| Greeting | Mo kiyin |
|---|
| Hi! | Bawo |
| Good morning! | Ek'aro |
| Good afternoon! | Ek'asan |
| Good evening! | Ek'ale |
| Welcome! (to greet someone) | Ek'abo |
| Hello my friend! | Bawoni Oremi |
| How are you? (friendly) | Bawo lowa |
| How are you? (polite) | Bawo lara |
| I'm fine, thank you! | Mowa dada, Ese |
| And you? (friendly) | Iwo na nko |
| And you? (polite) | Iwo nko |
| Good | Oda |
| Not so good | Kofibe da |
| Long time no see | Ope ti mo ti rie |
| I missed you | Mos'aro e |
| What's new? | Kini tuntun |
| Nothing new | Kosi tuntun |
| Thank you (very much)! | Ese gan |
| You're welcome! (for "thank you") | Ko t'ope |
| My pleasure | Inu midun |
| Come in! (or: enter!) | Wole wa |
| Make yourself at home! | Ef'okan bale,Ile lewa |
| Farewell Expressions | |
|---|
| Have a nice day! | Od'igba |
| Good night! | Od'aro |
| Good night and sweet dreams! | od'aro kosi la ala to da |
| See you later! | mari e ni'gba mi |
| See you soon! | mari e laipe |
| See you tomorrow! | mari e lola |
| Good bye! | Od'abo |
| Have a good trip! | Irin ajo ada o |
| I have to go | Moni lati malo |
| I will be right back! | Mon padabo |
| Holidays and Wishes | |
|---|
| Good luck! | Pade orire |
| Happy birthday! | Eku ojo ibi |
| Happy new year! | Eku odun tuntun |
| Merry Christmas! | Eku odun keresimesi |
| Ei del kabir | Eku odun Ileya |
| Independence day | Eku odun ojo ominira |
| Congratulations! | Eku ori ire |
| Enjoy! (or: bon appetit) | Igba dun |
| Bless you (when sneezing) | Epele |
| Best wishes! | Nko rere fun e |
| Cheers! (or: to your health) | Eku araya |
| Accept my best wishes | Gba nkan rere timo fefun e |
| How to Introduce Yourself | |
|---|
| What's your name? | Kini oruko e? |
| My name is (John Doe) | Oruko mi ni (john Doe) |
| Nice to meet you! | Inumidun lati ri e |
| Where are you from? | Ilu wo loti wa? |
| I'm from (the U.S/ Nigeria) | Mowa lati ilu (America/nigeria) |
| I'm (American/ Nigerian) | Omo (America/Nigeria) nimi |
| Where do you live? | Ibo l'ongbe? |
| I live in (the U.S/ Nigeria) | Mongbe ni(America/ nigeria) |
| Do you like it here? | S'o feran ibi? |
| Nigeria is a beautiful country | Orile ede to rewa ni nigeria |
| What do you do for a living? | Ise wo lonse? |
| I'm a (teacher/ student/ engineer) | (Oluko/akeko/ onimo ero) ni mi |
| Do you speak (English/ Yoruba)? | S'ole so ede(geesi/ yoruba)? |
| Just a little | Mole so die |
| I like Yoruba | Moferan yoruba |
| I'm trying to learn Yoruba | Mongbiyanju lati ko ede yoruba |
| It's a hard language | Ede t'ole ni |
| It's an easy language | Ede ti kole ni |
| Oh! That's good! | hehen, Iyen da |
| Can I practice with you? | se mole ko pelu e? |
| I will try my best to learn | Mase iwon ti mole se lati ko |
| How old are you? | Omo odun melo ni e? |
| I'm (twenty one, thirty two) years old | Omo (ogun odun lekan,ogun odun lemeji) ni mi |
| It was nice talking to you! | Mogbadun bi mose nba e soro |
| It was nice meeting you! | mogbadun bi mose pade e |
| Mr.../ Mrs. .../ Miss... | Ogbeni…/ Iya afin…/ Omidan…. |
| This is my wife | Iyawo mi niyi |
| This is my husband | Oko mi niyi |
| Say hi to Thomas for me | Bami ki Thomas |
| Romance and Love Phrases | |
|---|
| Are you free tomorrow evening? | S'o raye lati ola lo |
| I would like to invite you to dinner | mo fe kajo jade fun ounje ale |
| You look beautiful! (to a woman) | O rewa gan lobinrin |
| You have a beautiful name | Oruko re rewa |
| Can you tell me more about you? | Se ole so si fun mi nipa re? |
| Are you married? | Se oti se igbeyawo? |
| I'm single | Mosi da wa |
| I'm married | Moti se igbeyawo |
