Mag God jou seën
The English phrase "God bless you" is translated into Afrikaans as Mag God jou seën.
This phrase is an interjection used to respond to someone who has just sneezed.
Meaning: said to somebody who has sneezed (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a literal translation of the English expression: Mag means "may", God is "God", jou is "you" and seën is "bless".
How does it change in a sentence?
To change the level of politeness, replace the pronoun jou with u to create the formal version Mag God u seën.
Did you know?
- While Mag God jou seën is the formal translation, many Afrikaans speakers use the shorter Gesondheid which means 'health'.
- The word seën shares an unexpected ancestry with the Latin word signum, which means 'sign' or 'token'.
- While English speakers often say 'bless you' without any mention of a deity, the Afrikaans version almost always retains the explicit reference to God.
Example conversation
Johan and Anika are sitting in a living room together.
- Johan*(sneezes)**(Sneezes)*
- AnikaMag God jou seën, Johan.God bless you, Johan.
- JohanDankie, Anika.Thank you, Anika.
- AnikaDit is welkom.You are welcome.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries God, jou, mag, seën, CC BY-SA 4.0.
