Acholi Language Manual June 2009

Acholi Language Manual
Hosted for free on livelingua.com

About the Language
Acholi belongs to the family of Luo languages. Acholi language is predominantly spoken in the
districts of Amuru, Gulu, Kitgum and Pader.
Acholi is a tonal language, though tones are not normally written. Hence two seemingly
identical words can actually mean different things depending on the tone of their vowels. Tone
is therefore important if such fluency is desired to reduce ambiguity to a minimum.
The people who speak Acholi are called Acholi (singular Acholi). These groups of people
occupy areas of northern part of Uganda.
Acholi has five sister languages in Uganda i.e Lango, Palwo, Alur, Kumam, Lango and
Dhopadhola. It is closest to Lango and Alur but even speakers of Palwo, Lango, Dhophadola
and Kumam can understand few words in Acholi and vice versa.
How to Use the Acholi Language Manual

This manual is not a teach yourself manual, rather it will be more helpful with the trainers’
assistance. The manual is specifically prepared for Peace Corps Volunteers. Therefore, lessons
are organized in a chronological order of a Peace Corps trainees’ needs especially as they go
through their Pre-Service Training.
There is a glossary at the end of the manual arranged in an alphabetical order. The glossary
comprises the vocabulary used in the manual. Having it both in English and Acholi will be
found very valuable by the learners.
The recorded activities on cassette tapes will help in comprehension as well.
The manual has a workbook which has very comprehensive practice activities. The workbook
has an answer section, thus making it more user friendly for the learner.
Enjoy your learning.
Apwoyo!

Introduction
What you will find in This manual is intended to give you all you need to learn basic Acholi with
this manual: your teachers during PST and continue learning independently and/or with a
tutor during your two years of service.
Organizatiyon: The manual is organized into 9 units which roughly correspond to the
weeks of the PST.
Table of Contents: A detailed overview will show you where you can find what.
Unit: Each unit covers several communicative tasks and includes a variety
of exercises.
Dialogs/Texts/ Proverbs: Communicative tasks are introduced by a dialog or a text or a proverb

accompanied by pictures.
Reading and Listening A variety of exercises helps you practice in more language of each
Exercises: communicative task. Exercises are geared toward variius learning
tasks and include both classroom and community-based activities.
Grammar Notes: Grammar necessary for creative use of language in each

communicative task is explained in the brief notes interspersed
throughout each unit.
Culture Notes: The notes draw your attention to interesting facts about the culture of
the Acholi.
Safety & Security Notes: These notes give you important key points concerning your Safety and
Security related to the communicative task you are learning.
Learning on Your Own: Some units contain several tips and activities designed to help you
become an independent learner.
Grammar Reference: Points of Acholi grammar are explained in more detail. You will also
find comprehensive grammar charts and answers to frequently asked
questions about Acholi, its background and history.
Gives you phrases and idioms for all situatiyons from mapologizing
Functional Phrasebook:
through promises to surprise.
Glossary: Contains almost all words used in the manual and basic grammatical
informatiyon about them.
Tapes: The tapes accompaning this manual contain all the dialogs and
listening exercises. They can be used for self-study as well as in class.
Evaluatiyon: At the end of the manual you will find a one-page form to evaluate its
effectiveness. Please take a few minutes to fill it out and turn in to the
Language Coordinator.

How this language The revised version of this manual is a result of PCV and trainer responses
manual came to be after having used the original one for five years. The majority of the
revised manual was prepared in November-December 2005 by PCVs
Brian Kuhl, Andrew Buck and Michelle Joffe in collaboration with a team
of writers and translators: Henry Kabayo, Ven Kitone, Diana Kabahinda,
Mary Olinga, John Kintu, Celestino Oriikiriza, Anatoli Kiriggwajjo, Joan
Kakongoro and Shirley Byakutaga.
The same manual was revised in December 2006 – July 2007 to

incorporate into it PEPFAR Communicative tasks looking at the three
pillars of Prevention, Care and Treatment by a team of writers and
translators: Susan Oce, Deogratias Emuron, Rael Kampanya, Samalie
Kirya, Phillip Oketcho, Godfrey Omalla Chombo, Cornelius Gulere, Lydia
Magoola, Florence Hadudu Kiingi, Andrew Luke Wandera, Rachel
Nandelenga, David Woniala, Henry Kabayo, Lucy Ofuti Musoke, Hidaya
Mayende and Shirley Byakutaga.
Acknowledgement: We appreciate the valuable advice, guidance and

input from McGrath Jean Thomas (CD), Jeffrey Goveia (APCD- Health),
Roger Follas (APCD-Administration), Mary Amali Olinga (APCD-
Education) and Gordon Twesigye (PEPFAR Coordinator).
The May/June 2008 was based on imput and suggestions from Rasa
Edwards (Language Training Specialist – PC Headquarters) to incorporate
into it the Training Design and Evaluation (TDE) process proposals. This
task was undertaken by Henry Kabayo, Lucy Ofuti Musoke and Shirley
Byakutaga with the guidance of the Country Director, McGrath Jean
Thomas.
This version of July 2009 is a result of more innovative ideas contributed

by PCVs with the guidance of PCV Michelle Johnson, who contributed
more practice exercises for the Lusoga Language Manual. Based on that, 2
handbooks have been prepared: one for grammar practice and another for
general practice activities. Thanks to PCVs Michelle Johnson, Victoria
Engelstad and Laura Corcoran and Henry Kabayo for working tirelessly to
come up with the current version with the guidance of Shirley Byakutaga.
Other writers and translators included: Tsongo Longino Bamande, Biira
Costance, David Woniala, Samalie Kirya, Lucy Otto and Moses Adonga
Opiyo.
Acknowledgement: We appreciate the valuable advice, guidance and

input from the Country Director: Dr. Larry Brown and Administrative
Officer: Gary Vizzo.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
About the Language ..............................................................................2
Introduction............................................................................................3
Acknowledgement..................................................................................4
Unit 1: Greetings..................................................................8
Grammar: Simple Present Tense

Simple Present Negation
Interrogatives
Pronounciation
Unit 2: Introducing Self and Others.....................................18
Grammar: Verb Infinitive

Sound Changes
Separate Personal Pronouns

Habitual Tense
Near Future Tense
Imperatives Subjunctives
Use of “Wek”
Unit 3: Foods........................................................................43
Grammar: Verb “To Have”

Noun Classes
Adjectives
Gerunds
Initial Vowels
Colloquialisms
Unit 4: Shopping...................................................................67

Grammar: Near Past (Yesterday Tense)
Already and “Not Yet” Tense

Numbers
Agreement of Numbers
Conjunctions
The Past Tenses
Modified Verb Stem
Verb “To Be”

“Whole” and “All” Suffix
Unit 5: Telling Time.............................................................92
Grammar: Possessive Particle “Of”
Ordinal Numbers
Adverbs of Time
Demonstratives
Far Future Tense
Unit 6: Community Integration.............................................126

Grammar: The Passive
Conversational Managers
Reported Speech
Prepositional Verbs
Unit 7: Transport...................................................................145
Grammar: Adverbs of Place
Conditionals
“Ku” and “Ng” Modal Verbs

Adverbial Suffixes
Unit 8: Know Your Body......................................................165

Grammar: The “Stiff” Infix

Reflexive Verbs
Reciprocal
Relatives
Causatives
Statics
The “Ever” and “Never” Tense
Unit 9: Family.......................................................................189
Grammar: Far Future Tense

Grammar Reference................................................................................201
Functional Phrasebook...........................................................................237
Glossary...................................................................................................245
Grammar chart.........................................................................................284

Acholi Greetings
Unit 1
Quote of the week: Swahili is an easy language, its use is

widespread, and it may be that there is no
easier language to learn.
The Late A. B. Hellier,
Canon and Chancellor of Zanzibar
Acholi is even easier.
Adonga Moses and Otto Lucy,
Language Writers.

Unit 1: Mot (Greetings)
Core Competency: Integrate into the Community
Overview:
In this unit you will learn to:
Communicative tasks: • Greet one person

• Use correct titles of address
• Greet more than one person
• Use informal greetings
HIV/AIDS: • Address Care in a dialogue on page 14

• Address Prevention in a dialog on page 18
Safety and Security: • 1D: Identify strategies to reduce vulnerability
• 3C: Demonstrate culturally appropriate
community integration skills
Grammar: • Subject prefixes
• Interrogatives
• Pronunciation basics
Culture: • Importance of greetings

Learning to learn: • Learning on your own.

A: Moto ngat acel
(Greeting one person)
Learning Objective:
Without the assistance of LTFs, each trainee will apply appropriate greetings according to the
time of the day to at least 5 community members of different ages, gender and social status.
Moses tye ka moto Opiyo kidiko.
Moses: Itye nining Ladit?

Opiyo: Atye maber. Kono in?
Moses: Atye maber.
Opiyo : Ibutu maber?
Moses: Abutu maber.
Opiyo Moses
Moses is greeting Opiyo in the morning.
Moses : How are you sir?

Opiyo: I am fine how about you?
Moses: I am fine.
Opiyo : Did you spend the night well?
Moses: I spend it well.
Opiyo Moses

Matayo tye kamoto Diana idyeceng.
Matayo: Irii nining, lamego?

Diana: Arii maber ladit, kono in?
Matayo : Arii maber.
Diana: Irii maber?
Matayo: Arii maber.
Diana
Matayo
Matayo is greeting Diana during the day.
Matayo: Did you spend the day well?

Diana: Fine how about you?
Matayo : Fine.
Diana: How are you?
Matayo: I am fine.
Diana
Matayo
tye to be
Lok manyen odiko morning
(New words) kono in? what of you?
maber good, well, nice
ibutu you spent the night
idye ceng noon; afternoon
irii you spent the day
nining? how?
Subject I a- we wa-
Prefixes you i- you all wu-
he/she o- they gu-
Example: arii (I spent the day) - irii (you spent the day).

Interrogatives These are some of the interrogative adverbs in Acholi:
- nining? - how? Pingo? - why?
Ngo? - what? Nga? - who?(sing.)
Kwene? - where?
In iaa ki kwene? - Where do you come from?

Itye nining? - How are you?
Lwong nyig lok magi. Rot ki i kompak.

Pronounce these words. Check with tape.
Abuto Wan wabuto

Abuto maber. Wubuto Wun wubuto
Gubuto Gin gubuto
Arii Wan warii

Arii maber. Irii Wun wurii
Orii Gin gurii
As a safety measure, greetings are an identification strategy that can reduce

Safety your vulnerability in the community, because when you greet people you
And identify with them, thus being accepted as a community member.
Security Note
Proper use of greetings helps demonstrate your respect for a particular
person, as well as for Ugandan culture in general. Greetings will be very
important as you move about and get to know your new community, and as
they get to know you.
Greetings are very important for the Acholi. It is trladitionally extremely

Culture Note rude to pass by people, even if they’re working, without greeting them and
showing appreciation of what they are doing.
In Acholi, greetings take the form of a request about the other person’s
wellbeing, the past, etc.
Some people greet while shaking hands, and others hug.
Men usually bow their heads slightly as a humble gesture when greeting
superiors. Women in most cases kneel when greeting elders and superiors.
It is rude to greet someone older than you with a hat on. In most cases you
remove it or at least touch it with a slight lift.

B: Moto dano mapol
(Greeting more than one person)
Learning Objective:
Using the local language, each trainee will greet at least 3 groups of people composed of
different numbers and gender according to the time of the day. The responses got will enable
the trainee to analyze how different people respond to similar or different greetings according to
the situatiyon.
To address Care
Adonga tye ka moto Prossy ki Lucy:
Adonga: Wurii wunu maber, anyira?

Prossy & Lucy: Warii maber, ladit. Kono in?
Adonga: Atye maber.
Prossy & Lucy: Dano gang tye nining?
Adonga: Gitye gire maber, ento Mary aye
kome lit.
Adonga Prossy Lucy
Prossy & Lucy : Two ango?
Adonga: Two aona apio.
Prossy & Lucy: Pwod wanen! Wek kong wacit
watere i ot yat.
Adonga: Ber.
Prossy & Lucy: Aya. Pwod wanen.
Adonga is greeting Prossy and Lucy:

Adonga: How are you girls?
Prossy & Lucy: We are fine sir how about you?
Adonga: I am fine.
Prossy & Lucy: How are people at home?
Adonga: They are fine,but mary is ill.
Prossy & Lucy :What ailment?
Adonga: TB.
Prossy & Lucy: Alright see you! We should hury and
take her to the hospital.
Adonga Prossy Lucy
Adonga: Fine.
Prossy & Lucy: Ok we shall see you again.

Lok manyen Wurii wunu you (pl) have spent the day
warii we have spent the day
anyira girls
ladit sir
gang home, at home
gi tye nining? how are they?
ento but
kome lit he/she is sick
aona apio TB.
ot yat hospital; health center
Titles of address: It is always good to use titles of address when

Culture Note greeting people as it is a sign of great respect.
Note: ‘Ladies and gentlemen’, in Acholi, is ‘mon ki coo’.
Traditionally, it shows greater respect for men.
Winy kompak ka i pong kama twolo.

Listen to the tape and fill in the blanks.
A: Ibuto nining, _____________________?

B: An abuto maber. ________ kono?
A: An abuto ___________________.
B: Dano ma _____________ tye nining?
A: Dano ______________ maber, kono wun?
B: Wan bene watye __________________.
A: ________________ ber.
B: Ber _______________ warwate.
Lwong nyig lok man.Rot ki i kompak.

Pronounce these words. Check with tape.
Apwoyo ba? Apwoyo wunu ba? Dano tye maber? Ber. Ibuto? Icoo?
/ ny / and / ng /
Pronunciation
/ny/ as in nyanya is pronounced as a soft n and is different from n.
/ng/ as in ngec is pronounced as the English word England.

C: Informal Greetings
Learning Objective:
Using the immediate community members, each trainee will use culturally acceptable informal
greetings to at least 3 individuals and 2 groups of people. Each trainee will write 5 dialogues as
practiced with the above people.
Joshua tye ka moto Wess

Joshua : Nining, Wess?
Wess: Atye maber. Wacii?
Joshua: Mapol pe.
Joshua Wess
Joshua is greeting Wess

Joshua : Hello, Wess?
Wess: Hello any news?
Joshua: Nothing much.
Joshua Wess
Joshua tye ka moto Wess ki Recco

Joshua: Wutye wunu maber?
Wess gin ki Recco : Watye Kono in?
Joshua : Atye maber. Ningo wunu?
Wess ki Recco: Ningo pe.
Joshua Wess Recco

Joshua is greeting Wess and Recco
Joshua: How are you all?
Wess gin ki Recco : Fine how about you?
Joshua: I am fine any news?
Wess ki Recco: Nothing much.
Joshua Wess Recco
-tye “to be” (is/are)

Lok manyen
Atye I am
wutye wunu maber you (pl.) are well
Atye maber I am okay (lit. I’m there).
To address prevention:
Abel tye kaboko lok gin ki Ben
Abel: Ngo manyen?

Ben: Ginmo ku. Wacaa? Wiken tye kaciti nining?
Abel: Maber. Onongo atye wan ki Jane.
Ben: Meno ber. En tye nining?
Abel: Tye maber. Medde wunu anyim momot kumeno.
Ben: Oh, oh, en oye me buto kwedi?
Abel: Pe, wabikuru naka wang ma wanyome.
Ben: Meno ber. An ka abutu ki anyaka na, atiyo ki roc bol.

wiken weekend
Lok manyen
onongo watye wan ki I was with
anyaka girl
medde continue
anyim ahead; in front
motmot slowly
buto to sleep, to go to bed
ku no
kuru to wait
naka until; up to
nyom marriage
atiyo ki I use
roc bol condom.
Listen to the tape and check boxes that apply to each dialog.
Winy kompak ka igwet canduk ma rwate ki nyig lok acel acel.
Morning Afternoon Formal Informal Singular Plural

Dialog A      
Dialog B      
Dialog C      
Dialog D      
Dialog E      
Dialog F      
Pronunciatiyon k= x
In Acholi, k is sometimes pronounced as a glotal when it appears in
between two vowels as in loch in English. For example, lwoko
(washing), tuku (game).
Find examples of the pronunciation rules above in the dialogs in

this unit. Write them down and read them out loud correctly. Try
to record yourself and compare your pronunciation with your
teacher.

Culture It is appropriate to use formal greetings when greeting people in the
morning or when greeting somebody for the first time in a day.
Note After that informal greetings can be used.
Friends can use informal greetings most of the time. However, when
greeting superiors, formal greetings are used.
Find out the informal greetings used by different groups, e.g

children, women, youth, etc. Community
task

Learning on Your Own
Why? No matter how many hours you spend in the classroom, no matter how good your
teacher, or how colorful your text book, at the end of the day it is you who has to do
the learning.
There is no book in existence that covers all aspects of a language and even if there
was you would spend years in class studing with it.
Therefore, learning how to learn more on your own may well be the most valuable
skill any class can give you. This is even more obvious in Uganda, a country of over
30 languages and dialects. It is quite possible that even though you need one
language for work, the people in your village speak a different dialect or even a
completely different language.
How? At the end of some units, you will find hints and assignments that will help you
become an independent learner.
Interspersed throughout this language manual are assignments called Explorer’s

Diary. They give you specific independent language learning assignments related to
the language.
Setting Goals: Setting realistic goals is what successful learners do well. Use the space
below to sketch your own objectives. You will be asked later to reassess
your goals.
Date:
Why do you want to learn Acholi?
What do you want to be able to do in five weeks?
Where do you want to be at the end of PST?
What level do you eventually want to reach in Acholi?

Introducing
Acholi self and others
Unit 2
Quote of the week: Many people are faced with an

assignment overseas , in a state of high
anticipation, that they’ll not only go and
explore this farway and exotic land, but
that they will learn the language as well.
They will get the book and start
tomorrow. But for many that tomorrow
never comes.
Robert Kohls,
Survival Kit for Overseas Living.

Unit 2: Introducing self and others
Core Competency: Commit to Peace Corps Act, Mission and
Professionalism.

Overview:
Communicative tasks: • Introduce self and others
• Tell country of origin and place of residence
• Mention your profession and work
• Tell family members and their work
• Mention people in your community and what they do
• Describe more professions
• Practice leave taking
HIV/AIDS: • Address Prevention in a dialog on page 30

• Address Care and Prevention in a text on page 33
Grammar: • Verb infinitive
• Syllables
• Separate personal pronouns (self standing)
• Present continuous tense
• Far future tense
• Use of “Wek”
• Near past (Yesterday) tense
• “Already” and “Not Yet” tenses
Culture: • Naming system

Learning to learn: • Memory Tips.

A: Nyutte kacel ki dano mukene
(Introducing self and others)
Learning Objective:
Using the community around the training ask, each trainee will introduce self to some local
members so as to obtain similar information regarding places of origin and residences of the
people interviewed.
Oyo nyutu Mary gin ki David
Oyo: Man Mary. En obedo larema.

David: Apwoyo nenne.
Oyo: Mary, man David en bene larema.
Mary: Apwoyo nenne.
David
Oyo
Mary
Oyo introduces Mary and David
Oyo: Ths is mary she is my friend.

David: Thanks I am glad to see her.
Oyo: Mary, this is David he is my
friend too
David
Mary: Thanks I am glad to see him.
Oyo
Mary

Mary: An nyinga Mary. Inkono?
David: lwonga ni David.
Mary: iya yom me nenni.
David: iya yom loyi woko.
Mary: I am Mary. Who are you?

David: I am david.
Mary: I am glad to see you.
David: I am most delighted.
Lok manyen nying name

in you (singular)
larema my friend
iya yom I am glad/happy
me nenne to see him/her
iya yom loyo I’m even more happy.
Culture Note Acholi names: The system of names for Acholi is different than in
the US. Each Acholi has two names. A christian (religious) name
given at baptism, for example, Henry, and a Acholi name given at
birth, for example, Oceng. The Acholi name often has meaning
related to a significant event at the time of birth. For example,
Oceng means ‘born during day’.
Until recently, family names in the European sense were not used.
However, many Acholi use their father's or mother’s name
alongside their own. The father's or mother’s name then appears at
the end. Many people don't use them at all. Under European
influence, some families started using the father's or mother’s name
as a family name even for the third generation.

Go out and ask some Acholi speakers their Acholi names. Ask Community
what the name means and why they were given it.
Task
Name/Nying: Meaning/tere

B: Iaa ki kwene? (Where are you from?)
Akulu: Iaa ki kwene?

Okot: Aaa ki i Anaka i Amuru.
Akulu: An aa ki Awach i Gulu.
Okot: Ibedo kwene?
Akulu: Abedo i Gulu taun.
Where are you from

Akulu: Where do you come from?
Okot: I come from Anaka in Amuru.
Akulu: I am from Awach in Gulu.
Okot: Where do you live ?
Akulu: I live in Gulu town.
Lok manyen kumbedi now

kwene? where?
kabedo wa my/our home area
ibedo you stay
abedo I stay.
Mercy: Iaa ki kwene?

Hilda: Aa ki Gulu. In kono?
Mercy: Aa ki Kitgum
Mercy: Where do you come from?

Hilda: I come from Gulu. And you?
Mercy: I come from Kitgum.
Lok manyen iaa you come from

aa I come from

Winy lok i kompak Ka igwet kama dano aa ki iye.
Listen to the dialog on the tape and check who comes from
where.
America Texas California Chicago

Jerry
Mark
Liz
Verb The infinitive verbs in Acholi are marked by

Infinitive the suffix -o
For example:
stem infinitive
nin nino to spend the night
bed bedo to spend the day
nyut nyutto to introduce oneself
Note! The stem is rarely alone. There is always a prefix of some
sort. For example, a subject prefix as in arii (I spend the day).
Yub lok ki i kom nyige matino tino magi.

Make words from syllables.
a) lwo-nga-o
b) do-be
c) nyo-ye
d) ne-kwe
e) yo-a-pwo
f) no- ni
g) ngo-ni
Syllables consonant + vowel

Acholi syllables almost always end in a vowel, as you can see from
the exercise given.

Ask the members of your family about their background. (District, Homestay
village, tribe, clan, etc.) Write sentences in Acholi, for example,
Mamana aa ki Gulu i Acholi. Task
Separate If you want to stress the fact that a person is doing something, you need to
Personal use a personal pronoun in addition to the subject prefix. They are also used
Pronouns when there is no verb, for example in: ki in? (and you?).
Singular Plural
I An we Wan
you In you Wun
he/she En they Gin
Stress the person in all the sentences you know .Use subject
prefixes. For example: An aa ki Gulu.
Cik peny ki lagam.

Match the questions with the answers.
Itye maber? Ber.

Kop ango? Atye maber.
Itye? Kop pe.
Pwod wanen. Atye.

C: Tic (Professions)
Learning Objective:
Based on conversations with homestay members, each trainee will describe 2 professions of host
family members and those of 2 family members back in the United States.
Itimo tic ango?
Obonyo: Itye nining, Obonyo?

Okec: Atye maber, in kono?
Obonyo: Gin marac pe, itiyo tic ango?
Okec: Abedo daktar, in kono?
Obonyo: Abedo lapwony.
Okec: Oo… ber.
What is your profession/job?
Obonyo: How are you, Obonyo?

Okec: I am fine and you?
Obonyo: I am fine , what is your profession?
Okec: I am a Medic and you?
Obonyo: I am a teacher.
Okec: Oh… good.
To address Care and Prevention:

Translate the following:
Nyinga Bill Kent. Atiyo i Peace Corps macalo dano ma odyere. apwonyo yoto kom paa dano.
apwonyo bulu, coo, mon, ki lotino kic. apwonyo dano ki kit me murru pii amata, butu ite
tandarua ma yat ober tye iye, lwokko cing ki cabun tyen mapol nino ki nino, ki konyo dano
matwo. Abibedo ka tic i Uganda pi mwaka aryo.

Lok manyen nying name
dano ma odyere volunteer
iya yom I’m happy/glad
nenni see you
tic work
apwonyo I teach
dano people
kwo life
two disease
kwiddi makelo cilim HIV
cilim AIDS
pii water
lengo me kom hygiene
wajoli you are welcome
macalo as; like
yot kom health
bulu youth
coo men
mon women
lotino kic orphan(s)
tedo;muru to cook; to boil
pii amata drinking water
tandarua nets
ober mosquito(es)
lwokko to wash (body parts)
cing hands(s)
cabun soap
tyen times
nino; ceng day; sun
konyo to take care of
latwo patients; the sickly
mwaka year.
Opiyo tye ka lok gin ki Anyango lok kom tic
Opiyo: itye nining kamao?
Anyango: Atye maber, kono in?
Opiyo: Atye maber. Itiyo kwene?
Anyango: Atiyo i Pocta. Inkono?
Opiyo: Atiyo i beng.

Opiyo is conversing with Anyango about work
Opiyo: How are you kamao?
Anyango: I am fine How about you?
Opiyo: I am fine. Where do you work?
Anyango: I work at the post office and you?
Opiyo: I work at the Bank.
Lok manyen atiyo I am doing/working (I do/ I work)

Pocta post office
duka shop
kwan study
beng bank.
Tii wun aryo aryo. Ngat acel acel myero okel lok mo pi
jami acel acel .
Work in pairs. Each of you should suggest a phrase or
phrases for each of the prompts below.
1. Tell your partner your name
2. Introduce yourself and tell where you come from to your partner
3. Tell your partner the name of your friend.
Lok manyen Itiyo tic Do you work

tic work
lapwony teacher
daktar doctor.

To address Prevention:
PCV: Itye nining?
LC: Atye maber.
PCV :Nyinga kilwongo ni Jennifer. Abedo latic me Peace Corps.
LC : Iya yom me nenni.
PCV: An bene iya yom me nenni.
LC: Itiyo tic ango?
PCV: Abedo daktar. apwonyo dano ma i kin gang ki lok ma mako yot kum ki gengo two
macalo HIV/AIDS (cilim), cam maber, pii maleng, ki lengo me kom.
LC: Meno ber tutwal. wajoli.
PCV: Kakare.
An kilwonga ni Otim. Abedo lawer, aa ki i Kactom. Dano ni

kilowngo ni Rose. En obedo larema. En kwano. Gang gi tye
Alero
1. Otim aa ki kwene?
2. Rose timo ngo?
3. Rose aa ki kwene?
4. Otim timo ngo?
Present It is formed by placing a subject prefix to the verb infinitive.

Imperfect e.g
(Continuous) aa Aa Wa aa
Iaa Wu aa
tense En aa Gi aaa.
Bedo Abedo Wa bedo

Ibedo Wu bedo
En bedo Gi bedo.

Form the present continuous tense of the following verbs.
Use them in sentences of your own choice.
1. Kobbo
2. Lwongo
3. Coyo
4. Kwano.
Winy kompak, coo lok manyen ka iyeny lagonye i dikconari

Listen from your tape, write down new words and find out their
meanings from the dictionary.
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
Find out the professions of members of your host-family and Homestay

where they work. task
Name Profession Where they work
…………………………. …………………………… ……………………………

…………………………. …………………………… ……………………………
………………………… …………………………… ……………………………
………………………… …………………………… ……………………………
…………………………. …………………………… ……………………………
…………………………. …………………………… ……………………………
………………………… …………………………… ……………………………
………………………… …………………………… ……………………………

D: Dano ma igang
(Family members)
Learning Objective:
Based on observations and analysis of homestay experience, each trainee will describe family,
household chores and gender roles that explain the differences between the concept of family in
host country and family back in the United States.
Coo nying dano ma i gang kama ibedo iyeni ki ngo ma gin Homestay
timo
Write down your homestay family members and what they do. Task
Culture In the Acholi family and home settings, different members play
different roles. The mothers are responsible for food production,
Note cooking, maintenance of home hygiene, educating children in
proper cultural values and entertainment. The men are responsible
for bringing money in the home and enforcing discipline. The
children do simple household chores whereas the older family
members look after the babies and guard the home.

E: Dano ma i kin gang ki tic ma gin timo
(People in a Community and their work)
Ocol: I kin gang wu tye lodito mapol?
Onyango: Pe. Lotino ki bulu en aye pol
maloyo.
Ocol: Wan kitung botwa mon madongo
ki lotino en aye ma dwong. lotino
matino bene dwong.
Ocol: Are there many men in your

village?
Onyango: No there are mostly children and
youth.
Ocol: From our side we have more
elderly women and children
Lok manyen kin gang / caro / adwol village

bulu youth
anyira girls
lodito old men
mon madongo old women
lotino children
makato to be more than; to exceed
dwong many.
Find the meaning of this Proverb. Proverb/

Adidedide tucu min bul. idiom
How does it relate to the various categories of people in the Community?

Kacoke
Danoel: Wurii wunu ba ludito?

