hou (van) — to hold/keep/like | Afrikaans Grammar

hou is a small verb hiding a big swing in meaning. On its own it means to hold or to keep — hou my hand (hold my hand), hou die wisselgeld (keep the change). But attach the preposition van and it becomes the everyday word for to like: Ek hou van koffie — "I like coffee." The preposition isn't decoration; it is what makes the "like" meaning. Leave van out and you are no longer saying you like coffee — you are saying something closer to "I'm holding coffee." This page covers the forms of hou and the all-important hou van pattern. (For the full toolkit of expressing likes, loves and preferences, see likes and dislikes.)

Core forms

hou is regular. One present form, perfect het gehou, future sal hou, imperative Hou! The participle gehou is the same whether the meaning is "held/kept" or "liked" — the preposition van, not the verb form, carries the difference.

Form	Afrikaans	English
Infinitive	hou	to hold / keep
Present (all persons)	ek / jy / hy / ons / hulle hou	I / you / he / we / they hold
Perfect	het gehou	held / kept (or: liked)
Future	sal hou	will hold / keep
Imperative	Hou!	Hold! / Keep!

Hou my koffie vas terwyl ek my jas aantrek.

Hold my coffee while I put on my jacket.

Hou maar die wisselgeld.

Keep the change.

Sy het haar belofte gehou.

She kept her promise.

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One present form covers every subject: ek hou, jy hou, hy hou, ons hou, hulle hou. The verb never changes for person — only the surrounding words (especially van) change the meaning.

hou = hold / keep (no preposition)

Without a preposition, hou spans the same ground as English hold and keep: gripping something physically, keeping or retaining a thing, keeping a promise or an appointment, even keeping animals. Context tells you which English word fits, but the Afrikaans verb is the one hou throughout.

Hou die deur oop, my hande is vol.

Hold the door open, my hands are full.

Ons hou hoenders en 'n paar bokke op die plaas.

We keep chickens and a few goats on the farm.

Hou hierdie kaartjie — jy het dit by die uitgang nodig.

Keep this ticket — you'll need it at the exit.

hou van = to like (the preposition is obligatory)

This is the meaning you will use most, and the rule is absolute: to say you like something, you must say hou van. The thing you like is the object of van. Ek hou van... is the frame; just drop in what you like.

Ek hou van koffie, veral in die oggend.

I like coffee, especially in the morning.

Hou jy van die nuwe liedjie?

Do you like the new song?

My ma hou nie van katte nie, sy verkies honde.

My mum doesn't like cats, she prefers dogs.

You can also like doing something, with hou van om ... te + verb ("like to..."):

Ek hou daarvan om vroeg op te staan en te stap.

I like getting up early and going for a walk.

Notice the daarvan there: when van's object is a whole clause rather than a single noun, Afrikaans often anchors it with daar- (hou daarvan om...). For a single noun you stay with plain van: hou van koffie.

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Think of hou van as one inseparable two-part word, like English "look at" or "listen to" — verbs that feel naked without their preposition. Ek hou koffie is as wrong to an Afrikaans ear as "I listen music" is to an English one. The fix is the same: put the little word back.

How strong is hou van? Mind the gap with "love"

hou van is a calm, everyday like — warm but not gushing. For stronger feeling, Afrikaans has is lief vir (to be fond of / love, used for people) and the intense is mal oor / is gek oor (to be crazy about). And note a quiet trap: lief hê / liefhê is "to love," but the romantic "I love you" is Ek het jou lief — not hou. So hou van stays in the friendly middle of the scale; don't stretch it to carry "love."

Ek hou van my werk, maar ek is mal oor my gesin.

I like my job, but I'm crazy about my family.

Sy hou van hom as vriend, maar sy is nie lief vir hom nie.

She likes him as a friend, but she isn't in love with him.

hou van + verb vs graag: two ways to say you like doing something

Here English speakers often overuse hou van om ... te. Afrikaans very often prefers the adverb graag ("gladly / with pleasure") to say you like doing an activity — it is lighter and more idiomatic. Ek stap graag ("I like walking") is more natural than spelling it out as Ek hou daarvan om te stap, though both are correct.

Ek lees graag voor ek gaan slaap.

I like reading before I go to sleep.

Hy kook graag oor naweke.

He likes cooking on weekends.

So reach for hou van + noun to like a thing, and let graag carry "like to do" wherever it fits. The full contrast — including liewer ("rather / prefer to") — is on graag, liewer.

Common mistakes

❌ Ek hou koffie.

Wrong — without van, this isn't 'I like coffee'. You must say hou van.

✅ Ek hou van koffie.

I like coffee.

❌ Hou jy die nuwe liedjie?

Wrong — 'do you like...?' needs van: Hou jy van...?

✅ Hou jy van die nuwe liedjie?

Do you like the new song?

❌ Ek hou van stap elke dag.

Unidiomatic — to like an activity, prefer graag (or hou daarvan om te stap).

✅ Ek stap graag elke dag.

I like to walk every day.

❌ Ek hou van jou. (meaning: I love you romantically)

Too weak — this only says 'I like you'. Romantic love is Ek het jou lief.

✅ Ek het jou lief.

I love you.

Key takeaways

hou alone = hold / keep; forms are regular (perfect het gehou, future sal hou).
hou van = to like, and the van is obligatory — Ek hou van koffie, never Ek hou koffie.
Use daarvan om ... te when liking a whole activity expressed as a clause (hou daarvan om te stap).
For "like to do", graag is usually more idiomatic than hou van + om te; see graag, liewer.
hou van is a mild "like" — for love use lief hê / is lief vir, not hou. More in likes and dislikes and on verbs with prepositions.

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