Phrases › Fon
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 Fon, hello is Kudɔ (à) (koo-DAW) and thank you is Kudó (koo-DAW). Here are 13 everyday Fon phrases with pronunciation, for travel and a first conversation.
How to say hello in Fon · How to say thank you in Fon · How to say goodbye in Fon · How to say please in Fon · How to say sorry in Fon
| English | Fon | Say It Like |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Kudɔ (à) greeting used at any time of day, shortened form of a time-of-day greeting; oku is a common alternative | koo-DAW |
| Goodbye | E sûn gbèdé / Mi tɔn gbèdé said when parting; mi- form when speaking to more than one person | |
| Please | Kenklɛ́ɛ̀n same word covers ‘excuse me’ | ken-KLEHN |
| Thank you | Kudó literally close to ‘well done’; French ‘merci’ is also widely used and understood | koo-DAW |
| Yes | Éɛn / Hn̊̊ Éɛn is the fuller form, hn̊̊ a casual grunt of agreement | |
| No | Aă / Āo | |
| Excuse me / Sorry | Kenklɛ́ɛ̀n same word as please; for bumping into someone, people often just say the French ‘pardon’ | ken-KLEHN |
| I don't understand | Un sè ă sè = to hear/understand; negation ă at the end | |
| How much is it? | Nabí wɛ? nabí = how much/how many | |
| Where is …? | Fitɛ́ … ɖè? fitɛ́ = where; fill the gap with the place, e.g. Fitɛ́ yɛhwexɔ ́ ɖè? = Where is the church? | |
| Help! | Mi wà d’alɔ́ mí! literally ‘come help me’, confirmed emergency phrase; a shorter alert cry is caxohòò | |
| I need a doctor | Yɔ́ dotó nú mí literally ‘call the doctor for me’, confirmed emergency phrase | |
| Can you help me? | A síxu d’alɔ́ mí à? confirmed phrase pattern ‘un síxu d’alɔ́ we à?’ (can I help you?) with subject swapped |
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