Dano gang: Wan warii ladit. In irii nining?
Danoel: Atye maber. An nyinga Danoel.
Aa ki i Amerika. Amito ngeyo
lotela ma kany pien abibedo i
dwol man.
James: Kilwonga ni James. An abedo
won kom me dwol man.
Danoel: Iya yom me neni.
James: Ber. Man lalub kora nyinge
Yokoyadi;lakan lim Kerobino;
Karan tye Debora ki lagwok kuc
Okello. Mukeneni ibingeyogi
lacen.
Danoel: Iya yom tutwal me nenno wu
lodito.
Dano gang: Wan bene wapwoyo neni.
Meeting
Danoel: Hello sirs, how are you?

Dano gang: Hello sir, we are fine and how
about you?
Danoel: I am fine.My name is Danoel. I
come from America. I would like
to know the leaders because I will
stay in this village.
James: My name is James. I am the LC1
chairperson of this village.
Danoel: I am happy to see you.
James: Okay. I have my vice Yokoyadi;
treasurer Kerobino; secretary
Debora and defense Okello. The
others you will know them later on.
Danoel: I am glad to see you all.
Dano gang: We are happy to see you too.

Lok manyen kacoke meeting
caro/dwol village
dano kin gang village people
ladit sir
won kom chairperson
rwatte to meet
tutwal so much
lotela leaders.
Kwan lok ma malo eno ni ka i gam lapeny magi Comprehension

Read the dialogue above and answer these questions.
1. Danoel oaa ki kwene?

2. James timo ngo?
3. Yokoyadi timo ngo?
4. James tiyo ki anga gi?
Far Future It is used for an action that will occur at a future date not really
specified.
Tense
It is formed by inserting -bi- between the subject prefix and the
verb stem.
Wan ducu wabi wot i polo. All of us will go to heaven.
Laro lok i kin Fred gin ki Rose
Fred: Ngo manyen Rose?

Rose: Mapol pe. Iaa ki kwene?
Fred: Aa ka pur. Jean tye nining?
Rose: Tye maber. ocito i kulo.
Fred: Tom kono?
Rose Ocito ka pwonno moyeme
Fred: In imito ngo kany?
Rose: Abino ka coko yen. Wek kong aciti.
Fred: An bene wek akati acit atir i poto na.

Conversation between Fred and Rose
Fred: What is the news Rose?

Rose: Nothing much. Where are you from?
Fred: I am from digging.How isJean?
Rose: She is fine she went to the well.
Fred: How about Tom?
Rose He went to harvet coffe.
Fred: Who do you want here?
Rose: I came to gather firewood. I beg to
leave.
Fred: I beg to leave for my garden.
Lok manyen cito to go

maber well
twomo to draw (e.g. water)
wek let
cwoko yen to gather firewood
poto garden.
pwonno gather
kawa / mwanyi / omen coffee.
Use of 'Wek' Wek may be used in various ways, but two major ones are
explained here.
i) Wek translates 'let'. When used in this way, it must be
followed by a subjunctive.
Wek acitii - let me go.
Wek wa dok cen - let us return there (let us go back).
Wek abin - let me come.
Look at the use of 'Wek' and the examples given.

Make your own examples (more than 7).
How else do you use 'Wek' apart from the way already explained?

Discuss gender roles with your family. Report results. Homestay
Use the new verbs as much as possible. Task
F: Tic mokene mapatpat

(More Professions)
Lagedo gedo ot yat, layub

mac yubo mac. Daktar madit ki daktari
mukene gi tiyo i ot yat.
Ladwoco dwoyo mutoka
Makanika yubu mutoka.
Lok manyen gedo to build

ot yat hospital
daktar madit doctors
daktar nurse
ladwoco driver
makanika mechanic
mac electricity
yubu repair
dwoyo drive
mutoka motor car.
Near Past The near past tense is used to describe actions which happened
yesterday or before then, but no more than 3 days in the past.
(Yesterday)
To make this tense is very simple, just put a subject prefix before
Tense
the modified verb stem.
Subject Prefix + MVS
Ibuto nining? How did you spend the night? ( last night)
En ocito woko. He went.
The negative is also simple:
Pe + Subject Prefix + MVS
Pe guneno lee. They didn’t see animals.
Pe ocito. He didn’t go.

Lok i leb Acholi kun itiyo ki kare mukato macok coki..
Translate into Acholi using the near past (yesterday) tense.
1. We learned Acholi with our teacher.
2. They said that I am well behaved.
3. You (pl) called me Munu.
4. I didn’t go to Kampala to buy food.
5. We spent the night at the Gulu Hotel in Gulu.
6. She didn’t see the youth.
7. I didn’t visit the patients.
Tye ka tiyo tic ango?
1. (a) Itamo ni jal ma obedo ni timo ngo?
(b) Tice kilwongo ni ngo?
2. (a) Dano ni timo tic ango?
3. (a) Dano ma ocung ni timo ngo?

Cik lotic ki gin ma gi timo.
Match the professions to their kind of work.
Lok manyen pur to dig; cultivate

kwoyo to knit/sew
carani sewing machine
bongo cloth
lacwer bao carpenter
puni carani tailor
lapur gardener; farmer
layata sweet potatoes.
cuk market
meca tables
kitana bed
kom chairs.

Acholi Foods
Unit 3 Cam
Quote of the week: Wor acel pe kwoko dek.
Acholi Proverb.

Unit 3: Foods
Core Competency: Apply Basic Survival Skills.

Overview:
Communicative tasks: • Name foods
• Tell likes and dislikes
• Tell eating and cooking utensils
• Order for food in a restaurant
• Accept/decline politely invitations to food
• Appreciate and compliment food given
HIV/AIDS: • Categorize different types of foods on page 45 to cater for Nutrition
• Address Care and Nutrition in a dialog on page 46
Safety and Security: • 3B: Demonstrate skills in community mapping
• 3C: Demonstrate culturally appropriate community integration skills
• 4C: Demonstrate culturally appropriate strategies for declining unwanted
offers of food/drink/assistance, etc
Grammar: • Interrogatives
• Adjectives
• Gerunds
• Imperatives and subjunctives
• The negative
• Emphatics
Culture: • Table etiquette
• Invitatiyons
Learning to learn : • Using host family to learn.

A: Cam (Foods)
Learning Objective:
Using words for food items, question forming techniques and polite conversation strategies,
each trainee will practice at least 3 dialogs on buying food between a market seller and a buyer
accurate enough to complete a transaction in a real life situation. This will be done in the
presence of a trainer.
labolo banana
muranga bean
lapena pea
kal millet
anyogi maize
gwana cassava
okono pumpkin
layata munu irish potatoes
mucele rice
pul groundnut
labolo ma ocek ripe banana
burukula spinach -like greens
labolo alwete small sweet banana
matunda passion fruit
moko unga maize flour/meal
coya soya bean
kabic cabbage
ringo meat
mugati loaf of bread
cak milk
tonggweno egg
ringo dyang beef
ringo dyel goat's meat
ringo gweno chicken
ringo romo mutton
ringo opego pork
ringo atudu duck's meat
kabir sorghum
kongo bia; arege beer; alcohol
dek ma kitedo ki moo dyang
sauce made out of cow ghee
nyuka kal millet porridge
kwete wine made out of ripe maize flour
tonto banana wine.

Lok manyen ma dongo Which build
Kom Body
ma kelo Which bring
Gupu Strength; power
Remo Blood.
Kwan ka igony ki leb Munu

Read and translate into English
Lotino me Obiya Puraimari cukul kelo cam i cukul. Awilo Okello tyang. Odong pe okello gin
moo me acama, en pe ocamo cam me cawa abiro. Kec oneke tutwal ma pe romo kwan maber
ma dong otiko bedo ka nino anina i kilaci. Awilo gin ki Ojuku okwano gigi maber tutwal pien
gucamo gimo.
Lok manyen Cukul / gang kwan School

Tyang Sugarcane
Kec oneke She/he was hungry
Nino Sleeping
Kilaci / ot kwan Classroom
To address Care and Nutrition

Lagwok latwo: I ngamo ngo?
Latwo: Aol aola.
Lagwok latwo: Kec tye kaneki. laworo icamo manok. Tin myero icam cam madit pien latwo
myero ocam cam maber.
Latwo: Cam mabeco mene?
Lagwok latwo: Obedo cam ma tye ki jami ducu iiyee ma kom mito.
Latwo: Calo mene?
Lagwok latwo: Cam ma kelo gupu calo mucele, cam ma miyo kom dongo calo ringo ki
bitamin calo nyig yat ki pot dek.
Latwo: Eyo aniang. Atim dok ngo mokene me meddo teko me koma wek olweny i kom
two ducu?
Lagwok latwo: Nong yweyo ma oromo, twenye manok, mat pii ladit ka i nen dakta ni ka
iwinyo komi rem.

Lok manyen lagwok latwo; daktari caretaker; nurse
latwo patient
ngamo to yawn
aol I am tired
kec hunger
laworo yesterday
tin today
mito needs
jami mabeco i cam nutrients
cam meal
kom body
mucele rice
pot dek green vegetables
nyig yadi/yat fruits
niang to understand
yweyo rest
twenye exercises
pol kare always; regularly
nenno daktar to consult a doctor
winyo to feel; to hear
peko problem; difficulty
myero should
manok little.
Personal • It is important to always eat hot food

health • Be cautious of food sold on the roadside
• Boil your drinking water and always carry it with you
• Eat a variety of foods.

Interrogatives: Interrogatives generally come at the end of the question. But for
"why? & what?", they come at the beginning.
kwene? where?
awene? when?
nga? / mene? who? / which?
ngo? what?
pingo? why?
adi? how many?/how much?
nining? how?
Examples:
Pingo imaro matto kongo?

Kilwongo 'food' ni ngo i leb Acholi?
Recco timo ngo?
Itye ki cente adi?
Adjectives: Adjectives need to agree with the noun they go with. To use them,
you need to add class prefix of the noun you want to describe.
Learn these useful adjectives:
ber good, fine, nice, well, beautiful
rac bad, ugly
dit big
nok; tidi small, few, little
otii, dit old, superior
tidi young
bor tall, long
cek short
pol, dwong many, a lot
nyen new.
Examples: Mugati ni dit

This loaf of bread is big.
Matunda na ber
My passion fruit is good.

Winy kompak ka igam lapeny kakare.
Listen to the tape and respond appropriately.
A: Apwoyo nenni.
B:
A: Atye maber. Bin wacit kamato soda.
B:
A: Ku bin wamati.
B:
A: Aya wek aciti.
B:
Culture Note The following are the meals that are considered most trladitional:
1. Millet, cassava, beans, peas, posho, potatoes, milk, pumpkins, lacoi (a type
of drink made out of millet) and also kwete (a type of drink made out of
maize).
Sharing of a meal is a tradition. If a visitor comes, the above list of meals are
the best for the highly respected visitors, elders, or superiors; especially those
you have gone long without seeing.
“Welo Okello yengo”. Proverb/Idiom

Find out the meaning of this Proverb.

B: Likes and Dislikes
Carolyne: Irii ladit?
James: Arii mego.
Carolyne: Ladit ibicamo ngo?
James: Abicamo gweno, muranga, layata ki
mucele.
Carolyne: Ka layata ki pot dek kono?
James: An pe amaro layata ki pot dek.
Carolyne: Ber.
In the hotel
Carolyne: How are you sir?
James: I am fine madam.
Carolyne: What will you eat sir?
James: I will eat chicken, beans and sweet
potatoes.
Carolyne: How about sweet potatoes and greens?
James: I don’t like sweet potatoes and greens.
Carolyne: Ok.
Lok manyen amaro I like

imaro you like
icamo you eat
pe amaro I don't like.

Wilbur:
I like eating meat, Irish potatoes, sweet
potatoes, beans, greens and fish.However
I don’t like cassava and peas.
Brenda:
I like eating chapati, ovacado, mangoes,
greens, oranges and cabbage. But I don’t
like pan cakes.
Wilbur:
Amaro cammo ringo, layata munu, layata.
Muranga, pot dek ki rec. Ento pe amaro
cammo gwana ki ngor.
Brenda:
Amaro cammo capat, obakado, moyeme,
pot dek, mucungwa, kabek ento pe amaro
cammo lagalagala.
Gerunds Gerunds are generally formed from verb infinitives by putting

vowel -o at the end of the main verb. Note that this construction
is very irregular depending on the verb used. This results in
formation of a noun e.g
to drink drinking
mat matto
to kill killing
nek nekko.

.
C: Cam ki jami me tedo

(Eating and cooking utensils)
Match words with pictures. Use the dictionary.
gilaci
malaga
kikopo
cwani
lawum wi jami
pala
binika
atang
pany
lalek
cupuria
mokeka
malaga latok dek.
Yito pe duny nono. Homestay

Find out the meaning of this proverb from your host family. task
Kwan ka igam lapeny magi. Comprehension

Read and answer the questions.
Okec nakanen i odiko otyero lawum wi dek,Deke bene oony woko, dano onyere.
Alice okello cwan matidi ki kikopo ma otye woko.
Binika na opoto oyokoo gilaci ki cwani gu ony piny gutye.

Lok manyen opoto fell
onyere to laugh at him/her
kello to bring
poto fall
otye to be broken.
Culture Note It is common to eat using hands (fingers).

A meal of kwon kal (millet bread) is eaten using fingers. Kongo
malwa (native beer) is normally drunk from agulu (pot) the size of
the pot depends on the number of people.

D: Lwongo Cam i Otel
(Order for Food in a Restaurant)
Lacat cam: Apwoyo ba lodito.
Coo: Ber. Wan bene wapwoyo.
Lacat cam: Akony wu nining?
Coo: Wutye ki cam ango?
Lacat cam: Watye ki kwai cam ducu
mabeco.
Coo: Wamitto labolo, mucele ki
ringo gweno.
Lacat cam: Ber lodito. Wek akel.
Lacat cam: How are you all.

Coo: Fine thank you.
Lacat cam: How may I help you?
Coo: What food do you have?
Lacat cam: We have variety of delicious
food.
Coo: We need matoke rice ,meat
and chicken.
Lacat cam: Thankyou sirs. Let me bring.
Lok manyen Akony wu? I help you?

Watye ki we have
wamitto we want
ringo meat
wek akel let me bring them
wutye ki? do you have?
Kwai type; kind; sort.

Imperatives Every verb stem is a command, which can only be directed to
the 2nd person singular only.
&
citi - go
Subjunctives bin - come
kwan - read.
For the rest of the persons, commands can be issued by use of

subjunctives which express a wish or possibility.
Examples:
wacetu - let us go
wun ducu wubin - all of you come
mot gi - (you sing.) greet them.
Subjunctives are formed by putting the correct subject prefix to
the verb stem and changing the final a of the verb stem to e.
Kong maber - Have a nice day (wish you a good day).
Atwero dong wot? - May I go? (requesting to go).
Juliet: Irii maber, Carol?

Carol: Arii maber, kono in?
Juliet: An atye maber. Icito kwene?
Carol: Acito kawillo labolo ki gweno.
Juliet: Imaro cammo labolo tutwal?
Carol: Ee, in i aa ki kwene?
Juliet: Adok gang. Aa ka omo gwana ki
layata munu. Amaro camo gwana tutwal.
Carol: Wek aciti awil gin acama.
Juliet: Ber.
Juliet: How are you, Carol?

Carol: I am fine how about you?
Juliet: I am finne. where are you going?
Carol: I am going to buy bananas and chicken.
Juliet: Do you like eating bananas that much?
Carol: Yes,where are you from?
Juliet: I am going home. I went to collect
cassava and irish potatoes. I like eating
them so much.
Carol: Let me go and buy food stuff.
Juliet: Ok.

Lok manyen Aciti I am going
Willo to buy
I cito kwene? where are you going?
Imaro/imito you like/love
Cammo to eat
Pe no
Adok gang I am going back home
Ber o.k
Wek aciti let me go
I aa ki kwene? where are you from?

E: Yee/kwero cam iyo maber ka kilwongi ka cam.
(Accept/Decline politely invitations to food)
Learning Objectives:
Using culturally acceptable phrases, each trainee will demonstrate in local language the ability to
accept/decline politely invitations to food pertaining to 3 different social settings.
Faith tye kalok ki Jack
Faith: Irii nining, Jack?

Jack: Arii maber, kono in?
Faith: An bene. Bin ka cam.
Jack: Apwoyo tutwal, ento ayeng
woko.
Faith: Pe, bin ibil kong.
Jack: Pe ipar, acamo woko.
Faith is talking to Jack
Faith: How are you Jack?

Jack: I am fine.How about you?
Faith: Me too,come and we eat.
Jack: Thanks a lot but am full.
Faith: No, just come and taste.
Jack: Don’t mind, I have eaten already.
Lok manyen bin come

acamo woko I have already eaten
pe ipar don't mind (singular).
an bene also me

The Negative The general rule for forming the negative of any verb is to place Pe-
before the Subject Prefix. If the Subject Prefix is a vowel (a, e or o), then
pe- contracts to p- (this is usually common in spoken but not proper for
written forms).
Abedo lapwony. Pe abedo (pabedo) lapwony.
I am a teacher. I am not a teacher.
Acamo ringo. Pe acamo ringo.

I eat meat. I don’t eat meat.
Icamo cam me otyeno. Pe icamo cam me otyeno.

You ate supper (yesterday). You didn't eat supper (yesterday).
More about the negatives will be dealt with according to different tenses
covered.
At times, negatives may be formed using pe- which appears as aprefix
before a subject. A common example is negative commands.
Examples: ceti go
Pe iciti don't go.
cam eat
pe icam don’t eat.
Wor acel pe kwoko dek. Homestay

Find out the meaning of the above saying from your host family.
task
Culture Note If someone finds you eating you have to invite him/her regardless of the
quantity or quality of food you are eating. And traditionally food is to be
shared. Always a visitor is welcomed by a drink, thereafter food is also
given whether he/she wants it or not.
Traditionally you are expected to wash your hands before and after eating.
People don’t eat while walking, and don’t walk while eating.
Most homes bless the food (with a prayer) before eating.
Safety and Food plays an important role in daily life in Uganda, and how you are
Security Note perceived in your community will be influenced by how and what you
eat. Not only will it be important for you to learn about the various
kinds of food available in your local area but you will need to know
how to appropriately decline offers of food or drink.

F: Pwoyo (Complimenting)
Mauda tye kalok ki Mama
Mauda: Mama, meda kong kwon.
Mama: Ber gam.
Mauda: Dek mit tutwal! Apwoyo tedo.
Mama: An bene apwoyo cammo ne.
Mauda is conversing with Mama

Mauda: Mum add for me some bread.
Mama: Ok here it is.
Mauda: The food is tasty. Thank you for
cooking.
Mama: Ok. Thank you for eating.
Lok manyen mama mother

medda add for me
dek mit tutwal food is tasty
apwoyo tedo thanks for cooking.
Culture Note As a matter of courtesy, the one who has been given or served food,
must thank the cook or the one that has served the food after eating
the meal. It's impolite not to thank the one who has prepared a meal
after eating.
Simply say: Apwoyo tedo!

Emphatics For emphasis, the personal pronoun and personal pronoun prefix can
be used in the Joshuae sentence.
An aye I am the one who...
Wan aye We are the ones who........
Gin aye.. They are the ones who.......
En aye.. S/he is the one who..

Acholi
Unit 4 Shopping
Quote of the week: Latek keng wi ogwang ma otwo.
Acholi proverb.

Unit 4: Wil (Shopping)
Core Competencies: Work within American and Host Country Diversity.
Apply Basic Survival Skills.
Overview:
Communicative tasks: • Count from 1-10,000

• Compare prices
• Use bargaining terms
• Ask for and give back change
• Purchase items using weights and measures
• Describe household items
HIV/AIDS: • Address seeking for Treatment in a text on page 68

• Address accessing Treatment and Care in a dialog on
page 69
• 3B: demonstrate skills in community mapping
• 3C: Demonstrate culturally appropriate community
integration skills
Grammar: • Conjunctions
• Modified verb stem
• Verb “to have”
• Far past tense
• Verb “to be”
• ‘Whole’, ‘All’ and ‘Any’ suffix
• Agreement of numbers
Culture: • Bargaining
Learning to learn: • Goals for Independent study.

A: Kwano (Counting) 1 – 10,000
Winy kompak ka i nwo.
Listen to the tape and repeat.
0 1 2 3 4 5
jero acel aryo adek angwen abic
6 7 8 9 10
abicel abiro aboro abongwen apar.
Pwony wer man ki i kompak ni.

Learn this song from your tape.
Tongweno,tongweno,acel
Tongweno,tongweno,aryo
Tongweno,tongweno,adek
Tongweno,tongweno,angwen
Tongweno,tongweno,abic
Tongweno,tongweno,abicel
Tongweno,tongweno,abiro
Tongweno,tongweno,aboro
Tongweno,tongweno,abungwen
Tongweno, tongweno, apar!
Lok manyen wer song

tongweno egg.

Pwony nama The numbers 11-19 are simply formed as 'ten and one' being joined by
wiye. But you can even leave out “wiye” and it still retains the
magi: meaning.
Learn these 10 apar
numbers: 18 apar wiye aboro
20 pyere aryo
30 pyere adek
40 pyere angwen
50 pyere abic
60 pyere abicel
70 pyere abiro
80 pyere aboro
90 pyere abongwen
100 miya acel.
Note also that when the ones are added to the tens we get tens and ones
joined by wiye e.g,
23 pyere aryo wiye adek
48 pyere angwen wiye aboro
66 pyere abicel wiye abicel
94 pyere abongwen wiye angwen.
Note: When a number ends with a vowel (e.g. aboro, aryo), you need to add “wiye” for it to
make sense. Example: pyere aboro wiye adek.
100 miya acel 600 miya abicel

200 miya aryo 700 miya abiro
300 miya adek 800 miya aboro
400 miya angwen 900 miya abongwen
500 miya abic 1,000 alip acel.
Note that the above numbers form their tens by just putting the appropriate tens; conjunction
'wiye’ is retained for ones for those numbers that have tens and ones at the Joshuae time.
Conjunctions: Ki 'and'. Ki is mostly used to denote nouns,

infinitives and adjectives.
Atye ki dyangi aryo ki gweni angwen.
I have 2 cows and 4 chickens.
Ento 'but', ‘nevertheless’
Kono nyo perhaps
Pien because
Nyo or.

(i) For all the numbers above, all ones, tens and hundreds are
Nama. formed by use of 'wiye' should they exist singly or with the last
Numbers. whole numbers.
(ii) Alip should be taken to represent 1000 and beyond but less than
1,000,000. Here you begin with alip. Hence:
alip apar. ten thousand
alip pyere aryo twenty thousand
alip pyere adek thirty thousand
The above goes on up to 90,000.
alip miya acel one hundred thousand.
This also goes on up to 900,000.
Carolok (Proverb): Community

Lak lyec pe loyo rwede. task
Find out the meaning of the above proverb.
B: Poro wel jami

(Comparing prices)
An koma kec totwal!!!

Tin onongo Onyango tye ka kacito i cuk
Awac. En orwate ki lareme Owino.Owino
onongo ocito i cuk Awac kawilo long ento
onongo owoto ki ciling alip abic keken ki
gum marac onongo long kicato ciling alip
aboro.Onyango bene onongo mito wilo
long ento en onongo tye ki ciling alip
angwen keken.Ci owino owace ni gicit i
cuk lacor. I kare ma gu oo i cuk
lacor,gunongo long kicato ciling alip abiro.
Ci Owino owaci “ Aa lotuwa an kuma kec
totwal”

I am so unfortunate!!! (Darn it!)
Today Onyango was going to Awac
market. He met his friend called Owino.
Owino had gone to Awac market to buy
pants. But as for that one, he had gone
with 5,000 shillings but the pants he found
were being sold for 8,000 shillings. And
Onyango also wanted to buy pants but he
had only 4,000 shillings.
Owino gave Onyango advice that they
should go to Lacor market. When they
arrived at Lacor market, they found that
pants were 7,000 shillings. Then Onyango
said “Darn it!”.
Lok manyen cuk market

rwatte to meet
wel prices
nongo/ onongo to find / found
long trousers
kiteitei dress
war shoe(s)
poro to compare
tye to be
nga whom.
Modified Most verbs have a modified version of their stem which is necessary
for use in certain tenses. MVS is formed by suffixing ‘o’ to the verb
Verb Stem stem.
(MVS)
Examples:
Nen neno
Nek neko
Kwany kwanyo

To address Treatment
Eh, eh! Yat ARV na odong manok

tutwal. Mito aciti anong mokene ma
cabit peya otum. Wek aciti kombedi
ni wek adwog con. Pwod tye con,
atwero nongo motoka woko oyot
oyot.
To address accessing Treatment and Care:

Lok:
Abel: Ico nining lamego?
Betty: Acoo maber ladit. Kono in?
Abel: Acoo maber. Icito kwene odiko con kuman ma
piny ngic kiti eni?
Betty: Acito ka gammo yet amwonya na.
Abel: Oh, inongo ki kwene? Agamo me nono i ot yat
pa gmante ma cok kanyi.
Betty: An pe amito cung i lain. Amaro nongo ki i ot
yat pa dano i Kampala.
Abel: Aaa aa! Pe tero cente madit tutwal me wot wa
Kampala? An pe atwero nongo kodi cente
enoni me wot kama bor. An amede ki nongo
mega kama cok kanyi.
Betty: Meno ber. Wek akati.
Abel: Wot maber. Pwod wanen .

To address accessing Treatment and Care:
Talking:
Abel: Good morning madam ?
Betty: Good morning sir ,how are you?
Abel: I am fine ,where are you going so early in this
cold weather?
Betty: I am going to get my medication.
Abel: I get them for free, from the nearby
government health center
Betty: I dont like lining up so I get mine from private
hospital in Kampala.
Abel: Hey! Wouldn’t it cost you a fortune going up
to Kampala? For me I can’t afford all those
expenses to go up to Kampala. I will continue
to get mine from here.
Betty: Okey let me go.
Abel: Safe journey see you again..
Lok manyen con early

yat medicines; drugs
gammo to get
agamo me nono I get freely
ot yat hospital
gamente government
cok near
cung i lain to line up
amaro I prefer
mabor far
medde to continue
wek let
lacen later.
Safety and It is always safe not to carry too much cash on you. If you must,
keep it in different areas.
Security Note
Settling for the ‘munu’ price right away can give people the
impression that you’re ‘rich’ and that could make you a target for
begging, requests for loans or even crime.
Markets, especially in larger towns and cities, can be a common

place for pickpockets and thieves so be mindful of your
belongings and take care not to flash your money around.

Verb The verb “to have” does not occur in the infinitive form, but as a suffix
-tye. To form “have”, all that is needed is the correct subject prefix.
"to have" Affirmative: Negative:
Atye ki I have ape ki I don’t have
Itye ki you have ipe ki you don’t have
En tye ki he/she has en pe ki he/she doesn’t have
Wan Watye ki we have wan wape ki we don’t have
Wun wutye ki you (pl) have wun wupe ki you don’t have
Gin tye ki they have gin pe ki they don’t have.
Itye ki cente madwong. You have a lot of money.

James tye ki buk James has books.
Wan wape ki cam i cawa ni. We have no food now.
C: Laro wel (Bargaining)

Learning Objective:
In the presence of a Language Trainer, each trainee will employ culturally acceptable
negotiation language at a local vendor in a nearby market to purchase 3 items for less than the
originally stated price.
Lacat ki lawil
Lacat: Ajoli ladit.
Awil: Ber, ningo?
Lacat: Mapol pe. Itye kayenyo ngo?
Awil: Atye kayenyo cati, koti ki tandarua.
Lacat: Ee, weng tye.
Awil: Cati, koti ki tandarua tye ciling adi?
Lacat: Cati tye ciling alip abiro, koti tye ciling alip apar ka tandarua tye ciling
alip abongwen.
Awil: A - ya - ya – ya, wel gi pwod dong tek, kong i dwok wel gi piny.
Lacat: In itye ki ciling adi?
Awil: Cati amiyi ciling alip angwen, koti amiyi ciling alip abicel, ka tandarua
abi mini ciling alip abiro.
Lacat: Pe, med kong manok.
Awil: Pe atwero, wek acitii.

Lok manyen Lacat seller
lawil buyer
ajoli I welcome you
yenyo to look for
cati shirt
koti coat
tandarua mosquito net
wel gi tek they are expensive
dwok reduce
wel price
pe atwero to be unsuccessful; fail to manage
pe no.
Willo jami me gang
Okec: Irii maber, ladit?

