hulle
/ˈɦœ.lə/plural
The English word "they" is translated into Afrikaans as hulle.
hulle is a third-person plural pronoun.
Meaning: third-person plural pronoun (pron)
Which one should you use?
In English, the subject pronoun "they" and the possessive adjective "their" are distinct words. In Afrikaans, the single word hulle serves both as the subject pronoun and the possessive adjective.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word hulle is also used as the possessive adjective "their".
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈɦœ.lə/. The word has 2 syllables, with the stress on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- The word hulle originally comes from a contraction of hunlieden, which literally means 'them-people'.
- In some colloquial contexts, hulle can be used as a vague way to refer to 'the authorities' or 'the people in charge' without naming them.
- Unlike English, which has adopted 'they' as a singular gender-neutral pronoun, hulle is strictly used for plural groups in formal Afrikaans.
Examples in context
- Hulle is saam weg.They left together.Tatoeba #2364291 by siener, translation #2243219 by CK
- Hulle is baie ryk.They are very wealthy.Tatoeba #13458399 by Pietpetoors, translation #13455277 by Aghanim
- Hulle is ses mense.They are six people.Tatoeba #7968684 by swart, translation #2145890 by Maralula
- Hulle het die projek voltooi.They completed the project.
- Ek praat met hulle oor die beplanning.I am talking to them about the planning.
- Dis lekker om met hulle tyd deur te bring.It's nice to spend time with them.
- Hulle is regtig slim.They are really smart.
- 65 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Andries and Marelize are looking at people across the street.
- AndriesKyk, daar is hulle!Look, there they are!
- MarelizeIs hulle op pad na die park?Are they on their way to the park?
- AndriesJa, ek dink hulle stap vinnig.Yes, I think they are walking fast.
- MarelizeHulle lyk baie gelukkig.They look very happy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “they” translations and entries hulle, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hulle, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
