Phrases › Northern Sotho (Sepedi)
Phrases
In Northern Sotho (Sepedi), hello is Dumela and thank you is Ke a leboga. Here are 14 everyday Northern Sotho (Sepedi) phrases with pronunciation, for travel and a first conversation.
How to say hello in Northern Sotho (Sepedi) · How to say thank you in Northern Sotho (Sepedi) · How to say goodbye in Northern Sotho (Sepedi) · How to say please in Northern Sotho (Sepedi) · How to say sorry in Northern Sotho (Sepedi)
| English | Northern Sotho (Sepedi) |
|---|---|
| Hello | Dumela Said to one person; to a group say Dumelang. Use it any time of day; greet first, then ask O kae? / Le kae? (How are you?). To an older man Thobela, ntate is respectful. |
| Goodbye | Šala gabotse 'Stay well', said by the person leaving; to a group Šalang gabotse. Go lokile is also used. The person staying says Tsamaya gabotse to the one leaving. |
| Please | Hle Put it after the request. Ke kgopela + what you want ('I ask for ...') is the polite way to ask. |
| Thank you | Ke a leboga Ke a leboga kudu = thank you very much. Group speaking: Re a leboga. |
| Yes | Ee |
| No | Aowa Also nnyaa. |
| Excuse me / Sorry | Ntshwarele To several people Ntshwareleng. Use it to get attention or to apologise. |
| I don't understand | Ga ke kwešiše Ga + verb ending in -e makes it negative. Also Ga ke hlaologanye. |
| Please speak slowly | Bolela ka go nanya Also ka go iketla. Add hle for 'please'. To several people: Bolelang. |
| How much is it? | Ke bokae? Say it while pointing at the item. |
| Where is the bathroom? | Thoilete e kae? Also ntlwana ya boithomelo (toilet). Replace Thoilete with any noun: the e before kae agrees with it. |
| Where is …? | … e kae? Put the thing in the gap: Thoilete e kae? Persons: O kae? (Where are you?). The e agrees with the noun (le kae, o kae, di kae). |
| Help! | Nthuše! 'Help me!'; Thuša! is the bare command. To several people Nthušeng! |
| Call the police! | Bitša maphodisa! To several people Bitšang maphodisa! |
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