Owino: Arii maber, kono in?
Okec: Atye maber. Itye ki cak?
Owino: Ee. Ami lita adi?
Okec: Lita acel acel icatto ciling adi?
Owino: Tye ciling miya adek keken.
Okec: Ber, miya lita abic.
Owino: Ki ngo mokene ma imitto?
Okec: Cak keken.
Owino: Pe mogati bene?
Okec: Apwoyo, abitero, i nino mokene. Man tye ciling adi?
Owino: Ciling alip acel ki miya abic keken.
Okec: Eee-ee! Wele tek tutwal!
Owino: Adadayeni i, welle tek tutwal?
Okec: Ber, wek aculi.
Owino: Apwoyo tutwal dwog odoco.

Lok manyen lita litre(s)
catto to sell
acel acel every; per; each
mokene other
keken only
gin mo pe; pe tye nothing; it is not there
tero to take
dwog to return; to come back
odoco again
nino mokene some other time; sometimes
kitanda bed
dirica window
tara lantern; lamp
dogola door
meca table
kom chair
becen basin
baket bucket
mokeka mat
kolo papyrus mat.
This tense is used for actions which took place 2 or 3 days ago
Far Past dating backward indefinately.
Tense
Akwano Baibul I read the Bible.
Gin guwilo motoka They bought a car.
Negative: Is formed by using pe
An pe I didn’t Wan pe we didn’t

Inpe + MVS you didn’t Wun pe + MVS you didn’t
En pe s/he didn’t Gin pe they didn’t.
Find out the meaning of this Proverb. How does it relate to Explorer’s
this communicative task?
Diary
Ogwal acel obalo wang pii.

Culture Note In a market situation, especially where the goods do not carry price tags,
one is always expected to bargain. If one does not bargain, the people
around may take it that he/she has excess money. Hence, even if the prices
are fixed, there is a tendency to bargain.
N.B:
There are certain items for which bargaining is not possible. For example,
transportation, fuel, or common small items like cigarettes, match box or
bottled water.
D: Penyo ki dwoko cente

(Ask for & Give back Change)
Ii dukan:
Omac: Itye ni ngo?
Okeng: Atye maber, peko ango matye?
Omac: Abino ka gammo cente ma odong.
Okeng: Ciling adi?
Omac: Ciling alip acel ki miya abic keken.
Okeng: An atye ki ciling alip acel, miya abic ma odong ibinongo lacen.
Omac: Ber. Ayela pe.
Lok manyen keken only

cente ma odong; the remaining money; change
lacen another time
peko problem
gammo to get.
Find out the meaning of this proverb: Proverb/Idiom

Kadi tidi obedo cente.

Gam lapeny magi inge kwano lok man. Comprehension
Respond to the questions after reading the story below.
An kilwonga ni lawino. Amaro rukko gomci ki kikoyi. Acitio i dukan pa Atim kawilo kikoyi ki
gomci. Anonge tye ento en okwero dwokka wel piny.
Ento pwod acule. Amiye ciling alip pyere abic.Odwoka alip aryo en okwanyo alip pyere
angwena aboro.
1. Gomi ci ki kikoyi kiwilo ciling adi?
2. Nga mamaro rukko gomci ki kikoyi?
3. Lawino mono owilo gomci ki kikoyi?
4. Cente adi ma odong ma otyeko willo gomci ki kikoyi?
Verb In Acholi, there are two forms tye or bedo.

a) To describe what one is or does.
“to be” Abedo lapwony. I am a teacher.
Ibedo munu. You are a white person.
Prossy obedo Acholi. Prossy is an Acholi.
b) To locate where one is.
James tye kwene? Where is James?
Wan Watye Gulu. We are in Gulu.
c) To explain what one is doing at the moment. Suffix –tye
(there/now) is added.
Itye ka timmo ngo? What are you doing?
En tye ka bino. He is (there) coming.
Use of bedo and tye:

It is most often used as an auxiliary verb to express duration of
another verb in a given tense.
Abedo ka cam. I am eating. (always)
Tin abedo ka cam. I was eating. (today)
Onongo abedo ka cam I was eating. (yesterday)
Abibedo ka cam. I will be eating. (near future)
Onongo atye ka cam I was eating. (far past)
It can also express completedness of an action.

Atyeko cam woko. I have already eaten.
Nongo atyeko camo. I will have (already) eaten.
Lok manyen rukko to wear

kikoyi / late bongo inner cloth (for ladies)
cullo to pay
dukan shop
dwok to reduce (the price)
dwoggo to give back.

E: Pek pa jami ki lapim jami
(Weights & Measures)
Lok manyen cure bunch (of bananas)

peda cluster (of bananas)
depe big tin
kilo kilogram
guniya sack
pim measures
cupa (i) bottle(s)
dur heap
odur ma kipimo measured heap
Kilo (lapim kilo) weighing scale
Adita basket.

“Whole”, Whole, all or any is formed by adding –duc or weng to separate
personal pronouns. But it is not applicable to singulars only with
“All” & plural forms of the personal pronouns. E.g
“Any” Suffix. wan duc/weng all of us
wun duc/weng all of you (pl.)
gin duc/weng all of them
En tye kalwongo wan duc. He is calling all of us.
For all other noun classes it appears as –ducu/weng.

Akwano buk ducu. I have read the whole book.
Dyangi ducu tye gang. All the cows are at home.
Winy kompak ka i gam lapeny magi:

Listen to the tape and answer these questions:
1. Akello tye kalok ki nga? _______________________________________________.
2. Akello tye ki ciling adi?_________________________________________________.
3. Iwinyo pim adi makilwongo? ____________________________________________.
4. Coo nying cam ma iwinyo. _______________________________________________.

F: Jami ki jami ma tye i ot
(Request items & facilities in the House)
Learning Objective:
Using shopping and culturally acceptable inquiry vocabulary, each trainee will independently
gather information from different sellers at local stores on prices and quality of at least 5 basic
household kams.
Jami me i ot:
Ladit Oceng tye ki ot butu. Tye ki tyelo
adek madongo. Ot ne tye ki kom adek, meca
acel ki kitana aryo.
Tye ki dirica ma obedo bao matek adida.

Ento ot ne pe ki mac.
Household items:
Mr. Ocheng has a three bedroomed house.it
is furnished with three chairs a table and one
bed.
The house has a strong wooden window but

with no electricity..

Lok manyen ot house
tyelo rooms
meca(i) table(s)
wang ot windows
bao timber
dogola doors
mac electricity
kitana beds
baba father
mama mother
lotino children
nino ki nino everyday
willo to buy
mugati bread
mapol many
cai tea
matunda passion fruit
buk book
kalam pens
atye ki I have.

Telling
Acholi time
Unit 5
March
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31
Quote of the week: When the student is ready, the teacher

will appear.
Saying.

Unit 5: Waco cawa (Telling time)
Core Competency: Work within American and Host Country Diversity.
Overview:
Communicative tasks: • Tell time the acholi way

• Tell days of the week, months and dates
• Explain daily routine
• Ask about weather
• Describe recent past activities
• Make plans for the future (near and far)
HIV/AIDS: • Address Care in a dialogue on page 78

• Describe the timeline of HIV/AIDS in Uganda in a text
on page 87
• 2A: Demonstrate the appropriate skeps Volunteers
take to prepare for safe travel
• 3B: Demonstrate skills in community mapping
integration skills
• 8A: Ask for help in the local language
Grammar: • Possessive particle “of”
• Possessive adjectives
• Ordinal numbers
• Adverbs of time
• Demonstratives
• Immediate past tense (Today past tense)
• Near future tense
Culture: • Days of the week
Learning to learn: • Understanding LPI and using it to learn.

A: Waco cawa (Telling Time)
6
Dominik: wacit wayeny tic.
5
7
Ocaya: Ah, cawa tye marac.
11 12
12 1
4 8 Dominik: Cawa adi?
10 2
Ocaya: Cawa angwen me odiko.
3 9 3 9 Dominik: Eh, eh! Watye lacen!
8 4
Ocaya: Aya. Waciti.
2 7 5 10
6
11
1
12
Inside: English time
Outside: Acholi time.
Lok anyen cawa time; watch; clock; hour

cawa hour; time
adii? how many?/ how much?
Wacet wayeny we go look for
tic work
watye lacen we are late
wacet woko we go.
To address Care:
Amos: Mama, dong imwonyo yat ti?
Mama: Pwodi, latina, apwoyo poyo wiya. Itamo ni dong tye lacen ma pe aromo
mwonyo ne?
Amos: Pe kumeno wek kong wadok gang wacam cam me dyeceng ka dong imwony yati
cawa aboro.
Mama: me odiku imwonyo cawa adi?
Amos: Cawa acel me odiko ma pwod pe wabino i poto.
Mama: Mama, pol kare mar mwonyo yati i cawa ne kikome. Peiwek wii owil woko.
Lok manyen mwonyo to swallow

poyo wiya remind me
tye dong lacen already late
dok gang to go back home
idye ceng noon; afternoon

Lok manyen ka dong and then
(cont’d) ma pwod pe wabino before we came
Poto garden
Pol kare always
Pe wi owil don’t forget (singular).
Possessive It is formed by putting a particle of possession a before the

possessor. For the possession of inanimate things, me is used.
particle 'of'
(a) latin pa Joseph. (Child of Joseph).
(b) Buk me gang kwan. (Book of school/school book).
(c) Tongweno. (Eggs of chicken).
(d) Cawa acel me odiko. (7:00 a.m. i.e. One hour of the morning)
Lok manyen Coc write

Nucu half; part
Me of
Dakika minute(s)
Dye ceng noon; afternoon
otyeno evening
dye wor night; 24 -hour day
megi your (sing)
buti you sleep (sing.).
Winy kompak ka ipong kama odong twolo.

(1) Odong ________ acel me romo cawa apar me _______.

(2) Nino ki nino _____________ cawa ____________ me dye ________.
(3) Ajok ________ ka tic cawa _________ me odiko.
(4) __________ leb Acholi cawa _____________.

Lok manyen lupwonye teachers
Naka until; up to
Kenyo odong/oromo there remains; there is enough
oo to arrive
Pol kare usually; always
Apwonyo I learn; I am learning
Pi; tic kede for; spend (time)
Anino I sleep.
Possessive Possessive adjectives are suffixes. The prefix to be affixed on those

suffixes must agree with the noun possessed.
adjectives
-a my -wa our
-i your -wu your
-e his/her -gi their.
e.g. latin-i (Your (sing.) child).

lotino-wu (Your (sing.) children).
lapwony-a (My teacher).
lapwony-wa (Our (pl) teachers).
malaga-gi (Their spoons)
Culture Note It is 7:00 a.m. (cawa acel me odiko) which is considered as the 1st hour of
the day. Similarly, cawa acel me dye wor (7:00 p.m) is considered as the 1st
hour of the night.
A day is made up of dye ceng (day time) and cwint dye wor (night). The
word iwor is also used for a 24 - hour day. Idiceng (day, sun) is normally
used for a 12 - hour day.
To distinguish between dyewor for night and cwiny dyewor for mid night in
a 24 - hour day, the word me dyewor (night time) is usually used for the
former.
Culturally, people tell time by such indicators like sunrise, sunset, crowing
of the cock (rooster), position of the sun and also of the shadows. Because
of this, time is always an approximation. Hence a meeting called at 2:00
p.m. will probably attract participants at 3:00p.m. and for sure they won't be
late because they are still "within time".
"Wapwoyo bino i Uganda".
Safety and Knowing when things happen, both during the day and during the course of
Security Note the year, help you develop an understanding of life in your community. It
will help you arrange meetings, find transportation and communicate
essential information in an emergency.
It is advisable to always travel before dark. Avoid inviting people into your
house after dark.

B: Nying nino me cabit
(Days of the week)
Learning Objective:
Following several interviews with host family member, each trainee will in week 6 of PST
narrate to a group of trainers the major events (social, political or economic) that take place in
the immediate community on particular days of the week. The information to be given must be
accurate enough as it will be verified by the concerned trainers.
1. Monday 1. ceng baraja

2. Tuesday 2. ceng aryo
3. Wednesday 3. ceng adek
4. Thursday 4. ceng angwen
5. Friday 5. ceng abic
6. Saturday 6. ceng abicel
7. Sunday 7. ceng cabit.
Lok manyen Katoli Catholics

Purutanti Protestants
Icilam Moslem
kacoke pa lukristo christian gathering
tic jobs
cabit week(s)
wot ka lega to go for prayers
pur to cultivate
kwat to herd; to feed
tweyo yen to gather firewood
twomo pii to draw water
myel to dance
wer to sing
tuku to play
limo dano to visit
rego to grind
kwoyo to sew
kwang to swim
yweyo; nongo yweyo to rest; to have a holiday
nino mene? what day?; which day?

C: Dwe ki nino dwe
(Months and Dates)
Match the words to the Pictures:

Dwe me abic.
Dwe me aryo.
Dwe me apar aryo.
Dwe me angwen.
Dwe me abongwen
Dwe me aparacel
Dwe me adek.
Dwe me apar.
Dwe me aboro.
Dwe me acel.
Dwe me abiro.
Dwe me abicel.
Lok manyen mwaka year

dwe month
kot rain
oro dry season
kare season
ping. period; weather.

Ordinal Ordinal numbers are formed by using the possessive particle 'of'
before the serial numbers by taking prefix me before their stems.
Numbers
So they appear thus:
Me acel 1st
Me aryo 2nd
Me adek 3rd
Me angwen 4th
Me abic 5th.
All that is now needed is the particle 'of' (used with its initial
vowel) depending on the noun class e.g:
latin me acel. The first child.
Buk me acel. The first book.
Buk me aryo. The second book.
Dyang me acel. The first cow.
Dyang me angwen. The fourth cow.
Dwe me acel. The first month (January).
Dwe me adek. The third month (March).
Yat me abiro. The seventh tree.
Note that for numbers 6 – 10, you only need particle ‘of’ before
the serial numbers.
Adverbs The adverbs of time that need to be learnt are:

Tin Today
of
Kombedi Now
time Laworo Yesterday
Laworo maca Day before yesterday
Diki Tomorrow
Diki maca Day after tomorrow
Ma cok coki Recently
Dye ceng Day time
Dye wor Night time
Pol kare Always; usually
Odiko Morning
Dye ceng Noon; afternoon
Otyeno Evening.

D: Daily/free time activities
Learning Objective:
Based on an analysis of his/her experience, each trainee will describe his/her daily routine that
covers leisure activities. The information to be provided has to cover the hour of the day for
each activity pointed out in a target language.
Gony nyig lok magi: Comprehension

Translate the dialog below:
Sam tye kalok ki Sue

Sam: Ibuto maber?
Sue: Abuto maber, kono in?
Sam: atye maber. John tye?
Sue: Pe, oceto ka leka.
Sam: Joan kono?
Sue: Joan oceto ka pur.
Sam: Atye ka mito ni ibin wek ipwony lotino na ki leb acholi.
Sue: Aya do abino diki.
Sam: Aya, apwoyo matek.
Sue: Ber, pwod wanen.
Lok manyen leko to herd; to feed

pur to cultivate; to dig
pwonyo to teach
dyangi cattle
abino diki I will come tomorrow
leb language
ocito went
do please.
Find out the meaning of the Proverb: Proverb/

Nong gin ma caro lok man gonyo: Idiom
Gin ma ikwiya gam lacen.

Demonstratives Demonstratives vary according to the noun class they qualify.
They fall in 3 forms:
This (proximal; near at hand)
That (referential; some distance away)
That (distal; far away).
This (near) That (referential) That (distal)
man / eni Meno Maca
Here (near) There There
Kany Kwica Kaca
E.g: Latin man obedo latin kic. This child is an orphan.
Yadi magi dongo These trees are big.
Meno megi That is yours
Maca mega That is mine
Bed kany Bed kenyo Bed kaca

Sit here Sit there Sit there.
Winy kompak ka igam lapeny.

Listen to the tape and answer.
(1) Opiyo ocito ka pur kwene?

(2) Anga ma olwoko bongo?
(3) Lawino ocito ka timo ngo?
(4) Nga ma tye ka tedo?
(5) Mateo ocito ka timo ngo?
(6) Nga ma obi yweyo ot?

E: Piny (Weather)
Learning Objective:
Using PACA handbook, each trainee will select a tool for community analysis so as to gather
and present to selected trainers information about seasons, weather conditions and activities as
performed by different genders of the community around the Training Site.
Bill orwate ki Julius

Bill: Julius, bin wacet i ot lega.
Julius: Pe laree, kot obi cwe woko.
Bill: Kot peke.
Julius: Pe ineno pol?
Bill: Aneno pol ki yamo me kot ka
atamo ni kot obi cwe woko.
Julius: Aya do waceti ento an aceto ki
koti na pien ngico twero bedo
tye.
Bill: Julius, koyo tye ka nekki?
Julius: Pe gire , ento kot romo cwe.
Bill: Iromo winyo lyeto ento pien
ceng twero ryeny tutwal.
Julius: Pe ipar, wek aceti.
Lok manyen pol clouds

yamo wind
ngico coldness
lyeto hotness
ryeny shine
yamo me kot storm; hurricane
par worry.

F: Tito jami ma otime cok coki
(Describing recent past activities)
Winy kompak ka ipong kama twolo.
Mama tye ___________ Lotino tye _____________ i dye ___________. Mama maro ________
lotino otyeno ka ____________ obicito kabuto. En _____________ dek mamit _____________.
Ento ___________ pe wil me ______________ pi jo ma ____________ ducu.
Lok anyen aa malo to get up

lwokko to wash
jo ma gang home people
lega pray
ma titidi kong a little while
ot lega church (but not the Catholic one)
wer to sing.
To address AIDS in Uganda timeline:
I mwaka 1982, two mo ma pe ngene ocake. Jo ma two man omako gujony tutwal, gi ono, gi
ngwinye, gi cado ma yer wigi oo woko ducu ki iwi gi. Yat onongo peke ma twero cango two
man. Dano olwongo two man ni ‘cilim’.
I mwaka 1986, gamente ocako lweny i kom ‘cilim’. Ocako jang tic mo me konyo lweny i kom
two man. I mwaka 1987, TASO ocako konyo jo ma tye ki cilim.
ka i mwaka 1988 lawer acel me Uganda ma kilwongo ni Philly Lutaaya owaco kamaleng ni en
etye ki two cilim. Kombedi jang gamente mapol ata tye ka lweny ikom two man kun tiyo tic
macalo me gengo, gwokko lutwo ki miyo it gi kony me cang.

Lok manyen i mwaka in the year
ocake started
two disease
ngene to be known
jony to grow thin; to waste away
ono coughed
ngwinye to scratch oneself
bedo ki cado to have diarrhoea
yer hair
wic heads
yat medicine; drug
twero to be able
cango to cure; to heal
cilim AIDS
nyute kamaleng to open up
bito / cuno campaign
lweny i kom to fight against
lawer singer; musician
waco to tell; to inform
wi lobo world
kombedi presently; currently
dul mapat pat organizations; clubs; groups
iyi through
gengo prevention
gwoke care
cang treatment.

Immediate In acholi there are 4 past tenses: Nenen (today past), laworo
past tense. (yesterday past), laworo maca (day before yesterday) and yam
(Today past) (far past). To differentiate the time when the event ocurred, you
use adverbs of time like kombedi (now), odiko (morning hours),
otyeno (evening hours), laworo (yesterday), laworo maca (the
day before yesterday).
E.g:
Nennen odiko acamo tongweno aryo. In the morning I ate two
eggs.
Tin odiko icamo dek ango? What did you eat in the morning?
Dominik nenen ocoyo waraga. Dominik wrote a letter.

The negative of this tense is formed by putting pe before the
affirmative.
E.g: Dominik pe ocoyo waraga.
NB: This construction is also used for narrating in the past.
G: Make Plans for the Future (Near and Far)

Peace orwatte gin ki Betty
Peace: Betty konya!
Betty: Ki ngo, Peace?
Peace: Amito cito Kitgum, amito wot i nyom pa Alice gin ki Johnson, ento amito wot i
gang kwan bene ka kwan. Ci mandog atim ngo?
Betty: Atamo ni omyero icit inyom.
Peace: Itamo ni omyero pe acit Kitgum?
Betty: Ibi cito ka timo ngo Kitgum?
Peace: Abicito ka gammo cente na.
Betty: Aaaa, ci omyero icit Kitgum.
Peace: Aya ber apwoyo matek wanen.

Lok manyen konya! help me!
amito I want
gammo to get
pitto to plant
limmo to visit
nyom marriage
nywal to give birth
gero to build
kwanno to study.
Near future Abi camo - I shall eat.

tense. Abi myelo - I shall dance.
It is formed by using the present continuous tense of the verb abi

followed by the verb expressing the action to be done in its
infinitive form.
Ibi cito Nairobi. You will go to Nairobi.
Gin gubipwonyo leb acholi. They will learn Acholi.

Understanding LPI and using it to learn
LPI is an oral proficiency test developed by the American
What is LPI? Council for the teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).
It has been simplified by the Peace Corps for use by
language training programs around the world.
The test consists of a 5 to 30 minute tape-recorded

How it is done interview. Each interview is different but follows a
similar structure. The interviewer asks questions of
general interest and the conversation goes on from there.
The testee may be asked to participate in a short role-play
and/or ask questions to the interviewer. The atmosphere is
relaxed. Remember ! The LPI test is intended to show
what you know and not what you don’t know.
Your LPI score tells you the level of communicative

What it shows proficiency. It shows you how you can handle new
situations and manage a conversation. It also shows a
relative level of errors, creativity and comprehensibility.
It cannot be used to compare individuals. Two people of

What it doesn’t show the same score may still have different amount of
vocabulary. Conversely, a person who has a score of
Novice-High can function at the Intermediate-Low level
at least half of the time.
Progression from level to level cannot be described as a

Warning!!! straight line but rather as an inverted pyramid. It takes
much longer to get from Intermediate-Mid to
Intermediate-High than from Novice-Mid to Novice-
High.
• Ask for a copy of the interview tape, listen to it again

How you can use it to and think about how you could give better answers.
learn • Read the definition of the level you achieved and the
next highest level and think about what you need to do
before you move up one level.

Community
Acholi Integration
Unit 6
Quote of the week: In America I'm basically a shy person, but

I found that I had to break out of my shell
and be more outgoing if I wanted to learn
acholi. Much to my surprise, I found it
was fun and really helped me to learn. I
discovered a whole new me!
PCV.

Unit 6: Community Integration
Core Competency: Build capacity of communities and organizations.
Overview:
Communicative tasks: • Describe educational background

• Explain Peace Corps goals
• Call, open and close meetings
• Describe work and community hierarchy
• Manage a conversation
HIV/AIDS: • Deal with Prevention and Care in a text on profession
on page 98
• Address Prevention, Care and Treatment in a text on
page 105
Safety and Security: • 3B: Demonstrate skills in community mapping
integration skills
• 8B: Describe assignment/Peace Corps Volunteer role in
local language
• 9D: Identify how gender and cross-cultural issues in
country can impact safety issues in Volunteers’ work
environment (e.g. male Volunteers working in
traditionally female sector, and vice versa)
Grammar: • Passives
• Prepositions
• Conversational managers
• Reported speech
• Prepositional verbs
Culture: • Time for meetings
Learning to learn: • Using a counterpart to learn the language.

A: Describing Educational background
To deal with Prevention and Care:
Kwan pa Shirley (Shirley’s educational background)

Nyinga kilwongo ni Shirley Owens. Aa ki Ohio ii Amerika. Abi tiyo me lweny i kom two cilim
ki kuddi me cilim. Atyeko dwe adek i Uganda kun atye ka pwonyo leb acholi, jo mapol tutwal
tye ki cilim i Uganda. Awinyo lok ma pol ma dok ikom two cilim i Uganda.
I Amerika, an apwonyo puraimari. Atye ki digiri me tic ki dano. Kombedi dong abedo dakta ma
abitic ki wun me lweny i kom cilim. Dul mapat pat ma wabitic kwedgi pe oye tucu dano ki miyo
yat amwonya ento, oye pwonyo dano ikom kit me gwoke ki ikom nongo two cilim ki me gengo
two cilim me nya ki me gwoko jo ma tye ki cilim ikin gang maber.
Lok manyen Kwan Education

Kwed wu With you
Me Lweny ikom To fight against
Kwiddi me cilim HIV
Cilim AIDS
Two; lit kom Disease; sicknes; illness
Atiyo kwede I’ve spent
Two ma maro mako dano Common diseases
Waraga Catibiket Certificate; letter
Dongo Development
Kin paco Community
Tuccu ki libira To give injections
Yat amwonya Tablets; pills
Me gengo To prevent
Me Poko To spread
Me gwoko To care for
lutwoo Patients
ma calo As; like
dul ma pat pat Organization
Atuca Injection.

B: Peace Corps obedo ngo?
(What is Peace Corps?)
Learning Objective:
Using simple sentences in the target language, each trainee will explain to a group of selected
trainers and 2 community members the 3 goals of Peace Corps. She/he will do this by
describing the strategies she/he will use to enforce them during her/his stay in the host country.
Peace Corps obedo dul ma pe

jenge ikom gemente pa jo me
Amerika. Jo me Peace Corps
maro wot ibut piny ma patpat me
bedo ka konyo dano. Ma pwod pe
gucake onongo dong gin konyo
dano.gin tiyo me nono.
Use your dictionary and answer the following questions: Comprehension
1. “dul ma pe jenge ikom gamante ” obedo ngo?

2. Jo me Peace Corps oa ki kwene?
3. Ki ilobo mukene, jo me Peace Corps timo tic ango?
4. Pingo jo me Peace Corps pe gigamo mucara?
5. Jo Peace Corps girii kare ma rom mene ilobo mukene?
6. “gitiyo me nono". Wac ki leb Munu

Can gin atima kore ki kore kit ma tye kwede calo gin atima pa Comprehension
Peace Corps.
Arrange the goals in order as they would appear as Peace Corps
goals.
Goals of Peace Corps
Peace Corps mito timmo ngo?

Peace Corps mito timmo jami adek:
1. Me miyo lutino kwan me niang maber i kom

jo me Amerika.
2. Me konyo lutino kwan ki me miyo diro ki gin

diro ma ipeke kwede.
3. me miyo jo Amerika niang maber i kom jo ma

kany.
Lok manyen tic me nono / dyere freewill, voluntarily

gin atima aim; goal
cobbo to fulfill
mito wants
pwonyo to train
Jo Amerika Americans.

Prepositions Here are some of the prepositions used in this unit:
i/ii : at;on. Is used to describe something which is on top of say a
house, a box, tree, bed, etc.
(i) Henry tye iwi kitana. Henry is on the bed.
(ii) Henry tye i gang kwan. Henry is at school.
i/iyi: in/into. In is used to describe something which is inside the
house, car, pocket etc.
(iii) Atye ii ot. I am inside the house.
(iv) Atye i ot. I am in the house.
Nicake : since; from.
Paka : until, up to.
(v) Nicake ma aceto Kampala. Since I went to Kampala.
(vi) Aa ki kany naka wa kitgum bor matek.
From here up to kitgum is very far.

C: Lwongo, Yabbo ki loro kacoke.
(Calling, Opening and Closing Meetings).
Learning Objective:
With the help of a responsible community member, each trainee will design 3 different posters
calling community members of all genders for seminars on income generating activities,
HIV/AIDS sensitization and parents of school-going children for career guidance. The 3 posters
will be handed over to your language trainer, and must be clear enough to be understood by
local village people.
Winy kompak ka ipong kama twolo.

Dano ducu ma _________ kany, lok tye ni __________ bibedo i _______ cabit mabino, cawa
_________ me ______________.
Wubin wunu, ento dano omyero _________ cawa.
______________ tutwal.
An,
Otto Lucy,
___________________.
Yabbo kacoke (opening a meeting):

Coo ki mon, apwoyo nenno wun ducu matek.
Apwoyo wu matek me bino.
Wek akwany kare man me lwongo welo me awora

wa me bino ka lok kwedwa.
Apwoyo wun ducu.

Loro kacoke (closing a meeting):
Dano ducu mapat pat ma tye kany, apwoyo wun
ducu me bino i kacoke man.
man dong wao woko i agikki me kacoke.
Alego ni wudok gang wu maber. Apwoyo

Rubanga me gwokko wan. Pwod warwatte wunu,
rubanga omii ki wun gum.
Lok manyen yabbo to open

nenno to see
wek akwany let me take
gum blessing
welo visitor
kacoke meeting
tye are; is; there is/are
me temmo to try
karan secretary
loro to close
woro glory; respect
tyekko to finish
alego i wish/ i pray
me gwokko to protect
Rubanga/ lacwec God; Creator.
Time for meetings: Since the Acholi time is an approximation, people don't
Culture Note
keep time for meetings. A meeting called at 2:00 p.m may attract a sizeable
number of people at around 3:30 p.m.
Protocols and formalities are important in both the business and social
Safety and
cultures of Uganda. Recognizing how things “work” in your community
Security Note
will go a long way to helping you gain respect and acceptance and will
enable you to be more effective.
When inviting youths and women for meetings, it is important to inform

their parents and husbands respectively.

