Language/Tswana/Vocabulary/Greetings-and-Introductions
In this lesson, you will learn basic Tswana greetings and how to introduce yourself to others, including asking for and giving names. Greetings are an important part of Tswana culture as they show respect and demonstrate good manners. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to greet people politely and have basic conversations with them.
First Impressions
When meeting someone for the first time, it is important to greet them politely. In Tswana culture, it is customary to greet someone inquiries about their well-being before starting a conversation. Here are some common greetings:
| Tswana | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Dumelang | doo-meh-lahng | Hello (plural or more formal greeting) |
| Dumela | doo-meh-lah | Hello (singular) |
| Re teng | ray-tahng | How are we/you? (plural) |
| O teng | oh-tahng | How are you? (singular) |
| Ke teng | keh-tahng | I am fine (response to "How are you?") |
| Leina la gago ke mang? | leh-ee-nah lah gah-goh keh mahng | What is your name? |
| Leina la me ke ... | leh-ee-nah lah meh keh ... | My name is ... |
| Ke nna ... | keh n-nah ... | I am ... |
Here are some important things to remember:
- Dumelang is used when greeting more than one person or someone in a formal setting, while dumela is used for an individual greeting.
- Re teng is a greeting used to ask "How are we?" or "How are you all?" and Ke teng is the reply to it.
- O teng is used for an individual greeting, Ke teng is the reply to "How are you?", and Ke nna is the reply when introducing oneself.
Try practicing these greetings with a Tswana speaker or a language exchange partner. Don't forget to pay attention to your pronunciation!
Introducing Yourself
When introducing yourself in Tswana, you will typically use the phrase "Ke nna" followed by your name. For example:
| Tswana | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ke nna John | keh n-nah John | I am John. |
You can also use this phrase to introduce yourself with additional information such as your age or nationality. Here are some examples:
| Tswana | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ke nna John. Ke bone ka bophelo bo boima | keh n-nah John. keh boh-neh kah boh-peh-loh boh boh-ee-mah | I am John. I'm 28 years old. |
| Ke nna Sarah. Ke amogelesegile Botswana | keh n-nah Sah-rah. keh ah-moh-geh-leh-seh-gee-leh boh-tswah-nah | I am Sarah. I am from Botswana. |
You can also use the phrase "Leina la me ke ..." to state your name:
| Tswana | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Leina la me ke John | leh-ee-nah lah meh keh John | My name is John. |
Remember to practice your introductions to become more comfortable with the language.
Greeting Someone Else
When greeting someone else in Tswana, you can use the phrase "Leina la gago ke mang?" to ask for their name. Once they have given you their name, you can respond with "Ke nna [name]" or "Leina la gago ke ...". Here are some examples:
| Tswana | Pronunciation | English | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | Person 1: Ke teng. Ke nna Kelebogile. Leina la gago ke mang? | | | Person 2: Ke teng. Leina la me ke Tumi. | | | Person 1: Dumela Tumi. Ke nna Kelebogile. | | | Person 2: Dumela Kelebogile. | | |
Here are some important things to remember:
- "Wena" is used to ask "And you?", which is commonly used in conversation.
- "Leina la gago ke mang?" is a polite way to ask someone's name, while "Leina la eng?" is a less formal way to ask.
- When responding to someone's introduction, you can say "Dumela" followed by their name.
Conclusion
In this lesson, you learned basic Tswana greetings and how to introduce yourself to others, including asking for and giving names. Remember to practice these greetings with a Tswana speaker or a language exchange partner to become more comfortable with the language. Additionally, you should now be able to greet people politely and have basic conversations with them.