How to Say “Boyfriend” in Afrikaans

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kêrel
The Afrikaans word for boyfriend is kêrel.
kêrel is used to refer to a male partner in a romantic relationship. In certain colloquial contexts, it can also be used to mean a guy or a fellow.
Meaning: male partner in a romantic relationship (noun)

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

kêrel is the standard, common way to refer to a boyfriend in everyday informal speech. There is also an endearing term, boetie, which translates to "little brother" and is used by girlfriends to refer to their boyfriends.

How does it change in a sentence?

The plural form of kêrel is kêrels.

Did you know?

  • The word kêrel shares the same ancient Proto-Germanic root as the English word 'churl', which originally referred to a free man of low rank.
  • In South African English, people often use the Afrikaans word kêrel even when speaking English, making it a common linguistic hybrid.

Examples in context

  • Tom is seker Marie se kêrel.
    Tom must be Mary's boyfriend.
    This sentence illustrates how to identify someone as a girlfriend's boyfriend.
    Tatoeba #2364381 by siener, translation #1028290 by CK
  • James was dubbeld Amanda se kêrel se ouderdom.
    James was twice the age of Amanda's boyfriend.
    This sentence shows how to use the word when discussing someone's age.
    Tatoeba #13585291 by Pietpetoors, translation #11504207 by Amastan
  • Sy het 'n kêrel.
    She has a boyfriend.
    This sentence demonstrates the basic way to state that someone has a boyfriend.
    Tatoeba #7986856 by SadeceTurkce, translation #7075959 by azraelgnosis
  • Ek wil graag my seunvriend aan jou voorstel.
    I would like to introduce my boyfriend to you.
  • 6 more sentences on Tatoeba

Example conversation

Nicola and Pieter are talking about a party.

  1. Pieter

    Bring jy jou kêrel na die partytjie?
    Are you bringing your boyfriend to the party?
  2. Nicola

    Ja, hy wil graag julle ontmoet.
    Yes, he would really like to meet you guys.
  3. Pieter

    Dit is wonderlik, ek sien uit daarna.
    That is wonderful, I look forward to it.
  4. Nicola

    My kêrel is baie vriendelik.
    My boyfriend is very friendly.

Sources

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Joanna Monica
Joanna MonicaHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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