Important: Wikitravel is exploring a license upgrade to CC by-sa 3.0, please give your consent or refusal here.

From Wikitravel

Yoruba is a language native to Africa with over 22 million speakers. It is spoken, among other languages, chiefly in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo.

[edit] Pronunciation guide

[edit] Vowels

A - [ah] like in the Spanish alphabet
E – [a] like “a” in skate
Ẹ - [eh] like the first “e” elephant
I – [ee] like in sweet
O – [o] like “o” in sofa
Ọ - [or] like the first “o” in octopus
U – [u] like “u” in blue

[edit] Consonants

B – [be] like in bed
D – [de] like in dead
F -
G - geh
Gb – [gbe] is a strong ‘b’ like sound as in the name of the NFL star Gbaja-Biamila
H -
J - [ji] like "jee" in Jeep
K – [ki] like in kilo
L – [li] like in Lisa
M – [mi] like in Miso soup
N – [ni] like the word ‘knee’
P – [kpee] a strong 'p' unlike any sound in English.
R – [ri] like 'ree' in reef
S – [si] like the word 'see'
Ṣ - [shi] like the letter 's' in the name of the singer, Sade.
T - [ti]
U - ooh
W - wee
Y - yee

[edit] Common diphthongs

[edit] Phrase list

[edit] Basics

Hello. 

Hello?. (informal) 

Bawo ni?

How are you? 

Ṣé àláfíà ni?

Fine, thank you. 

A dupẹ, ẹ se!

What is your name? 

Kíni orúkọ rẹ?;

What are your names? 

Kíni orúkọ yín? (plural but also used for politeness towards elders)

My name is ______ . 

Orúkọ mi njẹ _____.

Nice to meet you. 

. (Inu mi dun lati mọ ọ/mọ yin )

Nice to meet you both/all. 

. (Inu mi dun lati mọ yin )

Please. 

(Ẹ) jọọ (note: [ẹ] is plural in Yoruba but also used in respect to elders)

Thank you. 

ẹ se / o se (note: [o] is singular and used amongst mates.)

You're welcome. 

Ko si nkan kan . (ko to ọpẹ )

Yes. 

bẹẹ ni

No. 

bẹẹ kọ

Excuse me. (getting attention) 

. (E jọwọ )

Excuse me. (begging pardon) 

. (E ma binu )

I'm sorry. 

(E) pẹlẹ. ( )

Goodbye 

O dabọ!

Goodbye (informal) 

. ( )

I can't speak Yorùbá [well]

Mi ko le sọ Yoruba [daradara]

Do you speak English? 

Ṣe o le sọ oyinbo?  ? ( ?)

Is there someone here who speaks English? 

 ? (Njẹ ẹnikẹni wa nibi ti o le sọ oyinbo)

Help! 

ẹ gba mi o!

Look out! 

)(E) wo bẹ yẹn ! ( !)

Good morning. 

(Ẹ) ku aarọ

Good evening. 

(Ẹ) ku irolẹ (E k'aalẹ)

Good night. 

(Ẹ) ku irọlẹ

Good night (to sleep) 

O di aarọ! (note: could also be used as a dismissal. It literally means till morning.)

I don't understand. 

Ko ye mi . ( )

Where is the toilet? 

Nibo ni ilé igbọnsẹ wa ? ( ?)

[edit] Problems

[edit] Numbers

ọkan or ẹni or kan
(one)

eji or meji
(two)
mẹta
(three)
mẹrin
(four)
márùn
(five)
mẹfa
(six)
meje
(seven)
mẹjọ
(eight)
mẹsan
(nine)
mẹwa
(ten)
mọkanla
(eleven)
mejila
(twelve)
mẹtala
(thirteen)
mẹrinla
(fourteen)
mẹdogun
(fifteen) note: fourteen is the last number in Yoruba, besides those in the tenth position)
mẹrindilõgún
(sixteen) note: to make sixteen Yoruba will subtract four (mẹrin) from twenty (õgún)
mẹtadilõgún
(seventeen)
mejidilõgún
(eighteen)
mọkandilõgún
(nineteen)
õgún
(twenty) note: Yoruba numbers uses increments of ten, but not like in English. It is shifted upward 15-24, 25-34, etc.
mọkanlelõgún
(twenty one) note: to make twenty one Yoruba will add one (ọkan) to twenty (õgún)
mejilelõgún
(twenty two)
mẹtalelõgún
(twenty three)
mẹrinlelõgún
(twenty four)
mẹdọgbọn
(twenty five)
ọgbọn
(thirty)
mọkanlelọgbọn
(thirty one)
márùndilogoji
(thirty five)
ogoji
(forty)
adọta
(fifty)
ọgọta
(sixty)
adọrin
(seventy)
ọgọrin
(eighty)
adọrun
(ninety)
ọgọrun
(one hundred)

[edit] Time

[edit] Clock time

[edit] Duration

[edit] Days

Ọjọ Aiku
(Sunday/Воскресенье)
Ọjọ Aje
(Monday/Понедельник)
Ọjọ Isẹgun
(Tuesday/Вторник)
Ọjọ Riru
(Wednesday/Среда)
Ọjọ Bọ
(Thursday/Четверг)
Ọjọ Ẹti
(Friday/Пятница)
Ọjọ Abamẹta
(Saturday/Суббота)

[edit] Months

Oshu

[edit] Writing time and date

[edit] Colors

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Bus and train

[edit] Directions

[edit] Taxi

Many people use motorcycles to get around the heavy traffic in Nigeria. These motorcycle taxis are called OKADA(s), pronounced OH-CAD-AH.cabi

[edit] Lodging

[edit] Money

Naira. There is about 118 naira to the american dollar.

[edit] Eating

[edit] Bars

[edit] Shopping

[edit] Driving

[edit] Authority

King

Oba, Otunba

[edit] Learning more

This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!