boot
/bʊət/
The Afrikaans word for boat is boot.
boot is the most common and general term for a water craft.
Meaning: water craft (noun)
Which one should you use?
While boot refers to a water craft, the Afrikaans word for the footwear boot is stewel.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/bʊət/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to use the English word boat instead of the Afrikaans boot. Additionally, do not use boot to mean a piece of footwear. That is a false friend, and you should use stewel instead.
Did you know?
- The word for a very small boat or a dinghy is bootjie. The suffix -tjie is a diminutive that often expresses affection or smallness.
- While boot is the general term, a large ship is often called a skip. The word skip shares a direct root with the English word 'ship'.
- The Afrikaans word boot is a direct descendant of the Dutch word boot, which is why they share the same spelling.
Examples in context
- Laat in herfs, toe die weer rof, winderig en nat was en die koue die dikste kleed kon binnedring, veral op see, het 'n arme boot met slegs twee manne die see ingevaar.Late in the autumn, when the weather was rough, windy, and wet, and the cold penetrated through the thickest clothing, especially at sea, a wretched boat went out to sea with only two men on board.This sentence shows how to describe a small, poor boat navigating rough sea conditions using boot.Tatoeba #2779393 by Diablofire, translation #2674795 by Hybrid
- Ek het 'n boot.I have a boat.This sentence is a simple way to express possession of a boot.Tatoeba #8434320 by Luiaard, translation #5829220 by CK
- Ek het 'n nuwe boot gekoop.I bought a new boat.
- Die boot vaar op die dam.The boat sails on the dam.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Pieter and Marelize are at a lake.
- PieterKyk, daar is 'n groot boot!Look, there is a big boat!
- MarelizeDit lyk baie avontuurlik.It looks very adventurous.
- PieterWil jy in die boot klim?Do you want to get in the boat?
- MarelizeJa, kom ons probeer.Yes, let's try.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “boat” translations and entries boot, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries boot, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
