Igbo phrasebook

Pronunciation guide

Igbo is a tonal language with a high, mid, and low range, in addition there are rising and falling tones. Accents are used to indicate the high and low tones; an acute accent such as 'ó' is used for high tones, and a grave accent such as 'è' is used for a low tone. There are further accents that indicate nasal or backed vowels. The lower dotted accent such as 'ọ' combined with a grave accent ('ọ̀') is used to indicate a low backed vowel, and an upper dotted accent such as 'ė' or a lower dotted accent with an acute accent ('ọ́') is used for a high backed vowel. The trema (¨) such as 'ö' or a simple dot underneath is used for a mid backed vowel. Other diacritics include the caron (ˇ) for rising tones, the circumflex (ˆ) for falling tones, and the macron (¯) for down-steps or long vowels.

Vowels Vowels in Igbo are very similar to those in English when there is little tone stress on them. Most of the times vowels in Igbo are written with accents indicating this tone.

Consonants Consonants do not have a tone in Igbo apart from 'n' and 'm', which are the only letters that can be written with accent marks.

Common diphthongs

Grammar

Igbo is considered an agglutinative language. A number of affixed phonemes denote the tense of a verb in addition to the other modifications of a verb root; an example using òjéḿbà, "traveller", can be split into the morphemes: ò, pronoun for animate and inanimate objects or "he, she", jé verb meaning "travel, walk, embark", ḿbà "town, city, country, foreign lands, abroad" resulting in "he/she/it-go[es]-abroad". Nouns in Igbo have no grammatical number and there are no gendered pronouns or objects. Igbo grammar generally maintains a subject–verb–object clause order; mádụ̀ àbụ́ghị̀ chúkwú, "human[s]-[it]is[not]-God", "man is not God". Adjectives in Igbo are post-modifiers, although there are very few Igbo adjectives in the closed class; many so called "adjectives" in Igbo are considered nouns, especially when the word is a pre-modifier like im ágádí nwóké transliterated as "elderly man". Igbo features vowel harmony between two vowels and commonly features vowel assimilation where a preceding vowel influences the articulation (or the elision with /a/) of the next such as in ǹk'â, "this one", analysed as ǹkè "of" and â "this". Igbo syllable shapes are CV (consonant, vowel) which is the most common, V, and N which are syllabic nasals, there are also semi vowels like /CjV/ in the word bìá (/bjá/) "come" and /CwV/ in gwú /ɡʷú/ "swim". Igbo dialects are roughly split into a Northern Igbo (NI) and Southern Igbo (SI) class which is defined by the area in southeastern Nigeria where Igbo is spoken. Further classification can split the Northern Igbo dialect into an Inland Western Igbo dialect (areas around Onitsha and Awka), a Northeastern Igbo dialect (around Abakaliki) and a Western Igbo or Niger Igbo dialect (Asaba to Agbor); the Southern Igbo dialect can be split between a South Central or Inland East Igbo dialect (around Owerri and Aba), an Eastern or Cross River Igbo dialect (around Arochukwu and Afikpo), and a Riverine or Niger Delta Igbo dialect (around Bonny Island and Port Harcourt). In reality there are dozens of Igbo dialects all with their own subtleties and the farther one dialect group is from the other, the less they'll probably be able to understand each ot

Phrase list

Basics

Hello. (informal) Kèdú. (keh-DO): Keekwanu (Kay -kwa-nu) Hello. (casual) Nice to meet you. Ndêwó.(n-DAY-WOH) Good morning. Ututu Ọma . (oo-TUH-tuh AW-MAH) Ị̀ saala chi (ee-SAH-LAH-chi) Good evening. Mgbede Ọma . (MM-GBAEDAY AW-MAH) : ndeewo (n-DAY-wo) Good night Kà chí foo (ka CHI FO-OW): Abalï öma (AH-bah-lee-AW-MAH) Good night (A response to good night) Kà ọ bọọ (kah-AW-baw-AW) Ok Ọ dị mma (AW-deem-MAH) Bye / see you later Ka ọ dị (Kah-AW dEE) And na (nah) Or Maọbụ (maw-buh) This Nke a (mm-KAY-ah) I Mụ (muu) Wait Chère (Chay-rAY) Wait for me Chère m (Chay-RAY m) Wait for him/her Chère ya (Chay-RAY YAH) Wait for us Chère anyị (Chay-RAY AH-nyi) Stay Nọ̀rọ́ (naw-RAW) Wait a bit Chetụ/Chetụ obere (chay-TUH/chay-TU-OH-BAY-rAY) I don't understand. À ghọ́tàghì m.(ah GAW-tah-gim) I understand Ághọ̀tàrà m (AH-haw-Tar-ram) Come bịa(BEE-yah) Come close bịa nsō (BEE-yah nn-so) I am coming Ana m abịa (AH-nah-m AH-be-ah) Come inside Bata ime (bah-TAH-EE-mAY): Bàtá (bah-TAH) Come home lọta (law-TAH) Come close nọ́kètá(NAW-kay-TAH) Start coming home Lọtawa (Law-TAH-WAH): yọámá (yaw-AH-MAH) Eat Rie (ree-AY) : ria (ree-AH) Start or continue eating rīwé (ree-WAY) : rīmá (ree-MAH): rīídé (rEE-DAY) Go gaa (gah-AH) Start going Gawa (gah-WAH): Jema (jay-MAH): Jewe(jay-WAY) Continue going Na-aga (NAH-ah-GAH): Jeede (jay-AY-DAY) Draw Sèé (say-AY) Will Ga (gah) I will come A ga m abịa (AH-gah-m-ab-IYA) Enter bàta (bah-tar) Start entering Batawa (bah-TAH-WAH): bàámá (bah-AH-MAH) Gather gbákọ̀ọ (gba-kaw-AW) Gathering ọ́gbakọ̀ (AWG-BA-kaw) Start gathering Gbákọ̀wá (GBA-kaw-WAH): gbákọ̀má (GBA-kaw-MAH) Welcome Nnộọ (n-NOR): Deeje (day-JAY): Kaa (Kah): Leekwaa ( lay-AY-kwaa): jọọkwa (jaw-AW-KWA) Sit down Nọdụ àlà (naw-DOO-ah-lah): Nọrọ ọ́dụ̀ (naw-RAW-AW-do): Tukwuru (TWO-kwu-RU) Stand (up) Gùzó/Gùzóró (gu-ZOH/gu-ZO-ROH): kwụ̀rụ́ ọtọ (kwu-RUH-AW-TAW) Please Bīkó. (BEE-KOE) Thank you Dālụ́/Imeelá. (DAA-LUh/EE-MAY-LAH) You're welcome. Ǹdêwó or nnọọ (n-DAY-WOH or nn-NAW-aw) Yes Éeyi, Ëhh (ey, AEH) No Ḿbà . (MM-bah) : kpà (KPAH-ah): olo! (oh-OH-loh): ọ̀dị́ghị̀ (aw-DEEG-hee) Excuse me (getting attention) Biko, chètú (BEE-koe, chay-TWO) Excuse me. (begging pardon) Bik

Learning more

Learn Igbo on Mofeko — Learn Igbo on the African language website Mofeko. Igbo Guide — Insight into Igbo Culture, Igbo Language and Enugu. Igbo Focus — A collection of simple Igbo words and phrases. Mkpuruokwu Igbo: The Igbo Dictionary — Online English-Igbo-English dictionary with over 5000 English-Igbo-English translations.