Once you know the basic Afrikaans command — the bare verb stem with no subject — the natural next question is: how does it change when you address a group, or when you want to be polite, or when you want to include yourself? The honest and slightly surprising answer is that the form barely changes at all. Afrikaans does not build a separate plural command; it adds politeness with a pronoun or a small softening particle; and "let's" is a fixed two-word phrase. This page is about those three variants — number, politeness, and inclusivity — and the social signals each one sends. For telling a group not to do something, see negative commands; for a wider view of giving instructions in real situations, commands and instructions.
There is no plural command form — and that's the rule
English speakers coming from German, Spanish, or French instinctively hunt for a "you-plural" imperative ending. In Afrikaans there is nothing to find. The bare stem that commands one person commands a hundred. Kom in! at your front door is the same Kom in! you call to a whole delegation waiting on the steps.
Kom in!
Come in! (said to one guest — or to a roomful of them)
Maak almal nou stil.
Everyone be quiet now.
Volg my, asseblief.
Follow me, please. (to one person or to a tour group)
If you genuinely need to make the plural addressee explicit — say, to single out the group from a single bystander — you do it lexically, with a word like almal (everyone) or julle twee (you two), not by changing the verb. The verb itself stays the plain stem.
Luister, almal — die trein vertrek oor vyf minute.
Listen, everyone — the train leaves in five minutes.
The polite u-imperative
Afrikaans has a formal "you," u, used for elders, strangers, customers, and anyone you would address respectfully (the equivalent of keeping your distance with Sir / Ma'am). In a command, u does something unusual: unlike the informal jy, which is dropped, the polite u is kept and placed right after the verb. The effect is to lift a blunt order into a courteous invitation.
| Register | Afrikaans | English |
|---|---|---|
| Informal (bare stem) | Kom binne. | Come in. |
| Polite (u kept) | Kom u binne. | Do come in. / Please come in. |
| Informal | Sit gerus. | Have a seat. |
| Polite | Sit u gerus. | Please have a seat. |
Kom u gerus binne.
Do come in. (formal, welcoming)
Maak u tuis.
Make yourself at home. (formal)
Neem u plaas, asseblief.
Please take a seat. (formal)
Notice the word order: verb + u + the rest. The polite pronoun slots in immediately after the verb, exactly where you'd expect a subject to sit in a question. That is no accident — this construction borrows the inverted, question-like shape to sound gentler, much as English softens with Do come in or Won't you sit down.
maar and gerus — the softening particles
Two little words turn a polite command into a genuinely warm, reassuring one: maar and gerus. Neither has a tidy English translation; both signal go ahead, feel free, no need to hesitate. They are the verbal equivalent of a hand gesture inviting someone forward.
- maar — "just / go ahead" — gives permission and removes hesitation: Kom maar (Just come along / Come on in).
- gerus — "feel free / by all means" — actively reassures the listener: Vra gerus (Do feel free to ask).
Kom maar nader — die hond byt nie.
Come on closer — the dog doesn't bite.
Vra gerus as jy iets nie verstaan nie.
Do feel free to ask if there's anything you don't understand.
Sit maar solank; ek kom nou-nou.
Have a seat in the meantime; I'll be there shortly.
Bel my gerus enige tyd.
Do call me any time.
These particles stack happily with the polite u and with asseblief, and the more you layer, the warmer and more deferential the command becomes: Kom u gerus binne is about as gracious as an invitation to enter gets.
Inclusive "let's" — kom ons vs laat ons
The inclusive command pulls the speaker into the action: not "you do it" but "let's do it together." Afrikaans builds this with kom ons or laat ons plus the plain verb. Both mean let's, but they are not stylistically equal.
kom ons — literally "come we" — is the natural, everyday, spoken choice. It is what you will hear in the kitchen, the meeting room, the car. It is by a wide margin the more frequent of the two in ordinary speech.
Kom ons begin — ons is laat.
Let's get started — we're running late.
Kom ons gaan eet iewers.
Let's go eat somewhere.
Kom ons kyk eers wat sê die dokter.
Let's first see what the doctor says.
laat ons — literally "let us" — is a register up: more formal, more deliberate, and the standard form in prayer, ceremony, and elevated prose. In religious and ceremonial Afrikaans it is the fixed choice.
Laat ons bid.
Let us pray. (liturgical / formal)
Laat ons 'n oomblik stil wees ter nagedagtenis.
Let us be silent for a moment in remembrance. (formal)
So the rule of thumb is simple: in conversation reach for kom ons; in a sermon, a speech, or a piece of formal writing, laat ons fits the register better. The meaning is identical — only the temperature differs.
Kom ons hou dit eenvoudig.
Let's keep it simple.
Common mistakes
❌ Komt julle in!
Incorrect — there is no plural -t imperative ending in Afrikaans (that's Dutch); the bare stem serves the plural.
✅ Kom in!
Come in! (works for one or many)
❌ Kom binne u.
Incorrect — the polite u goes right after the verb, not at the end.
✅ Kom u binne.
Do come in. (formal)
❌ U kom binne.
Incorrect as a command — fronting u makes it a statement; the polite imperative inverts to verb + u.
✅ Kom u binne.
Do come in. (formal)
❌ Laats begin.
Incorrect — there is no single-word 'let's'; use the full kom ons or laat ons + verb.
✅ Kom ons begin.
Let's begin.
❌ Laat ons gaan eet iewers gou.
Register mismatch — laat ons sounds stiff for a casual lunch suggestion; use kom ons.
✅ Kom ons gaan gou iewers eet.
Let's quickly go eat somewhere.
Key takeaways
- Afrikaans has no separate plural imperative — the bare stem from the basic imperative addresses one person or a whole group; mark "all of you" with almal if needed.
- The polite u-imperative keeps the pronoun and inverts: verb + u — Kom u binne, Sit u gerus.
- maar (just, go ahead) and gerus (feel free, by all means) soften a command into a warm invitation, and stack with u and asseblief.
- "Let's" is the inclusive kom ons / laat ons
- verb: kom ons for everyday speech, laat ons for prayer, ceremony, and formal prose.
- For the negative of all these, see negative commands with moenie.
Now practice Afrikaans
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Start learning Afrikaans→Related Topics
- The ImperativeA2 — How to give commands in Afrikaans — the bare verb stem with no subject, the inclusive 'let's' with kom ons / laat ons, and softening with asseblief.
- Negative Commands: moenie ... nieA2 — How to tell someone NOT to do something in Afrikaans — the fused prohibition word moenie and its mandatory closing nie.
- Giving Commands and Instructions PolitelyB1 — How to tell someone to do something in Afrikaans across the whole politeness gradient — from a bare imperative to a softened request — including the uniquely warm softener maar.