Here is one of the most quietly useful things in Afrikaans, and one English gives you no model for. To say you like doing something or that you'd rather do one thing than another, Afrikaans does not use a verb like "prefer." It uses a single adverb — graag — and bends it up a comparison ladder: graag (gladly) → liewer (rather) → die graagste / die liefste (most of all). Drop the right rung of that ladder next to any verb and you have expressed liking, preference, or your absolute favourite — no extra verb required. Mastering this makes you sound markedly more native.
graag — 'like to / gladly'
graag sits next to a verb and turns "I do X" into "I like doing X." Literally it means "gladly," but the everyday sense is exactly English "I like to..."
Ek drink graag koffie.
I like drinking coffee.
Ek werk graag buite.
I like working outdoors.
Sy lees graag voor sy gaan slaap.
She likes reading before she goes to sleep.
There is no separate verb in any of these — graag alone carries the "like." Word-for-word Ek drink graag koffie is "I drink gladly coffee," but no Afrikaans speaker hears "gladly"; they hear "I like drinking coffee." This is the idiomatic, native way to say you enjoy an activity.
graag vs hou van — the native choice
English speakers (and Dutch speakers) instinctively reach for hou van + something to translate "like." Hou van is real and correct — Ek hou van koffie (I like coffee) — but with an activity, the graag construction is far more idiomatic. Compare:
| Calque (works, but clunky) | Idiomatic Afrikaans |
|---|---|
| Ek hou daarvan om koffie te drink. | Ek drink graag koffie. |
| Ek hou daarvan om te lees. | Ek lees graag. |
Both columns are grammatical, but the right-hand graag version is shorter, more natural, and what a native speaker actually says. Reserve hou van for liking a thing (a noun: Ek hou van tee) and use graag for liking to do something. The hou van construction itself is covered on hou (van).
Ek hou van die berge.
I like the mountains.
Ek stap graag in die berge.
I like hiking in the mountains.
liewer — 'rather / would prefer'
Step up one rung. The comparative of graag is liewer (you'll also see liewers, especially in speech — both are correct). It means "rather" and is exactly how you express a preference between options. Where English says "I'd prefer / I'd rather," Afrikaans says Ek ... liewer ... — again with no verb for "prefer."
Ek drink liewer tee.
I'd rather drink tea.
Ek eet liewer vis as vleis.
I'd rather eat fish than meat.
Kom ons loop liewer — die parkering is 'n nagmerrie.
Let's rather walk — the parking is a nightmare.
That second example shows the full preference frame: liewer ... as ... ("rather X than Y"). The as here is the comparative "than," the same as you meet in irregular comparison.
sou graag — softening to 'would like'
To make graag polite and tentative — English "I would like to" / "I'd love to" — pair it with the conditional sou (and often wil). This is the courteous register for invitations, requests, and wishes.
Sy sou graag wou kom.
She would love to come.
Ek sou graag meer wou weet.
I'd like to know more.
Ons sou graag wou help.
We'd be glad to help.
die graagste / die liefste — the top of the ladder
The superlative — "most of all / like best" — has two forms: die graagste and die liefste (from the related lief, "fond"). Die liefste is the more common in speech. This is how you name your single favourite activity.
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| graag | like to / gladly | Ek swem graag. |
| liewer(s) | rather / prefer | Ek swem liewer in die see. |
| die graagste / die liefste | like best of all | Ek swem die graagste in die see. |
Wat doen jy die graagste?
What do you most like doing?
Van al die sporte speel hy die liefste rugby.
Of all the sports, he likes playing rugby best.
The full three-rung ladder — graag, liewer, die graagste/liefste — is irregular, sitting alongside the other suppletive comparisons like goed/beter/beste on irregular comparison.
Common mistakes
❌ Ek hou van om koffie te drink.
Incorrect/clunky — for an activity, the idiomatic form is graag.
✅ Ek drink graag koffie.
I like drinking coffee.
❌ Ek prefereer tee.
Incorrect — there's no everyday verb 'prefer'; use liewer.
✅ Ek drink liewer tee.
I'd rather drink tea.
❌ Ek graag drink koffie.
Incorrect placement — graag follows the verb, it doesn't sit before it.
✅ Ek drink graag koffie.
I like drinking coffee.
❌ Ek eet meer graag vis as vleis.
Incorrect — the comparative isn't 'meer graag'; it's the suppletive liewer.
✅ Ek eet liewer vis as vleis.
I'd rather eat fish than meat.
❌ Wat doen jy die meeste graag?
Incorrect superlative — use die graagste or die liefste.
✅ Wat doen jy die graagste?
What do you most like doing?
Key takeaways
- graag next to a verb means "like doing" — no separate verb for "like" is needed: Ek lees graag = "I like reading."
- It is more idiomatic than hou van
- infinitive for activities; keep hou van for liking a thing.
- The comparison ladder is suppletive: graag → liewer(s) ('rather/prefer') → die graagste / die liefste ('like best').
- liewer ... as ... = "rather X than Y"; sou graag (wou) = a polite "would like to."
- For the parallel irregular ladders see irregular comparison; for hou van see hou (van) and likes and dislikes.
Now practice Afrikaans
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Start learning Afrikaans→Related Topics
- Irregular Comparison: goed, sleg, baie, minB1 — The suppletive comparatives and superlatives of the most common adjectives and adverbs — goed→beter→beste, baie→meer→meeste, min→minder→minste, na→nader→naaste — plus liewer/liefste, the idiomatic way to say 'rather' and 'prefer'.
- Verbs with Fixed Prepositions (Reference)B1 — A frequency-ordered reference of Afrikaans verbs that govern a fixed, unpredictable preposition — wag vir, dink aan, hou van — that must be learned as a unit.
- Talking About Likes and DislikesA2 — How to say what you like, love and can't stand in Afrikaans — hou van, graag, lus wees vir, gaande/mal wees oor, and the negative hou nie van ... nie.
- Adverbs of Degree: baie, te, so, redelik, gladA2 — How to dial intensity up or down in Afrikaans — baie (very/much), te (too), so (so), redelik/taamlik (fairly), heeltemal (completely), genoeg (enough), and the negative glad nie / hoegenaamd nie.
- hou (van) — to hold/keep/likeA2 — hou means 'hold' or 'keep' on its own — but add the preposition van and it means 'to like'. The little word van flips the whole meaning, and dropping it is the classic beginner error.