Greetings
Dumela / Ke a leboga
doo-MEH-la / keh ah leh-BOH-ha
'Hello' and 'thank you' in Sepedi — the largest home language in Tshwane. Two words that land very differently from English ones.
Goeiedag / Baie dankie
HOO-yuh-dahh / BUY-uh DUNK-ee
'Good day' and 'thank you very much' in Afrikaans. Pretoria's older suburbs are the most Afrikaans of any big South African city.
Social
Ja-nee
yah-NEE-uh
Literally 'yes-no'. An Afrikaans noise meaning 'quite so', 'what can you do', or resigned agreement. Impossible to translate, easy to use.
Lekker
LEK-ker
Nice, good, tasty, fun. Applies to a braai, a day, a car or a person, and you will use it within a week.
Eish
AY-sh
Frustration, sympathy or disbelief in one syllable — 'eish, the queue at Home Affairs'. Universally understood.
Sharp / sharp-sharp
shahp
'Fine / got it / see you', usually with a thumbs-up. The most useful conversational filler in the country.
Daily life
Robot
ROH-bot
A traffic light. Directions here are counted in robots, not blocks.
Just now / now now
just now / now now
'Now now' is soon-ish; 'just now' is later and non-committal. Neither is now. If it matters, ask for a clock time.
Bakkie
BUK-ee
A pickup truck — the default vehicle of the region and half the small ads. 'I'll bring the bakkie' means the move is sorted.
Food
Braai / boerewors
br-EYE / BOO-ruh-vors
A barbecue, and the coiled farmer's sausage that must appear on it. Sunday afternoons are organised around both.
Emergency
Help — emergency
help
Dial 112 from any mobile, 10111 for police, 10177 for an ambulance, or 107 toll-free for City of Tshwane fire and rescue.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.