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A dialoog (dialogue) is a conversation between two or more people, written like a short play script. It shows that you can make characters talk the way real people talk, in the right tone for who they are. The layout is simple, so get it right and the format marks are yours.
The format
Dialogue formats vary a little from school to school (some teachers want names in capitals, others in bold), so always follow what your teacher and your exam paper ask for. This is the layout most learners use.
A title and the setting
Start with a short title that says what the conversation is about: Uitstel vir die projek.
Under it, set the scene in one or two sentences, in brackets or italics. Say who is talking, where they are and what is going on. Some teachers call this the agtergrond (background).
(Dit is pouse. Lerato klop aan die deur van mnr. Fourie se klaskamer.)
Name, colon, words
Write each speaker’s name on the left, followed by a colon, then exactly what they say. That’s it: no quotation marks, and no sê hy (he says) or vra sy (she asks). The name already tells the reader who is talking.
| Story style (wrong here) | Dialogue style (right) |
|---|---|
| “Waar is my foon?” vra Kyle. | Kyle: Waar is my foon? |
| “Ek weet nie,” sê Anri. | Anri: Ek weet nie. |
Stage directions in brackets
Toneelaanwysings (stage directions) tell the reader how a character speaks or what they do. Put them in brackets, usually straight after the name, and keep them to a word or two:
(lag) laughs · (kwaai) angrily · (fluister) whispers · (skud sy kop) shakes his head · (senuweeagtig) nervously
Ma: (kwaai) Waar was jy tot so laat?
Use them where they add something. Two or three good ones in a short dialogue are plenty.
A new line for every turn
Every time the speaker changes, start a new line with the new name. Never put two speakers on the same line.
A beginning, a middle and an ending
A dialogue is a mini-story, so it needs a shape:
- Beginning: the characters greet each other or the topic comes up.
- Middle: the problem, the argument or the discussion.
- Ending: it’s solved, someone gives in, or they agree to disagree. Don’t just stop mid-argument.
Writing it well
Match the register to the characters
Register means how formal or casual the language is. Ask yourself who is talking to whom.
- Two friends use jy and jou, short sentences, and a bit of everyday language like sjoe or nee wat.
- A learner talking to a teacher or principal is polite: Meneer or Mevrou, asseblief, and u instead of jy. In Afrikaans you can also use the title in place of “you”: Kan Meneer my help?
| Two friends | Learner and principal |
|---|---|
| Hey, het jy ’n oomblik? | Verskoon my, Meneer. Het u ’n oomblik? |
| Kan ek jou laaier leen? | Mag ek asseblief u telefoon gebruik? |
| Nee wat, dis nie my skuld nie! | Ek is jammer, Mevrou, maar dit was nie my skuld nie. |
Keep turns short and natural
People don’t talk in paragraphs. Most turns should be one to three sentences. But don’t go the other way either: a dialogue full of Ja. / Okay. / Cool. shows the marker nothing.
Make every line move the conversation forward
Each turn should add something: new information, a reason, a feeling, a decision. If you can delete a line and nothing is lost, delete it.
Wenk!
Read your dialogue aloud, or in your head in each character’s voice. If a line sounds like a textbook and not like a person, rewrite it. If you can’t tell who is speaking without looking at the name, give that character a clearer voice.
Example dialogue
Here a learner asks a teacher for more time. Notice the polite register, the short turns and how it ends with a decision.
Uitstel vir die projek
(Dit is pouse. Lerato klop aan die deur van mnr. Fourie se klaskamer.)
Lerato: (klop saggies) Verskoon tog, Meneer. Het Meneer ’n oomblik?
Mnr. Fourie: Ja, kom binne, Lerato. Wat kan ek vir jou doen?
Lerato: (senuweeagtig) Dit gaan oor die geskiedenisprojek, Meneer. Ek is bang ek gaan dit nie Vrydag klaarkry nie.
Mnr. Fourie: (frons) Vrydag is die sperdatum vir die hele klas. Wat is die probleem?
Lerato: My ouma was verlede week in die hospitaal, en ek moes elke middag na my boetie kyk. Ek het amper niks aan die projek gedoen nie.
Mnr. Fourie: (sagter) Dit spyt my om te hoor. Hoe gaan dit nou met haar?
Lerato: Baie beter, dankie. Sy het gister huis toe gegaan.
Mnr. Fourie: Dit is goeie nuus. Hoeveel ekstra tyd het jy nodig?
Lerato: Sal Maandag moontlik wees, Meneer? Ek belowe ek sal die hele naweek daaraan werk.
Mnr. Fourie: (dink ’n oomblik na) Goed, jy kan dit Maandagoggend inhandig. Maar bring vir my ’n briefie van jou ma.
Lerato: (glimlag breed) Baie dankie, Meneer! Ek sal dit beslis doen.
Mnr. Fourie: Plesier. En sê vir jou ouma ek hoop sy word gou beter.
Common mistakes
Wrong: “Hallo,” sê Sipho.
Right: Sipho: Hallo.
No quotation marks in a dialogue. The name and colon do the job.
Wrong: Thandi: Ek is honger, sê sy.
Right: Thandi: Ek is honger.
Leave out sê hy and sê sy. We already know who is speaking.
Wrong: Jaco: Ja. / Mia: Okay. / Jaco: Cool.
Right: Jaco: Ja, ek kom saam, maar ek moet eers my ma vra.
One-word turns don’t move the conversation forward. Give each turn some content.
Wrong: Leerder: Hey Meneer, kan ek maar later inhandig?
Right: Leerder: Verskoon my, Meneer. Kan ek dit asseblief Maandag inhandig?
Wrong register. A learner speaks politely to a teacher: no hey, and add asseblief.
Wrong: Pa: Waar was jy?!
Right: Pa: (kwaai) Waar was jy?
Show feelings with a stage direction in brackets, not with extra punctuation.
Practice
Answer each question, then check your answer.
- Do you use quotation marks in a dialogue?
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No. Write the speaker’s name, a colon, and then the words.
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Where do you put stage directions, and how do you write them?
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In brackets, usually straight after the speaker’s name, e.g. Ma: (kwaai) Waar was jy?
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- What is the Afrikaans word for stage directions?
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toneelaanwysings
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Name the three parts every dialogue needs.
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A beginning, a problem or discussion, and an ending.
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Skryf oor in die regte register (’n leerder praat met die hoof, mnr. Dlamini): Hey, kan jy my help?
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Verskoon my, Meneer. Kan u my asseblief help? (Kan Meneer my asseblief help? is ook reg.)
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Skryf oor in die regte register (’n leerder praat met die hoof): Ek wil jou iets vra, ou.
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Meneer, mag ek u asseblief iets vra?
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Skryf oor in die regte register (twee vriende praat met mekaar): Goeiemôre. Mag ek u pen leen?
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Hallo! Kan ek jou pen leen?
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Skryf as ’n dialoogreël: Sarah sê dat sy moeg is.
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Sarah: Ek is moeg.
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Skryf as ’n dialoogreël: Pa vra of Jan sy huiswerk gedoen het.
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Pa: Jan, het jy jou huiswerk gedoen?
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Skryf as ’n dialoogreël met ’n toneelaanwysing: Ma sê kwaai dat Thabo sy kamer moet skoonmaak.
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Ma: (kwaai) Thabo, maak jou kamer skoon!
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
Klaar! Lekker gewerk.
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