D: Community Hierarchy
A visit to the Local Council
Anne: Apwoyo ba omego?

Okello: Ber lamego.
Anne: Amito bedo i caro/dwol man. Alegi
ni iwac ki lutela ma kany.
Okello: Wan watye ki lutela LC 1 naka wa i

LC 5, ento ka imitto bedo i
icaro/dwol man , pe myero inen
latela me LC 5.
Anne: Anen nga?
Okello: Latela me LC 1 kilwongo ni Opiyo.
Anne: Apwoyo matek.
Okello: Ber.
Lok alegi I beg you

manyen lutela leaders
rwom hierarchy; ladders
lok me alara to be talked about / agenda.
Local council levels on the pyramid:
LC.5
LC.4
LC.3
LC.2
LC.1

To address all Pillars of Prevention, Care and Treatment:
Seminar for all (pwony manok pi jo mogo):

Man me lwongo wun ducu me bino me bedo tye i pwonye manok i ceng abicel nino dwe 8 cawa
aboro me dye ceng kikome, dwe me apar wiye aryo i mwaka 2009. Kwan bi bedo i Gomola
padibe. Wabiloko lok ma kwako lok kom yot kom wabineno lok ma kwako gengo, gwokko ki
pwony i kom lok ma mako miyo yat pi kwiddi me cilim ki two cilim. Mon, coo ki bulu ducu wa
lwongo wu me bino ka kwan pi lok ma mako cam maber, pii maleng, gengo malaria ki gwok me
rwom ma malo pi gwoko lengo me gangi ki me kin gang.
Gam lapeny magi:

1. Kwan obibedo kwene?
2. Kwan obibedo i lok kom ngo?
3. Jo mene ma olwongo dano i kwan man?
4. Kwan man obibedo awene?
5. Mon, _______________, ki coo walwongo gi i kwan ma mako__________________, ki

__________________.
Lok manyen Me bedo tye/ me time to attend; to take place

Pwonye pa jo manok seminar; course of study
Ma pe kato; litap not beyond; exactly
Me bedo to be
Gombolola sub-county
Yot kom health
Me lok i kom to talk about
Wun ducu all of you
Jo ma ki lwongo the invited.

E: Managing a Conversation
Lapwony: Pingo tin pe ikwano odiko?
Latin: wac mot mot. Pe atye ka winyo
ne.
Lapwony: pingo pe ikwano odiko?
Latin: Alegi i itima kica ki lok me ada
wiya owil awila.
Lapwony: Iwaco ni ngo?
Latin: Awaco ni itima kica.
Lapwony: Ber. Wi pe dok owil diki odiko.
Latin: Apwoyo matek lapwony.
Lok manyen adaa truth

wil wic to forget
alegi I beg you
timmo kica to forgive
pe iwek wi wil don't forget (sing.)
timmo kica forgiveness
ii ada in truth.
Winy tep ka igam lapeny magi.

Listen to the tape and answer these questions.
1. Who is talking to whom?
2. What was the opening question?
3. Which words/phrases were used to make the other speaker repeat what he had earlier said?
4. Who is a teacher? Where does he teach?
5. What were the last words? What do they mean?

Conversational Atwero lok.....? Can I say..................?
Managers in kono? How about you?
Ngo ma otime? What has happened?
Winy Listen
Nen kany Look here!
Rac tutwal What a pity (to 2nd person sing.)
Tima kica pe awinyo maber Sorry I didn't hear you.
Pe atye kwedi I am not with you.
Pe atye kwedwu I am not with you.
Iwaco ni ngo? What have you said?
itwero nwoyo meno? Can you repeat that?
Wutye kacel kweda Are you with me?
Wutye ka lubu loka? Are you following me?
Kombedi dong anyang Now I've got it
Ka itamma In my opinion.
Wek kong anen Let me see.
Atamo ni. I think.
Reported Reported speech is formed by using ni just before reporting what

someone said. Ni translates as that.
Speech
Dominik owaco ni “pe amitto cam”.
Dominik has said (that) “I don’t want to eat”.
Dominik owaco ni pe emito cam.

Dominik has said that he doesn’t want to eat.
Prepositional Prepositional Verbs are used to convey the idea of the English
prepositions for. They are formed by adding the particle pi to the subject.
Verbs
kwan kwan pi lok lok pi
read read for speak (say) speak for

Promoting Local Technology
Scott, a volunteer, visits a rural family that lives in a small smoky and stuffy house. After a few
minutes with the family mother, Scott starts coughing and shedding tears due to the smoke. The
host mother is a bit concerned.
Mama: Wutimma kica pi yito. Watwero cito wabedo woko, pien yito tye madwong
tutwal ii ot kany?
Scott: Eyo, apwoyo. Atamo ni myero walok i kom peko me yito man.
Mama: Atwero timmo ngo me dwokko piny yito ma ii ot?
Scott: Myero itii ki cigiri me rwom mamalo. Dok bene omyero iket wang ot i odi wek
yamo maber odony i ot.
Mama: Wan wangii woko ki yito pien ot wa pe ki wang ot.
Scott: Ka ibedo ka bedo i yito pi kare malac, itwero nongo two macalo aona.
Mama: Cigiri me rwom ma malo obedo ngo?
Scott: Cigiri me rwom ma malo tye calo cigiri mukene ni. Kiyubu ki lobo kulu, kweyo ki
pii.kiyubu bedo i ot.
Mama: Ber pa cigiri me rwom ma malo mukene obedo mene?
Scott: Tiyo ki yen tedo ma nonok, ki bene weko oti bedo maleng.
Mama: Apwoyo tutwal. Abi lwongi me konya yubu cigiri me rwom ma malo.
Scott: Aya amego. Dong maber.
Lok manyen timmo kica to forgive

yito smoke
woko outside
atamo I think
omyero ought; should
peko problem
dwokko piny to reduce
medo rwom malo improved; standard
yamo maber fresh air
ngiyo to get used; to be accustomed
kare period; time
two disease(s)
aona cough
cigiri charcoal stove
lobo kulu clay
kweyo sand
tic use
yen tedo firewood
leng clean.

Learning Plan
WHERE TO START • Go over your language materials from the PST, and
make a list of things you still need to work on. (Write
letters in the language to your teachers.)
• Find a tutor. Go over the PST language materials with
her/him and work on exercises that you haven't done
yet. Go over all the exercises you think you need to
work on.
• Choose a textbook which you think will suit you the
most. Go over the annotated list of textbooks and
dictionaries that you were given during PST; look
through the books in the Resource Center in the Peace
Corps Office (there may be some available to check
out).
LEARNING PLAN 1. Decide what to learn
STEPS IN A NUTSHELL A. Assess your needs
B. Set goals
2. Develop a lesson
A. With an informant: create a dialog, learn
M a song, listen to a story, describe
pictures, Q&A, etc.
O B. On the spot:
• Focus attention: What should I pay
N attention to?
• Comprehend: How can I make sense
I of this?
• Remember: How will I remember it?
Check for accuracy
T
3. Practice
O A. With an informant: "classroom" activities
B. On your own: eavesdropping, use kids as
R informants, make sentences, etc.
4. Use It
5. Evaluate
A. Did I get it?
B. Did my approach work?

Acholi Transport
Unit 7
Quote of the week:

If you don’t know where you’re going
you’re liable to end up some place else
Robert Mager
Preparing Instructional Objectives.

Unit 7: Wot (Transport)
Core Competency: Work within American and host Country Diversity.
Overview:
Communicative tasks: • Mention local means of transport available for volunteer use
• Describe landmarks
• Ask for and give directions
• Report safety incidents
HIV/AIDS: • Address Treatment in a dialog on page 114
Safety and Security: • 2A: Demonstrate the appropriate steps Volunteers take to
prepare for safe travel
• 2B: List the characteristics Volunteers should consider when
selecting a safe mode of public transportation
• 2C: Identify potential transportation risks and response
strategies to reduce exposure
• 4C: Demonstrate culturally appropriate strategies for
declining unwanted offers of food/drink/assistance, etc
Grammar: • Adverbs of place
Culture: • Traveling
• Calling for help

A: Wot (Transportation)
Learning Objective:
Before departure for Future Site Visit, each trainee will act as a passenger in a simulation
activity. On his/her part as a passenger, the concerned trainee will ask questions about means of
transport to future site, duration of travel and cost of journey. He/she will recite the appropriate
steps to take before travel as well as the features of the vehicle to note before boarding it for
personal safety.
dege kana gar

motoka bac piki piki
lori yeya meli
gari / lela meli feri
boda boda tyen gadi gadi
tekci

Acito nining?
Mike: Amito cito Kitgum. Atwero cito nining?
Juma: Icito kwene ki kitgum?
Mike: Acung i duka pa Akem ma pwod pe ao i Kona micon.
Juma: Imito wot ki bac kece tekci?
Mike: Bac aa cawa adi?
Juma: Cawa adek kikome. Igik i centa?
Mike: Pe. Kama aceto iye tye mairo angwen me aa ki i centa.
Juma: Icito ki ngo?
Mike: Acito ki boda boda me piki piki . Wek ajuk bac en tye ka bino ni.
Juma: In kong iwot maber.
Lok manyen mairo mile(s)

ceto/wot to go; to travel
ma pwod pe ao before i reach
yitto to board ( e.g. a bus)
wot ki tyen to walk.
Scenario
Jeniffer gin ki Joan onongo guaa ka kwan mot i otyeno. Gujuko mutoka pa ngat mo, ii motoka
kenyo onongo tye coo aryo ma oruku kiyo. Joni otingo gi me nono, ento, ikare ma guwoto
manok , coo ni ocung woko ka gumayo cente, cim, ki kikapo me cing gi. Anyira aryo man
kiweko gi iteng gudi ma onongo pwod pe guo kama gin tye ka cito iye.
Lok manyen juku to stop (e.g. car)

ruku to wear
kiyo glasses; spectacles
macol to be black
me kwanyo to take
nono nothing; free
wot journey
cim telephone
kikapo bag; pocket; purse
weko to be left
gengo to avoid
gudu road.

Culture Note The most common means of public transport in Uganda are taxis.
They are mini buses and they go virtually everywhere. Buses can
also be found but they travel only long distances. On short
distances, especially within cities and villages there operate the so
called boda bodas, or bikes for hire.
The fee (for taxis) is typically paid at the end of the journey, not the
beginning. You cannot bargain for the fee. It is recommended to
find out the prices before travelling.
To address Treatment
Abo: Ee, lela na otur woko! Ma kun omyero acet i ot yat pi pime ki gamo yat me
amwonya. Ingeyo ni kombedi ni gamente tye ka poko ki hodito ki lotino yat me
nono.
Aguma: Ah rac tutwal! Mak boda boda me piki piki iyoo kenyo.
Abo: Larema alworo piki piki. Gin ngweco marac tutwal.
Aguma: Ka kumeno dong itimo ngo? Onyo dong cet diki nongo itero lera ni ka yubo.
Abo: Pe atwero kuro. Myero agam yata tin. Kiwaco ki wan ni pe myero wa keng mwonyo
yat nino acel , makun adong ki me amwonya tin kicel keken.
Aguma: Yit dong i tekci, en ca tye ka bino.
Abo: Aya do.
Aguma: Wot maber.
Abo: Apwoyo. Pwod wanen.
Lok anyen otur; obale is broken (lit: is dead)

amitto I need
pime to be examined (check up)
gammo to collect; to receive
lodito adults
lworo to fear
rac bad
ci dong so now
nyo perhaps; may be
yubo to repair mechanically
tero ka yubo to take for repair
pe me keng not to miss
dong ki to remain with.

Safety and Transportation-related incidents present the greatest risk to
Security Note Volunteer safety and security, therefore it is essential that you make
the best possible choices about transportation methods, routes and
times.
You should always keep an eye on your belongings as thieves like

to target people on public transportation.
It is very important that you do not accept ANY food or drink when
traveling on public transport. There have been cases of people
being drugged and robbed when riding on buses and taxis.
Remember that you are not allowed to ride on motorcycle boda

bodas and you must always wear a helmet when riding on a bicycle
boda boda.
B: Nyuttu yoo
(Directions)
Learning Objective:
By the end of PST, each trainee will direct a training driver and homestay coordinator to his/her
homestay using descriptive phrases for directions and landmarks.
Mary: Itye nining ladit?

John: Atye maber. Ngo manyen?
Mary: Gin manyen pe. Alegi ni inyutta
yoo ma cito i gang pa ladit Okot?
John : Lub yoo eni, ka io i cere, dok tung
lacam, ineno gang kwan puraimari,
ci ot pa ladit okot tye inge gang
kwan.
Mary: Apwoyo tutwal. Rubanga ogwoki.
John: Ogwok in bene.

Lok manyen nyuttu yoo to give directions
yoo path; way
cere hill
dok tung piny to go down (descend)
anyim ahead; in front
inge behind
Rubanga God
Dago togo papyrus swamp
bunga forest
dago kulu swamp
lanyut sign posts
ot lega church (not the Catholic one)
gedo building
gweng stone
gang kwan school
cere hill
kama yoo orwate iye cross-roads
ot lega pa katoli Catholic church.
Nong tyen lok man: Proverb/

Find out the meaning of this proverb: Idiom
Mot mot ocero munu poto.
Lok manyen i dog at the mouth

iteng on the side
ngollo to cross / to cut
nenno anyim to look into the distance
nyen new
puraimari primary
yo ma kato ka wic pass by
arii across.

Adverbs The commonly used adverbs of place are:
of anyim In front; ahead
Place Malo Above; up

Piny On the ground; below; down
I agiki kany This end; in these parts
Anyim kama nen Down yonder
Cok Near
Bor Far.
Gang kwan tye ma cok ki beng. The School is near the bank.
Kot ocwe tung kany It rains this end/in these parts.
Amitto bedo piny ingom. I want to sit on the ground.
Me aa ki kany me ceto Amerika bor tutwal. From here to America is very
far.

C: Tito pi kabedo moni ni
(Describing a Location)
Owor orwatte ki Rebecca
Owor: Icito kwene Rebecca?
Rebecca: Atye ka cito Kamdini.
Owor: Kamdini tye kwene , kunu bedo calo ngo?
Rebecca: Tye i Oyam, nenno ne mit tutwal dok tye maleng.
Dano duc igi yom matek dok bene cam tye botgi
madwong, kwon,dek, kic, jami gi dwong tutwal.
Gin marac en aye ni nongo pii ki kunu obedo calo
“kolo man gwok”.
Owor: Oo, Oh! Icito ka timmo ngo kunu?
Rebecca: Aceto ka limo larema ma owaci acit alime. Wek

acet ma piny pwod leng pien atye ki wot mabor.
Owor: Aya do mote ka io.
Rebecca: Dong idong maber.
Lok manyen Tye bedo nining? how does it look like?

Dongo maber it grows well (used of food yields)
Limmo ngat mo to visit someone
Nenno ne mit is nice looking
Tye it's
Yoo road
Larema / lawota my friend.

Winy tep ka igam lapeny magi.
Listen to the tape and answer these questions.
1. What is the main activity carried out in Alero?
____________________________________________________________.
2. Jo Alero tye atera me timo tic ango?
____________________________________________________________.
3. What do you think is the cause of underdevelopment in Alero?
____________________________________________________________.
4. Lok i kom caro me Alero.
_____________________________________________________________.
_____________________________________________________________.
_____________________________________________________________.

Akello is on point A going to point B. She doesn't know how
to reach there. How would you direct her to point B?

D: Safety Incidents
Jami na orweny woko. Onongo atye ki

kikapo ma aketo cente iye, buk, ki tikitiki
me mucoro.
Dong pe angeyo gin ma omyero atim
Brian
Lok manyen jami things; belongings

rweny to be lost; to get lost
kikabo bag
cal pictures; photos
tiki tiki mucoro graduated tax tickets
tic/ timmo to work / to do
tammo to think / to imagine
lewic to be ashamed
timmo kica to forgive.
Winy tep ka igam lapeny.

Listen to the tape and answer the questions.
1. Iwinyo pido adi?__________________________________________________.
2. Pido mene ma ogiko?______________________________________________.
3. Joni mito locaden adi?_____________________________________________.
4. Out of all the cases you've heard, which one do you think is the most serious?
_______________________________________________________________.

Lok manyen Lok ma romo atera i kot a court case
Winyo to hear
Mene? which one?
Caden witnesses
Kwallo to steal
Pwodo to beat
Wod son
Ai jone! my goodness! / oh dear me!
Safety and How you relate in the community will affect the response the
Security Note community will give when you need help.
Goyo oduru Oduru “ulu-lu-lu-lu...” is the alarm raised when there is a problem
especially if theives attack someone, if a girl is raped, or if anyone is
in danger and needs help; and people always run to give help.

Know your
Acholi body
Unit 8
Quote of the week: Yotkom ki yubo ki dog.

Yot kom pe poke ki nyamo.
Acholi Proverbs.

Unit 8: Nge komi
(Know your body)
Core Competency: Apply Basic Survival Skills.
Overview:
Communicative tasks: • Name parts of the body

• Talk about health, physical and mental conditions
• Identify common ailments
• Describe different emotions
• Talk about personal appearance
HIV/AIDS: • Talk about Transmission in a dialog on page 134
• Address Prevention in a dialog on page 136
Safety and Security: • 3C: Demonstrate culturally appropriate community
integration skills
• 4C: Demonstrate culturally appropriate strategies for
declining unwanted offers of food/drink/assistance, etc
• 8A: Ask for help in the local language
Grammar: • The “still” infix
• Reflexive verbs
• Reciprocals
• “If” constructions
• Relatives
• Causatives
• Static
• “Ever” and “Never” tense
Culture: • Taboos.

A: Dul kom (Body Parts)
Learning Objective:
Having lived in the community for 6 weeks, each trainee will describe his or her physical and
mental condition to the LTF. The language used should include some body parts and culturally
acceptable phrases.
Oculi: Apwoyo neni tutwal!

Oceng: An bene apwoyo.
1
Oculi: Nino ne tye ka wot ni
ngo?
Oceng: Tye kawot maber, kono
ki boti?
Oculi: tye kumeno. Ma pwod
pe waloko mapol, wek
acet awil yat abar wic.
Oceng: Nguta bene tye ka rem,
dako nabene kore tye ka
rem.
Oculi: Ngo ma tye ka time!
latin na tye ki amwoda
ic ka omine bade lit.
Lok manyen ngut Neck

kor chest
em thigh
tyen legs
lokoro throat
dud buttocks; bottom
amwoda ic stomach ache
rem to pain.

B: Health, Physical and Mental Conditions
Atye kawinyo marac!
What is this dialog Daudi: Ngo marac Yakobo?

about?
Yakobo: Arem oketa woko i iya kany. Dong acok too!
Daudi: Rac matek! Wek ateri i ot yat.
Yakobo: Ber. Apwoyo konya.
Lok manyen arem oketa woko I’m in pain

too to die
ot yat hospital
iya my stomach
kwanyo to take
konya to help me
ateri I take you
apwoyo thanks
rac ba so bad.
Ki ot yat:
Dakar: Waca itye ka winyo two ango?

latwo: Pe angeyo , ento wiya aye bare, wanga
rem ki koyo neka.
Dakatar: Aya abimi ni kony me cango ne, ento ka
two omede ci idwog cen.
Atwo: Aya do.

Lok manyen waca tell me
Twoo to fall sick
Koyo coldness
Wiya my head
Wanga my eyes
Cango to treat medically
Medde to continue
Dwogcen return
Winyo to hear; to feel.
Nen lok manyen ka igony tyen lok magi. Comprehension

Check with the Vocabulary and translate these 2 dialogues.
Dialog A:
Zerida: Kec tye ka neka.

Neida: An ayeng woko ento orwo pii aye
neka.
Zerida: Aya do wek kong acet acam. In
imat soda.
Neida: Aya.
Dialog B:
Barbara: Pe itye ka neno maber do ngo marac?
Leo: Gin marac peke ento nino aye tye ka mako wanga.
Barbara: Nen calo komi lit?
Leo: Koma pe lit ento tin atiyo matek tutwal.
Barbara: Atamo ni omyero awek iywe.
Leo: Aya apwoyo lima.

Phrases used Two ango ma tye ka yeli? What are you sick of/suffering from?
to talk about Two ango ma odiyi tutwal ni? What have you fallen sick of?
one’s
Iwinyo arem kakwene? Where do you feel the pain?
condition
Ngo ma tye ka remo komi? What is paining you?
Iwinyo nining kombedi How do you feel now?
Aloka loka tye? Is there any change?
Iwinyo nining dong? How do you feel?
Dong iwinyo nining kombedi? How are you feeling now?
The 'still' It is used to express an action which is still being carried out. It is formed
by adding pwod before the verb.
phrase.
pwod amari. I still love you (sing)
pwod atye kakwan. I am still reading (studying).
en pwod bedo kany. He still stays here.
The negative is formed using dong pe. It may then translate "no longer"
or "never again".
dong pe amari. I no longer love you.
dong pe ikwano do. You no longer study.
dong pe obi dwogo She/he will not return.
Lok Kec tye kaneka I am hungry / I have hunger

manyen Aol matek I am tired
Ayeng woko I am satiated/full (used of food)
Orwo pii tye ka nekka I am thirsty
Awinyo nino neka I am (feeling) sleepy
Koma col I am dirty
Atye ka winyo koyo. I am (feeling) cold.

C: Two ma maro mako dano
(Common ailments)
Kwan ka igony ki leb munu. Comprehension
Read and translate into English.
Jo ma igang pa Adonga kom gi lit! Dako pa Adonga twoyo malaria ka Adonga twoyo two abar
wic. Nyare Aciro twoyo two aburu, lyeto ki amwoda ic. Pe meno keken, two aona omako joma
icaro ka lworo tye ni two cado twero poto pien cilo dwong i caro man.
Lok manyen lit kom ill; sick

malaria; lyeto malaria; fever
abar wic headache
aburu a cold (in the head)
amwoda yic stomach pain
cado diarrhoea
bur sore; wound
cilim AIDS
anyo / anyongo measles
aona cough
cado remo / ring ring dysentery.
Reflexive A verb is made a reflexive one by suffixing –e or -le to the verb

stem. It then conveys the idea of doing the action to oneself.
Verbs
ngollo - ngolle kello - kelle
cut - cut oneself bring - bring oneself
nenno - nenne
look - look at oneself.
En maro ngollo lwet cinge.
She likes cutting (her) fingernails herself.
Nubibino kenwu.
You will bring yourselves (without help).
Neke
Killing oneself

Lok manyen Tero ka gwere to take for immunization
aburu influenza; flu
leny heartburn
lak teeth
kwidi worms
twol snakes.
Culture Note It is a sign of concern to check on someone who is sick. There is

nothing like "privacy" when one is sick.
Reciprocals A verb is made a reciprocal by suffixing -e or –le to the verb

stem. It then conveys the idea of doing the action to oneself.
ngollo -ngolle kello - kelle
cut - cut oneself bring - bring oneself
nenno -nenne
look - look at oneself.
Maro ngollo lwet cinge.
She likes cutting (her) fingernails herself.
Ubi bino wun kenwu
You will bring yourselves (without help).
Neke kekeni
Killing oneself
Amongi: Itye nining Hildah?

Hildah: Atye maber.
Amongi: Pe itye ka nen maber, ngo marac
Hildah?
Hildah: Iya tye ka mwoda.
Amongi: Bin ateri bot ajwaka. Obi mini yat
Acholi matek ci ibi winyo maber.
Hildah: Ajwaka! Adagi. Atye ki yat ma
dakta ma tiyo bot jo me Peace
Corps omiya, acito ka mwonyo
ne.
Amongi: Ayaa do wek ateri i ot yat
Kitgum.
Hildah: Kur manok. Ka two omedde, abi
cito Kampala me nenno dakta wa
madit.
Amongi: Aya, kong kumeno.

Lok manyen Ajwaka traditional doctor
Yat tekwaro herbs
Mwonyo to swallow
Kur manok wait a bit
Medde to continue
Wire pa wic dizziness
Yweyo manok to rest a bit
Nyin simsim/sesame.
"If" Look at these examples in which"If" can be constructed:

Constructions
Ka imito neno en , bin diki.
If you want to see him, come tomorrow.
Ka en ngeyo ngwec ki gari/lela, en rome cito ki eni.

If he knows how to ride a bicycle, he may take this.
Ka onongo atye ki cente, onongo awillo mutoka.

If I had money, I would buy a car.
Ka imaro dyang , wil do.

If you like cows, buy them.
Ka onongo abedo James, onongo acito London.

If I were James, I would go to London.
Ka en obino, en myero ocit i cuk ka wilo cam.

If/when he comes, he should go to buy food in the market.
Relatives These are used the way one would use who or which. A table of
subject relatives looks thus:
latin ma obino The child who came (today)

Coo ma ocamo. The men who have eaten.
Winyo ma yeje tye. The bird which has feathers.
Causatives Causatives are used to convey the idea of "causing someone do

something".
kwan - wek okwan pwony - miyo pwony
read - cause to read (teach) learn - cause to learn (teach)
cam - wek ocam nen - nen kede

eat - cause to eat (feed) see - see using

Ka lalur okok idye ceng gwok romi ni. Proverb
Find out the meaning of the proverb above.
Static Static form of verbs are used to translate the idea of "to become
done" and "to be do-able".
nen - nen twero - twere
see - be visible be able - be possible
Nen calo iol.

It appears you are tired.
Cak okir.
The milk has been spilt.
D: Tam ma pat pat

(Different emotions)
Ven: Ngo doki Denis? ii yom tutwal! Ngo manyen?
Denis: aaa! Tin abi cito i myel ka aneno anyaka na.in kono, icito kwene? Ical ki ngat ma
ool tutwal!
Ven: Jal, tin atye ki latwo , Pe amaro bino.
Denis: Rac tutwal, aya pwod wanen!
Lok gin ango doki? what is it?

manyen gin ango manyen? what’s new? (latest news?)
ii yom you (singular) are happy
ingeyo conversational governor “you know”
anyaka girl
jal my friend.
Culture When one is seated alone and deep in thought, it is interpreted that that
person is sad and lonely; so there is a need to cheer her/him up.
When one holds the cheek with a sad face, it is most likely there is
something wrong with that person. It is polite to find out.

Safety and Although there may be situations which would normally warrant your
expressing negative emotions (anger, disgust, etc.), it is always advisable to
Security try to control them as you may end up in an even worse situation.
Note
E: Kit ma dano nen kede

(Personal Appearance)
Opio: Ladit konya.
Wilbur: Akonyi ki ngo?
Opio: Ingeyo nyako ma kilwongo
ni Meron?
Wilbur: Meron mene? Bedo nining?
Opio: kome dit, bor dok bene kwar.
Wilbur: Meron ma an angeyo ni, cek,
tidi dok bene col.
Opio: Pe, eno ni meno pat.
Lok Manyen dit big

bor tall
en kwar she is brown
kwar red
cek short
tidi small
col to be dark; to be black
bunyo to smile
cal kede to look like.

To address Transmission:
Nora: Mama, iromo konya ki lyedi ni ni?

Mama: Pe,latinna. Pe ingeyo ni pe ber me leyo jami mabit ki gnat mukene?
Nora: Pingo mama?
Mama: Pe ingeyo ni itwero nongo kwiddi me cilim ki ileyo jami mabit calo lyedi,libira ki
jami mabit ma gitiyo kede iot yat?
Nora: Eyo, angeyo, ento onongo atamo ni atwer leyo ne wani kwedi pien in ibedo mama
na.
Mama: Kadi bed ni abedo mama ni, ento omyero igwoke. Pe igen ngat mo keken. Tye yo
mapol me nongo two jonyo.
Nora: Yo mene mukene ma dano twero nwongo kede two jonyo?
Mama: Calo butu ki laco ma pe ipimo remo ne,kobo aa ki ikom dako ceto ikom latin, ki medo
remo ikom dano ma two tye i kine.
Nora: Oo, dong anyiang, apwoyo, ocake tin dong abigwoke.
Lok manyen konya to lend (but not money)

lyedi razorblade
jami objects; instruments; tools
bit sharp
libira syringes
yango to operate medically
omyero i you ought; you should
genno to trust
yoo ways
butu to have sex
lanywal parent
remo blood
niang to understand
gwoke to take care.
Lok acel gengo lak gweno twi Proverb

Find out the meaning of the above proverb.

