Phrases › Acholi
Phrases
Early draft: There was little reliable source material for this language, so some lines may be wrong. Check with a speaker before relying on them.
In Acholi, hello is Itye nining? and thank you is Apwoyo. Here are 16 everyday Acholi phrases with pronunciation, for travel and a first conversation.
How to say hello in Acholi · How to say thank you in Acholi · How to say goodbye in Acholi · How to say please in Acholi · How to say sorry in Acholi
| English | Acholi |
|---|---|
| Hello | Itye nining? Literally 'how are you'; the normal way to greet someone. A time-of-day greeting like 'Ibutu nining?' (how did you spend the night) also works in the morning. |
| Goodbye | Wot maber 'Travel well'; said to the person leaving. The person leaving can instead say 'Wuwek aciti' ('I beg to leave'). |
| Please | ce Acholi has no single word for 'please'; adding 'ce' at the end of a question softens it, e.g. 'I mito ngo, ce?' |
| Thank you | Apwoyo 'Apwoyo matek' = thank you very much. |
| Yes | Eyo |
| No | Pe 'Ku' is also used for no in some areas. |
| Excuse me / Sorry | Tima kica Literally 'forgive me'; there is no single word for 'sorry' — this is the general apology phrase. |
| I don't understand | Pe aniang |
| Please speak slowly | Lok mot mot, ce |
| How much is it? | Ciling adii? Literally 'how much money'. |
| Where is the bathroom? | Ot lwok tye kwene? 'Ot lwok' is the washroom/bathroom; 'ot coron' is specifically the latrine/toilet. |
| The bill, please | Miya cul, ce Literally 'give me the bill'. |
| Where is …? | … tye kwene? Put the place first, e.g. 'Posta tye kwene?' = Where is the post office? |
| Help! | Konya! 'Konya kong manok' = help me a bit. |
| Call the police! | Lwong polic! 'Polic' is a loanword from English. |
| Can you help me? | Itwero konya? Literally 'can you help me'. |
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