ek
/æk/
The English pronoun "I" is translated into Afrikaans as ek.
ek is the personal pronoun. In casual conversations, the pronoun "I" can be dropped, as seen in the example Gaan kuier bietjie by die huis, which translates to "Going to visit [I am] at home."
Meaning: personal pronoun (pron)
How do you pronounce it?
/æk/
Did you know?
- While ek is the standard pronoun, Afrikaans speakers often use 'the double subject' construction, like Ek, ek gaan nou, to add emphasis or emotion.
- The word ek is a cognate of the English 'I' through a very distant ancestor, the Proto-Indo-European word eǵh₂óm.
- Afrikaans is one of the few languages descended from Dutch where the pronoun ek is used in a simplified grammar system that has dropped almost all verb conjugations.
Examples in context
- Ek het 'n kar.I have a car.This example shows how to use ek to express possession of a car.Tatoeba #657427 by winterstream, translation #252272 by CK
- Ek het 'n pen.I have a pen.This example shows how to use ek to express possession of a pen.Tatoeba #5907292 by CJuser01, translation #255571 by CK
- Ek hou van reën.I really love rain.This example shows how to use ek to express a liking for rain.Tatoeba #13370636 by Pietpetoors, translation #13370514 by frpzzd
- Ek het die projek voltooi.I have completed the project.
- 'n Mens moet verantwoordelikheid aanvaar.One must take responsibility.
- Dit kan 'n mens baie moeite veroorsaak.This can cause one a lot of trouble.
- Jy sal nooit raai wat ek vandag gedoen het nie.You will never guess what I did today.
- Ek en jy kan saam uitgaan.You and I can go out together.
- 783 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A simple greeting between two friends at a park.
- LiezelHallo Stefan, ek is hier.Hello Stefan, I am here.
- StefanGoed om jou te sien, Liezel.Good to see you, Liezel.
- LiezelEk het jou lankal nie gesien nie.I haven't seen you in a long time.
- StefanDit is waar, ek was baie besig.That is true, I was very busy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I” translations and entries ek, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ek, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
