Looking for practical Afrikaans to Lingala phrases? This free guide lists 100 essential sentences for travel, study, work, and everyday conversation. Each line shows the Afrikaans phrase first, then the Lingala translation (Lingala) — so you can scan quickly before a trip, class, or video call.
The phrases are grouped into eight topics: greetings and pleasantries, useful phrases for travellers, everyday conversation, directions and getting around, shopping and dining, emergencies and health, work and business, and time, days and numbers. Use the table of contents to jump straight to greetings, directions, dining, emergencies, or numbers. You do not need perfect grammar to start — short, clear sentences often work better than silence when you are learning Lingala.
Tip: when a Lingala phrase looks unfamiliar, compare it with the Afrikaans wording — noticing word order differences helps you understand grammar naturally.
Bookmark this page for offline review, share it with a travel buddy, or open the Afrikaans to Lingala translator to paste your own messages and get an instant translation.
Greetings and pleasantries
Hello, goodbye, please, thank you, and polite introductions for meeting new people.
Hallo
Mbote
Dankie
Melesi
Goeie more
Mbote na ntango ya mokolo
Goeie middag
Mbote na ntango ya midi
Goeie naand
Mbote na ntango ya soir
Goeie nag
Malamu na butu
Sien jou later
Tala yo nsima
Totsiens
Kende malamu
Wat is jou naam?
Nkombo na yo nani?
My naam is John
Nkombo na ngai ezali John
Hoe gaan dit?
Ozalaki malamu?
Lekker om jou te ontmoet
Nayoki malamu na yo
Useful phrases for travellers
Airport, hotel, tickets, and transport phrases for getting around on a trip.
Praat jy Engels?
Ozali koloba lingala?(ozali koloba lingala)
Ek praat nie goed Hindi nie.
Nasalaka hindi malamu te(nasalaka hindi malamu te)