Skip to main content

CONJUNCTIONS AND PREPOSITIONS IN ETSAKO

Ali, Lagi - and
Ama - but
Kokua, laakhi - or
Ina khi -  because
Rari - because
Ochi ni - instead of 
Adesẹ, iteteva - between, among
Olọkẹ - below
Oleda - above
Ẹkẹli, elemi - inside, in
Vhi - in, at
Shi, yọ - In, at, on
Atodẹ, odato - outside
Esọ - edge of
Egbe - beside
Ufwi - beneath, underneath
Uji - bottom of
Ukomi - on top
Odalo, ugialo - in front of
Oshimi, itsike - behind, after
Nena - before
Rọ te - through
Te - from
Na - for, to
Gi - to
Nu, gi - with
Gbe, mhu - against
Ni - that
Ye, je - towards
Ekekẹ - around
Obodẹ - about, concerning

Note that these words are not always used exactly in the same manner as the English counterparts. Etsako has a rich grammatical structure which is quite different from English. 

Ibinoyẹsẹ (Examples)
1. Aljanna ni ekẹ e la ufwi ọli aa na.
     Gardens underneath which rivers flow.
2. Obo u te aa bale?
     Where are you coming from?
3. Ọni ọmọ ọ da rọ te iwindo
      The child jumped through the window
4. Mi sa khi ọni uji ọ na gbagba ekekẹ aana
     I think the rat is hiding around here
5. Obo e na aa ye?
      Where are they running to?
6. Bale aa nu mẹ shitọ.
     Come and sit with me.
7. Ọni apusi ọ vheshẹshi egbe oni aga
     The cat is sleeping beside the chair
8. R'oni ebe shi ukomi Itebu
     Put the book on top of the table.
9. Uwa ali Ẹfe e aa ye oki, ama Imade ọ aa ye owigho
    Uwa and Ẹfe at going to the market, but Imade is going to the bank
10. Ochi ni ọ ka gbe ọni ọmọ, o yabọ li, tirari ọni ọmọ ọ mhuẹli ekpẹ.
      Instead of beating the child, he pardoned him because the child is respectful.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

COMMON PHRASES IN ETSAKO: ETSAKỌ PHRASEBOOK

Elọ ki eva ẹ? What is your name? Eva mẹ ki Atiku. My name is Atiku. Ọmọ ikpe imhẹ u kia? How old are you? Ọmọ ikpe uye (20) mi kia. I am 20 years old. Ikpokhia imhẹ u mhuẹ? How many friends do you have? Mi mhuẹli ikpokhia n'e bu. I have many friends. Obo u te aa bale? Where are you coming from? Afẹ mi te aa bale. I am coming from home. Obo u aa ye? Where are you going to? Oki mi aa ye. I am going to the market. Elọ u ye oki laa kiẹ? What are you going to the market to do? Mi laa de itsua vhi oki. I am going to buy things at the market. Itsua elọ u laa dẹ? What things do you want to buy? Itsua ni mi laa dẹ e bu. The things I want to buy are many. Leva eguo. Name some. Mi laa dẹ ache ali ugbe ali ishuga. I am going to buy pepper, salt and sugar. Imhẹ u mhuẹ shi obọ? How much do you have with you? Inaira iyishe ishe mi mhue shi obọ. I have 500 naira with me. Oyọ o somi ẹ? Is that enough for you? Ee, o somi mẹ. Yes, it is enough...

Nominalisation of verbs in Etsakọ

Verbs in Etsakọ can be nominalised (turned into nouns) in many ways 1. By adding "I" before the verb and "Mi" after it. Examples include; 1. Na (rún) - inami (running) 2. Gua (fall sick) - iguami (sickness) 3. Gbe (beat) - igbemi (beating) 4. Fo (end) - ifomi (ending) 5. De (fall) - idemi ( falling) 2. By adding only "I" at the front of the verb when the verb is more than one syllable. Examples 1. Yẹsẹ (know) - iyẹsẹ (knowing/ knowledge) 2. Mọli (have) - imọli (having/property) 3. Lase (come out) - ilase (outing) 4. Lolo (count) - ilolo (counting) 5. Kẹkẹ (write) - ikẹkẹ (writing/article) 3. By adding vowels other than I in front of the verb. Examples 1. Lẹ (Know) - olẹ (knowledge) 2. Gbasẹ (begin) - ogbasẹ (begining) 3. Lase (go out) - olase (public) 4. Kpa (vomit) - ekpa (vomiting) 4. Adding U to form the names of instruments Examples 1. Kẹkẹ (write) - ukẹkẹ (pen) 2. Kalọ (count) - ukalọ (calculator) 3. Kpakọ (brush) - ukpakọ ...

Common Verbs in Etsako

ELEMI OWOWẸNA (AT SCHOOL) Zẹ - read Kẹkẹ - write Bọla ,- play Bino - check Kpele akaba - ring a bell Wẹna - teach, learn Na - run Lolo kasẹ - explain Gu kasẹ - tell Rọ kasẹ - show Sa - think Fashe - fail Ni vhọ - pass *Kpele is used with musical instruments and may translate roughly as PLAY HOME Vheshẹshi - sleep Le - eat Da - drink Shishi - clean Nye - cook Bale - come Lumi - pound Fuẹ - wash Kpe - wash Kpege a - rinse Kpishi - dust Shitọ - sit WORK Gbe akanya- work Yẹmẹ a - rest Saki - sack Nyakua - try Fi afu - work hard Fọta - pay salary; debt Fami - pretend TRAVELLING Khia - walk Gua - drive, ride Nya - drive, ride Fiala - fly Ye okhia - travel Fali - pay Dẹ - buy RELIGION Ga - worship Sana - pray (salat) Fi olema - pray Mhu azumi - fast Fa azumi - end a fast Yayi - believe Nyie lama - believe Gbe kua - forgive Yabọ - pardon Tumi - save Rọ kali - follow Tofa - show mercy Vha elemi - show pity HOSPITAL Gua - fall sick...