Languages of South Africa
South Africa has 11 official languages. Learning them all is clearly impractical, though a few choice words will certainly help to break the ice. The official languages are: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho (Southern Sotho), Sesotho sa Leboa (Northern Sotho), Setswana, Swati, Tshivenda, and Xitsonga.
Some useful local expressions incorporated into English might include:
Africana - All things connected to Africa, now commonly used to refer to books, furniture, paintings, and objects of art.
Bakkie - A van or light pickup truck, often used for traveling off the beaten track.
Boerekos - Traditional farm-style or country cooking.
Bobotie - Traditional Cape dish made from minced meat & spices, covered with a savoury egg custard and baked in the oven.
Boma - A fence or enclosure made of wooden posts, traditionally used for corralling cattle now commonly used at safari lodges to shelter dining guests outside.
Braai - A barbeque
Bredie - A stew made of meat and vegetables, named after the main vegetable, so tomatoes are used in Tomatiebredie.
Broekie lace - Ornamental Victorian-style wrought-iron work, often edging verandas or stoeps.
Duidelik - A typically Capetonian saying used mainly by the 'Cape Coloreds'. Means something is particularly great or enjoyable.
Foefie slide - A cable mechanism used to cross a piece of land or stretch of water.
Hartebeeshuisie - A temporary shelter built of wattle and daub: as a comparison a sure way to annoy the host of your luxury faux-rustic lodge.
Howzit - A simplified version of 'How is it'.
Hoesit - The Afrikaans version of the above.
Koeksisters - A doughnut mixture which is platted, fried, and dipped in syrup.
Koppie - A hillock, either flat-topped or pointed.
Lapa - The courtyard enclosed by a circle of Ndebele huts now used to refer to any outdoor enclosure built of mud or brick.
Pap - The local porridge made from ground maize meal.
Potjie - A heavy iron pot with three legs (usually black), used for cooking over an open fire.
Robot - A traffic light.
Rusk - A light dough that is baked until crisp.
Skottelbraai - Originally, the round piece of plough used to cook on an open fire. Nowadays, a wok-shaped metal pan, usually heated by a gas bottle.
Stoep - Veranda or porch.
Waterblommetjie - A waxy flower that grows in water, eaten as Waterblommetjiebredie.
Yebo - African slang word meaning yes