Learning new things is the best part of travelling to foreign lands and few travelers embark on their journeys without attempting to learn a smattering of useful phrases first.
One of the most common useful expression to learn is, ‘thank you’. After all, it’s plain good manners to thank your hosts for their efforts. On the one hand, experiencing Africa’s cultural diversity is a wonderful part of any visit. On the other, how do you decide which one of the 1 500 languages you’re going to learn before you leave?
South Africa alone has 11 official languages, so no-one expects you to know the correct lingo for every situation. However, it is a nice touch to know the most common ways to thank your hosts.
Here’s how to show your appreciation during a southern African safari.
The Spoken Word
Most people that you encounter on your travels will be familiar with the English expression, ‘thank you’, especially when it’s accompanied by a smile and a nod. The most commonly spoken languages in southern Africa are English, Afrikaans, Shona, Portuguese, German, French, Xhosa, and Zulu.
However, if you want to take the time to thank people in their own language, you can’t go wrong with the following:
- South Africa and eSwatini:
Zulu is prevalent in these countries and you can thank a Zulu-speaking person by saying ‘Ngiyabonga’, or ‘Siyabonga’ if you’re addressing a crowd.
In Xhosa, the expression for ‘thank you’ is ‘Enkosi’
In Afrikaans, the word is ‘dankie’
- Namibia:
German: ‘Danke’ is the word for thanks
Oshiwambo: Say ‘’tangi unene’’ for thank you
- Botswana:
Setswana is the most common language in Botswana, in this language, ‘thank you’ is ‘Ke a leboga’
- Mozambique:
The Portuguese word for thank you is, ‘obrigado’ (when addressing man) or ‘obrigada’ for a woman.
- Zambia:
In the local Bemba language, you say ‘natotela’ for ‘thank you’
- Zimbabwe:
In Shona, say ‘Ndatenda’ to one person and ‘Tatenda’ to many people
Ndebele people use the same terms as in Zulu i.e. ‘ngiyabonga’ and ‘siyabonga’
Many people in southern Africa are familiar with the most common expressions used by the major languages in their countries.
Don’t worry about messing up the pronunciation or addressing someone in the wrong language, the locals will appreciate the fact that you’ve tried. Africans have a strong culture of hospitality and will go out of their way to make you feel welcome, no matter which language you speak.
The best way to learn a new language is to speak it, so get in touch and book your southern African safari with us today. You’ll thank us for it!
