in die steek laat
Literally to leave in the stitch
Means to abandon someone who is counting on you
English idiom leave someone in the lurch
Example 'n Ware vriend sal jou nooit in die steek laat nie.
A true friend will never let you down.
An idiom is a phrase you cannot translate word for word. Here are the 25 most common Afrikaans idioms, ranked by how often you will actually meet them, each with its literal translation, real meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation, so you know what natives actually mean.
Common Afrikaans idioms are everyday expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. For example, in die steek laat literally means "to leave in the stitch" but is used to mean to abandon someone who is counting on you. This free page ranks the 25 most common Afrikaans idioms by how often you meet them, each with its literal translation, meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation.
All 25 idioms, most common first.
Guess the meaning, then tap a card to check.
Idiom list verified as of August 2026.
in die steek laat
Literally to leave in the stitch
Means to abandon someone who is counting on you
English idiom leave someone in the lurch
Example 'n Ware vriend sal jou nooit in die steek laat nie.
A true friend will never let you down.
die spyker op die kop slaan
Literally to hit the nail on the head
Means to say exactly the right thing about something
English idiom hit the nail on the head
Example Met daardie opmerking het jy regtig die spyker op die kop geslaan.
With that remark you really hit the nail on the head.
die aap uit die mou laat
Literally to let the monkey out of the sleeve
Means to reveal a secret or a hidden plan
English idiom let the cat out of the bag
Example Na maande van stilte het hy die aap uit die mou gelaat.
After months of silence he let the secret out.
die hoenders in wees
Literally to be in among the chickens
Means to be very angry or annoyed
English idiom be hopping mad
Example Pa was die hoenders in toe hy die stukkende ruit sien.
Dad was furious when he saw the broken window.
Note Informal spoken Afrikaans, but not rude.
die koeël is deur die kerk
Literally the bullet is through the church
Means the decision is final and there is no turning back
English idiom the die is cast
Example Ons het lank gedebatteer, maar die koeël is nou deur die kerk.
We debated for a long time, but the decision has now been made.
die pot mis sit
Literally to set the pot down in the wrong place
Means to be completely mistaken about something
English idiom be wide of the mark
Example Jy sit die pot heeltemal mis as jy dink ek is kwaad vir jou.
You are completely wrong if you think I am angry with you.
iemand om die bos lei
Literally to lead someone around the forest
Means to deceive or mislead someone
English idiom lead someone up the garden path
Example Moenie dink jy kan my om die bos lei nie, want ek ken die waarheid.
Do not think you can fool me, because I know the truth.
in jou noppies wees
Literally to be in your little tufts
Means to be delighted about something
English idiom be over the moon
Example Sy was in haar noppies oor die nuus van haar bevordering.
She was over the moon about the news of her promotion.
die bul by die horings pak
Literally to grab the bull by the horns
Means to face a difficult problem directly instead of avoiding it
English idiom take the bull by the horns
Example Dit help nie om te wag nie, ons moet die bul by die horings pak.
Waiting does not help, we have to take the bull by the horns.
die poppe gaan dans
Literally the dolls are going to dance
Means trouble or a big row is about to start
English idiom the fur is going to fly
Example As Ma uitvind wie die koek geëet het, dan gaan die poppe dans.
If Mom finds out who ate the cake, the fur is going to fly.
Note Often said half jokingly, as a warning that a row is coming.
'n appeltjie met iemand te skil hê
Literally to have a little apple to peel with someone
Means to have a complaint you still want to raise with someone
English idiom have a bone to pick with someone
Example Ek het nog 'n appeltjie met jou te skil oor wat gister gebeur het.
I still have a bone to pick with you about what happened yesterday.
die kat uit die boom kyk
Literally to look the cat out of the tree
Means to hold back and watch how things develop before acting
English idiom see which way the wind blows
Example Hy het eers die kat uit die boom gekyk voordat hy sy geld belê het.
He waited to see how things would go before he invested his money.
die tou opgooi
Literally to throw the rope up
Means to give up on something you have been struggling with
English idiom throw in the towel
Example Na drie mislukte pogings wou hy die tou opgooi.
After three failed attempts he wanted to throw in the towel.
met 'n mond vol tande staan
Literally to stand with a mouth full of teeth
Means to be unable to say anything, usually from surprise or embarrassment
English idiom be tongue-tied
Example Toe hulle my die vraag vra, het ek met 'n mond vol tande gestaan.
