To sign 'afford,' start by holding your non-dominant hand open and flat in front of you, with the palm facing sideways and fingers pointing up. Form a '1' handshape with your dominant hand by extending only your index finger. Tap the tip of your dominant index finger against the center of your non-dominant palm.
Sign 'can't' followed by 'afford', then sign 'car'. Make sure to shake your head slightly to emphasize the negative meaning of not having enough money.
Raise your eyebrows to indicate a yes/no question while signing 'you', 'afford', and 'ticket'. Keep your eye contact steady with the person you are asking.
Sign 'save', 'now', 'afford', and 'house'. Use a bright, positive facial expression and nod to show your excitement about finally reaching your financial goal.
Sign 'can't' followed by 'afford', then sign 'car'. Make sure to shake your head slightly to emphasize the negative meaning of not having enough money.
Raise your eyebrows to indicate a yes/no question while signing 'you', 'afford', and 'ticket'. Keep your eye contact steady with the person you are asking.
Sign 'save', 'now', 'afford', and 'house'. Use a bright, positive facial expression and nod to show your excitement about finally reaching your financial goal.
Yes, 'afford', 'owe', and 'debt' use the exact same sign! You rely on the context of your sentence and your facial expressions to make it clear which financial concept you are talking about.
To say you can't afford something, you simply sign 'can't' immediately before signing 'afford'. You should also shake your head while signing to naturally emphasize the negative statement.
It can be signed with a single firm tap or a quick double tap. Both variations are correct and widely understood, though a double tap is very common in everyday conversational pacing.
