Izu ỤKA MBỤ (Week 1) - Ezi na-ụlọ m / My Family

Nkọwa | Outline

1. Di na nwunye / husband and wife
2. Ezi na-ụlọ m / my family
3. Nkpụrụ okwu ịg'echeta / Words to remember (1)
4. Nkpụrụ okwu ịg'echeta / Words to remember (2)
5. Nkpụrụ okwu ịg'echeta / Words to remember (3)
6. Nkpụrụ okwu ịg'echeta / Words to remember (4)
7. Nkpụrụ okwu ịg'echeta / Words to remember (5)
8. Nkpụrụ okwu ịg'echeta / Words to remember (6)
9. Nkpụrụ okwu bara uru / useful phrases
10. Ngwa (verb): ỊBỤ / to be (1)
11. Ngwa (verb): ỊBỤ / To be (2)
12. Ngwa (verb): ỊNWERE / To have (1)
13. Ngwa (verb): Ịnwere / To have (2)
14. Njọ / negative (ghị / not)
15. Njedebe Izu-ụka Mbụ / End of week 1

Di na nwunye / husband and wife

Newly married in Igbo tradition

Igbo people usually refer to their spouses as:

• Di m – my husband
• Nwunye m – my wife

In some instances, they refer to themselves as:

• “Nna m ukwu” literally “father who is great” meaning “my husband.”
• “Onye be m” literally “person of my house” meaning “my wife.”

Other times, they refer to themselves as:

• “Ọga m” literally “my master” meaning “my husband.”
• “Oriakụ” literally “person who eats wealth” meaning “my wife.”

Ezi na-ụlọ m / my family

Nkpụrụ okwu ịg'echeta / Words to remember (1)

Nne na nna – parents

Nna – father

Nne – mother

Nna ochie literally, “father old” or nna nna literally, “father’s father” meaning “grandfather” on father’s side.

Nna ochie or nna nne literally, “father’s mother” meaning “grandfather” on mother’s side.

Nkpụrụ okwu ịg'echeta / Words to remember (2)

Nne ochie literally, “mother old” or nne nna literally, “mother’s father” meaning “grandmother” on father’s side.

Nne ochie or nne nne literally, “mother’s mother” meaning “grandmother” on mother’s side.

Nwa nwa literally, “baby’s baby” meaning “grandchild.”

Ụmụ ụmụ literally, “children’s children” meaning “grandchildren.”

Nwanne literally, “baby mother” meaning “sibling.”

Nkpụrụ okwu ịg'echeta / Words to remember (3)

Ejima - Twins

Nwanne nwoke literally, “babymother male” meaning “brother.”

Nwanne Nwanyị literally, “babymother female” meaning “sister.”

Nwanne nwoke nta literally, “babymother male small” meaning “younger brother.”

Nwanne nwanyị nta literally, “babymother female small” meaning “younger sister.”

Ọgọ – in-law

Nkpụrụ okwu ịg'echeta / Words to remember (4)

Nwata ji ọkụkọ / A child holding a chicken

Nne di literally “mother husband” meaning “mother in-law.” You can use “nne nwunye” for “nne di” if you like.

Nna di literally “father husband” meaning “father in-law.” You can use “nna nwunye” for “nna di” if you like.

Nwa nwanyị literally “baby female” meaning “daughter.” In Igbo, “Ada” means “first daughter.”

Nwa nwoke literally “baby male” meaning “son.” In Igbo, “Di ọkpara” m'ọbụ “ọkpara” means "first son."

Nwata – child

Nwa – baby

Ụmụ ejima m'ọbụ ejima - "twins."

