Although many South Africans speak other languages, you will find that most South Africans speak English. Therefore, communicating on any level for native English speakers will be fairly straightforward. Some slang and other words/phrases may be different, in which case we recommend you look up commonly used South African terms, and terms in other languages used in the part of the country where you study, including Zulu, Xhosa,Ndebele, Africaans, Venda, Swati, Sesotho, Sepedi, Tsonga and Tswana, to avoid misunderstandings. However, if you are traveling to/studying in South Africa and are not fluent in English, there are a few basic words, phrases, and questions that you should be able to pronounce fluently. You should fill out our Words To Know Sheet and take it with you for reference.

During your stay in South Africa, you will likely encounter words or phrases that differ slightly or significantly in meaning from the same phrases in U.S. English. You may find it helpful to begin creating a list of words and meanings that are distinctly South African. Use our list as a guide, or starting point; then add your own additional South Africa-specific phrases. You may find that in making a conscious effort to learn the South African lingo, you will begin to understand other aspects of South African culture more clearly. In addition, you should also know how to dial a country's 24-hour emergency phone number (equivalent to a 9-1-1 system).

If you do not speak English fluently, you may find it helpful to print and cut out our Service Icons Card that you can carry with you. The card contains a series of simple images that represent services you may require—services like a telephone, post-office, taxi, and hospital. If you don’t remember, or don’t know, how to say a certain word in English, you can point to the picture on the card that represents that word. For example, if you need to find a telephone, you can show someone the picture of a telephone on the card and they can assist you. It is better to already be able to comfortably communicate in English when studying in South Africa. However, you should keep this card with you just in case you forget how to say a certain word, or, in the case of injury, you become physically unable to verbally communicate.