It’s been 26 years that Charlize Theron has been in the US, but she has not forgotten her roots — or her mother tongue. The Gringo actress grew up speaking Afrikaans which is one of the 11 official languages of South Africa.
Despite moving to the States at the age of 17, Charlize and her mother, Gerda, converse in the language (which is a combination of Dutch, Flemish, English, and German) every day.
And, usually, they get away with it.
The Oscar-winning actress revealed on The Late Late Show with James Corden that she and her mom often converse in Afrikaans whilst in public so that they can speak about those around them without others understanding.
“We took a flight to New York — it wasn’t like we were in Africa or anywhere close — and this guy was very rude, he kinda like pushed while we were trying to get our luggage at the edge of the carousel. So my mom and I were just ripping into him, thinking he couldn’t understand a word, and he just turned around, looked at us, and was like, ‘Ek kan alles hoor wat julle sê, hoor,’ [I can understand everything that you are saying], and we had no comeback.”
How does one say, “Oh snap,” in Afrikaans?
