | droog |
| correct | reg, korrek |
| near | naby |
| far | ver |
| right | regs |
| left | links |
| at | by |
| in | in, binne |
| with | met |
| and | en |
| if | as |
| because | omdat |
| name | naam |