GREETING CONVERSATIONS IN YORUBA
By the end of this lesson you should:
Know how to greet people in Yoruba language
Know the Yoruba verbs
Know the use of Yoruba
negation ‘kò’
Know the Yoruba pronouns
Be able to use Yoruba
interrogatives ‘Kíni? ’ and
‘Ṣé ? ‘
Àwọn ọ̀rọ̀ (Vocabulary)
Nouns
|
|
àgbàdo
|
corn
|
aṣọ
|
clothing
|
bàbá
|
father
|
bọ́ọ̀lù
|
ball
|
eré
|
play
|
ẹmu
|
palm wine
|
ẹyin
|
egg
|
Ìbàdàn
|
A city in
Nigeria
|
ilé
|
house
|
ìrẹsì
|
rice
|
kóòkì
|
Coke
|
mọ́ín mọ́ín
|
Beans Cake
|
ọ̀gbẹ́ni
|
Mr.
|
olùkọ́
|
teacher
|
ọmọ
|
child
|
orúkọ
|
name
|
Owó
|
money
|
ọbẹ̀
|
stew
|
ọjọ́
|
Day
|
ìbí
|
Birth
|
àbúrò
|
Younger
one
|
órẹ̀
|
Friend
|
YORUBA PRONOUNS
In Yoruba Language, Pronouns are either expressed as a
Subject or as an Object
There are two types of subject pronouns in Yoruba:
emphatic and regular.
Pers.
|
Subj.
Pronoun(Emphatic)
|
Subj.
Pronoun(Regular)
|
Pronouns
(Objects)
|
|||||||||
Singular
|
Plural
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
|||||||
1st
:
|
Èmi
|
I
|
Àwa
|
we
|
Mo
|
I
|
A
|
We
|
mi
|
me
|
wa
|
we
|
2nd
:
|
Ìwọ
|
You
|
Ẹ̀yin
|
You
|
O
|
You
|
Ẹ
|
You
|
ẹ/ ọ
|
you
|
yin
|
you
|
3rd
:
|
Òun
|
She/he
|
Àwọn
|
They
|
Ó
|
They
|
Wọ́n
|
They
|
-
|
wọn
|
they
|
|
Note that the vowels in the 3rd Person
singular and 3rd Person plural take a high tone.
Note that in each of the emphatic pronouns, the first
vowel is marked with a low tone.
Yoruba, however, has a second set of pronouns referred to
as the emphatic pronouns:
Emphatic and regular pronouns can be used interchangeably
in many situations, though not in all situations. For example, the following
are used interchangeably when using the progressive marker ń (-ing):
Èmi ń lọ / Mò ń lọ → I am going
Àwa ń jẹun/À ń jẹun → We are
eating
Ẹ̀yin ń sùn / Ẹ̀ ń sùn → You (pl.)
are sleeping
Òun ń ṣeré/Ó ń ṣeré → She/he/it is
playing
The expressions in column A below are grammatically
correct, while the expressions in column B are incorrect:
Correct
|
Incorrect
|
|
Èmi ńkọ́?
|
How about me?
|
Mo ńkọ́
|
Ìwọ
tàbí èmi
|
You or I
|
O tàbí ìwọ
|
Àwọn
àti ẹ̀yin
|
They and you (pl.)
|
Wọ́n àti ẹ̀yin
|
Noun Phrases
|
|
aagoo yín
|
your
clock/watch
|
a dúpẹ́
|
thank you
|
aṣọ ẹ
|
your
clothes
|
bàbáa
Fúnmi
|
Fúnmi’s
father
|
iléè rẹ̀
|
his/her
house
|
ìwéè mi
|
my book
|
O ṣé
|
thank you
|
ó tì
|
No
|
owóo wọn
|
their
money
|
ọ jọ́
ìbí
|
Birthday
|
ọkọ̀ọ wa
|
our
vehicle
|
THE HONOURIFIC PRONOUN [ẹ]
Respect for elders is highly appreciated and strongly
encouraged in Yoruba culture. In fact, it is an integral part of the culture.
