dankie
/ˈdaŋki/
The English word "thanks" is translated into Afrikaans as dankie.
dankie is used to express appreciation or gratitude. To say "thank you very much", you can add the word baie (meaning many or much) before it to form Baie dankie. You can also use Dankie vir alles to say "Thanks for everything". If you wish to politely decline an offer, you can say Nee, dankie, which functions similarly to "No, thank you" in English.
Meaning: used to express appreciation or gratitude (intj)
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈdaŋki/
Did you know?
- The root dank is used in the word bedank, which can mean both to thank someone and to resign from a position.
- In South African slang, if someone is being extremely helpful, they might use the word lekker to describe the feeling of gratitude or the situation, rather than just using dankie.
- If someone says baie dankie, the most common culturally appropriate response is dis ’n plesier, which translates literally to 'it is a pleasure'.
Examples in context
- Baie dankie! Jy het sopas my lewe verwoes!Thanks a lot, you just ruined my life!This sentence shows how to use dankie in a sarcastic context.Tatoeba #3437720 by Diablofire, translation #3320840 by Hybrid
- "Dankie." "Jy is welkom.""Thanks." "You're welcome."This example shows a simple exchange using dankie.Tatoeba #1765236 by wwkudu, translation #1050524 by Eldad
- Nee, dankie, ek drink nie.No thanks, I don't drink.This sentence demonstrates how to use dankie to politely decline something.Tatoeba #7986609 by SadeceTurkce, translation #6330103 by astru
- Dankie baie dat jy my help.Thank you very much for helping me.
- Baie dankie, man!Thanks a lot, mate!
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Pieter helps Nicola carry a heavy box into her house.
- NicolaDankie vir die hulp, Pieter.Thanks for the help, Pieter.
- PieterDis 'n plesier, Nicola.It is a pleasure, Nicola.
- NicolaEk waardeer dit regtig.I really appreciate it.
- PieterGeen probleem nie.No problem.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thanks” translations and entries dankie, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
