SA Words To Impress Your Friends With

It's been 5 months (!!) since I first touched down on South African soil. Whew.

And as much as I've wrestled with the seemingly endless language and vocab differences here, after 150 days I can honestly say that three magic words have worked their way into my daily, go-to bag of favorite words.

Without further ado...

1. Sis = Gross

Example: 

"Last night I came home from the bar and threw up all over my bedsheets" 

"Sis, man!" 

After 23 years of using "ew" or "gross" to express disgust, "sis" has been a nice change of pace. 

The "s" sounds are so satisfying to spit out. 

2. Hectic = Crazy; Intense; Cool

Examples:

"That beach party was hectic!"

"That final Math exam was hectic" 

"The new Radiohead CD is hectic"

Most fun slang words are variants on 'cool' (clutch, kiff, sweet, etc), so it's neat to have a fresh approach to it in that 'hectic' can both describe things that are cool as well as those that aren't. Such as Math exams. 

3. Mission = Difficult

Example:

"Organizing my trip to Denmark has been such a mission"

"It was a mission to get through traffic this morning"

I suppose North Americans would rather say 'pain in the butt' or 'difficult' instead... but 'mission' conveys the gist of whatever struggle you are describing so much more effectively. 

And the best for last:

4. Shame = Pity; Sadness; Mockery; Empathy...

Examples:

"My dog died last night". "Shame". 

"Look! It's an albino person!". "Shame".

"My boyfriend forgot my birthday". "Shame". 

"I am 48 years old and have never had a serious girlfriend". "Shame". 

"I forgot my car keys at WalMart." "Shame". 

"That man has no legs!". "Shame". 

It is quite possibly the most useful, adaptable word in all of SA slang. You can seriously use it in all slightly-negative situations. It's a good word to say when you can't think of anything else to spit out. 

You just have to be careful of the pity 'shame'. I get it all the time.

"Oh, you're a redhead... shame.". 

"You can't follow basic South African-accented conversations when inebriated?? Shame." 

"Wow you just told the waiter you wanted a coffee and he confirmed 'strawberry milkshake' back to you... shame". 

Throw a few of these words into your day and let me know what reactions you get. Which ones do you like best?  

Any honestly, don't they just feel good to say??*

*Full Disclosure: Yes, I am an English Hons student and I have an unnaturally intense affinity for words.