As a result, when you greet an elderly person, you use the regular pronoun of
respect ‘ẹ’ followed
by the greeting:
ẹ káàbọ̀:
|
A greeting
to welcome someone older than you
|
ẹ kúulé:
|
A response
to ‘ẹkáàbọ̀’. It is said to someone (older than you) that one
finds at home when one returns home.
|
THE HONOURIFIC PRONOUN IN YORUBA [wọ́n]
Wọ́n is another regular pronoun of respect in Yorùba. For
example, when you are asked how your mother or father is doing, you respond ‘wọ́n wà’ (he/she is doing fine), even though wọ́n is a 3rd person plural subject pronoun.
A: Awọn àbúrò rẹ ńkọ́?
|
How are
your Younger ones?
|
B: Wọ́n wà.
|
They are
fine.
|
A: Bàbáà rẹ ńkọ́?
|
How is
your father?
|
B: Wọ́n wà.
|
He is
fine.
|
THE
PROGRESSIVE MARKER [ń]
The progressive marker 'ñ' is used to express a
continuous or an on-going action. It is similar in use to the English -ing. However,
in Yoruba, it occurs before the verb. If it is omitted following the noun or
pronoun subject, that verb then indicates ‘past.’
Hence:
|
Whereas:
|
||
Èmi ń lọ
Mò ń lọ
|
I am going
I am going
|
Èmí lọ
Mo lọ
|
I went
I went
|
Interrogatives
|
|
Kí ni?
|
what?
|
Kí ni
nkan?
|
how are
things?
|
Báwo
|
How?
|
Báwo ni?
|
How is it?
|
Báwo ni nkan?
|
how are things?
|
ṣé
|
Is? / has? / hope ?/ would?
|
Ṣé àlàáfíà ni?
|
Hope it is
well?
|
Ṣé dáadáa ni?
|
Hope it is
alright?
|
ṣé nnkan ń lọ
|
Hope
things is moving?
|
Ṣé wà á jókòó?
|
Would you
have a sit?
|
ńkọ́
|
What of /
what about
|
Other Expression
|
|
àlàáfíà ni
|
It is
fine/ it is Peaceful
|
dáadáa ni
|
It is
alright
|
káàbọ̀ o
|
Welcome oo
|
kí wọn
|
greet them
|
mo kàn
sáré wá kí ẹ ni
|
I just
quickly came to greet you
|
órẹ̀ mí díẹ̀
|
I am a
little tired
|
Interrogative [‘ Kíni?
’ and ‘Ṣé ? ’]
‘Kíni’ (what) and ‘ Ṣé ’ (do/does) are two forms of Yoruba
interrogatives. They are used in the following Questions and Replies samples:
Q: Kí ni o fẹ́?
|
What do
you (sing.) want?
|
R: Mo fẹ́ owó.
|
I want
money.
|
Q: Kí ni orúkọọ̀ rẹ?
|
What is
your (sg.) name?
|
R: Orúkọọ̀ mi ni Bádé Adéléké.
|
My name is
Bádé Adélékè.
|
Q: ṣé wọ́n fẹ́ owó?
|
Do they
want money?
|
R: Bẹ́ẹ̀ ni, wọ́n fẹ́ owó.
|
Yes, they
want money.
|
Q: Ṣé o fẹ́ jẹun?
|
Do you
want to eat?
|
R: Bẹ́ẹ̀ ni, mo fẹ́ jẹun.
|
Yes. I
want to eat
|
Conjunctions
|
|
ṣúgbọ́n
|
but
|
Tàbí
|
Or
|
atí
|
and
|
pẹ̀lú
|
With,
together
|
Verbs
There are different types of verbs in Standard Yoruba.
The simple structure of the following Yoruba verbs is monosyllabic:
Ve r
b s
|
|
gbá
|
kick
|
f
ẹ́
|
want
|
gbé
|
live
|
jẹun
|
eat
|
kàwé
|
read a book
|
mu
|
drink
|
ní
|
have
|
Verbs
|
|
jẹ
|
eat
|
kà
|
read
|
ṣe
|
do
|
fẹ́
|
want
|
ní
|
have
|
wá
|
come
|
lọ
|
go
|
sùn
|
sleep
|
jó
|
dance
|
fò
|
jump
|
rà
|
buy
|
tà
|
sell
|
mu
|
drink
|
Sè
|
cook
|
gbé
|
carry
|
rìn
|
walk
|
Olú
ń jẹ iṣu
|
Olu is eating
yam
|
Bàbá
ń sù
|
Father is
sleeping
|
Mò
ń lọ
|
I am
leaving/going
|
Adẹ́
ń mu omi
|
Adé is
drinking water
|
However, there are verb-nominal combinations that behave
like verbs. Some can be split without affecting the meaning.
