Emergency

1. Kpe ɖe ŋunye!

   Help me!

   Usage

   The basic cry for help. The same words mean “help me” in scripture

   Grammar Note

   ŋunye is ŋu “body/surface” plus -nye “my”. Here kpe is “to help”, a different word from kpe “stone”.

2. Taflatse, va kaba!

   Please come quickly!

   Usage

   Use it to call someone over urgently. va kaba means “come quickly” in the Psalms

   Grammar Note

   Composed from dictionary-verified words: va “come” (bare-verb imperative) and kaba “quickly”. Not yet checked by a native speaker.

3. Taflatse, wɔ kaba!

   Please hurry!

   Usage

   Use it to ask someone to hurry. wɔ kaba appears in scripture as “act quickly”

   Grammar Note

   Composed from dictionary-verified words: wɔ “do, act” and kaba “quickly”; the imperative is the bare verb. Not yet checked by a native speaker.

4. Fiafitɔ!

   Thief!

   Usage

   A shout to alert people when something has been stolen

   Grammar Note

   fiafitɔ is “one who steals”, derived from the verb fi “steal”. The plural is fiafitɔwo.

5. Amewuwu

   Murder

   Usage

   A word naming the kind of crime, used when warning of danger

   Grammar Note

   Built from ame “person” plus wu “kill”, turned into a noun by reduplication.

6. Nu vɔ̃ aɖe dzɔ

   Something bad happened

   Usage

   Use it to say that something bad has happened

   Grammar Note

   Composed from dictionary-verified words: nu vɔ̃ “bad thing”, aɖe “a, some”, dzɔ “happen”. Not yet checked by a native speaker.

7. Mègaka asi ŋunye o!

   Do not touch me!

   Usage

   A firm refusal when someone touches you. Say it loudly

   Grammar Note

   Composed from dictionary-verified words: ka asi ŋu “touch”. A prohibition is mèga- + verb + final o. Not yet checked by a native speaker.

8. Dzudzɔe!

   Stop it!

   Usage

   Use it to make someone stop what they are doing

   Grammar Note

   dzudzɔ is “stop, cease” and -e is “it”.

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