Greetings

1. Woezɔ

   Welcome

   Usage

   Welcome. Said to a guest or a new arrival

   Grammar Note

   A fixed welcome formula, not split further. Published Ewe texts have doa woezɔ nɛ “gave him a welcome”.

2. Ŋdi

   Good morning

   Usage

   Morning greeting; ŋdi is simply the noun “morning”

   Grammar Note

   Ŋ is U+014A (lower case ŋ U+014B); “ndi” with plain n is not a word.

3. Ŋdɔ

   Good afternoon

   Usage

   Midday greeting; ŋdɔ is “noon”

   Grammar Note

   A time noun doubles as the greeting.

4. Fiẽ

   Good evening

   Usage

   Evening greeting; fiẽ is “evening”

   Grammar Note

   ẽ is a nasal vowel (U+1EBD).

5. Dɔ agbe

   Good night

   Usage

   Said before going to bed. The reply is Wò hã dɔ agbe (you too)

   Grammar Note

   A dialogue in published Ewe texts has nàdɔ agbe and the reply wò hã dɔ agbe. dɔ is also the form for “illness” and “work”.

6. Hede nyuie

   Goodbye

   Usage

   Said when parting

   Grammar Note

   A fixed farewell, not split further; nyuie is the adverb “well”. It is common in published Ewe texts.

7. Aleke nèle?

   How are you?

   Usage

   Asks how someone is. The reply is Mele nyuie

   Grammar Note

   Composed greeting; “aleke nèle” is common in published Ewe texts (for example “how are you feeling”). Not yet checked by a native speaker as an everyday greeting.

8. Nye ŋkɔe nye …

   My name is …

   Usage

   Introduce yourself; put your name in the gap

   Grammar Note

   Published Ewe texts have “Nye ŋkɔe nye Legio” in exactly this form.

9. Nyemese Eʋegbe o

   I don’t understand Ewe

   Usage

   Say it when you cannot follow Ewe; phrased as “do not understand”, not “cannot speak”

   Grammar Note

   Composed from dictionary-verified words by regular grammar; not yet checked by a native speaker.

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