beste wense
The Afrikaans phrase for "best wishes" is beste wense.
beste wense is a polite phrase used to express hope for someone's future happiness or success. It is commonly used as a closing in written correspondence and also serves as a polite way to end a verbal toast or a speech.
What does it mean word for word?
This phrase is a literal translation where beste means "best" and wense means "wishes".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
When using this phrase as a sign-off in a formal letter or email, it is standard to capitalize the first word: Beste wense.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word wense is the plural form of wens (wish).
Did you know?
- When wishing someone a happy birthday, Afrikaans speakers rarely use beste wense and instead use the specific phrase baie geluk.
- While beste wense is common, a more traditional Afrikaans way to express similar sentiments is through the word voorspoed, which literally means 'prosperity'.
- In very formal or traditional South African correspondence, beste wense might be replaced by die uwe, which literally means 'your own' and functions like 'yours sincerely'.
Examples in context
- Mag dit 'n baie spesiale dag vir jou wees.May it be a very special day for you.
- Voorspoed met jou loopbaan!Good luck with your career!
- Mag jou vakansie vol vreugde wees.May your vacation be filled with joy.
- Ek stuur my beste wense.I send my best wishes.
- Beste wense vir jou nuwe werk.Best wishes for your new job.
- Ons stuur ons beste wense aan die familie.We send our best wishes to the family.
Example conversation
Andries is writing a farewell card to Nicola.
- AndriesEk gaan jou mis, Nicola.I am going to miss you, Nicola.
- NicolaDankie, Andries. Dit was 'n lekker tyd.Thank you, Andries. It was a lovely time.
- AndriesBeste wense met alles wat voorlê.Best wishes with everything that lies ahead.
- NicolaBaie dankie vir die mooi woorde.Thank you very much for the kind words.
