prakties

Prakties is a term that appears in Afrikaans and is used to express ideas related to practicality and real-world application. In Afrikaans, prakties can function as an adverb meaning practically or almost, and in its related adjective form praktiese it denotes something that is practical. The word reflects the broader Afrikaans tendency to form adjectives and adverbs from the root prakt- with endings that modify meaning.

Etymology and relation to other languages

Prakties derives from the Dutch adjective praktisch, which has the same root and meaning. Afrikaans has absorbed and adapted many Dutch loanwords, resulting in a term that is commonly used in everyday speech as well as in more formal or technical contexts. The word’s presence in texts often signals a focus on applied rather than purely theoretical concerns.

Usage and examples

In typical usage, prakties helps distinguish practical considerations from theoretical ones, such as in discussions about an approach that prioritizes feasibility, usability, or real-world impact. The related form praktiese is used to describe something that is practical, as in practical experience or a practical method. In bilingual or multilingual discussions, prakties is usually translated into English as practically or practical, depending on its syntactic function in a sentence.

See also

Practical, Practice, Afrikaans language, Dutch loanwords in Afrikaans.