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Let's take a look at Afrikaans grammar, and see what makes sets it apart from Dutch. For one thing, it's much simpler than Dutch in many ways. Dutch has two definite articles, while Afrikaans only has one. Afrikaans has only one indefinite article as well.

But it is in the treatment of verbs that Afrikaans grammar displays its sublime simplicity. In Afrikaans, verbs don't decline; in the present tense, the same verb ending is used regardless of person. To indicate the future tense, just use the word "sal" (shall) and the verb's infinitive form. Afrikaans also uses fewer tenses than most Germanic languages - another factor which makes Afrikaans easy to learn.

Believe it or not, Afrikaans grammar even has a rule governing the order in which words should be arranged in a sentence. Called the STOMPI rule, it dictates that words should fall in this order: "Subject, First Verb, Time, Object, Manner, Place, Second Verb, Infinitive." Even if your sentence only uses three or four of those components - say, a subject, first verb, time, and infinitive - you'll always know the order in which the components are to appear.

Clearly Afrikaans is more than simplified Dutch - it has many unique features, such as the Afrikaans grammar we've discussed above, that make it a distinct language. But the two languages do share many common elements, which raises the question of whether speakers of one language can understand the other. In general, it's easier for a Dutch person to understand Afrikaans than it is for an Afrikaner to understand Dutch, but it wouldn't take either one long to adapt himself to the other language.

The good news for students of the world's youngest language is that the structure of Afrikaans grammar makes it easy for anyone to learn, regardless of your native tongue. Give it a try - you'll be amazed at how quickly you'll be speaking Afrikaans!

If you are planning to visit South Africa soon, then it will be wise to learn to speak Afrikaans with the highly recommended Byki Afrikaans language course starting now. So don't wait, learn a language like Afrikaans today.