M OST South Africans speak English - but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll understand what they're talking about. South African English has a flavour all its own and borrows freely from Afrikaans. If you're going to blend in, we suggest you brush up on the following common South Africanisms.

Ag (pronounced ach as in the German achtung) - This is generally used at the beginning of a sentence, either to express resignation - as in: "Ag well, I guess that's just the way it is" - or to indicate irritation, as in: "Ag no man! What did you do that for?"