Nkpụrụ okwu ịg'echeta / Words to remember (5)

 

Igbo	English	Ọmụma atụ / Example
M m'ọbụ mụ	My	Ụlọ m – My house
Gị	Your (singular)	Ụlọ gị - Your house
Ya	His/her/its	Ụlọ ya – His/her/its house
Anyị	Our	Ụlọ anyị - Our house
Unu	Your (plural)	Ụlọ unu – Your house
Ha	Their	Ụlọ ha – Their house

 

Nkpụrụ okwu ịg'echeta / Words to remember (6)

 

Igbo	English	Ọmụma atụ / Example
Nkem	Mine	Ụgbọ ala bụ nke m – This car is mine.
Nke gị	Yours (singular)	Ụgbọ ala bụ nke gị - This car is yours
Nke ya	His/hers/its	Ụgbọ ala bụ nke ya – This car is hers.
Nke anyị	Ours	Ụgbọ ala bụ nke anyị - This car is ours.
Nke unu	Yours (plural)	Ụgbọ ala bụ nke unu - This car is yours.
Nke ha	Theirs	Ụgbọ ala bụ nkẹ ha – This car is theirs.

Nkpụrụ okwu bara uru / useful phrases

Ndịa bụ nne na nna m. / These are my parents.

Familiarize with these words:

I nwere nwanne nwoke? / Do you have any brothers?

I nwere nwanne nwoke ole? / Do you have (how many) brothers?

Lee di m. / This is my husband.

Onye a bụ di m. / That is my husband.

Onye ọ bụ nwanne gị nwanyị? Is that your sister?

Onye a bụ nwanne gị nwanyị. That is your sister.

Ndịa bụ nne na nna m. / These are my parents.

Ngwa (verb): ỊBỤ / to be (1)

In Igbo language, the verb ‘ịbu’ (to be) which is in the present tense can be conjugated by removing the (i) or (ị) infinitive marker and keeping the root. For example:

• A bụ m – I am
• Ị bụ – You are (singular)
• Ọ bụ – He/she/it is
• Anyị bụ – We are
• Unu bụ – You are (plural)
• Ha bụ – They are

In English, you say “I’m hungry”, but in Igbo you say “Aguu n’agu m” (literally, “hunger is hungering me”).

Onye bụ efere nnị – A person with a plate of food

Ngwa (verb): ỊBỤ / To be (2)

Now, familiarize yourself with the different forms of Ịbụ (to be):

A teacher in a classroom (A bụ m onye Nkuzi / I'm a teacher).

Big Ben (Ị bịara n'oge / You are on time).

A happy person (Ọ n'enwe anụrị / He's happy).

Two young girls walking on a street (Ha bụ ndị-Igbo / They are Igbo).

Ngwa (verb): ỊNWERE / To have (1)

In Igbo language, the verb ‘ịnwere’ (to have) which is in the present tense can be conjugated by changing removing the (i) or (ị) infinitive marker and keeping the root. For example:

• E nwere m – I have
• Ị nwere – You have (singular)
• Ọ nwere – He/she/it has
• Anyị nwere – We have
• Unu nwere – You have (plural)
• Ha nwere – They have

In English, you say “I have two hands”, but in Igbo you say “E nwere m aka n’abo,” (literally, I have a hand that is two").

Ha n'akụ aka / They are clapping their hands

Ngwa (verb): Ịnwere / To have (2)

Now, familiarize yourself with the different forms of Ịnwere (to have):

A car (Unu nwere ụgbọ ala? / Do you have a car?).

People in a meeting (Ọ nwere nzụkọ. / He has a meeting).

A mobile phone (Ị nwere ekwe ntị? / Do you have a mobile phone?)

A train (Ha nwere ụgbọ okporo igwe. / They have a train).

Njọ / negative (ghị / not)

In English language, to make a sentence negative is to put ‘not’ after the verb that is negated.

E nweghị m ụgbọ igwe / I don't have a bicycle.

Familiarize yourself with these negated statements:

For example, He’s not tall.

In Igbo, negative means ‘njọ’ but to negate a sentence, you don’t use ‘njọ’ rather you put ‘ghị’ after the word that is negated.

For example, “O toghị ogo”, meaning “he’s not tall”.

Njedebe Izu-ụka Mbụ / End of week 1

Anyị amụọla make ihe ndịa, n’izu-ụka mbụ or week 1 n’olu oyibo:

1. Itu Aha / To Say Hello
2. Ndị Ụmụnne / Relatives
3. Ezi na-ụlọ m / My Family

N’izu-ụka abụọ / week 2, anyị g’amụ: Oriri na Ọñụñụ - Eating and drinking 

Previous page Ndị Ụmụnne      Next page Izu-ụka abụọ