Examples of splittable verb-nominals include:
Rín
+ ẹ̀rín
|
rẹ́rìn
|
Laugh
|
Sun + ẹkún
|
sunkún
|
Cry
|
Ja + ogun
|
jagun
|
Fight war
|
sá + eré
|
sáré
|
Run a race
|
Gé + igi
|
gégi
|
Cut a tree
|
Pọn
+ omi
|
pọnmi
|
Fetch water
|
kọ́
+ ilé
|
kọ́lé
|
Build a
house
|
Gbá
+ ìlẹ̀
|
gbálẹ̀
|
Sweep the
floor
|
Sọ + ọ̀rọ̀
|
sọ̀rọ̀
|
Say a word
|
kọ
+ orin
|
kọrin
|
Sing a
song
|
Not all verb-nominals are splittable. The examples below
in column B are ungrammatical:
incorrect
|
correct
|
|
tọ́
ojú
|
tọjú
|
take care
of
|
dì ìde
|
Dìde
|
to stand
|
dú aró
|
Dúró
|
stop wait
|
jó ìkó
|
Jókòó
|
sit
|
A verb can be followed by another verb. An example of
this is fẹ́ ‘want’ or ‘wish’.
À fẹ́ jẹ ẹyin. We want to eat eggs.
Ẹ̀ fẹ́
fọ You want to wash
clothes.
Fẹ́ can also be used in an interrogative sentence.
For example
Ṣé ìwọ
fẹ́ fọ aṣọ? Do you want to wash clothes?
Bẹ́ẹ̀ ni, èmi fẹ́ fọ aṣọ Yes, I
want to wash clothes.
Ṣé Kóyè fẹ́ sùn? Does
Kóyè want to sleep?
Bẹ́ẹ̀ ni, Kóyè fẹ́ sùn. Yes,
Kóyè wants to sleep.
The verb fẹ́ràn ‘like’, ‘love’
Mo fẹ́ràn ajá I like dogs.
Olú fẹ́ràn ọmọdé Olú loves children.
Negation of Verbs [using ‘kò’]
One way to negate a verb in Yoruba sentence is to precede
the verb with the negator ‘kò’.
Olú ń jẹ iyán
|
Olú kò jẹ iyán
|
Olú is
eating pounded yam
|
Olú is not
eating pounded yam
|
Wálé ń rẹ́rìnín
|
Wálé kò rẹ́rìnín
|
Wálé is
laughing
|
Wálé is
not laughing
|
Mo fẹ́ jẹ búrẹ́di
|
N kò fẹ́ jẹ búrẹ́di
|
I want to
eat bread
|
I do not
want to eat bread
|
Bọ́lá ń mu omi
|
Bọ́lá kò mu omi
|
Bọ́lá is drinking water
|
Bọ́lá is not drinking water
|
Jọ̀kẹ́ ń di irunun Dúpẹ́
|
Jọ̀kẹ́ kò di irunun Dúpẹ́
|
Jọ̀kẹ́ is weaving Dúpẹ́’s hair
|
Jọ̀kẹ́ is not weaving Dúpẹ́’s hair
|
TIMES OF THE DAY, WEATHER AND
CIRCUMSTANCE
The middle of the night is referred to as
òru but there is no greeting with the word òru in Standard Yoruba.
Therefore, Yoruba people do not greet by saying ‘Ẹ kú òru’ unless something is going on at that time of night!
Besides, who walks around in the middle of the night?
It customary that the period between 12.01 am and 3 am to
4 am is usually considered òru because people are still
sleeping. After 4 am, the greeting káàárọ̀ or Ẹ káàárọ̀ is used.
ìgbà
|
Period, Season
|
akoko
|
Time,
|
àárọ̀
|
Morning
|
ọ̀sán
|
Afternoon
|
ìrọ̀lẹ́
|
Evening
|
alẹ́
|
Night
|
òtútù
|
Cold
|
ọyẹ́
|
Harmattan
|
òjò
|
Rain
|
ìgbà òjò
|
Rainy
Season
|
ìsinmi
|
Rest,
Break, Holiday
|
ìjókòó
|
Sitting,
Conference, Seat
|
Greetings in Yoruba Language
Greeting people is an important aspect of Yoruba culture.
