Ways to say it
| Afrikaans | IPA |
|---|---|
| sterf | /stɛrf/ |
| doodgaan | |
| sterwe |
The verbs in this group describe the act of stopping living. Note that if you are looking for a 'die' used in games of chance (a polyhedron), the word is dobbelsteen.
Which one should you use?
While both sterf and doodgaan mean to die, sterf is more formal and is often used in clinical, biological or respectful contexts. In contrast, doodgaan is more common in everyday speech.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Sterf is a strong verb, which means its past tense is sterf and its past participle is gesterf. Doodgaan is a separable verb, so in certain sentence structures, the prefix dood may move to the end of the clause.
How do you pronounce it?
/stɛrf/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not confuse the verb doodgaan (to die) with the adjective dood (dead). For example, you cannot say hy is doodgaan to mean 'he died'.
Did you know?
- The word sterf shares a common ancestor with the English word 'starve'. Both words originate from the same Proto-Germanic root describing a loss of life or strength.
- Afrikaans speakers may use the word dood as an intensifier in slang, such as ek is doodmoeg, meaning 'I am dead tired'.
- Because doodgaan is composed of dood (dead) and gaan (to go), the literal word-for-word translation is 'to go dead'.
Examples in context
- Is jy bank om te sterf?Are you afraid to die?This sentence shows how to use sterf in a question about fear.Tatoeba #2783427 by Diablofire, translation #2335838 by loghaD
- Tom was bang dat Mary gaan sterf.Tom was afraid that Mary was going to die.This sentence demonstrates the use of sterf when expressing fear regarding someone else's death.Tatoeba #13585333 by Pietpetoors, translation #7217330 by CK
- Die ou man het vreedsaam afgesterf.The old man passed away peacefully.
- Ek sal doodgaan van die lag!I will die with laughter!
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nicola and Pieter are discussing a sad movie.
- NicolaDit is so hartseer dat hy moet sterf.It is so sad that he has to die.
- PieterJa, ek het baie gehuil.Yes, I cried a lot.
- NicolaHoekom moes die hoofkarakter sterf?Why did the main character have to die?
- PieterDit maak die storie meer dramaties.It makes the story more dramatic.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “die” translations and entries sterf, doodgaan, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries doodgaan, sterf, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
