onderwyser
masculine
The Afrikaans word for teacher is onderwyser. Wiktionary also lists onderwyseres.
Meaning: person who teaches (noun)
Ways to say it
| Afrikaans | Note |
|---|---|
| onderwyser | masculine |
| onderwyseres | feminine |
onderwyser is used to describe a person who teaches. While the word can be used generally to refer to both male and female teachers, it is the default masculine form.
Which one should you use?
onderwyser is the masculine form, whereas onderwyseres is used specifically when referring to a female teacher.
How does it change in a sentence?
To create the feminine form of the noun, the suffix -eres is added to the end, resulting in onderwyseres.
Did you know?
- In a classroom setting, students rarely call a teacher by the title onderwyser. Instead, they typically use Meneer for a man or Juffrou for a woman, much like 'Sir' or 'Miss' in English.
- The root of onderwyser comes from wys, which means 'to show' or 'to point', suggesting that teaching is viewed as showing the way.
- In some traditional settings, a female teacher might be called juffrou even if she is married, as the term functions more as a professional title than a marital status.
Examples in context
- Mnr. Brown is ons engels onderwyser.Mr Brown is our English teacher.This sentence shows how to identify a person's profession as an onderwyser.Tatoeba #2783436 by Diablofire, translation #34240 by carlosalberto
- Tom is nie 'n goeie Franse onderwyser nie.Tom isn't a very good French teacher.This sentence is useful for describing the quality of an onderwyser.Tatoeba #13375421 by Pietpetoors, translation #6251320 by CK
- Hy is 'n onderwyser.He is a teacher.This sentence demonstrates the use of onderwyser to state someone's occupation.Tatoeba #675687 by wwkudu, translation #295346 by CK
- Ek het 'n fantastiese onderwyser wat my leer om Afrikaans te praat.I have a fantastic teacher who is teaching me how to speak Afrikaans.
- Juffrou is 'n wonderlike persoon om te hê as 'n onderwyser.Juffrou is a wonderful person to have as a teacher.
- Hierdie meester help al sy leerlinge met groot geduld.This teacher (male) helps all his students with great patience.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Pieter and Anika are talking about their new school schedule.
- PieterWie is jou nuwe onderwyser?Who is your new teacher?
- AnikaMnr. Smit is my onderwyser.Mr. Smit is my teacher.
- PieterIs hy 'n streng onderwyser?Is he a strict teacher?
- AnikaNee, hy is baie vriendelik.No, he is very friendly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “teacher” translations and entries onderwyser, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
