die aap uit die mou laat
Literally to let the monkey out of the sleeve
Means to reveal a secret, to spill the beans
Example Na maande van stilte het hy die aap uit die mou gelaat.
An idiom is a phrase you cannot translate word for word. Here are 13 of the most common Afrikaans idioms, each with its literal translation, real meaning, and an example sentence, so you know what natives actually mean.
Common Afrikaans idioms are everyday expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. For example, die aap uit die mou laat literally means "to let the monkey out of the sleeve" but is used to mean to reveal a secret, to spill the beans. This free tool lists 13 real Afrikaans idioms, each with its literal translation, meaning, and an example sentence.
All 13 Afrikaans idioms, with meanings and examples.
Guess the meaning, then tap a card to check.
Idiom list verified as of July 2026.
die aap uit die mou laat
Literally to let the monkey out of the sleeve
Means to reveal a secret, to spill the beans
Example Na maande van stilte het hy die aap uit die mou gelaat.
'n appeltjie met iemand te skil hê
Literally to have a little apple to peel with someone
Means to have a bone to pick with someone
Example Ek het nog 'n appeltjie met jou te skil oor wat gister gebeur het.
boontjie kry sy loontjie
Literally the little bean gets its little wage
Means to get one's just deserts, to reap what you sow
Example Moenie bekommerd wees nie, boontjie sal sy loontjie kry.
in die steek laat
Literally to leave in the stitch
Means to abandon someone, to leave someone in the lurch
Example 'n Ware vriend sal jou nooit in die steek laat nie.
'n uiltjie knip
Literally to clip a little owl
Means to take a nap
Example Na ete gaan ek gou 'n uiltjie knip voor ons verder ry.
die oortjies van die seekoei
Literally the little ears of the hippo
Means just the tip of the iceberg, a small visible part of a much bigger problem
Example Die skade wat ons tot nou toe gesien het, is net die oortjies van die seekoei.
op iemand afklim
Literally to climb down on someone
Means to scold someone, to give someone a piece of one's mind
Example Die onderwyser het op die kinders afgeklim omdat hulle laat was.
van A tot Z
Literally from A to Z
Means from beginning to end, in complete detail
Example Sy het die hele storie van A tot Z verduidelik.
die koeël is deur die kerk
Literally the bullet is through the church
Means the decision has been made and is final, there is no turning back
Example Ons het lank gedebatteer, maar die koeël is nou deur die kerk.
met die deur in die huis val
Literally to fall through the door into the house
Means to get straight to the point, to blurt something out without preamble
Example Hy val graag met die deur in die huis, sonder enige inleiding.
die spyker op die kop slaan
Literally to hit the nail on the head
Means to be exactly right, to describe something precisely
Example Met daardie opmerking het jy regtig die spyker op die kop geslaan.
iemand om die bos lei
Literally to lead someone around the forest
Means to deceive or mislead someone
Example Moenie dink jy kan my om die bos lei nie, want ek ken die waarheid.
die beste beentjie voorsit
Literally to put your best little leg forward
Means to put your best foot forward, to make the best possible impression
Example By die onderhoud het sy regtig haar beste beentjie voorgesit.
Idioms stick when you see them in context, not on a list. Lingo7 lets you read real Afrikaans books with sentence-aligned translation and native-narrated audio, so you meet idioms in the wild and tap any line you do not get. Save them and review later. Free to start.
An idiom is a phrase whose meaning is fixed by convention, not built from its words. That is why a word-for-word translation fails: Die aap uit die mou laat comes out as "to let the monkey out of the sleeve", which makes no sense until you know it means to reveal a secret, to spill the beans.
Learn a few at a time, not a whole list. Pick the ones you keep running into, say them out loud in a real sentence, and you will remember them far longer than by drilling flashcards.
The most reliable way to absorb idioms is to meet them in context, again and again, in things you actually read. Parallel text and audio let you catch an idiom in a real Afrikaans sentence and check what it means without breaking your reading. That is what reading in Lingo7 is built for.
Start reading Afrikaans with Lingo7 →
Find Afrikaans books at your level (A1 to C1) →
Not sure of your level? Take the CEFR test (A1-C2) →
Some of the most common Afrikaans idioms are die aap uit die mou laat, 'n appeltjie met iemand te skil hê, boontjie kry sy loontjie, in die steek laat. Each one means something you could not guess from the words alone, which is exactly why learners have to meet them in context. This tool lists 13 of them with their meaning and an example sentence.
In Afrikaans, "die aap uit die mou laat" translates literally as "to let the monkey out of the sleeve", but it actually means to reveal a secret, to spill the beans. You would use it like this: Na maande van stilte het hy die aap uit die mou gelaat.
Idioms are non-compositional: their meaning is fixed by convention, not built from the individual words. Die aap uit die mou laat translates literally as "to let the monkey out of the sleeve", yet it means to reveal a secret, to spill the beans. Translate word for word and you get nonsense, so idioms have to be learned as whole units.
The fastest way is to meet them in context and reuse them, not to memorize a list. Learn a handful at a time, notice them while reading and listening, and try them in your own sentences. Reading real Afrikaans with tap-to-translate, the way Lingo7 works, turns every page into idiom practice.