| Can I have your phone number? | Se mole gba nomba ero ibani soro re? |
| Can I have your email? | Se mole gba iwe ateranse re? |
| Do you have any pictures of you? | Se oni awon aworan re? |
| Do you have children? | Se oni awon omo? |
| Would you like to go for a walk? | Se ole jeka nase jade |
| I like you | Moferan e |
| I love you | Mon'ife e! |
| You're very special! | Eeyan pataki ni e! |
| You're very kind! | Odaa gan! |
| I'm very happy | Inumi dun gan |
| Would you marry me? | Se wa femi? |
| I'm just kidding | Mon sere ni o |
| I'm serious | Mi o selere rara |
| My heart speaks the language of love | Okan mi nso ede ife |
| Solving a Misunderstanding | |
|---|
| Sorry! (or: I beg your pardon!) | Ema binu |
| Sorry (for a mistake) | Epele |
| No problem! | Kosi'yonu |
| Can you repeat please? | Se ole tunso jo? |
| Can you speak slowly? | Se ole soro didie? |
| Can you write it down? | Se ole koosile? |
| Did you understand what I said? | Se nko ti mo so ye e? |
| I don't understand! | Ko ye mi! |
| I don't know! | Mi o mo! |
| What's that called in Yoruba? | Kini won npe ni ede yoruba? |
| What does that word mean in English? | Kini itumo oro yen ni ede geesi? |
| How do you say "thanks" in Yoruba? | Bawo lese nso pe"Ese gan" ni ede yoruba? |
| What is this? | Ki leleyi? |
| My Yoruba is bad | Ede yoruba mi da |
| Don't worry! | Mase iyonu! |
| I agree with you | Mo faramo nko to so |
| Is that right? | Se iyen da? |
| Is that wrong? | Se iyen o da? |
| What should I say? | Kini kinso? |
| I just need to practice | moni lati ko gan |
| Your Yoruba is good | Ede yoruba re da |
| I have an accent | Ede mi fihan pe mi owa lati ilu yi |
| You don't have an accent | Ede re dabi tiwa |
| Asking for Directions | |
|---|
| Excuse me! (before asking someone) | Ejo |
| I'm lost | Mi o mona |
| Can you help me? | S'ele ran mi lowo? |
| Can I help you? | Se mole ran e lowo? |
| I'm not from here | Mio kinse ara ile yi |
| How can I get to (this place, this city)? | Bawo ni mosele de adugbo yi? |
| Go straight | Malo lookan |
| Then | Tobaya |
| Turn left | Ya si apa osi |
| Turn right | ya si apa otun |
| Can you show me? | S'ole fihan mi? |
| I can show you! | Mole fihan e |
| Come with me! | Telemi kalo! |
| How long does it take to get there? | Ato igbawo k'atodebe? |
| Downtown (city center) | Aarin ilu |
| Historic center (old city) | Ilu atijo |
| It's near here | Itosi ibi |
| It's far from here | Ojina s'ibi |
| Is it within walking distance? | Se molerin debe |
| I'm looking for Mr. Smith | Mon bere Ogbeni smith |
| One moment please! | Jo funmi ni iseju kan! |
| Hold on please! (when on the phone) | Ejo monbo |
| He is not here | Ibi kis'ebi ( kosi nibi) |
| Airport | Papako Ofurufu |
| Bus station | Ibudoko |
| Train station | Ibudoko oko ojurin |
| Taxi | tansi |
| Near | Sunmo |
| Far | Jina |
| Emergency Survival Phrases | |
|---|
| Help! | Egbawa o! |
| Stop! | Oto! |
| Fire! | Ina! |
| Thief! | Ole! |
| Run! | Sare! |
| Watch out! (or: be alert!) | Egbara di |
| Call the police! | Epe olopa! |
| Call a doctor! | Epe dokita! |
| Call the ambulance! | Epe oko tongbeyan lo si ile iwosan |
| Are you okay? | S'owa daada! |
| I feel sick | Ara mi oya |
| I need a doctor | Moferi dokita |
| Accident | Ijamba |
| Food poisoning | Majele ounje |
| Where is the closest pharmacy? | Ibo ni ile oloogun oyinbo to sunmon ju? |
| It hurts here | Eeyan nsese nibi? |
| It's urgent! | Ogba kiakia! |
| Calm down! | Fara bale! |
| You will be okay! | Ara re aya! |
| Can you help me? | Se ole ranmi lowo? |
| Can I help you? | Se mole ran e lowo? |