‘Kú’ is an expression used for greetings by Yoruba people regardless of the
time of day. However, in order to express good night, Yoruba people will rather
say ‘ó dààárö.’ Some examples are found below:
A. Kú + time
of the day:
|
||
kú + àárọ̀
|
káàrọ̀
|
good
morning
|
kú + ọ̀sán
|
káàsán
|
good
afternoon
|
kú + ìrọ̀lẹ́
|
kúùrọ̀lẹ́
|
good early
evening
|
kú + alẹ́
|
káalẹ́
|
good
evening
|
B. Kú +
weather:
|
||
kú + òtútù
|
kú òtútù
|
when the
weather is cold
|
kú + ọyẹ́
|
kú ọyẹ́
|
during
Harmattan Season
|
kú + òjò
|
kú òjò
|
during the
rainy season
|
C. Kú can
also be used in other circumstances:
|
||
kú + iṣẹ́
|
kúuṣẹ́
|
said to a Worker
|
kú +
ìjókòó
|
kúùjókòó
|
to someone
seated
|
kú +
ìsinmi
|
kúùsinmi
|
to someone
resting or holiday
|
D. ‘Kú’ is
also used in greeting during festivities
|
||
kú + ọdún
|
kúọdún
|
said to
someone during festivities
|
When one is greeting an older person such as a father,
mother, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, teacher or any other people that is
older, one makes use of the honorific pronoun ‘Ẹ’ to show respect. For example,
to greet one’s father or mother in the morning, one will say Ẹ
káàárọ̀ o bàbá’ or Ẹ káàárọ̀ o màmá. The
response will be káàárọ̀ o. A girl kneels down, while a boy prostrates to greet
the older ones. For a friend or a younger sibling, the response will also be káàárọ̀ o. Women address their husbands by using the name of one
of their children. If a child’s name is Jídé, the mother will address her husband as Bàb áa Jídé. The same
principle applies when Jídé’s mother will be addressed as Màmáa Jídé.
ÌSỌ̀RỌ̀NGBÈSÌ (CONVERSATION)
1.
- Ẹ káàárọ̀ o, bàbá.
- Káàárọ̀ o, Tádé. Ṣé o sùn dáadáa?
- Bẹ́ẹ̀ ni, mo sùn dáadáa. Ẹ ṣé.
2.
- Ẹ káàbọ̀ o, Màmá
- Kúulé O, Lọlá. Ṣé àlàáfíà ni?
- Àlàáfíà ni.
- Ẹ̀gbọ́n rẹ ńkọ́?
- Wọ́n wà nílé.
- Ó dáa o. Dìde.
3.
- Ẹ káàárọ̀ mà.
- Ẹ káàárọ̀ o. Ṣé dáadáa ni o?
- Dáadáa ni mà.
- Ṣé ẹ sùn dáadáa?
- Bẹ́ẹ̀ ni mà
4.
- Káàsán o, Fúnmi.
- Káàsán o, Ṣadé.
ṣé dáadáa ni?
- A dúpẹ́. Ìwọ náà ñkô?
- A dúpẹ́ o.
5.
- Kí ni orúkọọ̀ rẹ?
- Orúkọọ̀ mi ni Olúfẹ́mi.
- Kí ni orúkọ bàbáà rẹ́?
- Orúkọ bàbáà mi ni Kúnlé Akínlàjà.
- Bá mi kí àwọn òbí ì rẹ tí o bá délé,
- Mo gbọ́ sà.
- Ó dàbọ̀ o, Olúfẹ́mi.
- Ó dàbọ̀ sà.
6.
- Ẹ káàsán o, Màmáa Fúnmi.
- Ẹ káàsán o, Màmáa Ṣadé. Gbogbo ilé ńkô?
- Dáadáa ni o. Bàbáa Fúnmi ñkô?
- Wọ́n wà. Ẹ ṣé o. Ó dàbọ̀ o
- Ó dàbọ̀ o.
7.
- Ẹ káalẹ́ mà.
- Káalẹ́ o, Títí. ṣé àlàáfíà ni?
- A dúpê mà. ṣé Ṣadé wà nílé?
- Rárá o. Ó ti jáde.
- Ó dàárö mà.
- Ó dàárọ̀ o, Títí. Kílé o.
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