To address Prevention:
Martha: Oh, oh! Awinyo kwena i redio ma mako lok kom cilim. Watwero timo ngo me
ryemmo two man?
Gordon: Man yot tutwal. omyero wagwoke pe wanong two man.
Martha: Iyo mene?
Gordon: Cet ipime iot yat ma cok kwedi wek inge ka itye ki kwidi cilim onyo peke, pe ibut ki
laco wang ma inyome, ka dong inyome bed ki dano ma imaro acel keken.ka pe iromo
kanyo ne kekeni tii ki roc bol ikare ducu dok iyor maber ka imito butu ki dano
mukene.
Martha: Apwoyo tutwal. man dong angeyo ngo ma omyero atim.
Lok manyen redio radio

kwena message
ryemmo to get rid of
meno yot that is easy/simple
wot ipime to go for testing oneself
bedo labongo butu to abstain; to control oneself
nyom marriage
i kare ducu all the time; consistently
dano ma ibutu kwede sexual partner; beloved
gin atima what to do.
The 'Ever' The 'Ever' tense is formed by using Manaka at the begining of a sentence
and kong is often added for emphasis.
and
'Never' Manaka yam kong ineno kwac? Have you ever seen a leopard?
tense Manaka yam kong icito Amerika? Have you(pl)ever gone to America?
Dong amato cak agura gura. I have drunk camel’s milk before.
The negative of 'Ever' is the 'Never' tense. It is formed by using pwod

followed by the negative particle pe at the begining of the sentence before
the verb stem.
In pwod pe ineno kwac. You have never seen a leopard.

Wun pwod pe uceto Amerika. You(pl)have never gone to America.
An pwod pe amato cak agura gura. I have never drunk camel's milk.
Tit kit ma in ical kede ka dok kit ma lawotti cal kede. Explorer’s
Describe your looks and a close friend's looks. Diary

Acholi Family
Unit 9
Quote of the week: Gang dong gang.
Acholi Proverb.

Unit 9: Gang (Family)
Core Competency: Build capacity of communities and organizations.
Overview:
Communicative tasks: • Describe the family

• Describe household chores and gender roles
HIV/AIDS: • Address Treatment, Home-Based Care, Prevention of

opportunistic diseases, Nutrition, Palliative Care,
Counseling and advice on writing of a will in a detailed
text on page 139
• Address Care, Treatment and Positive Living in a text on
page 140
• Talk about Care, OVC and Income Generating Activities in
a text on page 143
Culture: • Family structure.

A: Paco (Family)
Learning Objective:
Having lived and observed relationship at the homestay, each trainee/volunteer will describe
relationship among 5 family members. The relationships should be unique to the extended
family of host country and different from mainstream American nuclear family.
Bonny: Laworo otyeno onongo itye wun ki nga?

Okalo: Onongo atye wan ki lamera ma dit , in kono onongo itye wuni anga?
Bonny: Onwongo atye wan ki lamera.
Okalo: En bedo kwene?
Bonny: En bedo gin ki kwaro wa.
Okalo: Wa lamera madit bedo bot kwara.
Bonny: Wacet kong i lima.
Okalo: Pe twere , woda ki nyara two, abi tero ki gin yat.
Bonny: Aya mot gi.
Lok manyen lamera madit my elder sibling

lamera matidi my younger sibling
omera ma dit my older brother
omera ma tidi my young brother
omegina ki lomegina my siblings
lamin ma maternal aunt
kwara grandfather
twoo to be sick
yat/yen medicines; drugs
nera maternal uncle
omin wora my paternal uncle
waya my paternal aunt
adaa my grandmother.
Nong gin ma caro lok man gonyo: Proverb/Idiom

Find out the meaning of these proverbs:
1. Ceng nekko omero , pe ceng cullo.

2. Pe inye odoo ma ki goyo ki nyeki .

Culture Note In a family, the eldest/first son is supposed to inherit the father's
property regardless of how old the boy is.
Traditionally, the father is the head of the family.
The child is not supposed to address his father by name regardless of
how old he/she is.
Uncles and aunts play a more important role in the family structure
than in American and European families. There is a difference
between uncle and aunt from the mother's and from the father's side.
Acholi doesn't have one universal word to cover both.
There is no equivalent of 'cousin' in Acholi. Cousins are taken as
brothers and sisters from the father’s side.
Children of your mother’s sister are called Lamara or Omara for male
and female respectively.
Home-Based Care:
Inino mo acel, Rose onongo tye ka lwokko lotino ne ci onenno cware Gabriel tye ka dwogo
gang kun tye okwako wiye pi abar wic.
Dako ne Rose otere i ot yat Lacor kama en obedo iye pi dwe abicel. Lutino odong gang kengi
ma omiyo Gabriel olego ni omyero kidwoke woko wek enong yat ki gang. Dakta owaco ki Rose
kit ma en omyero ogwok kwede ki cware ni omyero obed ma kome leng ki me neno ni Gabriel
pe dok onongo two mukene.
Cente me gang obino lacen pi konyo two, lutino oyenyo kolget kwe me jwayo lak baba gi inge
cam. Mon me caro meno gujogo yen tedo ki cam me konyo jo paco pa Rose ki Gabriel. John,
omin Gabriel ma tidi, guleyo tingo Gabriel aleya gi ki Rose me kelle woko ki dwokke i ot pi oyo
nyango. Mingi obedo ka cwalli gi cam mapol mapapat (nyig yat, pot dek ki nyuka). Ki gum
marac kom Gabriel omedde ameda. Dano ducu obedo ka konyo me bedo ka loke, rweyokome ki
loke tung cel.
Ikare ma en onongo dong pe romo cam , gupite ki pii malyet cawa duc. Tom, ngat acel ma miyo
ire tam ocako limo jo gang pa Gabriel wang kidek i cabit acel , lego pi gang man, ka okonyo
gabriel me coyo doge ma pwod pe kidwoke i ot yat.

Lok manyen cware her husband
pien because of; due to
odong to remain
kony ki gang home based care
omiyo tam advised
leng clean
cente income
ka dong and therefore
baba gi their father
yat kolo lak toothpick
yat stick
ruddu to brush (teeth)
yen tedo firewood
leyo take turn
tero woko to take outside
woko outside
nyango mild sunshine / morning sunshine
inget sides
rweno to stroke; to massage
lami tam counselor
coyo dog death will; heritage.
To address Care, Treatment and Positive Living:

Iceng adek ii otyeno, mama odwogo ki iot yat ma tye ka bwonyo matek. Onongo ocwalo kare
malac me neno en ka bunyu. I acaki en onongo obedo ma cwinye cwee pien onongo en peke ki
tic me atima, kun gwoko lutino aboro kulu. Onongo en peke ki cente me gang kwan pa lotino,
wilo yat ki me wilo cam pi jo ma i gange. Kama en bedo i iye ni onongo pe ceko cam tutwal
kadi bed en opur.
I otyeno me ceng adek ni, en bene onongo yat mo me konyo two ne me nono. En bene oyee ni
etye ki two cilim ki bene me kanyo peko me mwonyo yat. Me medo ikom meno bene kimiye
mucele, unga, muranga ki moo dek. Bene kimiye net ki jeriken me mato pi maleng. Lami tam
ocike bote me bedo ka roto kit ma yot kome tye kwede kicel i cabit acel.

Lok manyen wang face
kare period; time
bwonyo to smile
cullo to pay
cente kwan school fees
ngom ; poto soil; land
cekko cem maber to make grow well (of crops)
yee to accept; to agree
piko tic schedule; timetable
moo dek cooking oil
miyo to be given
jereken jerrycan
cike to promise
rotto; limmo to check on
mapat ki apart from.

B: Tic me ii ot ki tic pa coo ki mon
(Household chores and gender roles)
Okec: Pingo imito dok gang con tutwal? Icito ka timo

ngo?
Opio: Acito con pien amito lwoko bongo na.
Okec: Dako ni peke gang ce?
Opio: Tye do ento tye ki tic mapol tutwal. Tye ki tic me
teddo cam me dyeceng, lwokko lotino ki yubu cam
me otyeno.
Okec: aya wek an bene dong adok gang.
Opio: Aya do mot jo ma gang.
Okec: in bene mot gi.
Frank tye ka lok ki Godfrey
Frank: Itye nining, Godfrey?

Godfrey: Atye maber, itye ka cito kwene?
Frank: Acito ka neno nera David.
Godfrey: Icito ka wace ni ngo?
Frank: Baba oora. Ni awace obin opit kalatuc
cok ki dog kulu kwica .Ento in icito
kwene?
Godfrey: An aa ka tweyo dyegi ka dong acito i
cuk, mama oora ni acit awil moo tara.
Frank: Aya wot maber.
Godfrey: In bene.
Lok manyen nera my maternal uncle

pe tye is not there
ooro to send (a person)
pito plant
willo to buy
moo tara kerosene; paraffin

Lok manyen tara lantern; lamp
(cont’d)
ceto gang to go home
twomo pii to draw water
yeto to peel.
To address Care, OVC and Income Generating Activities:
Amac obedo caro ma amaro tutwal. Tye ki dano mapol ma pol gi obedo lopur. I caro man tye
mego mo ma mwaka ne tye 57 ma kilwongo ni Epunanci. Lutino ne ducu yam guto woko ki
cilim guweko ki en lutino kic apar. En onongo tye ki nyig yat mapol calo pai pai, muyeme,
mapenici ki nacinaci.
Mapat ki man en obedo ka miyo lukwayo ne nyig yadi man, onongo pe ngeyo ni nyig yadi man
pe romo kele cene. Inino mo acel ma en obedo ki lokwayo ne idye kal, latin me peace corps
obino ma cok cok ki poto ne ka oboro poto ne tutwal. Inge mote en olwonge me donyo i group
pa mon me yenyo kodi. En bene pe oye oyot me donyo i group man kun tamo ni gin mo maber
pe bibino ki iye. Ento ikare ma orwate ki Nora ma onongo otiyo tic me yenyo kodi pi mwake
apar wiye aryo, tame oloke woko.en odonyo i gurup me yenyo kodi ma dong oweko kombedi en
romo wilo buk, kalam, kalu, culu kwan ki lokwayo ne. En kombedi dong romo pito lokwayo ne
maber. Med ki meno en owilo opego angwen ma oweko anyime dong tye maber.
Lok manyen lopur farmers

mon too widow(s)
otoo ki to be killed by; to die of
owekko pi to leave for
lotino kic orphan(s)
yadi trees
ngom soil; land
lokwayo grandchildren
gurup group; class
cente income
mapat ki apart from; leaving aside
dyekal compound
me kato to pass by
me maro/pwoyo to admire; to appreciate

Lok manyen poto garden
(cont’d) me donyo to join

me two woko to dry up
me weko ni otwo to make dry
me yee labongo gen to accept reluctantly
rwatte to meet
kit attitude; way of thinking.
Find out the meaning of this Proverb. Proverb

Dako nywal ki nyeke.
How does it relate to the various categories of people in the community?

Acholi Grammar
Reference
Quote of the week: I can’t begin to talk to people until I have

learned the grammar of the language.
Peace Corps Volunteer.
Who cares about the grammar,
I just want to communicate.
Peace Corps Volunteer.

Introduction
This section contains almost everything you’ve always

What you will
wanted to know about Acholi.
find here It explains the most important grammar rules of Acholi

and summarizes this information in clear charts.
Some Frequently Asked Questions about the language
are answered. At the end, there is a glossary of
commonly used grammatical terms.
Overviews of noun classes and verb tenses are also
attached.
What you
Not all possible variants are mentioned here. Acholi is
won’t find here not as widely studied as English and therefore much data
about variations isn’t available.

Forming Words
In Acholi, putting words together is a similar process to putting together sentences in English.
Often a single word is enough to express what in English would have to be a sentence, e.g
abikwanno means: I will read it.
Verbs
Each verb is formed by a stem and may combine with several prefixes and possibly a suffix.
Here is a list of the most common abbreviations used:
Negative NE tense marker TM
subject prefix SP verb infinitive VI
object suffix OS verb stem VS
personal pronoun PP modified verb stem MVS.
Subject prefix preceeds verb stem but it doubles as tense marker as well:
a - Nen - i - I am seeing you (sing.)
SP VS OS
a - nen - i - I saw you (far past)
SP VS OS
o - neno - wa - He has seen us.
SP VS OS
o - neno - wa - He saw us (far past)
SP VS OS
Negative precedes subject prefix and tense marker:
en - pe - oneno - wa - He didn’t see us (today).

PP NE VI PP
Negative with modified stem
an - pe - anen - i I didn’t see you (far past).
PP NE VS OS
en - pe - oneno - wa - He didn’t see us (far past).
PP NE VS OS
Negative with infinitive marker

pe - a - nen - i - I am not seeing you (sing.)
NE SP VS OS

Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns
The situation with adjectives is much easier. All you have to remember is to add a class prefix at
the beginning. The class prefix must agree with the noun. See chart at the end of the reference
section for more details on the agreement of noun classes.
Possessive adjectives, on the other hand, add the subject prefix of the class of the thing
possessed. So while, my book is bukka, my woman is dako na.
Making a Sentence
Basic Word Order
Sentence typically consists of four parts: subject, verb, tense marker and object. The object is
not always necessary. In Acholi, both subject and object can be expressed by prefixes, one word
can contain all the components necessary to make a sentence, e.g. Akwanno . (I’m reading it).
See above for analysis.
A sentence may then consist of subject, verb containing a subject prefix, a tense marker and an
object. The object can be expressed by an object suffix.
The sentence can be further expanded by adjectives, possessive pronouns, adverbs and
prepositions.
There are a few simple rules for word order that have few exceptions.
1. Subject precedes the verb. Subject pronoun is expressed by the subject prefix.
2. Object follows the subject. Object pronoun is expressed by the object suffix.
3. Adjective follows the noun and the possessive pronoun if there is one after the noun.
4. Adverbs typically come at the end or beginning of the sentence.
5. Even if the subject is a noun, the verb must contain a subject prefix.
6. Demonstratives (this and that) have a variable position. They can come either before or
after the noun.
Subject expressed by prefix, object followed by an adjective:

I saw a beautiful woman at school.
A-neno dako maleng i Gangkwan
SP+TM+VS Object Adjective Preposition Object
I saw a woman beautiful at school.
Verb followed by another verb and adverb:
We saw (far past) a child riding a new bicycle very slowly.

Waneno latin ma tye ka ngwec ki nyono gari/lele manyen mot
SP+TM+VS Object Verb Object Adjective Adverb

We saw a child he is riding a bicycle new slowly slowly.
Object contained in the verb as an prefix:

I saw him riding it very slowly.
Anene tye kanyono Mot mot
SP+TM+OS+VS SP+TM+VS Adverb
I saw him/her he is riding it slowly slowly

Negative preceeding SP+TM+VS:
I didn’t see a beautiful woman at school.
Pe aneno dako maleng i Gang kwan
NE+SP+TM+VS Object adjective Prep Object
I didn’t see Woman beautiful at school.
Subject expressed by noun and prefix:

The man is reading a book.
Nyeri tye kakwanno Buk
Subject PP+to be+TM+VS Object
Man he is reading a book.
Other “Sentence Makers”
Note on the Grammar of Acholi.
1. The Alphabet
A B C D E G I J K L M N NG NY O P R T U W Y
a b c d e g i j k l m n ng ny o p r t u w y
2. The Noun
(i) Proper Nouns

In Acholi, most of the male proper nouns start with “O”, female with “A”, eg:
MALE FEMALE
Opiyo Apiyo (first born of twins)
Ocen Acen (the latter of twins)
Okello Akello (born after twins)
(ii) Noun Forms

A large number of common nouns are derived from verbs in different ways:
a) from transitive verbs by dropping final “o”.

eg: nekko (to kill) = nek (killing)
wotto (to walk) = wot (walk/walking)
dwaro (to hunt) = dwar (hunting)
b) from verbs that end in “-yo” by dropping the “-yo” and adding “c”;
e.g: tiyo (to work) = tic (work)
pwoyo (to thank) = pwoc (thanks)
c) some transitive verbs have an irregular formation:

e.g: kwayo (to herd) = kwat (herding)
kwallo (to steal) = kwoo (theft)
doyo (to weed) = doo (weeds)
deyo (to decorate) = deyo (decoration)

d) some intransitive and qualitative verbs are formed with “o”:
e.g:y kok (to weep) = koko (weeping)
ger (to be ferocious) = gero (ferocity)
twoo (to be sick) = twoo (sickness)
e) some verbal nouns are derived from verbs by the use of prefixes and suffixes:
- by prefixing “l”
e.g: nywaro(to scorn) = anywar (scornful person)
cweyo (to create) = lacwec (creator)
kwallo (to steal) = lakwo (thief)
- prefixing “o”;
e.g: yweyo (to sweep) = oywec (broom)
- prefixing “a” and replacing the final “o” with another “a”;
e.g.: yello (to trouble) = ayela (trouble)
- prefixing “la” before qualitative verbs:

e.g.: goro (to be weak) = lagoro (a weak person)
ming (to be stupid) = laming (a stupid person)
dit (be great) = ladit (elder, superior)
- prefixing “l” before nouns:

e.g.: goba (a lie) = lagoba (a liar)
lonyo (wealth) = lalonyo (a rich person)
nywal (birth) = lanywal (parent)
f.) compound nouns are made:

- by combining the name of a part of the body with a common noun:
e.g: wang bur (ulcer, wound) from wang (eye) + bur (wound)
kor ot (wall) from kor (chest) + house (house)
dog nam (river bank) from dog (mouth) + nam (river)
- by combining a noun with “dye” (middle), “ka” (place), “tung” (direction), “gin” (abbr. “gi” =
thing):
e.g: dye ot (floor)
ka kwan (class)
gi deyo (ornament)
By combining an adjective with “cwiny” (heart, feeling), “ic” (belly), “wic” (head), “kom”
(body), “wang” (eye). In this case, we form abstract nouns;
e.g.: yomcwiny (happiness)
tekcwiny (firmness)
yomic (happiness)
wilwic (forgetfulness)
litkom (sickness)
bitwang (sharpness of sight)

(iii) Noun Gender
a) The distinction of sex can be made on lexical basis:
Masculine Feminine
lacoo = male, man dako = female, woman
cwar = husband ci = wife
wego= father mego = mother
wod = son nya = daughter
won = owner, master min = owner, mistress
b) Most proper names of male persons begin with “O” and most female names with “A”.
Masculine Feminine
Owino Lawino
Odoc Adoc
Onek Anek
Okullo Akullo
(iv) Noun Number
- Plural formation with “-e” is the most regular. The tone pattern of the singular is preserved in
the plural.
Singular plural gloss

buk buk book
daktaa daktari doctor
kom kom chair
rec rece fish
puc puce cat
welo wele visitor
- Plural formation can also be realized with the addition of “-i”:
twon twoni bull
paco paci home
got godi mountain
- All derived nouns prefixed by “la” make their plural by changing “a” to “lo”:
latin lotino child
ladit lodito elder
lakwena lokwena messenger
labal lobal sinner
latic lotic worker
lakwo lokwo thief
- In some nouns, the final “-i”, which replaces the final vowel to form the plural, affects the
preceding vowel (i.e. from open it becomes close):
jago jagi sub county chief
romo romi sheep
twon twoni male
bongo bongi cloth
tong tongi spear
- The plural suffix “-i” affects also the preceding consonant, changing a voiceless one to a
voiced one, i.e. t > d, k > g:

ot odi house
got godi mountain
jok jogi deity
nyok nyogi male
- Sometimes there is lexical distinction between singular and plural:

dano jo person
dako mon woman
cwar cog husband
dyel dyegi goats
- Sometimes the final “-o ” is deleted

gweno gweni chicken
aweno aweni guinea fowl
(v) Genitive
a) Possession is expressed by the preposition “pa” (for things, also “me”):

e.g.: dek pa dano = people’s food
buka pa lapwony = the teacher’s book
dyegi me tim = wild goats
b) The complement of purpose is expressed by “me” (“a” for persons) and often without
preposition:
e.g.: caa me tic = time for work
cam me otyeno = evening meal
jami cam = eating utensils
c) Syntagms denoting part of a collective whole do not require any preposition between the two
words. This form, very common indeed, is used for:
- Integral parts of living things:

cing latin = child’s hand
tung dyang = horn of a cow
jang yat = branch of a tree
- Products and quality:
cak dyang = cow’s milk
tong gweno = hen’s egg
nyig kal = millet grain
- Parts of objects:
tyen meca = table leg
pur kweri = handle of hoe
bol tong = shaft of spear
- Ownership and relationship:

won ot = head of family
won dyang = owner of cow
omin dako = wife’s brother

- Aim or purpose of something:
ot rommi = hut for sheep
Awac pii = calabash for water
obwo rec = fishing net
3. The Pronoun
i) Personal pronoun:
Nominative case Accusative case
Pronoun prefix suffix gloss
an a- -a I
in i- -i you
en e-, (o-) -e he, she, it
wan o- -wa we
wun u- -wu you
gin o- -gi they
an lawoti = I am your friend

acamo = I ate (it)
in itek = you are strong
itek = you are strong
- Personal pronouns: indirect object

Indirect object suffix
to me -a
to you -i
to him/her -e
to us -iwa
to you -iwu
to them -igi
e.g.: miye pii = give him water
(ii) Possessive pronouns:

my, mine = -na, -a (mera, mega)
your, yours = -ni, -i (meri, megi)
his, hers = -e, -ere (mege, mege)
our, ours = -wa (mewa, megwa)
your, yours = -wu (mewu, megwu)
their, theirs = -gi, -eggi (meggi)
(iii) Emphatic pronouns:

They are composed with:
“kom-“ (body)
“ken-“ (alone)
“gir-“ (gin = thing, plus: mer-a, mer-i, mer-e = mine, yours, his).
e.g.: an atimo ki koma (kena, gira kena) = I did it myself

in itimo ki komi (keni, gite kene) = you did it yourself
en otimo ki kome (kene, gite kene) = he did it himself
wan watimo ki komwa (kenwa, giwa kenwa) = we did it ourselves.
wun wutimo ki komwu (kenwu, giwu kenwu) = you did it yourselves
gin timo ki kom gi (ken-gi, gigi ken-gi) = they did it themselves

(iv) Relative and Interogative pronouns
In Acholi, they are not inflected and have no number; they have the following forms:
ma, a, a- = who, whom, which, that

nga, anga, ngagi = who, whom
anga (pa anga) = whose
ngo, ango = what
mene = which
e.g.: buk ma imiya = the book which you gave me

man buk pa anga? = whose book is this?
en otongo yat ki ngo? = with what did he cut the tree?
4. The Adjective
All adjectives have only one form, both for the singular and the plural, except these few:
ber beco good
rac raco bad
bor boco long, far
cek cego short
tidi tino small
dit dito big
doo dongo large
(ii) Reduplicative form

This form has usually a dimunitive meaning:
e.g.: ber ber = rather good
nok nok = rather few
cok cok = fairly near
- Note also the partial reduplication:

titidi = very small
titino = very small (pl.)
totwal = very much
5. Adverbs
(i) Adverbs of time
awene = when
kicel kicel = rarely
naka = always
jwi jwi = everyday
(ii) Adverbs of place
kwene = where
piny = down
kwica = there
ite = under
(iii) Adverbs of position

karacel = all together
anyim = future
ngete = sideways
aryeba = downwards
ataro = upwards

(iv) Adverbs of manner
ni ning, yoo mene = how
me akaka = purposely
i mung = secretly
labongo tam = thoughtlessly
oyot oyot = quickly
6. Prepositions
Prepositions express relationships between people, things, actions, etc:
Wan wanongo mic mapol ki boti = we received a lot of gifts from you.
Acholi uses prepositions more than many other languages, and one preposition often has several
different meanings. Acholi has a very small set of true prepositions, which include the
following:
i = ‘on, at, in, about, to, from’

bot = ‘to’
bote = ‘to, at, with’
pa = ‘for’
pi = ‘because of’
te = ‘under’
tu = ‘toward’
ka = ‘instead of’
kwede = ‘with’
gini = ‘with’
Each of these prepositions, except “i” and “gini”, has a characteristic set of object pronoun
affixes; the plain form is used with noun objects:
pi bot
1s pira bota
2s piri boti
3s pire bote
1p piwa botwa
2p piwu botwu
3p pigi botgi
- gin ki does not take pronominal objects: Apwoyo gin ki kwac onongo gubedo lurem = hare and
leopard were friends.
- i takes noun and pronominal objects that refer to non-humans:
iye ‘in, about, on, etc. it’
i buk ‘in, about, on, etc. the book’
but cannot take objects that refer directly to humans.
When such nouns or pronouns are the logical object of i, the noun kom (body) is used as the
object of i, with the appropriate noun or pronoun as its inseparable possessor:
i kom dako = ‘in, about, on, etc. the woman’
i koma = ‘in, about, on, etc. me’
- Prepositional phrases normally consist of a preposition followed by its noun phrase object, or a
preposition inflected for pronominal object.
NB: There are two sorts of complications both involving the preposition “i”, viz;

First, prepositional phrases may consist of i (rarely some other preposition), followed by a
second preposition, followed by the object:
Otim oaa woko ki bot Odongo = Otim has left (from) Odongo.
dako owok ki ite yat = the woman walked under the tree.
Lacoo owoto tung bot dako = the man walked toward the woman
Compound prepositions, i.e. combinations of prepositions plus preposition should be listed in

the lexicon because all combinations are not possible, and the meaning resulting from such
combinations is not always predictable;
e.g.: ki bot = ‘ from.’
- Second, “i” combines with body part nouns, and locational nouns to form locative
expressions:
i wi yat = on top of the tree
i dog kulu = on the mouth of the river
iyi ot = into, out of the house.
- Constructions consisting of “i”, a preposition, and a body part noun are also possible:
Me kaka = instead of the woman.
7. Conjunctions
Conjunctions are used to connect together units of language. They can join:
WORDS:
En onongo cek ento ger. = he was short but fierce.
Apiyo onongo maro wer ki myel. = Apio used to like singing and dancing.
In nyo Obala myero otim. = you or Obala should do it.
PHRASES:
En bene oniang ni paco dong cok. = he also understood that the home was near
CLAUSES:
En tye kwede mon aryo koo gine mo peke = he has two wives and yet he has nothing.
8. Verbs
Verbs refer to an action, or to something happening, or to a state which exists:
En ogoyo gwok = She hit the dog.
Dano tye kamat = People are drinking.
Pe angeyo kit ma itye kwede = I don’t know how you are.
- The verb is the most important part of speech in Acholi, not only for the functions natural to it,
but for the wealth of metaphor and colour which it imports to the language. From the verb too
are derived a number of nouns.
- The general rule is for neuter verbs to end in a consonant and most of the time the neuter verb
corresponds with the root, e.g. rac (‘badness’, ‘to be bad’). Active verbs invariably end in the
vowel –o, which in many cases is dropped to form the passive.
- Intransitive verbs for the most part end in a consonant (e.g. bok ‘to redden’; cot ‘to break’; dak
‘to migrate’), but there are also intransitive forms which end in –o (e.g. gedo ‘to build’; lwongo
‘to call’, etc.). Also intransitive verbs may end in vowels other than –o, (e.g. aa ‘to come from’;
kangara ‘to be lanky’; cwee ‘to be fat’; numu ‘to be raw’ etc.).

