Food & Drinks

1. Ke nyaka bogobe le nama

   I want maize porridge and meat

   Usage

   Used in a restaurant or home to ask for the staple porridge with meat

   Grammar Note

   "nyaka" means want; do not use the Sesotho/Setswana "batla". "bogobe" is grain porridge; sorghum porridge is "bogobe bja mabele"

2. Ga ke je nama; ke ja morogo le dinawa

   I don't eat meat; I eat leafy greens and beans

   Usage

   Use to explain that you eat no meat

   Grammar Note

   Negation = ga + subject concord + stem with final -a changed to -e (ja → je). "morogo" is leafy greens (a regularly composed sentence)

3. Ke a leboga, dijo di monate kudu

   Thank you, the food was very delicious

   Usage

   Said after a meal to thank the cook or the restaurant

   Grammar Note

   "monate" means tasty or pleasant. "dijo" is a plural-class noun, so the concord is "di" (a regularly composed sentence)

4. Ke kgopela meetse

   Please give me water

   Usage

   Used to ask for water at a restaurant

   Grammar Note

   "meetse" is water (a plural noun); do not use Sesotho/Setswana "metsi" (a regularly composed sentence)

5. Nama

   Meat

   Usage

   Means meat as food in general

   Grammar Note

   General word for meat; add the animal after it (nama ya kgomo)

6. Nama ya kolobe

   Pork

   Usage

   Means pork

   Grammar Note

   "nama" + "ya" + animal gives "meat of ...". "kolobe" is pig

7. Nama ya kgomo

   Beef

   Usage

   Means beef

   Grammar Note

   "kgomo" is cow or cattle; plural "dikgomo"

8. Kgogo

   Chicken

   Usage

   Means chicken, the bird or its meat

   Grammar Note

   A word for chicken on menus and at markets

9. Nama ya nku

   Mutton

   Usage

   Means mutton, meat of a sheep

   Grammar Note

   Built on the pattern "nama ya" + animal. "nku" is sheep (a regularly composed sentence)

10. Hlapi

    Fish

    Usage

    Means fish

    Grammar Note

    Plural "dihlapi"

11. Lee

    Egg

    Usage

    Means one egg

    Grammar Note

    Singular "lee", plural "mae".

12. Maswi

    Milk

    Usage

    Means milk

    Grammar Note

    A plural-class noun, so following words agree in the plural

13. Matokomane

    Groundnuts / peanuts

    Usage

    Means groundnuts or peanuts

    Grammar Note

    Normally used in the plural

14. Korong

    Wheat

    Usage

    Means wheat

    Grammar Note

    Wheat as a grain; bread is "borotho"

15. Borotho

    Bread

    Usage

    Means bread; plural "marotho"

    Grammar Note

    Food made from wheat ("korong")

16. Reise

    Rice

    Usage

    Means rice

    Grammar Note

    Borrowed from English "rice". "raese" also occurs, but "reise" is more frequent

17. Lehea

    Maize / corn

    Usage

    Means maize or corn

    Grammar Note

    The staple grain of the region; milled for "bogobe"

18. Matapola

    Potatoes

    Usage

    Means potatoes, used in the plural

    Grammar Note

    A loan from English or Afrikaans; singular "letapola"

19. Dinawa

    Beans

    Usage

    Means beans

    Grammar Note

    A plural noun; soybeans are "dinawasoya"

20. Morogo

    Leafy greens

    Usage

    Means leafy greens such as spinach

    Grammar Note

    Greens traditionally served with porridge

21. Dienywa

    Fruit

    Usage

    Plural meaning fruit in general

    Grammar Note

    Singular is "seenywa"

22. Letswai

    Salt

    Usage

    Means salt

    Grammar Note

    Use to ask for salt at the table

23. Swikiri

    Sugar

    Usage

    Means sugar

    Grammar Note

    A loanword from English or Afrikaans

24. Oli ya go apea

    Cooking oil

    Usage

    Means oil used for cooking

    Grammar Note

    Built on the pattern "oli ya" + noun (oli ya diolifi = olive oil). "apea" is to cook (a regularly composed sentence)

25. Todi

    Honey

    Usage

    Means honey

    Grammar Note

    Made by bees ("dinose")

26. Tšhese

    Cheese

    Usage

    Means cheese

    Grammar Note

    Borrowed from English "cheese"; keep the š

27. Potoro

    Butter

    Usage

    Means butter

    Grammar Note

    Borrowed from English "butter"

28. Sopo

    Soup

    Usage

    Means soup

    Grammar Note

    A loan from Afrikaans "sop"

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