When they asked me the question, I did not know what to say.
boontjie kry sy loontjie
Literally the little bean gets its little wage
Means someone eventually gets the punishment they deserve
English idiom what goes around comes around
Example Moenie bekommerd wees nie, boontjie sal sy loontjie kry.
Do not worry, he will get what is coming to him.
Note Often said with a touch of satisfaction when someone unpleasant is finally caught out.
iemand 'n rat voor die oë draai
Literally to spin a wheel in front of someone's eyes
Means to trick someone by making a false picture look true
English idiom pull the wool over someone's eyes
Example Die verkoopsman het ons met daardie kontrak 'n rat voor die oë gedraai.
The salesman pulled the wool over our eyes with that contract.
van A tot Z
Literally from A to Z
Means from beginning to end, in complete detail
English idiom from A to Z
Example Sy het die hele storie van A tot Z verduidelik.
She explained the whole story from beginning to end.
geld soos bossies hê
Literally to have money like little bushes
Means to be very rich
English idiom be rolling in money
Example Hulle bure het geld soos bossies, maar hulle spog nooit nie.
Their neighbours are rolling in money, but they never show off.
Note Informal and slightly jokey, more at home in conversation than in writing.
die beste beentjie voorsit
Literally to put your best little leg forward
Means to make the best possible impression
English idiom put your best foot forward
Example By die onderhoud het sy regtig haar beste beentjie voorgesit.
At the interview she really put her best foot forward.
met die deur in die huis val
Literally to fall through the door into the house
Means to say the thing straight out with no lead-in
English idiom cut to the chase
Example Hy val graag met die deur in die huis, sonder enige inleiding.
He likes to come straight out with it, without any introduction.
op iemand afklim
Literally to climb down on someone
Means to scold someone sharply
English idiom come down on someone like a ton of bricks
Example Die onderwyser het op die kinders afgeklim omdat hulle laat was.
The teacher came down hard on the children because they were late.
Note Informal and quite blunt, so it fits a real telling off, not a gentle correction.
kop in een mus wees
Literally to be head in one cap
Means to be so close to someone that you always take the same side
English idiom be thick as thieves
Example Daardie twee is kop in een mus, hulle stem altyd oor alles saam.
Those two are thick as thieves, they always agree about everything.
die oortjies van die seekoei
Literally the little ears of the hippo
Means the first small sign of a much bigger problem
English idiom the tip of the iceberg
Example Die skade wat ons tot nou toe gesien het, is net die oortjies van die seekoei.
The damage we have seen so far is only the tip of the iceberg.
Note The picture is a hippo with only its ears above the water, and it almost always introduces bad news.
'n uiltjie knip
Literally to clip a little owl
Means to take a short nap
English idiom catch forty winks
Example Na ete gaan ek gou 'n uiltjie knip voor ons verder ry.
After the meal I am going to take a quick nap before we drive on.
Note Gentle and slightly old-fashioned in tone, most often about an afternoon nap.
'n bok skiet
Literally to shoot a buck
Means to make an obvious blunder
Example Ek het 'n groot bok geskiet deur die verkeerde datum op die uitnodiging te skryf.
I made a real blunder by writing the wrong date on the invitation.
Note Informal spoken Afrikaans, used about an embarrassing slip rather than a serious failure.
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: In die steek laat comes out as "to leave in the stitch", which makes no sense until you know it means to abandon someone who is counting on you.
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.
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The most common Afrikaans idioms, ranked by everyday frequency, start with in die steek laat, die spyker op die kop slaan, die aap uit die mou laat, die hoenders in wees, die koeël is deur die kerk. Each one means something you could not guess from the words alone, which is exactly why learners have to meet them in context. This page lists 25 of them with meanings and example sentences.
In Afrikaans, "in die steek laat" translates literally as "to leave in the stitch", but it actually means to abandon someone who is counting on you. The closest English idiom is "leave someone in the lurch". Example: 'n Ware vriend sal jou nooit in die steek laat nie. ("A true friend will never let you down.")
The Afrikaans equivalent is "in die steek laat", literally "to leave in the stitch". Example: 'n Ware vriend sal jou nooit in die steek laat nie. ("A true friend will never let you down.")
In Afrikaans, an idiom is called idioom, and a proverb is spreekwoord. An idioom (also called an uitdrukking) is a fixed figurative phrase that you fit into your own sentence, while a spreekwoord is a complete sentence that states a general truth or lesson and is quoted unchanged.
Idioms are non-compositional: their meaning is fixed by convention, not built from the individual words. In die steek laat translates literally as "to leave in the stitch", yet it means to abandon someone who is counting on you. 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.