- The Acholi verb is inflected for three aspects: perfective, progressive, and habitual. The three
aspects are clearly shown below with the verb cammo ‘to eat’.
perfective progressive habitual

1s acamo acammo acamo
2s icamo icammo icamo
3s ocamo ocammo ocamo
1p ocamo ocammo ocamo
2p wucamowunu wucammowunu wucamowunu
3p ocamo ocammo icamo
- The singular object suffixes -a, -i, -e are added to the verb stem in place of the final –o,
e.g.:
aneni = I see you
anene = I see him/her
inena = you see me
anenogi = I see them
anenowu = I see you
(en) onenowa = He/she sees us
The subject prefix is an integral part of the conjugation, and is still required when there is a noun
as subject.
lotino onenowa = the children saw us
When the object pronoun it refers to something inanimate, the object suffix is generally not
used.
imitto cam? Amito do = do you want food? I want it (not amitte).
- The verb to be is expressed by:

(i) tye = to be (existential and locative): denotes a punctual or generic being; its negative form is
pe = not to be, not to exist, etc.
(ii) bedo = to exist, to continue to exist, to continue doing a particular action, to remain seated,
etc. Its negative form is pe bedo = not to continue.
- Before nouns and adjectives use predicatively, “tye” is not required, and, if the subject is a
personal pronoun, the noun and the adjective take the pronominal prefix, e.g.:
kom man dit = this chair is big
en lagoba = he is a liar
man pe adonyi = this is not an outsider
wan watek = we are strong
The verb to have is rendered by the verb tye (to be) plus a preposition, e.g.:
tye kwede = to be with (= to have)
tye i… = to be with
tye bang = to be with, to be near (= to have, followed by only the name of a person)
tye bot = to be with, to be near.
Okullo tye ki motoka = Okulo has a motorcar
A number of auxiliary verbs can be used to create definite tense interpretations:

(i) the verb ‘bin’ with a high tone is used to show that something came to happen in the past as a
result of a previous action:
e.g.: Obura obi lare woko= Obura got saved (in the past)

(ii) the verb “obi” (to come) conjugated in the habitual aspect forms a simple future with the
semantic main verb in the infinitive:
obidok = (she, he, it) will go back.
With the progressive and perfective aspects, a motional sense is added. The progressive retains a
future connotation, while bino in the perfective yields a perfect or secondary past:
obi dok= it will come to pass
obino ka kwan = he/she has come to read
(iii) The verb “mitto” (to want) forms an immediate future with the meaning verb in the
infinitive.
En mito ngwec = he likes to run
In this construction, mitto is always conjugated in the habitual. When mitto is used to express
desire, it is conjugated in the progressive:
amitto cam = I want to eat
9. Exclamations
Exclamations are used especially in informal speech to show strong feelings such as surprise
(eyooo); appreciation ; assent (Ee); pain (Aya-do-o), suprise ojon-eee tc. Shocking (ee-e)
10. Compounds
Compounds in Acholi can be constructed from nouns and infinitives in any combination of two
or more words; the left most member is the head, the right most member receives primary stress:
wang ot = window
ot cam = restaurant/hotel
del dog = lips
Some words lose their final consonant in compounds when they are not the right most member,
e.g. wic ‘head’ and gin ‘thing’:
wi ot = roof
gi tic = tool
The 'already' tense:

The already tense is used for completed action. In this tense, the emphasis is on the fact that at a
certain time the action had already been completed. Subject + tyeko+ verb:
Atyeko cam I have already eaten
The 'not yet' tense:

The not yet tense is a negative one used to express the idea of an action not yet carried out. Here
it is:
Pwod pe acamo. i.e
Not yet tense = Pwod + NEG+sp+mvs
It should be noted that the use of this tense does not imply any certainty that the action will take
place later. There must, however be a possibility of fulfillment.
The 'Ever' tense:

Is used to express whether an action has ever been perfomed. This tense is formed by placing
manaka dong before the subject prefix and the modified verb stem. e.g.

Ever tense = manaka dong +SP+MVS+ OBJ
manaka dong icamo opego? Manaka dong ineno raa ki i pii?

Have you ever eaten pork? Have you ever seen hippos in water?
Manaka dong Steven onyomo? Dano manaka dong onywal.
Has Steven ever married? Any person who has ever given birth.
The ‘Never’ Tense:

Same as ‘Not Yet’ tense.
The Negative
In Acholi, the general rule for forming the negative of any particular verb is formed adding Pe at
the begining or in the middle of a sentence. e.g.
Teddo to cook
pe atedo I do not cook
pe itedo you do not cook (singular)
he/she doesn’t cook
wan pe watedo we do not cook
wun pe gutedo you do not cook (plural)
gin pe tedo they do not cook.
The Imperative
The present imperative consists of a second person singular only, and is simply the stem of the
verb e.g.
Kel Bring
Bin Come
Tii Work
Cam Eat
Yeto Peel
To form imperatives in the negative, the negative particle pe is placed before the verb stem. E.g:
Negative imperative = pe+SP+VS e.g
Pe ikel don't bring

Pe ibin don't come
Pe ilwong don't call (verb stem - eta)
Pe itii don't work
Pe icam don't eat
Pe ikwer don't refuse (verb stem - anga)
Pe ilwok don't wash (verb stem - ozya).

Verb 'to have'
The possessive suffix for the above verb or the stem of that verb is –tye kwede.
The present tense of this verb can be conjugated as follows:
Singular English Equivalent Negative

Atye kwede I have Ape kwede
Itye kwede you have (sing) Ipe kwede
Etye kwede he/she has Pe etye kwede
Otye kwede we have Ope kwede
Itye wunu kwede you have (pl) wupe wunu kwede
Gin tye kwede they have Gin pe kwede
Interrogation
There is no difference in the order of words between a question and a statement. In writing, a
question is clearly shown by the question mark at the end. In speech, the difference in intonation
shows which is intended e.g.
Ibuto maber? Did you spend the night well?

Irii maber. You spent the night well.
Some of the interrogative adverbs are:

Kwene? Where? Pingo? Why?
Awene? When?
Nga? Who? (sg) Ngo? What?
Nining? How?
Mene? Which?
The question mark is added to the question to make it a question. The above adverbs generally
come at the end of the questions (except why?)e.g.
Icito kwene? Where are you going?

Man ngo? What is this?
Buk mene? Which book?
Man buk pa nga? Whose book is this?
The 'still’ :
It is used to express an action which is still being carried out. This is done by using pwod before
the subject prefix and the verb stem i.e:
Still tense = pwod+Sp+vs
Pwod itye ki rum mokene? Bac pwod tye i pak.

Do you still have some rooms? The bus is still at the park.
Pwod atye kacammo cam me odiko. En pwod kome lit.
I am still eating breakfast. He/She is still ill.
The negative is formed by prefixing Pe before the subject prefix e.g.

Dong i pe ki rum? Bac dong pe.
You no longer have rooms? The bus is no longer there.

Prepositions
Most prepositions are followed by the genitive particle -i which is the equivalent of the English
of. Therefore the literal translation would be in of a box, before of a box. This is similar to the
English in front of.
Ii / iiye
iwiye
inyime / anyime
Ingete / kangete
Idyere.

Conjunctions
Common Conjunctions:
Ka 'and'. Ka is mostly used to join nouns, infinitives and adjectives.
Ki 'and'. It is used to join verbs and clauses. Also ki can start a sentence
whereas ka cannot.
Atye ki dyangi ki gweni angwen.
I have 2 cows and 4 chickens
Ento 'but', nevertheless
Ento kono ‘however’
Ce gwok nyo ‘perhaps’
Pien ‘because’
Onyo gwok ‘maybe’
Use of ‘ki' or 'ka':

These two conjunctions (ki, ka) are equivalent to the English 'and'. The only difference is that ka
before a vowel joins nouns, infinitives and adjectives; whereas ki joins verbs and clauses. Ki
may also begin a sentence whereas ka cannot.
Imito camo ne ki ngo? En tye ka cammo mucele ki muranga.

And what do you like to eat it with? He is eating rice and beans.
Amito labolo ki miya malaga.
I want bananas and give me a fork.

Pronunciation
Sounds
Consonants
There are 16 consonant sounds in Acholi but only 14 letters of the alphabet, therefore some
consonants are actually written using a combination of two letter.
Same as or Similar to English:
b as in bank
c Church
d as in demo
g as in garden
j as in jug
k as in skit
l as in language
m as in many
n as in no
ny as in onion
ng bang
p as in spin
r as in roll
T as in stun
W as in way
Y as in yes
Combinations of Consonants
There are some interesting combinations of consonants in Acholi, that are not found in English.
They are usually for pointing out the strength of the pronunciations mostly in verbs but they are
also used in nouns, interrogatives.
E.g:
Nga? Who?
Niang understand
Nyanya tomatoes
Mokko to confirm
Gwokko to protect.
Vowels:
There are five vowels in Acholi which can be either long or short. Vowels are always different
across languages, even the seemingly similar ones, so the English equivalents should be taken
only as approximations. The longated form of vowels comes about as a result of silencing y in a
verb when forming a present continous tense from everyday tense.
E.g:
moyo moo
spreading spread

kwoyo kwoo
sewing sew
doyo doo
weeding wed
Diphthongs (Combinations of Vowels):

There are only three common diphthongs in Acholi. They are: ai (as in eye), ia (as in ear), ea (as
in urea) and ie (as in diem).
Tones:
Like Chinese or Vietnamese, and most Lwo languages, Acholi is a tonal language. This means
that two seemingly identical words actually mean different thing depending on the tone of their
vowels.
Fortunately, it is possible to speak and understand Acholi without the tones, as well, but being
aware of them helps understanding and also makes it easier to make one’s thoughts clear.
Acholi has 2 tones, rising (high) and falling (low) * . Each vowel has its own tone. If two vowels
are combined, each keeps its tone. The tone is more a direction of pitch than actual tone known
from music and can be therefore mastered even by extremely unmusical people.
Here are two good examples of why tones are important. This manual doesn’t deal with tones in
more detail.
e.g:
Kec hunger
Kέc bitter (pronunced with a prolonged stop)
Kǽc sound of a falling object (pronounced with abrupt stop)
* In contrast with Chinese which has four tones and Vietnamese which has seven.

Spelling
Rules Acholi spelling is extremely easy. There are only a few
rules that are easy to master.
1. Most of the words in Acholi are pronounced the way
they are written except for words like moko, naka, okutu.
The k is pronounced as x in english and t pronounced as
r in those examples given.
2. Tones are not written
3. Two different vowels cannot occur together except
when the particle y is being silenced; e.g moyo (moo).
Note on Spelling Not all speakers of Acholi have also been educated in the
languages. Therefore there are many variants in spelling.
Especially the double vowels are often omitted. When
reading printed materials including the newspaper be
aware of many possible errors.

Frequently Asked Questions
What is the attitude Speakers of all Lwo languages are very happy to receive
visitors who try to communicate with them in their
of speakers of Acholi language. Because of the specific language situation in
to learners? East Africa, it is very common for people to learn a
second language.
Where is Acholi
Acholi is spoken in northern Uganda a nd also in the
spoken and who central by minority. But it is spoken mainly in the
speaks it? districts of Amuru,Gulu, Kitgum and Pader.
The people speaking Acholi are called the Acholi. The

singular form of this word is Acholi.
What is the
Acholi is a Luo language. The most famous language of
relationship of the Lwo family is Acholi and it is fairly similar to most
Acholi to other Lwo languages in principle, speakers of Acholi and other
languages? Lwo languages can understand each other. The Lwo
languages are very different from Indoeuropean
languages (i.e. English, German, French, Russian).
Acholi has five sister languages i.e Palwo, Alur, Kumam,

Lango and Dhopadhola. It is closest to Lango and Alur
but even speakers of Palwo, Dhophadola and Kumam
can understand few words in Acholi and vice versa.

This chart shows Acholi in the context of other world languages. Level 1 are languages with a
certain degree of mutual inteligibility. Level 2 are languages of the same origin and similar
systems. Level 3 are languages that have similarity in how they work but are completely
unrelated to Acholi in any way. Level 4 are languages that are unrelated and completely
dissimilar to Acholi.
English
4
Chinese
Dhopadhola 3
2
1
ACHOLI
Palwo
Lango
Alur
Kumam
Runyankore Ateso
Luganda Lusoga

Short Glossary of Grammar
Terms
Adverb Words which specify time, space and manner. For
example, yesterday, elsewhere, quickly. They are
answers to When? Where? and How? Most but not all
adverbs in English end in -ly.
Note! In American English, adverbs are often replaced

by adjectives (e.g., I feel good. He came quick.) In most
other languages this is never possible.
Suffix Typically a syllable or a sound appended to the end of a
word to express some grammatical feature.
For example, in English, -s is added to nouns to make

plural. 1 book -> 2 books
Prefix Typically a syllable or a sound appended to the
beginning of a word to express some grammatical
feature.
An example in English, is dis- used to express difference

in words like dissimilar, disparate, etc. In Acholi, most
grammar is taken care of by prefixes.
Infix Typically a syllable or a sound inserted in the middle of
a word to express some grammatical feature.
In English, there are no regular infixes. An example may

be man -> men where e is used to replace a to express
plural.
Conjunction A word or several words used to connect words, phrases
or sentences.
e.g. and, because, but, however, or, because of, inspite

of, etc.
Preposition A word put before a noun phrase to change its meaning.
e.g. before, after, in, on, about, with

Adjective A word used to modify the meaning of nouns.
e.g. beautiful, ugly, big, simple, many.

Pronouns Words used to refer to nouns to avoid repetition.
e.g. he, she, him, her, us, you.

Imperative Form of verbs used to express commands.
e.g. Run! Sit down! Speak!

Passive Sentences like The woman was hit by a car or I’m being
chased by the police are passive versions of A car hit the
woman and The police are chasing me.
The object of the action becomes the grammatical

subject and the erstwhile subject hides behind the
preposition by.
Possessive Means expressing a relationship of belonging to. For
example, possessive pronouns are his, my, your , of is a
possessive preposition, and ´s in dad’s car is a
possessive suffix.
Interrogative Means expressing a question. For example, who? what?
which? are interrogative adverbs.
Subjunctive A verb form to express wishes, request and indirect
commands. In English, the subjunctive has a little
different meaning. It describes sentences like It is
imperative that he be informed immediately.
Syllable Two or more sounds that create one pronunciation unit.
Each syllable has at least one vowel. A vowel on its own
can also be a syllable.
E.g. the word in-te-li-gi-ble has 5 syllables. In Acholi,

most syllables end in a vowel.
Noun Class Luo languages don’t have gender like French, German
or Spanish. However, each noun can belong to one of up
to 14 classes (9 in Acholi). The classes are marked by a
prefix. Each class has a different prefix for singular and
plural.
Just as with gender in French or German, all adjectives,
possessive pronouns and some adverbs must agree with
the noun they modify, i.e. take its prefix.
Modified Stem Tense in Acholi as in other Luo languages, is typically
marked by a prefix. Some tenses and their negatives,
however, also modify the stem of the verb. Although,
there are some rules for how the stem changes, they are
so complicated it is better to memorize the modified
stem of at least the most common verbs.
Idiom Is a set expression whose meaning does not directly
derive from its component words. For example, it’s
raining cats and dogs really means: it is raining heavily.
Idioms typically cannot be translated from one language

to the other.

Functional
Acholi Phrasebook
Quote of the week: Yoo ariyo oroco wii lalur.
Acholi proverb.

What is the Functional Phrasebook
The purpose of this list of phrases is to give you a set of appropriate idioms to be used in
different situations. It is important to remember that many of these phrases cannot be translated
literally, and cannot be easily changed to accommodate other meanings and situations. The list
is not exhaustive.
Asking for Suggestions and Offering

Suggestions
Do you (pl.) have any suggestions? utye ki tam mo?
Let’s go. Waceti
We can ..... (We could....) watwero ....
Maybe .... (Perhaps....) Ca gwoki …….
I am of the view that.... An atamo ni......
Is that okay? Tye kakare?
Agreement and Disagreement

I agree with you. Aye tami.
You are right. Iloko lok ma kakare.
I do not agree with you. Pe aye tami ni .
I disagree with ...... Pe aye tami ni matwal.....
Apologizing
I’m sorry (lit. forgive me.) Tima kica. (Used to express regret or
sympathy).
I ask to be forgiven. Alegi ni itima kica.
I didn’t mean to.... Onongo pe amito ni …….

Appreciation
I appreciate your help. Apwoyo kony ma meri.
Thank you very much. Apwoyo matek.
Thank you for helping me. Apwoyo konya.
You’ve done very well. (Thank you) Itimo maber tutwal.
Asking For And Reporting Information

Where are you from? In ia ki kwene?
What do you do? In itimo ngo?
I am.... an .....
How long have you been here? Iri kany dong pi kare ma rom mene?
Have you heard about........? Iwinyo lok kom......?
Can you talk about yourself? Itwero loko lok i komi?
Do you happen to know…..? Onyo ingeyo..?
How do you know that? Icako ngeyo lok man nining?
Asking for and Reporting Additional

Information
What else have you heard? Ngo mukene ma dok iwinyo pire?
What else would you like to know? Ngo mukene me dok imitto ngeyo e?
In fact; as a matter of fact; in reality Ii ada.
Attracting Attention
The following are all used to attract attention. Their literal translations are given but they can all
be used for attracting attention, as in excuse me.
What’s-your-name (very informal) Nyingi nga
You, you (very informal) In
Help me a bit. Konya kong manok.
Let me bother you. (i.e. excuse me.) Wek kong ayeli.
Look here for a while. Nen kong kany manok.

Certainty - Uncertainty
Are you sure about that? Itye ka waco lok ada?
There is no doubt. Kala kala peke iye.
I don’t know. Pe angeyo.
I (have) doubt. Atye ki kala kala
I don’t think so. Pe atamo kit meno.
Complaining (bako dog)

It is too much. Dok itimo tutwal.
You’ve gone beyond the limit. Ikato kakare woko.
“You too can see that.” In bene iromo neno ne.
You’ve annoyed me. In Iwango iya .
I’m tired of you. Aol woko kedi .
Compliments (medo kero)

That is very good. Man ber matek.
Thank you for saying it. Apwoyo waco ne
Congratulations (miyo pwoc)

Congratulations for..... Opwoyo matek pi......
Deduction (moko tam ki ikom lok moni)

You must be ... In nen calo....
Accusing (doto)
Do you deny that.....? ipyem.....?
You see..... Inenno ku.....
But it is you! Ento in aye do!

Denying and Admitting (kwero ki yee gin moni)
I admit that... Aye gita ni...
I deny that.... Akwero woko ni......
It is not me. (today) Meno pe obedo an.
It wasn’t me. (yesterday) Eno ni onongo pe an.
It wasn’t me. (before yesterday) Onwongo gite pe an.
Describing (Tito gin moni)

She’s about...... En dong cok.....
She’s one of....... En tye ngat acel ikin.......
Directions and Location (kabedo ki kama odok iye)

How do I go to........? Atwero ceto nining ......?
Where is ......’s home? Gang pa ..... tye kwene?
On the (right/left) side. Tye tung( lacuc /lacam).
Gratitude (pwoyo jami)

Thank you. Apwoyo.
You’re welcome. Apwoyo bino.
I want to thank..... Amitto pwoyi.........
Let me take this opportunity...... Wek akwany kare man........
Greeting People (moto dano)

A: Hi (What’s the news?) A: jal lok ngo ma tye?
B: Hi (It’s good.) B: jal (atye maber) .

Indifference (bedo labongo paro gin mo)
I don’t mind (care). Pe aparo.
It’s up to you. Meno tici.
It makes no difference to me. Pe kelo kit aloka loka mo.
Whatever you decide. Kit ma in itamo kede.
Instructing (nyutu kit me timo gin moni)

First..., Me acel .....
Then.... Ka doki.....
Lastly..... Me agikki....
Intention (tami me timo gin moni)

I’ve decided to..... Amoko tama me…..
What is your intention? In tammi kong tye ni ngo?
I haven’t decided yet. Pwod pe amoko tamma.
What did you intend? (today) Onongo itamo ni itim ngo tin?
I mean it. Tama tye iye.
Introductions (nyutu gin atima)

My name is ... (lit. they call me). Nyinga kilwongo ni …….
His/her name is..... (lit. they call him/her) Nyinge kilwongo ni….....
This is..... eni obedo.....
That is..... cani obedo.......
That is..... (far) Maca ni obedo.....
Likes – Dislikes (gin ma imaro- gin ma pe imaro)

What do you like most? Gin ango ma imaro ma kato jami duc?
What do you think of......? Itamo ni ngo i kom......?
I don’t really like...... Pe amaro.....
I don’t really care for..... Pe aparo pi......

Offering to Help ( konyo dano)
Can I help you? (sing.) atwero konyi?
I will help you if you want. Abikonyi ka imito.
Let me help you. Wek akonyi.
I don’t want to bother you. Pe amitto yeli.
Don’t mind about it. Pe ipar pire.
Permission (Gamo Twero)

Can I ......? Atwero ......?
Does it matter......? Itamo ni balo ka.......?
I beg to.... Alego ni ........
Go ahead. Medde anyim.
I guess so/I think so. Atamo ni.
Is it allowed......? Ki yee ……?
If you want. Ka imitto.
Persuading and Insisting (bito dano ki rido lok)

Honestly. Ii ada.
Listen! Winy!
Look here. Nen kany.
Promising (cike)
Should I trust that....? Atwero geno ni....?
Let me be sure that..... Wek abed ki gen ni....
I promise to.... Acike me.....
I won’t let you down. Abi gwoko cike na.
Truly, honestly. Ii ada, ki lok me ada.

Remembering And Forgetting (poo wic ki wil wic)
Did you remember to......? (today) Wi opo me.......?
I forgot (today) Wiya owil woko tin.
Do you remember when ………? Wii poo ikare ma……….. ?
Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction
Are you satisfied? Iye ni loki tye kakare?
How do you see it? Ineno nining?
Really, truly,....... Ada, kom lok,.........
Surprise and Disbelief

You are kidding! Ituku matek!
No kidding! Tuku pe!
I can't believe it. Pe atwero yee ni.
That is impossible (that can’t be). Pe twere/ pe lare
Sympathizing
What a pity! (“You have seen the worst”) Rac mada!
Dear me. Ojone.
What a difficulty. Tek tutwal!
What a misfortune. Man obdo gum marac!
Conversation Strategies
Asking for Repetition
Repeat please, I didn’t hear. Nwo kong, pe awinyo.
I didn’t understand. Pe anyang.
What did you say? Iwaco ni ngo?
That what? Ni ngo?
Explain/describe. Titi/Tit kong

Checking and Indicating Understanding
Are you with me? Watye kacel?
Now I get it. Dong anyang.
Introductory Statements
In my opinion....... Ki Itamma .....
I don’t know where to begin. Pe angeo kama acak ki iye.
I don’t know what to say. Pe angeo gin ma awaci.
I have news for you. Atye ki lok piri.
You won’t believe this. Pe itwero yee lok man.
In God’s name. Ada pa Rubanga/Lubanga.

LAcholi Acholi-English
English-Acholi
Glossary
Quote of the week: Apotti omiyo pipino ocweyo ode labongo mo.
Acholi Saying.

Adjectives
All adjectives have only one form, both for the singular and the plural, except these few:
ber beco good
rac reco bad
bor boco long, far
cek cego short
tidi tino small
dit dito big
dwong dongo large
(ii) Reduplicative form

This form has usually a diminutive meaning:
e.g.: berber = rather good
noknok = rather few
cokcok = fairly near
- Note also the partial reduplication:

titidi = very small
titino = very small (pl.)
totwal/matek = very much
Adverbs
Inget besides, on the side

Kany here
Malo/iwi above, up
Ka mukene elsewhere
Ping, ite, ingom down, below, on the ground
Iwi on the top
woko outside, abroad
Oyot oyot quickly
Kare duc/ kare ki kare always

Inge ot at the back yard
Angec behind
Tin today
Cok near
Bor far
Kenyo/kwica there
kombedi now
laworo maca day before yesterday
yam long ago, sometime back
Ma cok coki recently, soon
Ma nok nok slightly
Ma rac badly, poorly
Tung kany this way
Maber well, fine
Mot mot slowly
Matek /Tutwal very, very much
Calo like
Keken only
Wor/ dye wor night time, at night
Laworo yesterday
Kine mukene/ kare mogo sometimes, at times
Kwica that way, that side
Inyim in front
I gang at home
Iyi inside
Conjunctions
Pien because
Kwene where
Ento but
Ka dong then
Ka, odoco, kun and, again, moreover
Kadi kumeno nevertheless

ka dong and now
ka bene and, also
ka dong and then
Kono nyo perhaps.
Demonstratives
Magi these
Ego ni those
Kwica there
Eni this
Cani that
Eni this
cani that
Tung kany this way
Iye kany in here
Interjections
Ojone dear me
Eyo yes
Aya okay
Ka dong and now
Pe/ku no.
Interrogatives
Pingo? why?
Ngo? what?
Gin adi? Rom mene? how many?, how much?
Kwene? where?
Nga?/ Anga? who, whom?
Awene? when?
Nining? how?

Prepositions
i, iwi at, on
Paka, until, up to
Nicake /wa since, from
iyi in
i in (used for proper nouns
and pronouns).
Pronouns
i) Personal pronoun:
Nominative case Accusative case
Pronoun prefix suffix gloss
an a- -a I
in i- -i you
en e-, (o-) -e he, she, it
wan o- -wa we
wun u- -wu you
gin o- -gi they
an laremi = I am your friend

acamo = I ate (it)
in itek = you are strong
itek = you are strong
(ii) Possessive pronouns:

my, mine = -na, -ga (mega, mega)
your, yours = -ni, -gi (megi, megi)
his, hers = -e, -ge (mere, mege)
our, ours = -wa (megwa, megwa)
your, yours = -wu (megwu, megwu)
their, theirs = -gi, -meg gi (meg gi)

Nouns
abic five
abicel six
abiro seven
aboro eight
abongwen nine
cing lacam left hand
lacan poor person
lacat wil trader; sales person
acel one
cing lacuc right hand
adagadaga hatred
adek three
kikapo basket
gin adi? how many
ladobo person with leprosy
gin wer musical instrument
gin matidi something small
me amata for drinking
em thigh
an me
langwec runner
angwen four
apar ten
apar wiye aboro eighteen
lapwony teacher
muranga beans
ari across
nyom maleng wedding
aryo two
latela leader
atema tema temptation
ada truth
lawil buyer
baba father
bac bus
atabo bowel/dish
balany balance
beng bank
banya debt
becen/bap basin
kabir sorghum
bia beer
binika kettle
bogoya big sweet banana
oboke leaves
bongo clothe
bot newly cultivated piece of land
buk book
bul drum

kor bongo blouse
bur hole
buru ash
cai tea
cak milk
cal appearance
caro village
can poverty
canno/yubu arrangement
capat a chapati
cawa time
cel fence
cam food
ceng sun
cing hand
coka chalk
ka coke gathering; meeting
col,cilo,col black; dirty; dark
coo men
cwiny heart
cupa bottle
cuk market
cwe raining
dakika minutes
dako woman
koc metalic tin
dero granary
dirija window
dini religon
dog mouth
dogola door
dyangi cows
dot breast feeding
oduru ululation
gari bicycle
gamente government
gar train
gilac glass
gomci traditional wear
gombolola gombola
gweni hens
gweno hen
agulu pot
kikoi wrapper
lingiti/lingit blanket
atudu kulu water buck
raa hipopotamus
injinia engineer
mupalici mattress
dul organisation
tetei dress
jami things
dano/jo people
kabad sideboard; cupboard

kabic cabbage
kal millet
ot lega church
kec hunger
kic bee
ot kwan/kilaci classroom
kilo kilo
kom chair; body
kongo alcohol
kor chest
kot,ot kot rain; court
koti coat
kikopo cup
yamo wind
kwaro granddy
kwer celebration
kweri hoe
kwo life
lac urine
lak teeth
layin line
leb, lebi language; tongue
ngom, ngom land; soil
lego pray
long trouser
lut kot lightening
olutu kwon mingling stick
lyeto heat
macungwa orange
layit ladder
magoba profit
mama mother
jarara/mapeca button
mac/alingtwic fire; electricity
matapali bricks
obato yam
meja table
tobi, moko yeast; flour
mon women
moo oil
moo kic honey
mic/mot gifts
mwaka year
kulu, nam river; lake
nero uncle
tokolong monitor lizard
ngor / lapena peas
ngut neck
ngwen white ants
nyako girl
nyalo python
nyen new
nying name
nyuka porridge

nino day; sleep
not, me nono zero; free
odiko morning
omeru brother
gwana cassava
lalur baren
lunyodo parents
lukristo christian
muotoka motor car
otyeno evening
okoro snail
or in-law
oro dry season
ot house
labot bachelor
paket packet
pala knife
pama cotton
pany motar
packa easter
gang home
long trouser
pe no
pii water
piki piki motor cycle
pocta posta
pol clouds
polic police
pulan plan
rec fish
arem pain
ringo meat
romo sheep
tam thoughts
kitana bed
tang tank
tic work
tol rope
wer music
bila horn
twol snake
tyen leg
bongo kwan/unipom uniform
wat relative
wang eye
pwoyo scar
wel price
welo vistor

welo awora guest of honour
wic head
wod pa son of
won owner of
woro/wanya greed
woro respect
um nose
yat, yat amwonya tree; medicine

yadi, yadi amwonya trees; medicines
yec,yer, yer feather; hair; election
Yecu jesus
yib tail
ic stomach
ngec back
Verbs
abino I come (present tense of the verb bino)
ayε I believe
bito to shell, to hull
bito to tempt
tene lean (imperative)
caro to dazzle
cek to be ripe; to be fully cooked
bulu, celo to roast, to surround with fence
cello to shoot
ciro,kanyo to endure, to squirt
guro to assemble
coyo to awake
tucu/cobbo to pierce
giko/giko to end, finish
coddo to have illicit sexual intercourse
turu to break
cokko to collect
ciko to caution
dok to return
dotto to suck
dotto to accuse
gedo to build
kwinyo to excavate

gweyo to kick
gweyo to bark at
itto malo to climb up
loo to climb down
jukko to dissuade from
jukko to besmear
kobbo/loko kakare to change position of something
waco to say
ketto/balo to demolish
ketto, pyelo to put, to lay
kwanyo, to redeem, to ransom
kok pi gin moni to cry for
yero to select
leko, deno to herd, to borrow
mako maber to handle with care
kwero to refuse
kwero to abstain, to sanctify
cako to start
kwonge to swear
kwotto yamo to make wind
yabo to enlarge
leko to dodge, to guide animals
lekko to dream
libbo to stalk prey
lilo ki moo to smoothen with oil
lokko to change
lokko/waco to speak
mokko to gorge
mokko to confirm
temo nongo ne to try to find out
tyero kamalen to expose
mwoddo/baro to break/split and collect fagots
camo,miyo arem to eat, to cause pain
olo,tucu bur to bore, make porus

oro to send

pango to hire
pango to dodge
konye to defecate
pyelo to lay down
ringo to run
romo to meet
dok piny to subside
onyo to pour in
tiyo to work
twoyo to become dry, to be dry
wiro to move something in a circle
wiro to anoint
woro to honour, respect
wotto to pull out
wotto to walk
winyo to hear
cunu to woo
yenyo to look for
yenyo to boil
yubo to repair
yikko to bury

