baie dankie
/ˈbɑi̯ə ˈdɑŋki/
baie dankie is the Afrikaans way to say thank you very much.
This phrase is used to express a greater level of gratitude than the standard dankie.
Meaning: greater gratitude than "thank you" (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of baie, meaning many or much and dankie, meaning thanks.
Which one should you use?
While dankie means thank you, adding baie intensifies the expression to mean thank you very much.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say thank you very much for something, use the preposition vir after the phrase: baie dankie vir…
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈbɑi̯ə ˈdɑŋki/
When do people say it?
A common response to baie dankie is Dis 'n plesier, which means it is a pleasure.
Did you know?
- The word baie likely results from a linguistic collision between Low German and Malay, specifically the Malay word banyak meaning 'many'.
- While baie dankie is the standard for 'thank you very much', some speakers use baie baie dankie to double the intensity for extreme gratitude.
- The diminutive nature of dankie makes it much more common in daily social interactions than the formal 'dank u', which feels much more distant.
Examples in context
- Baie dankie vir jou brief.Thank you very much for your letter.This sentence shows how to use baie dankie with the preposition vir.Tatoeba #1765257 by wwkudu, translation #64421 by CM
- Baie dankie!Thank you very much!This sentence demonstrates the use of baie dankie as an exclamation.Tatoeba #401103 by Dorenda, translation #1564 by adjusting
- Baie dankie! Ek waardeer dit opreg.Thank you very much! I appreciate it sincerely.
- Baie dankie vir die kos.Thank you very much for the food.
Example conversation
Stefan gives Liezel a gift for her birthday.
- LiezelBaie dankie vir die mooi geskenk, Stefan!Thank you very much for the beautiful gift, Stefan!
- StefanDit is 'n plesier, Liezel.It is a pleasure, Liezel.
- LiezelEk hou baie van die kleur.I like the color very much.
- StefanEk is bly jy hou daarvan.I am glad you like it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thank you very much” translations and entries baie dankie, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries baie, dankie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
