Cape Town Vocabulary – Know Before You Go
Whilst a language barrier isn’t normally something that you would factor in when you’re planning your visit to Cape Town, there’s nothing like the oddities and colloquialisms of local vocabulary to completely confuse you and lead you right up the garden path, or in this case, the Garden Route.
Expressions of Interest
There’s nothing more English, than the typical response of “really?”, to almost everything we hear or are told. No matter what the topic of conversation, we manage to sound successfully responsive thanks to this simple expression of interest. However, in Cape Town, rather than hearing “really”, you will find that everybody answers you with the expression “is it?” This South Africanism is really quite catching once you get used to it, but you may well find yourself scratching your head and wondering “is what?” for a while.
Ps and Qs
Please, thank you and I’m sorry tend to be the three phrases you will always know well in advance of going on holiday. However, whilst you may have these phrases prepared before you visit Cape Town, you may not be quite ready for the response you get. Do not be alarmed if every time you thank somebody, they come back at you with the simple phrase “pleasure”. This is a common and quick way of acknowledging your thanks. Similarly, one word you may not hear as often as you expect in Cape Town is the word “sorry”. However, this is not due to a lack of manners, but is simply down to the fact that the preferred apologetic expression is in fact, “shame.”
Timings
Another typically British trait is the need to know at exactly what time things are going to happen. Whether it is what time an event will start, what time a train will leave, or what time it is necessary to leave the house, everything runs on a timetable. Cape Town is a somewhat different experience and, as such, it is important to be able to differentiate between “just now” and “now now”. To the untrained ear, these two expressions would most likely mean one and the same thing, however this is not the case. If you are told for example, that the bus to Cape Town is leaving just now, don’t panic! This means that it will be leaving in the next little while. If on the other hand you are told that it is leaving now now, the chances are that you will need to get moving as it really is leaving now. These two expressions can cause much confusion and it is best to go by your watch where possible.
On the Road
Whilst many things on the road in Cape Town will not take much getting used to, for example driving on the left hand side of the road, there is certainly some terminology that is worth knowing. Most important of these is undoubtedly the word for traffic lights. So, when someone mentions robots, don’t be alarmed – there are no traffic police controlled robots chasing your vehicles. Robots are in fact a common name for traffic lights in South Africa.
So, whilst you’re unlikely to need to point to words in a dictionary to communicate on a trip to Cape Town, there are some colloquialisms that are worth knowing before you go, otherwise you might just find yourself grasping onto the wrong end of the stick.
Author Bio: Rachel Hill is a Southern Africa Travel specialist, a company specialising in luxury, tailor-made Cape Town holidays, as well as holidays to other destinations in Southern Africa. Our experienced consultants will help you design your very own luxury holiday, and will be happy to provide you with a free quote.
Category: Travel
Keywords: Cape Town