English – Acholi
aadvark n mwak
abandon v wekko; jalo
abate v coko
abbreviate v yung macek
abbreviation n yungo macek
abhor v wero matek
abide v lubu cik/lubo lok
ability n kero
able adj bedo ki kero
abdicate v bwone
abnormal adj jok jok
abnormality n obedo jok jok
abode n ka bedo a dano
abolish v gengo I te cik
abominable adj rac matek
abomination n kir
abort v onyo / balo
abortion n onyo ic
abound v nyayo mapol
about prep cok
about adj cok rom
above adj iwiye/ malo
abroad adj ilobo ma woko,loka nam
abrogate v turu cik
abrupt adj ngole atura
abscess n odeke
abscond v rwenyo ki ika tic
absence n keng
absent v bedo peke
absolute adj liweng/ducu
absolve v gonyo dano ki i bal
absorb v mato
abstain v genge/ bedo labonge
absurd adj pe gonye ma leng
absurdily n pe nyange maleng
abundant adj dwong ataa
abuse v nywaro twero
acacia n gacia
academic n ngec me buk

accept v yee
accelerate v medo madwir
accent n kit me lok
access n yoo menongo gin mini
access v yabo yoo
accession n roco ne odoko manyen
accede v yee tam pa lwak
accident n awano
accommodate v miyo ka bedo
accommodation n ka bedo
accomplainment n lalub kor; lalwoko
accompany v lwoko
accomplish v tyeko maber/mapwot
accord n yee ma lube ki cik
according to prep ma lebe ki
accost v waco lok iwi dano
account n gin gwoko cene i beng
account v miyo lok ikom tic
accountability n ngec kit ma lim otiyo kwede
accumulate v nyayo wel
accumulator n gin nyayo wel
accurate adj iwange kikome
accuse v doto
accusation n adot
accustomed to adj ongii timo gin moni ni
acid n acid
acknowledge v pwoyo
acknowledgement n miyo pwoc
acquaintance n nyebe ikom dano
acquaint v nyebo
acquire v bedo kede gin moni
acquit v gonyo dano ma kidoto
across adv arii
act v timo gin mo
act n tim
act (law) n cik ma palamen omoko
acting n tuku goga
action n tuku
activate v wek ocak tic
active adj ticki mit kom
activist n cung pi tyen lok moni
actor, actress n latuku ma lacoo, latuku ma dako
ache v rem/ baro

acute adj matek
AD adv kare inge nyodo pa Yesu Kristo
adam n dano me acelk i baibul
adamant adj dano ma tame tek
adapt v moko tam ma lube ki
add v ribo/medo
addition n lamed
adder n two uu
addict n ngiyo ma pe weke
address n lanyut me kabedo
adhere v lubu cik
adjacent adj cek kede
admiration n maro gin moni
admire v maro
adore v woro matek
adorn v kwogo
adultery n dano ma onyome me butu ki dako onyo laco ma pe mege
adversity n keto adot
advocate n lapilida
admit v yee’
advice n tam
advise v miyo tam
affair n tyen lok
afraid adj bedo ki lwor
after adj inge
after birth n wino
afternoon n dye ceng
afterwards prep lacen
again adv doki/odoco
against prep ikom
age n mwaka
agenda n lok me alara
agony n arem
agree v yee
ago adj yam con
aggressive adj mager
agitate v twaro ne
ahead adv anyim/inyime
aim v gin atima
aim n miti
air n yamo
airport v bar dege
alarm n lapor wic

albino n albino
alcohol n kongo
alert adj bedo atera
alien n larok
alight v turu; pye
alike adj ma cal kede
all adj duc
allocate v poko
allegiance n woro tam
allotment n poko
allure v bwollo
aloe n ataka rac
alone adj kene kene
alongside adv kede/ibute
also adv bene/dok/ medo ki meno
alter v lokko
although conj kadi bed kumeno
alternate v gweny kine
always adv pol kare
amazed adj me aura
amleitwins adj myel cwiny
amend v yubu
among prep ikin
ampify v meddo dwon
amputate v ngolo dul kom
amusement n yom cwiny
ancient adj con ki con
and conj ki
anger n cwer cwiny
angle n gul/ kona
angel n malaika
agony adj can pa
annoy v wango ic
anoint v wiro
another v mukene
ant n cuggu
anthill n bye
anthrax n two lee
animal n lee
animosity n mone
anyone prn ngat mo
anything prn gin mo keken
apart adv ma pat ki

ankle n opunye
anklet n gara
anniniliate v nekko
announce v waco lok
announcement n lok awaca
answer n lagam
antelope n apoli
anticipate n byeko
anus n ngwiny cet/ dud
appeal n koko ikom ngol me kot
arm n bad
armlet n badi
army n mony, kea
arrange v cano
arrest v makko
arrive v oo
as adv calo
ascend v ito malo
appear v nen
apostle n lakwena
appetite n miti me cam
appoint v cimo/ miyo twero
apprehension n miyo lworo
appropriate v kakare
approtiate adj rwatte
approval n yee kede
aptitude n ryeko me adam
argue v laro lok
arrogance adj awaka
arrow n atero
artery n ler me adunu
artist n lagojo/lago cal
ash n buro
ass n kana
assemble v coke kacel
assist v miyo kony
ask v penyo
at prep ikom
attach v rido ikom
attack v cobbo; cakko lweny
attempt v temo
attend v bedo i kacoke mo
attendant n lagwok kabedo

attract v ywayo tam
aunt n wayo
authority n laloc
available n tye
avarice n let ic/woro
avenge v culo kwor
average adj idyere
avoid v weyo/pango
awaken v coyo
away adj kama bor
akward adj lik
axe n latong/lee
Bb
babble, v lagwong/ladwal
baboon, n abim
baby, n latin; lakere
bachelor, n labot
back, n ngec / dye ngec
back, n dok cen
back, adv dwogo cen
backbite, v kwoto
backbone, n cogo ye ngec
bad, adj rac
badger, n obogo
badly, adv marac
badness, n race
bag, n kikapo
bait, n lanayata
1
balance , v pimo
2
balance , n ma odong
bake, v bako
bald, adj tal wic
bale, v bail
ball, n odilo/ mupira
bamboo, n koo
banana, n labolo
banish, v ryemo ki gand
bank, v kano cente I beng
bank, n beng
banyoro, n banyoro
banquet, n karama
baptism, n baticimo
baptise, n miyo baticimo
barber, n lalyel wic

bare, v lilo
bare, adj olil/ oner
bar, n ka mat/ ka namo
bar, v gengo
barely, adv ma nok nko
bark, n apoka
bark, v gweyo
bargain, v laro wel
barrel, n pipa
barren, adj lalur
barren woman, n lalur
barrier, n lageng
barter, v loko jami ki jami
base, n tere/ acaki
bask, v ooyo
basket, n adita
bat, n olik
bath, v lwok
battle, n lweny
be, v bedo; tye
bean, n muranga
beak, n dog winyo
bear, n nywalo
beard, n yer tik
beat, n goyo
beat, n bit (wer)
bead, n tiko
beautiful, adj leng
beauty, n lengo
because, conj pien
beckon, v bito
become, v dokko
bed, n kitana
bee, n kic
beehive, n bong kic
bed bug, n cwari
beer, n kongo bia
beg, n lego
beeswax, n odok kic
bettle, n kadenge/kamdenga
beggar, n lalega
begin, v cakko; kwongo
beginning, n acaki

behaviour, n kit
behind, adv inge
behind, n bed inge
behold, v nenno
belch, v jero gwe
belief, n yeyo
believe, v yee
belittle, v bwono
bell, n olang
belly, n ic
below, adv ping
belt, n del; (a girl’s belt) ajap
bench, n pwom
bend, v gungu
beneath, adv ite
beseech, v lego ki woro
berry bush, n acuga
beside, prep inget
betray, v me tucu mung
betrayal, n tucu mung
betrothal, n me bedo dako pa
betroth, n cike me nyome ki ngat mini ni
bestow, v miyo; keto twero
between, prep ikin
beware, v gwoke ki
bewilder, v bale wic
bewitch, v yiro/ walo
beyond, adj ma kato
bais, n tamo kilong
bhang, n jai
biceps, n bad
Bible, n Baibul
bicker, n yer dog lee
bicycle, n gari; lela
bifurcate, v janyo
bifurcation, n janyo
big, adj dit
bile, n keda
billy goat, n nyok dyel
bind, v tweyo kacel matek
bin, n gin yugi
bird, n winyo
birth, n nywal

bite, v kayo
bitter, adj kec
bit, adv tidi
bitterness, n kec cwiny
bizarrre, adj ataa
black, adj col
black and white, adj col ki tar
blackish, adj cocol
black bird, n okwik
black water, n pii ma col
black jack, n nyek mon
black smith, n late nyonyo
bladder, n opoko lac
blade, n leb
blank, adj nono
blast, v mwoco
bleat, v koko pa dyel
bleed, v cwer pa remo
blend, v ribbo
bless, v miyo gum
blain, v kelo wang/ loyo wang/neko wang
blindfold, v tweyo wang/umo wang
blind person, n lato wang
blight, n amo; geku
blister, v nyige ma okir
bloating, n jero gwe
block, n bulok
block, v gengo
blood, n remo
bloody, adv obedo remo remo
blossom, v turu
blossom, n ature
blockhead, n wic mapek
blackboard, n kor bao
blow, v kutto, buku
blow, n dongo
blue, adj bulu
blunt, adj oligo
board, n bao
boardgame, n coro
boast, v wake
boat, n yea
body, n kom

boil, v yenyo
boil, n odeke
bold, adj bedo ma cwiny okwee
boldness, n tek cwiny
bolt, v pungo
bond, n noto
bludgeon, v rido
bludgeon, n rido
bomb, n bom
bombard, v cello bom
bone, n cogo
bon fire, n gadi
book, n buk
boot, n war but
border, n wang lobo
bore, v oloo dano
boredom, n olo kom
borrow, v deno
bottom, adj ite; piny
both, n gin aryo duc
bother, v yelo
boundary n wang kigingi
bow n atum
bow v gungu me miyo woro
bowel n atabo
bowl n atabo
bow legged adj tyene okwor kwor
box n bok
boy n awobi
bracelet n mola
brag v wake
braggart n lawaka
braid v keddo wic
brain n adam
branch n jang
branch v jang
brass n mola
brave adj tek cwiny
bravery n tek cwiny
break v turo
brake v mako burek
brake n burek
breathe v yweyo yamo

bride n dako me nyom maleng
bride price n lim nyom
bridge n wi kulu
bridge v kubu/gengo kin
bright adj leng
brightness n lengo
bring v kelo
brittle adj otwi kene kene
broad adj lac
broadcast v cwalo iwi yamo
bread n mugati
brew v tedo kongo
brew n kongo
brood v butto iwi tong gweno
bribe v miyo camocana
bridegroom n lanyom maleng ma laco
briefly adv wiye wiye
broom n oywec
brother n omego
brother in law n muko
brown n apu pua
bruise v wanno
bruise n ret
brush n burac
brush v lajwe wic
bubble v walo
brochitis n aona
bubonic plague n aburu lee
buck n apoli
bucket n baket
buffalo n jobi
build v gero
buffet n kwayi cam
buffet v cam madongo
bull n twon
bullet n nyig ricac
bundle n wic /odure
bum v wango
burden n peko/can
burden v miyo can, peko
burst v mwoc
buny v yiko/ kano
bus n bac

bush n lum/bunga
bush buck n ruda
bush pig n opego lum
business n catto wil
bustard n latin luk
busy adj bedo ki tic madwong
but conj ento
butcher v layango
butcher n lacat ringo
butchery n cato ringo
butt n apoka yat
butter n moo dyang; moo cak
butterfly n lapwo pwo
buttock n dud
buttorn n jarara
burrow n lacoc
buzz v lok ikin dano manok
buy v wilo
by prep kede;
bye inject aya
C
cabbage n kabic
cackle v kero
cajole v bito/bwolo tam
cake n kek; mugati
calabash n awal
calamity n can ma opoto atura malit
calf n latin dyang
call v lwongo
call n lwongo
calm adj okwee mot
calm v kweyo
camel n kinaga
camp n kema
camp v cako kema
campaign v bito kwir
can v twero; romo
cancer n two ma camo kom dano
candle n kendol
captain n kapten
cane v goyo
cane n odoo komo

canoe n yea
captive n mabuc
capture v makko
captivity n buc
care v gwokko
careful adj gwoko maber
careless adj caro caro
carnivore n odyek
carpenter n lapr bao
carrier n lating ter
carry v tingo
cant n gadigadi
case n lok
castrate v dino man
car n motoko
catilage n labaltek
cassava n gwana
cast v bolo
cat n bura/puc
catch v makko
caterpillar n kwidi oyima
catfish n ogore
cattle n dyangi
cause v weko/ omiyo
cease fire n juko lweny
cent n cumuni
centipede n okolok
certainty adv adeda
chaff n latam me ngut
chain n nyor
chair n kom
chairperson n won kom
challenge v atema tema
chalk n coka
chameleon n langogo
change v loko
change n aloka loka
chance n gum
character n kit
charge v keto lok ikom
characteristic n kit kite
charcoal n makar
charm v wallo

charm n awala
charmer n lawal dano
chase v ryemo
cheat v kwalo
cheek n lem
chemy n acuga
check v roto
chest n kor
chew v nyamo
chick n latin gweno
chief n rwot
chief tainship n ker pa
child n latin
chilli n kanlara
chin n tik
childles adj labongo latin
choice n yer
chop v tongo
chronic adj pe cange
chrun v puyo
cinder n lodi mac
circumcise v liro man
circumvent v lworo
civet n kworo
1
claim v waco ni megi
2
claim n gin ma omyero kiculi pire
clan n kaka
claw n lwet
clay n ngom kulu
clap v dongo cingg
class n 1. kilaci 2. dul 3. rwom
classification n apokapoka
clean1 v lwoko
2
clean adj lwoko maleng
1
clear v coko
clear2 adj leng leng
clerk n karan
clergyman n lapwony dini
clever adj ryek/ ngeo piny
click v gweto
climax n kama malo
climb v yito
cling v mako liking

clip v gin mako
clock n cawa
close v loro
cloth n bongo
cloth n bongi
clot v remo ma opoto
cloud n pol
cloudy adv pol pol
cloven adj okare
club n odo
clumy adj lagwe gwe
cluster v ocoke kacel
congulate v omake
coat n koti
cobus cob n til
coax v bwolo
cobre n twol ororo
cock n twan gweno
cockroach n yenye
cokerel n twon gweno
coerce v laro tam
coffee n kawa
coffee plant n yat kawa
coil v dole
cold adj ngicl
coition n butu ikin laco ki dako
collect v coko
colour n rangi
collide v yoke kede
comb n keto
come v bino
1
comfort n kuc
comfort2 v kweyo cwiny
1
command n miyo twero
2
command v miyo twero
cammence v kwango
commend v pwoyo
commit v kwanyo kare
commitment n kwanyo kare ni
common adj pol
common place adj kama ngene
common work n tic awak
community n kabedo pa lwak

compact v odile
compel v diyo;
compensate v culo
company n gurup
compare v poro
complex adj kite tek
comprehend v niang
compete v pyem
competence n bedo ki kero
complain v nguru
complete v tyeko
complaint adj koko
conceal v kano
concentrate v keto cwiny
concerned n bedo ki cwiny ikom
condemn v ngalo too iwi
confess v tucu lok
confusion n anyobanyoba
confuse v nyweno wic
conquer v loyo /bwoyo
compulsion n dic
conceit n awaka
conceive v gamo ic
concur v yee kacel
conditon n kiteme time pa jami
confide n gwoko mung
confidence n tek cwiny
confine v gwoko imung
confinement n gwoko imung
confirm v nyutu ni icwako
conform v ye timo ne kit meno
congest v diyo kacel
congestion n pike
consider v tamo ikom
conscience n tam ma icwiny dano
consolation n kwe cwiny
conspire v keto roro
conspiration n roro
constant adj gak kakare
construct v gero
construction n gedo
consult v gamo tam
consume v camo

container n gi mako jami
contemporary n pi kare moni ni
contest v pyem
continue v mede
contradict v loko lok kilong
contrary adj olung tuke
consuluate v kweyo cwiny
convenient adj ma opore
convience v rwate /tye kakare
1
cook n latedo
2
cook v teddo
cooking stone n laten
1
cool adj okweyo
2
cool v kweyo
copper n molo
cooperative work n tic pa lwak
copulate v ngoto
copulation n ngote
cord n tol/ ogwil
core n cwiny
corn n anywagi
corner n kona
corpse n lyel
cotton n pama
cough v aona
council n kancil
counsel v kweyo cwiny
count v kwano
country n lobo
county n kanti
coutyard n dye kal
cousin n omaro; lamaro
court1 n kot
2
court v cuna
courage adj tek cwiny
correct1 v kakare
2
correct adv yubu
covenant n cike
cover v umo
covet v loko
cow n dyang
coward n lalworo
cowardice n bedo lworo

cowdung n cet dyang
co-wife n nyek dako
cow peas n cao
cowrishell n gagi
crab n ogore
crack v kak
crane n 1. Ialo 2. Nyonyo atingo yec
crawl v mulo; mol
cream n moo cak; moo-moo
crease v keto oguru
create v keto; ero, cako; cweyo
creator n acwec
creed n iyee
creep v lak
cricket n olek
cripple n angwalo
crocodile n nyanyang
crooked adj ogom
1
cross n ari
cross2 v alenga
crouch v wot lagungu gungu
crow n agak
crowd n lwak
crown n lalukana
crucify v guro i kom yat ariya
cruel adj ger
crumble v ngid
crush v goyo /dino
cry v koko
cuckoo n omunypala
cultivate v puro
culture n tekwaro
cunning adj ryek
cup n kikopo
cup board n kabat
curdle v dwale
1
cure v cango
2
cure n cango
curious adj mito ngeyo jami weng
curl v dolo
curse v lamo
curtain n kicika
cushon n mutu

custom n kit me tekwaro
cut v ngolo
cyclone n yamo nam
D
dab v cwinyo
dagger n pala
daily n nino ducu
damp adj dyak/ngic
dance v myel
dancer n lamyel
dandy n ruk awaka
danger n gin marac
dare v temo
dais n abam
1
damage v balo jami
damage2 n bale pa jami
dairy n cam ma aa ki icak dyang
damn adj te lebe oto
dangerous adj gin marac
dappled adj angec angec
dark adj col
darken v yuto; doko col
darkness n ping ma col
dam v kwoyo bongo ma oyec
daughter n nya pa
daughter in law n ci wod pa
dawn n kwa piny
day n dye ceng
dazzle v caro/ ryeny
day light n ryeny pa ceng
day time n dye ceng
dead adj otoo
death n too
deaf adj yite oding
deaf person n lading it
debt n banya
decay v top
deafen v dingo it
1
deal n wil ki cat
2
deal v tic ki gin mo
decit n goba/bwola
decitful adj obedo lagoba/labwola

deceive v bwolo
december n dwe me apar wiye aryo
decide v moko tam
decrease v dwoko piny
deed n gin atima
decompose v top
deduct v kwanyo
deduction n akwany
deep adj tut
deepen v donyo matut
defeat v loyo
defecate v konye/pyelo
defend v gengo /gwoko
defile v buto ki latin
defraud v cero dano/kwalo dano
defence n depweny
deficiency n rem pa gin mo ma mite
delay v gale
delight v yomo ic
deicy n jok
deflect v koye te dok cen; cer
delay n agala gala
delicate adj mito agwoka ki diro
dentist n daka me lak
deny v kwero gin ma ingeyo
depart v aa me wot
delever v laro
deliverer n lalar
demon n jok
dent v bano
1
deposit v keto
2
deposit n keto cene ajog i beng
depravity n gengo ne
deprive v gengo/twono
depth n tut pa jami
derange v yabo malac
defect v aa ki bot dul moni ni
defiant adj lanywar
define v gonyo te lok
definition n agony me lok
deformity n bale
deform v balo purem
degrade v dwoko rwome piny

delegation n dul dano ma cung pi jo mukene
delegate n miyo twero ki dano mo
deplete v tyeko
depopulate v dwoko wel pa jo piny
deport v ryemo dano ki i lobo moni
deride v cayo
descend v dwogo piny
descendant n likwayo
1
desert v weko/kwero
2
desert n aroo
desire v miti me cwiny
desolete adj tye abongo/oweko liyak
despise v yeto
destitute adj pe ki cene/lacan
desititution n can ma dot
destroy v balo
devil n citan; jok
devour v camo / mwodo
dew n toyo
detour v kato manok
develop v dongo
development n dongo lobo
develop n dongo
detach v poko
detail n lok kore ki kore
detain v amak pa polic
deter v gengo
determination n keto cwinyi ka timo ne
detest v dago gin moni
detestable adj romo dage
devestate v balo iyo marac
devestation n anyoba nyoba
deviant adj bedo ma kite pe atir
deviant n dano ma kite pe atir
diarrhoea n cado
die v too
difficult adj tek
dig v puro
diminish v tyeko; jwiko; giko; tum a ginoro
din n woo
dip v luto; rwako
dirt n cilo
dirty adj tye ki cilo

disappear v rwenyo
disciple n lalub kor yecu
discover v nongo
discriminate v apoko poka
disease n two
dish n atabo
disperse v keto
display v nyuto kama leng
distinguish v nyuto apoka poka
distress v miyo kiniga/akemo
distribute v poko ikin
ditch n pur
divide v baro iye
do v timo
discolour v rwenyo kala
disarrange v keto kine
disdain n kwero
disheartened adj bedo ki col cwiny
dislocate v wilo/loko tyen
dislocation n loke pa tyen
dismiss v ryemo
disown v kwero
dispute n lara
disregard v cayo ne
disturb v yelo
dive v pye
diverage v loko
divert v wiro
divine n jok
diviner n Ajwaka
different adj pat pat
dog n gwok
dominion n ker
donkey n kana
door n dogola
door way n dog-gola
dove n akuri
down n ping
down cast n tung piny
drag v ywayo
dragon fly n lwango ototong
1
drain n wang pii
2
*drain v onyo

doctor n daktar
dodge v gengo /pango
dot n ton
doubt v akala kala
doubtful adj tye ki akala kala
dowry n lim me nyom
draw v goyo cal
dread v lworo
1
dream n lek
2
dream v leko
dregs n cet jami
dress n Bongo
dress v ruko
dry v twoyo
drill v tuco
drink v mato
drip v tono
drive v dwoyo
drizzle v ngido
drone v ngur
drop v bolo
drought n ryeny pa ceng
drowsy adj awira wic
drown v lwiny
drum n bul
drum stick n olete bul
drunk adj omer
drunkard n lamero
duck n atudu
duiker n lacek/amur
dumb n lato leb
dun v pido banya
dung n cet dyang
dung hill n Odur cet
dusk n otyeno/ anga kato ni
dusky adj col col
dust n apwa
dysentry n cado remo
dwarf n dano ma cek
dusty adj obedo apua apua
duty n tic pa dano
dutiful adj maro tic matek
dwell v bedo kamoni

dynamic adj bedo ki wic ma kwiri
dynamism n kwiri wic
drug n yat
drug v miyo yat
E
each prn. acel acel; ducu
eager adj miti matek
eagle n okwateng
1
ear n it
2
ear v winyo
ear ring n gin it
early adj con
earth n ngom/ wilobo
earthen wear n cwec ki lobo
earthquake n oyeyeng
earn n nongo gin mo
east adv tung nyango
easy adj yot
eat v camo/mwodo
eel n latwol latwol
eaves drop v winyolok imung
effort n tute
egg n tong gweno
egg shell n pok tong gweno
egret n okok
eight adj aboro
edible adj came
educate v pwonyo; miyo ngec
education n pwonye
eleminate adj cwalo cen
either cont kadi ; kono
elbow n otweng bad
elder n ladit/dano ma dit
election n yer
elephant n lyec
eleven n apar wiye acel
eloquent adj loko mamit/maber
elsewhere adv ka mukene
elevate v ilo malo/tingo
elongate v ryeyo
emaciated adj ojony
embers n lodi mac

emerge v lubo kor
emerge v kato maber
emotion n cuny ma poto
empty adj tye nono
end v giko
end n agiki
endure v ciro; kanyo; diyo cwiny
encounter v rwatte ki
encourage v cuku cwiny
enemy n adui
energy n teko; gupu;kero
enlighten v yabo wang
enemity n mone/ adaga daga
enquire v penyo
entangle v dwalo
enter v donyo
entice v bito
entertain v galo wang
entire adj ducu/weng
entrails n Cin lee; cin
entreat v bako dog
entrust v geno; miyo imung
embarrass v miyo lewic
envious adj nyek; cwiny macol
envy n nyeko
epilepsy n lii lii/ two ma reto dano
equal adj rom; rom rom
envelop n baaca
envelope v boyo iyi baaca
epidemic n two ma opoto
escape v lwi
especially adj tutwal/ ma kato ducu
erase v rucu
erect adj otelo/ocung atir
erode v mollo
errupt v mwoc; tuc
eternal adj ma pe tum/naka naka
eucalyptus tree n kalatuc
eulogy n wer pak
europe n Ulaya; lobopa muni
evacuate v aa woko /kwanyo kom
evaporate v duny
evasine adj lenge

even adj rom
evening n otyeno;anga ma kato ni
ever adv Naka naka
every adj ducu; weng
everything adj jami ducu
evict v ryemo dano i ot; kabedo
evil n cwiny macol
exact v kakare
exceed v kato; lanyo
exaggerate v ulu lok
examinaton n peny
examine n penyo; temo ngec
example n lanyut
excavate v kwinyo
except adv mapat ki
exchange v loko
excrement n cet
excuse v koko
exert v keto tek
exhaust v olo; tyeko gupu
exist v bedo tye
exit n ka kato woko
expect v geno; kuro
expedition n wot me ngiyo kor lok manyen
expel v ryemo latim bal
experience n ngec macon
exhaust v olo/ tyeko
explain v tito
explanation n tito tyen lok/gonyo tyen lok
explode v mwoc; ket
extinguish v neko; diyo
extol v pwoyo; pako
extract v kwanyo
exude v molo; donyo
eye n wang
eye brow n yer wang
eye lid n del wang
expand v nyayo; danyo
F
fable n ododo
1
face n anyim; tung anyim
2
face v rwatte ki; make

faction n dul; but
fade n okwor
fall n poto
faint v wile
fail v poto
faeces n cet/pyelo
fainting n gem cwiny
familiar adj gin ma ingeyo maber
family n jo ma igang
famine n kec
fan n buku yamo; pwan
false adj pe kakare
false hool n goba; nguna
far adj tye mabor
farewel n ciko; lego winyo maber
fast v ri kec
fasting n ri ki kec
farm n pwam; poto me gwoko gin apita
farmer n lapur
farm v pur
fast adj dwir
fasten v tweyo matek
fat adj ocwee
fat n moo
father n baba
father in law n kwaro
fatigue n olo
fault n bal
favour v dworo; lengo mar
favouritism n ki dworo
1
fear v lworo
2
fear n lworo
fearful adj lworo adeda
feather n kono
feast n karama
february n dwe me aryo
feeble adj goro goro
feed v pito; miyo
feel v winyo
fell v tongo yat
fellow n dano; lawoti
female adj dako
1
fence n cel; waya