| Hotel Restaurant Travel Phrases | |
|---|
| I have a reservation (for a room) | Motigba yara kan sile |
| Do you have rooms available? | Se awon yara wanle? |
| With shower / With bathroom | To ni baluwe |
| I would like a non-smoking room | Mofe yara ti won ti kin mu siga |
| What is the charge per night? | Elo ni owo re fun ale kan? |
| I'm here on business /on vacation | Mo wasibi fun ise/ fun isinmi |
| Dirty | Idoti |
| Clean | Mimo |
| Do you accept credit cards? | S'e n gba owo ni ona kaadi |
| I'd like to rent a car | Mafe lati ya oko ayokele |
| How much will it cost? | Elo lo ma na mi? |
| A table for (one / two) please! | Ejo tabili fun eyan (kan/meji)! |
| Is this seat taken? | Se wan ti gba aye yi ni? |
| I'm vegetarian | Ounje elewe lemi nje |
| I don't eat pork | Mio kin je elede |
| I don't drink alcohol | Mio kin mu oti |
| What's the name of this dish? | Ki'loruko ounje yi? |
| Waiter / waitress! | Adani loun! |
| Can we have the check please? | S'ele fun mi ni iwe sowedowo na? |
| It is very delicious! | Odun gan! |
| I don't like it | Mi o feran e |
| Shopping Expressions | Ise nibi nkan rira |
| How much is this? | Elo leleyi? |
| I'm just looking | Mo kan nwo ni |
| I don't have change | Mio ni sanji |
| This is too expensive | Eyi ti won ju |
| Expensive | Owon |
| Cheap | Kowon |
| Daily Expressions | |
|---|
| What time is it? | Ago melo lolu? |
| It's 3 o'clock | Ago meta lolu |
| Give me this! | Fun mi leleyi! |
| Are you sure? | S'o da e loju? |
| Take this! (when giving something) | Gba eleyi! |
| It's freezing (weather) | Otutu gan nibi gan |
| It's cold (weather) | Otutu nibi |
| It's hot (weather) | Ogbona nibi |
| Do you like it? | S'o feran e? |
| I really like it! | Moferan gan! |
| I'm hungry | Ebi npa mi |
| I'm thirsty | Orungbe ngbe mi |
| He is funny | Apani lerin ni |
| In The Morning | l'owuro |
| In the evening | N'irole |
| At Night | L'ale |
| Hurry up! | Se kia! |
| Cuss Words (polite) | |
|---|
| This is nonsense! (or: this is craziness) | Kantan kantan leyi! |
| My God! (to show amazement) | Oluwa o! |
| Oh gosh! (when making a mistake) | Mogbe! |
| It sucks! (or: this is not good) | Eyi oda! |
| What's wrong with you? | Kilo ndamu e? |
| Are you crazy? | S'onsiere ni? |
| Get lost! (or: go away!) | Kuroni'waju mi! |
| Leave me alone! | Fimi sile! |
| I'm not interested! | Ko wunmi! |
| Writing a Letter | |
|---|
| Dear John | John mi owan |
| My trip was very nice | Irin ajo mi dara |
| The culture and people were very interesting | Asa ati awon eyan yi daa gan ni |
| I had a good time with you | Mogbadun igba ti molo pelu e |
| I would love to visit your country again | Mafe lati wa si orile ede re si |
| Don't forget to write me back from time to time | Magbagbe lati mak'owe simi ni gbogbo igba |
| Short Expressions and words | |
|---|
| Good | Oda |
| Bad | Koda |
| So-so (or: not bad not good) | Koda kobaje |
| Big | Nla |
| Small | Kekere |
| Today | Eni |
| Now | ni'sin |
| Tomorrow | Ola |
| Yesterday | Ana |
| Yes | Be'ni |
| No | Be'ko |
| Fast | yara |
| Slow | Koyara |
| Hot | Gbona |
| Cold | Tutu |
| This | Eyi |
| That | Iyen |
| Here | Ibi |
| There | Ibe |
| Me (ie. Who did this? - Me) | Emi |
| You | Iwo |
| Him | Owun (okunrin) |
| Her | Owun (obinrin) |
| Us | Awa |
| Them | Awon |
| Really? | Looto? |
| Look! | Woo! |
| What? | Kini? |
| Where? | Nibo? |
| Who? | Tani? |
| How? | Bawo? |
| When? | Nigba wo? |
| Why? | kilo fa? |
| Zero | Odo |
| One | Eni |
| Two | Eji |
| Three | Eta |
| Four | Erin |
| Five | Arun |
| Six | Efa |
| Seven | Eje |
| Eight | Ejo |
| Nine | Esan |
| Ten | Ewa |
