Twi phrasebook
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Grammatical points
Vowels
- a as "rat"
- e as "seat"
- ε as "set"
- i as "sit"
- o as "Kuala Lumpur"
- ɔ as "pot"
- u as "Kuala Lumpur"
Consonants
- b as "bats"
- d as "dog"
- f as "fog"
- g as "goat"
- h as "hire"
- k as "cat"
- l as "log"
- m as "man"
- n as "nap"
- p as "pin"
- r as "cramp"
- s as "suit"
- t as "tomb"
- w as "wood"
- y as "yemen"
Diagraphs
- dw as "j" sound inthe beginning of "dreams"
- gy as "judge"
- hw as "whew"
- hy as "shirt"
- kw as "equip"
- ky as "chap"
- nw is pronounced as "nyw" with rounded lips at the end. For example: Nwunu (to leak)
- ny as "Español"
- tw as "trip"
Common Twi phrases
How are you, Janet?/
- Wo ho te sεn, Janet? (Formal)
- εte sεn? (Informal)
- Mpɔ mu te sεn? (Optional meaning "How is life")
Fine (Informal)
- εyε
- "Bɔkɔɔ" (This is optional. Literal meaning is "soft". The "ɔ" is pronounced like "o" is rot, but the "ɔɔ" means that the sound is extended.)
I am fine (Formal)
- Me ho yε (Literal meaning is "My body is fine")
I am fine, thank you (To be more polite)
- Me ho yε, me da ase (mi-dah-si)
Greetings
Good morning
- Me ma wo akye (Mi-Maa-waa-chi)
- Maakye(Maa-chi). This is the shorter version and the most common.
Good afternoon
- Me ma wo aha (Mi-Maa-Waa-ha)
- Maaha (Maa-chi). Shorter version
Good Evening
- Me ma wo adwo (Mi-Maa-jo) The "o" in Adwo (Aa-jo)is pronounced similarly to a quick "ou" sound in "cous cous"
- Maadwo (Maa-jo). Shorter version
Note: The responses to the greetings above are said according to the age category of the person you are speaking to.
- Yaa nua (Response to a person who is of similar age to you, i.e. a friend or brother/sister)
- Yaa εna (Response to an elder female, usually one or more generations above you)
- Yaa agya (Response to an elder male, usually one or more generations above you) The first letter of agya, "a", is pronounced like the first "e" in "edge" Therefore it is pronounced as "Edga"
- Yaa asɔn (Response to a younger person or a very young person, usually one generation or more below you.)
Good Night
- Da yie (Da-yey) or (Da-yeh)
References
- A comprehensive course in twi(Asante) for the non-twi learner. By Florence Abena Dolpyne. Associate professor, Department of Linguistics, University of Ghana, Legon.