“You’re Doing Great”: Afrikaner Man Learning Sotho Receives Pronunciation Tips

• An Afrikaans-speaking man shared a hilarious video documenting his journey to self-teach the Sotho language and admitting his struggle with complex pronunciation
• The engaging clip, shared on TikTok, attracted massive views and comments from users impressed by his dedication and linguistic interest
• Social media users were charmed by his honesty and enthusiasm, flooding the comments with encouraging tips on mastering the unique click sounds of the language

A local man’s candid attempt to learn a South African vernacular turned into a viral sensation, showcasing a genuine interest in bridging cultural divides.

The impressive clip, shared on TikTok by @hendrikwillem_, was met with widespread encouragement from social media users who were moved by his eagerness to speak Sotho.

The video begins with the Afrikaans-speaking man greeting and introducing himself in Sotho, which immediately sets a light-hearted tone. He explained that he was still in the early stages of learning and invited his followers to listen as he shared the most challenging pronunciations, jokingly suggesting they might get a good laugh at his expense.

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The Afrikaner man’s attempt at speaking Sotho

The man began by tackling a complex sentence: “O ngola lengolo le lelelele” (He is writing a long letter). He admitted his primary struggle was the repetitive syllables at the end of the phrase, “le lelelele,” and asked his followers for assistance. His linguistic hurdles continued with the unique click sounds, which he humorously confessed he struggled with, saying he didn't want to come across as accidentally swearing at people. TikTok user @hendrikwillem_ also noted difficulty with simple words like “begin” and “done,” but his biggest obstacle was the phrase, “On the other side.” He concluded by confirming his continued interest in the language and promising to share more progress videos.

SA loves the man’s Sotho attempt

The clip garnered massive views and comments from social media users who were impressed by his commitment. Many viewers applauded his genuine effort, assuring him that he was on the right path and would soon achieve fluency. The comments section became an impromptu language school. Users offered specific advice on how to correctly master the click sound and distinguish between the Xhosa and Sotho clicks to aid his learning. Others gave practical tips, advising him to tune into radio stations such as Lesedi FM, noting that frequent listening makes language acquisition much easier.

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User @Pulane said:

"You should listen to Lesedi FM."

User @🌸Papi Carlos🌸 added:

"Afrikaans speakers will find it easier to learn Sesotho. For English speakers, Zulu would be easier."

User @Lefa Morris advised:

"You will get there, start by learning how to pronounce syllables a-e-i-o-u, then alphabets A-Z, then sound combinations, eg; kga-kge-kgi-kgo-kgu, hla-hle-hli-hlo-hlu, pha-phe-phi-pho-phu, tha-the-thi-tho-thu, etc."

User @Inno Thahane🇿🇦🇵🇸🇨🇩 shared:

"The clicks are sounding a bit Xhosa, you are doing it with your back/side teeth. In Sesotho, it’s the top of the mouth. I don’t know if that makes sense. But you can ask someone to say qhoma, qala and qoqa moqoqo so you can hear the difference."

User @SOUNDMIND🌹(MJ) shared:

"Welcome to the family ( o amoheleile mona lapeng)."

User @Naleli | Made in 🇱🇸

"You’re doing really great so far!!! Keep going!"

Watch the TikTok video below:

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Source: Briefly News