fence2 v cello
ferment v bako; kwoko; yenyo
1
ferry n peri
ferry2 v kwango
fertile adj nywal; nyak/ceko cam
fetch v twomo; kelo
feud n kwor
fever n lyeto; two
few adj nok
fez n oo i mabuc
fiance n nyako pa laco
fiancee n laco pa dako
fibre n tol; uci
fierce adj ger
field n poto
fifteen n apar wiye abic
fig n oduru; olam
fifth adj me abic
fight v lweny
fifty n pyere abic
fill v piko; pongo; duro
fin n oguru
find v nongo
fine adj tye maber
finger n nyig cing
finger nail n lwet cing
finger print n Cing ma ki diyo
finish v tyeko
1
fire n mac; loti
2
fire v cello mac/wango
fire fly n otit
fire wood n yen tedo
fire place n keno
1
firm n kampuni
2
firm adj omoko liking
first adv me acel/lakwong
fish n rec
fish v mako rec
fish eagle n lamak rec
fisher man n lamak rec
fish net n obwo rec
fish trap n kek
fish hook n goli

fissure n a kaki
1
fit v rwako
2
fit adj rwatte/donyo
fist n cing ma kidolo
fist fight n ngino bokcing
five n abic
flag n bendera
flabby adj lobo lobo
flank n lak nget; bute bute; i tenge
flash v minyo; caro
flat adj onate
flay v yango
flea n ngwec
flavour n yubo gin amata obed mamit
flee n lwii/ringo;
flesh n ringo
flexible adj gome
flirt v cuna; tim caro caro
flirtation n cat
float n pye iwi pi
flock n lwak leema ogure karacel
flask n pulaci
flog n goyo/pwodo
1
flood n pii ma opong
2
flood v pong pa pii
flour n moko kwon; tobi
flow v mol
1
flower n ature
2
flower v turu pa ature
flute n bila, olere
flush v onyo pii
1
fly n lwangi
fly2 v tuk
1
foam n bwoyo
2
foam v yenyo bwoyo
fug n ikuna
fold v dolo
follow v lubo
folly n mingo
fondle v gido; mako ki mar; yweyo del kom
food n cam
fool n laming/ lababang
foolish adj bedo laming

foolishly adv Mingo-mingo
foot n tyen
foot print n kor tyen
for prep pi
forbid v gengo
1
force n teko; gupu
2
force v diyo; timo tek tek
ford n wang kwang
fore arm n bad
foreman n nyampara/ lapakaca
foreigner n larok
fore head n tur nyim
fore bear n ciro can
fork n pwok
formerly adv ma con
fornication n buto me caro
forsake v jalo/kuno
forget v wilo wic
forest n bunga
forge v yubu
fortune n gum
forgive v timo kica
forty n pyero angwen
1
forward adv cwalo anyim
2
forward v cwalo inyim
foul adj ngwee/rac; obale
foundation n guti
four n angwen
fourteen n apar wiye angwen
forth adj me angwen
fowl n gweno; winyo me gang
fox n too
fox glove n kor tyen too
fragment n ngidokine
fragrant adj kur; ngwce mit
framboesia n nyac
fracture v turo
fraud n tim kwo/ wil ki goba
free v bedo agonya
freedom n bedo agonya
freeze v kweyo mangic
friend n lawoti; dyera
frighten v miyo lworo

fresh adj manyen/pe okwok
frog n ogal pok
from prep ki kwica
frolt n bwoyo
fruit n nyig yat
front adj anyim
frown v cido wang
fry v cello
fuel n moo motoka
fulfill v cobo miti
full adj opong li bic
furrow n bur; i kore
future n anyim
funeral n lyel; tic lyel
fungus n tworo
G
gain1 n magoba; adwogi me tic
2
gain v nwongo
gape v ngamo dog
garden n poto
gardemb n odwong
gale n yamo ma kodo matek
gall n anywar
gate way n dog paco
gather v guru
gaze v neno maber
general n lalo wi mony
gentle adj mwol; wor; okwe
gently adv Ki mwolo; mot mot
get v nongo
gift n mic/mot; pwoc
giraffe n rii
ghost n cen
girl n nyako
girlish adj nyako nyako
give v miyo
glad adj bedo ki yom cwiny
gland n awang mac
glance v gayo
glow v lyel
glitter v ryeny
glory n deyo

glue1 n odok
2
glue v mwono
glutton n laworo; lalyet ic/ larono
gluttonous adj woro
gas n yamo
glass n gilaci
gnaw v gweno
go v ceto
goat n dyel
goat house n ot dyel
goblin n obibi
God n Rubanga/ Lacwec
gold n jabu
gonorrhea n nyac
good adj ber
goodness n ber pa gin mo
goods n jami ma kelo lim
goose n atudu pii
gospel n jiri; lok pa Rubanga
gourd n opoko
govern v loyo
grace n kica
goumandize v gado; camo woro woro
grannary n dero; goga
grape n olok
grain n nyig kal; bel; nywagi
grand child n lakwar
grand father n kwaro
grand mother n adaa
grass n gilaci
grasp v mako
grass hoper n otwongo/ lacene
gratis adv Miyo nono; timo nono
gratitude n pwoc pi gin maber ma otimere
grave n bur lyel
grave stone n gweng lyel
graze v camo lum
1
grease n giric
2
grease v wiro kede giric
greed n woro
greedy adj wor
green adj alum alum
greet v moto

greeting n mot
grey adj tar tar
grief n kumu /cwer cwiny
grin v bwonyo
grind v rego
grip v mako matek
grind stone n kidi rego
groan v nguru/cur
groin n awang mac
grape v pane
ground n ngom/piny
groundnut n pul
grow v dongo
growl v ngur calo gwok
grudge v bedo ki nyeko
gruel n nyuka
grumble v cur/ ngoru
guard v kuro
guess v byeko
guest n welo me awora
guide v telo; nyuto
guinea fowl n aweno
guinea worm n coo
gum n del lak/odok
gum v mwono ki odok
grudge n mone
L
low 1 v piny
2
low adj lapiny
lower v ma lapiny
luck n gum kom
lucky adj lagum kom
lump n odur
lung n oboo
lump v keto kacel
1
lock n pungu
2
lock v pungu
lubricate v bidoki moo
lukewarm adj dede
lunatic n lapoya
lunch n cam me dyeceng

lurch v lenge me poto atura
lure v bito; bwolo tam
lobby v keto tek me loko tam
lurk v kane kama col
lust n Miti matek me butu ki dako nyo lacoo
luxirant adj dongo pa yat ki yot kom
lyric n lok ikin wer
lynch v neko dano ma pwod pe kingolo kop iwiye
lynching n goyo ki neko danoma pwod pe kingolo too i wiye
machine n nyonyo
mad adj bedo ki kiniga
madam n mego
mad person n lapoya
madness n apoya
maggot n kwidi
magic n timo tango
magician n latim tango
maid n dano ma gwoko ot
maiden n nyako ma pe kinyomo
mahugany n mavule/beyo
maim v ngunu dul kom
maize n anwagi
make v timo
male adj laco
malice n dwalo tyen dano
malaria n lyeto
mallet n nyonyo me odo jami
malodour adj tik; ngwe
malodorous adj ngwe; tik
manner n kit maber
man n laco
manure n moj cam me aonya i poto
many adj pol/dwong
main adj en madite
major adj en ma pire tek
majistrate n langol kop
1
march n dwe me adek
2
march v dore
mark v gweto buk/ keto lanyut
mars n lacer (one of the planets)

marsh n i kulu
marriage n nyom
marry v nyomo
massage v kwena
mat n kolo/mukeka
match v keto kacel
market n cuk
martin n okwir okwir
marrow n moo cogo
master n won/rwot
matter n lok kom jami
mature v dano ma otego
maturity n tego
may n dwe me abic
match box n kibiriti
me pron an
mean n tyene lok
map n mep; cal lobo
marginalize v twono twero; coro i bute bute
marine n dano ma woto i nam
meadow n dye bar
meal n cam
1
mean v tyen loke
2
mean adj lagingi
meaning n tyen lok
measles n anyo
measure v pimo
measurement n pim
meat n ringo
mediator n lapok lok
medicine n yat
meek adj mwol; wor
meet v rwatte ki /nongo
melt v lenyo
menstruate v neno ruk pa mon
menstruation n ruk
metal n nyonyo
midle adj idyere
mend v mwono
mercy n kica
mere adj mamwa
migrate v dak
messenger n lakwena

mid-day n dye ceng
mid-night n cwiny dye wor
mid wife n lacolo
milk1 n cak
2
milk v nyeto cak
millet n kal
mince v ngido
mimic v poro dwon
mingle v myeno
misappropriate v camo ki aram
miscarry v bwogo; poto pa ic
miss v keng gin moni
mist n lupor
mind n tam/adam
minister n minicita
miracle n tango
mistake n bal
mix v rubo
mock v nyero
moisten v dyako
moisture n piipi
monkey n ayom
monster n obibi
month n dwe
mongoose n anyara
moon n dwe
morning n odiko con
tomorrow n diki
morose n akemo
mortar n pany
mob n dano ma ogure ka goyo dano
moon light n deyo dwe
mortgage v jengo pi banya
moral n kit atir pa dano
monthly adv Dwe ki dwe
moody adj loke pa jok
moron n dano ma adame logolo
mosquito n ober
money n cente
mosquito net n tanarua
moss n tworo
mother n mego
mother in law n maro

mould v cweyo
motherhood n bedo mego
mouldy adj lobo lobo
mountain n got
mourn v koko too
mucus n aburu
motivation n cuku cwiny
motivate v cuku cwiny dano
motor car n motoka
mount v yito
mouth n dog
mouse trap n kwak
mousetache n yer dog ma malo
move v wot anyim
movie n cinema
mow v jwero
mower n nyonyo jwero piny
1
mud n coto
2
mud v mwono ki coto
muddle v nyweno
multiplication n nya
munch v toro nyamo
murder n neko dano tetek
murderer n lanek
murderess n lanek ma adako
murderous adj wange nen lanek
murmur v cur
music n wer
must v kadi ni ngo
mute adj laling laling
mutiny n jemo i kom lutela
multon n ringo romo
my det mega
myopia n two wang ma weko dano neno piny kama cok
myopic adj pe neno mabor
myrrh n moo makur
mysterious adj obdo tango tango
mystery n tim tango
myth n tango
mirrow n kiyo
miser n lagingi/ladidi
misery n cwer cwiny
mislead v miyo tam amrac

mother in law n maro
mother in law n min dako
mould1 v cweyo
mould2 n gin ma twi ki ikom gin ma obale
mouldy adv puru
mountain n got
mountaineer n dano ma yito got
mourn v koko
mournful adj bedo ki koko
mouth n dog
mud n Coto
muddy adj kama obedo coto coto
1
murder v neko tetek
2
murder n nek tek tek
murderer n lanek
muscle n ler kom
mushroom n obwol
mushroom v dongo pa obwol
must v myero
mumer v ngur, cur
my adj mega, mera
N
nail n cumar
naked adj ludok
name v nying
naplin n -
narrow adj ding
narrate v book lok
nasty adj pe mit
nation n lobo
nature n kit
navel n pen
neck n ngut
necklace n tiko
needle n libira
neighbour n dano ma bedo cok kedi
neither conj Kadi
nephew n okeya
net n obwor
new adj nyen
nice adj ber

niece n lakeya
night n dye wor
nine n abongwen
nineteen n apar wiye abongwen
ninety n pyere abongwen
ninth n me abongwen
niple n dog cak
no adj pe,
nobody adj ngat mo ku
noise n woo
north n tung malo
nose n um
not adv labongo
nothing n labogo gin mo
now adv kombedi
number n wel
numerous adj pol
nurse v twoyo
nuts (ground) n pul
O
oath n kwong
obedient adj mwol
obey v winyo lok
object n jami
obstinate adj kwero timo gin moni ni
obstruct v gengo
obtain v nongo
odour n ngwec kom
oesophagus n lokoro
of prep woko
1
off adv pe tye
off2 prep tye cen
offence n bal
offer v tyero
offering n miyo tyer
offspring n latin
often adv kare ki kare
oh inte j oh
oil n moo
old adj con
olive n oligo
on prep Iwi

once adv kicel kicel
one n acel
onion n tung gulu
only adv /adj keken
open v yabo
oppose v kwero
opposite adj/n olung tuke ne
or conj Onyo
oder n/v keto kore ki kore
ornament n deyo
orphan n latin kic
ostrich n udu
other adj mukene
ought v omyero
our adj megwa
out adv woko
outside1 n woko
2
outside adv ki woko
outsider n abini
over1 adv otum
2
over prep iwiye malo
over coat n koti
overcome v loyo ne/ tyeko ne
over flow v mol
over take v kato
owe v bedo ki banya
owl n tula
owner n rwode
ox n twon pur
oyster n ogore
P
package n boc
pad n otac
pain n arem kom
paint1 n rangi
2
paint v wiro ki rangi
pair n gin aryo
palate n dan
palm-tree n yat otit
pancrease n kedat
pont vi weo
paper n karatac

wrapping paper n karatac boyo jami
newspaper n karatac akwana
papayrus n kolo
parable n Caro lok
paralyse v kwe kom
pare (with teeth) v kilo
parents n lunyodo
1
part n bute
2
part v poke
partridge n ayweri
pass n/v kato
Passover n kare kwe pa jo israel
passion fruit n matunda
pasture n leka
1
patch n dabo
2
patch v dabo
path n yo
paw n opany cing
pay v culo
pea n lapena
peace n kuc
peak n cwinye
pearl n cwiny
peasant n lapur
peg n peg
penitent n kunu bal/ngut
penis n cun
people n dano/ lwak
pepper n kamlara
perceive v tamo ni
percolate v modo/kato
perfect adj ma opore
perfume n moo ma ngwece kur
perhaps adv cagwoki
perish v tum/ too
permanent adj matwal
permisson n twero
perplex v bedo ki ngeng
persecute v ngolo kop iwi
person n dano
persuade v bito; bwolo
pestle n lalek
1
photograph n cal

photograph2 v mako cal
pick v kwanyo
pick up n motoka matidi me tingo ter
pick out v yero
picture n/v cal
piece n/v dul
pierce v tuco
pig n opego
pigeon n amam
pile v cano kacel
pillor n pagi
pillow n laten wic
pimple n langok
pinch v ngwinyo
pipe n nyonyo ma iye twolo
pit n bur
pitch (tent) v guro,
pitch black adj col licuc
pitcher n agulu pi
pity n timo kica
place n kabedo
plague n bonyo
plait v kedo
plane v jwayo wek obed mapwot
1
plant v pito
2
plant n cuma timo jami
plantain n poto madit
plaster v mwono
plate n can
platform n wi abam
play v tuku
pleed v bako dog
pleeder n labak dog
please v yom cwiny (be pleased)
pleiades n lacer abiro
plough v pur ki dyang
pluck v pwono/ ngwedo
plume n yec winyo
pocket n jaba
point (to) v cimo
poison n kwir
poke (to) v keto wangi ikome
pole n yat mabor

pond n kulu akwinya
pool n pii ma ogure
poor adj lacan
porcupine n -
porridge n nyuka
porter n lapakaca
possible adj twere
pot n agulu
potato n layata
potter n lacwe agulu
pouch n kica
pound n gin pimo jami
pour v onyo
pout v jul/jude
poverty n can
powder n gin ma obedo buru-buru
power n twero
pox (small) n two odyee
pox (chicken) n nyaka cuna
praise v pako
pray v lega
prayer n lega
praying mantis n ogongo gongo ngwe
preach v tucu jiri/pwonyo lok pa Rubanga
preacher n lapwony lok pa rubanga
precipice n lung
predict v byeko
pregnant adj yac/dongo ic
prepare v yube
present n bedo tye
preserve v gwoko
press (to) v diyo
prevent v gengo
price n wel
prick v tuco
priest n padi
prince n awobi ker;
princess n nyako ker
print (to) v goyo cal/obot tyen
prison n ot buc
prisoner n la mabuc
1
private adj imung
2
private n rwom ma tidi I keya

proclaim v tuco/ waco
profit n magoba
prohibit v gengo; kwero
promise v cike
prop n tol pye
properly adv maber adeda
property n jami pa dano mo
prophesy v tito gin ma time i anyim
prophet n lanebi; laprofeta
propitiate v lamo
proprietor n won jami moni ni
prostitute n malaya/apoli
protect v gwoko
protude v okato woko
proud adj wake
proverb n carolok
prune v nguno
psalm n buk pak
puberty (boy) n dwone loke
puberty (girl) n gulu
publican n dano pa lwak
publish v cwalo woko me akwana bot lwak
pull v telo/ywayo
pullet n bwong gweno
purity v lonyo; miyo bedo acil
purpose n tyen loke
push v coro; cwalo
put v keto
python n nyalo
Q
quarrel1 n daa
quarrel2 v daa
queen n daker
quench n juko oryo pii
question1 n peny
2
question v lapeny
quick adj oyot
quickly adv oyotoyot
quiet adj laliling
quill n -
quit v weko
quite adv laling

quiver1 v myel kom
2
qiver n kica me mako nyig atero
R
rabbit n apwoyo
1
race n pyem ngwec
2
race v pyem ki dano moni
rage n kiniga
rain n kot
hail n pee
rainbow n danyo
raise v ilo malo
1
rake n lagwar yugi
2
rake v gwaro
1
ram n nyok room
2
ram v toro ot
random1 n ata ata
2
random adj ata ata
rank n rwom
ransom n culu kwor
rapids n kama pii mol iye matek ki iwi got
rat n oyo
rather adv twara
rattle n ajaa
raw adj numu
razor n lyedi
reach v oo kamoni
read v kwano
ready adj yube
reap v kayo
reaper n lakac
1
rebel v jemo
rebel2 n lajemo
rebellion n jemo
rebelious adj dano ma maro jemo
reckless adj caro caro
reckon v tute kwede
recline v jenge ikom gin moni
recognize v ngeyo dano moni
recompense v culo
reconcile v ribo
reconciliation n timo kica
red adj kwar

redeem v laro dano
reed n lagada;
reed-rat n kola
refuse1 v kwero
2
refuse n yugi
1
reign v loyo
2
reign n lok me loc pa dano moni
rejoice v yom cwiny
relation n wat
relationship n wat
release v gonyo
rely v kwango
remain v gak
remainder n lapo wic
remember v pono wic
remind v poyo wii dano
remove v kwanyo
rend v baro; poko iye
1
rent n cul pi tic ki gin ma pe megi
rent2 v culo cente piki gin ma pe megi
repair v yubo
repeat v nwoyo
repent v kwayo kica
reply v gamo lapeny
1
report v kelo lok
2
report n lok ma lube ki gin moni
reporter n lami gnec bot lwak
request v lego
reproach v gengo gin marac time
rescue v laro
resemble v cal kede
resin n odok
resonant v gin malongo
respect v woro
rest v yweyo
return v dwogo
reveal v tucu/waco mung kamaleng
revolt v jemo i kom lutela
1
reward n mot; bakacici
2
reward v miyo dano mot onyo bakacici
rheumatism n amwoda kom
rhinocero n amuka
rib n lak nget

rice n mucele
rich adj lonyo
1
ride v nyono
ride2 n wot ki kana
rifle n muduku
1
right adj ber; kakare
2
right n tung acuc
3
right v bedo maber
righteous adj bedo ma opore
rind n pok mucungwa
1
ring n lagit
2
ring v goyo olang/goyo cim
rip v yeco
ripe v cek; bok
1
rise v ito malo/aa malo
2
rise n gin ameda
river n kulu
road n yo; gudo
roast v bulo
rob v yako
robber n layak
rock n lela
rock v yenge ki kom
roll v loro
root n lwit yat
rope n tol
rot v top
rough adj gwar
round adj gin ma ogure/olunge
rouse v medo kero ki dano
1
row n ari ari
2
row v yat cero yeya
rub v rucu
rubbish n yugi
1
rule n cik
rule2 v miyo cik
ruler n rula
rumble v mor
run v ringo; ngwec
rush v wot oyot oyot
must n myero
sack n gunia

sacrifice1 n tyerobot Rubanga
2
sacrifice v tum
sadness n kumo; cwer cuny
safety-pin n kikwaci
sake n pire
salt n kado
salt lick n puno
salute v moto
salvation n laro
same adj rom
sand n kweyo
sandal n waro me lwok
satan n catan
satisfy v yeng
save v laro
saviour n lalar
say v waco
scab n poyo
scabbard n ka rwako pata
scald v wango ki pii malyet
scar n poyo
scatter v keto jami atata
scent n ngwec gin ma kur
school n gang kwan
scorpion n oton
1
scourge n peko
2
scourge v goyo; pwodo
scrape v kwanyo/cwero
scratch v ngwinyo
scissors n magac
scream v kok matek
scribe n lacoc
scripture n lok ma ibuk manyen
sea n nam
search v yenyo
season n kare
seat n kabedo
1
second n me aryo
2
second adj me aryo
3
second v cwako tam
1
secret adj imung
2
secret n mung
see v neno;

escort v lwoko
seed n kodi
seek v yenyo
seize v mako
self n kene; keken
sell v cato; wilo
simsim n nyim
send v cwalo; oro
1
sense n neno, winyo, ngweyo, ngeyo kede bilo jami.
2
sense v bedo ki ngec ikom gin ma tye ka time
1
separate adj gin ma pe otore kacel
2
separate v pat pat
sergeant n latel wi lumony
servant n latic
serve v tic kede kacel
set v keto kacel
seven num abiro
seventy pyere abiro
sew v kwoyo
shade n tipo
shadow n tipo pa dano
shake v yengo
shame v lewic
1
shape v yubo wek obed kit ma in imito
2
shape n kit ma gin moni tye kede
share v poko
sharp adj bit
sharpen v pako
shave v lyelo;
shavings pl. nlim gin ma kilyelo
she pron en; dano ma dako
sheath n kica
sheep n romo
shell n pok/gagi
shelter n ot
shepherd n lakwat
1
shield n kwot
2
shield v gwoko/ gengo
shine v ryeny
ship n yeya
shiver v myel kom
shoe n war

shoot v cello
shore n dog kulu
short adj. cek
shoulder n gwok
shout v dange
show v nyutu
shrivel v jongo
shrink v jungo
shut v cego
sick adj. Two
side n ngete
sieve n kekei
sift v pyeto
sigh v omo yweyo
1
sign v keto cing
2
sign n lanyut
silence1 n lingo
2
silence v weko ling
silent adj. Labobgo lok
silver n mola; ryal
sin n bal
sinner n labal
since conj. Ma naka
sing v wero;
song n wer
sink v lwiny
sister n lamego
sit v bedo
site n kabedo/ ka gedo ot
six n abicel
sixteen n apar wiye abicel
sixty n pyer abicel
sixth n me abicel
skeleton n cogo kom lee onyo dano
skin n del
skull n cogo wii dano
sky n polo
slander v yeto
slap v dongo
slaughter v neko
slave n opi
sleep v nino
1
slim adj dano ma kome titidi/ojony

slim2 v miyo komi bedo matitidi
slip v cer/but
slow adj mot mot
small adj tidi
small-pox mac wor
smart adj oruke maleng
smear v puyo
smell v ngweyo;
a smell ngwec
smile v bwonyo
smite v goyo; pwodo
smith n latet
smoke n yito
smooth adj pwot /olil
smut n yugi ma titidi
snail n okoro
snake n twol
snare n kwak
snatch v mayo
sneeze v jiro
snore v twaro
snoul n um lee
so conj/adv ci dong
so and so pro ngadi gin ki ngadi
soak v bido
soap n cabun
sock n cokci
soft adj yom
soil n ngom /lobo
soldier n lamony
solid adj ma kulu
1
some adj mukene; mogo
some2 pro pole
son n wod pa
soot n latuk;
soothe n kweyo cwiny
1
sore adj onyo kom
2
sore n kama oonyo
1
sort n kore ki kore
2
sort v keto kore ki kore
sour n balo ber bedo

sour adj. wac

south n tung piny
1
sow n coyo kodi
2
sow v coyo koti;
sower n lacoc
1
space n kabedo
2
space v poko kin jami
spade n gin toko coto/daba
spark n lil
sparrow n winyo ojwiny
speak v lok
spear n tong
speckled adj bedo angec angec
spend v tic ki cente
spider n opyem
spill v onyo
spin v wiyo
spinal cord n cogo dye ngec
spirit n tipu
spirits n kongo makec
spit v ngulo
spite n bedo ki miti me wango cwiny dano
spittle n laa
spleen n tako
split v kako
spoil v balo
sponge n mutu/mupalisi
spoon n malaga
1
spot n kan gin mo odong iye
2
spot v neno gin mo
sprain v wil
spread v yaro
spring n me aa ki
sprinkle v kiro
sprout v lot/twii
spy1 n bega/neno kor lok
2
spy v roto
squirrel n ayita
squirt v kir/ nyete
1
stain v balo macol
2
stain n kama col ki ikom gin moni
stand v cungu
star n lacer

stare v gayo
start v cako
stay v bedo; dong
steady1 adj bedo mot
2
steady v bedo labobgo yenge
steal v kwalo
step v nyono; wot iwi
stick n lut/moko
stiff adj jing matek
1
still adj bedo laling
2
still adv pwod
sting v kayo
stir v rubo
stocking n cokci
stocks n dul lee
stomach n ic
stone n gweng
stoop v gungu piny iyo me mingo
stoop v juko; giko
store1 n ot me gwoko jami
2
store v gwoko jami
storm n yamo; kot
straight adj atir
strain v dino
stranger adj larok;
strangers lurok; welo
strangle v deyo
strap n del
straw n oceke
stray v ngak ataa
stream n kulo
street n yo gudo
stretch v ryene
1
strike v goyo
strike2 n goc
string n tol
strip v gonyo
stroll v rwene
strong adj tek
struggle v tute
stubborn adj layela
stuff v coko

stumble v yoke kede
stump n ajut
stupid adj ming;
stupidity n mingo
stutter v gwong/dwal
shutterer lagwong/ladwal
substantial adj romo/ tye maberg
suck v doto
suckle dot
suet adj moo ma aa ki ikom lee
suffer v deno can
suffice adj nen calo romo
sugar n cukari
sun n ceng
sunday n ceng cabit
surpass v kato/ loyo
surprise v ngeng
surround v guro
1
swallow n mwonyo
swallow2 v mwonyo akwili
swamp n dago
1
swank v wake
2
swank adj bute
swear v kwong
sweat n kwok
sweep v weyo
swell v kwot
swim v kwang
sword n pala yango
synagogue n ot lega pa loyuda
syphilis n nyac
suffocate v tungo
sugar cane n tyang
sulk v tingo
sweet adj lim
sweet potato n layata
T
table n meja
tadpole n laput
tail n yib
take n kwanyo

tale n carolok
talk v lok/ boko lok
tall adj bor
tame1 v kweyo wek obed mwol
2
tame adj mwol; wor
ton v nyongo
tangle v dwale
tassel n uci deyo ot
taste v bilo
tax n mucoro
tea n Cai
teach v pwonyo;
teacher n lapwony
1
tear n pig wang
2
tear v yeco; baro
tell v waco/tito
temper n kit me tec cwiny
temple n ot lega
tempt v bwolo; omo cwiny / bito
ten n apar
tend v gwoko
1
tender adj yom
2
tender v miyo twero me tiyo tic
tent n kema
tenth n me apar
terror n lworo madwong; bura
1
test v temo
2
test n peny
testicles n nyig man
1
tether v tweyo
2
tether n tol me tweyo lee
thank v pwoyo
that pro mano
thatch v gero ot lum
thee pro in
their pro meg-gi
them pro gin
1
then adv ka dong
2
then n ka dong
there Adv kwica/ kuno
therefore adv ka dong
these adj/pro magi
they pro Gin

thick adj opong
thief n lakwo
thigh n em
top of thigh n bam
thin adj ojony;
grow thin jonyo
thing n jami
think v tamo/ paro
1
third adj me adek
2
third n dul acelikin adek
thirst n oryo
be thirsty adj orio odiya
thirteen n apar wiye adek
thirty n pyer adek
this adj/pro man
thistle n keng
thorn n okuto
1
though conj kadi bed
2
though adv kadi ka bedi
thousand n alib
thrash v goyo/ pwodo
threat n bura
threaten v buro
three n adek
thresh v kworo
thrice adj tyen adek
throat n dwon
throng n lwak/dano ma tye kacel
throttle v deyo
through prep aa ki kany wa tung cel
throw v bolo
throw down n bolo piny
throw away n bolo cen
throw off n bolo ne woko
thumb n twon cing
thunder n mor pa kot
thus adv ku meno
thy adj megi
tibia n oloto tyen
tick n okwado
tickle v gido
tie n tweyo

tight adj otwene liking
1
till prep Nio wa/naka
2
till n Canduk gwoko cente i dukan
till3 v paka wa
tilt v puru poto
1
time n cawa/kare
2
time v piimo cawa
tin n koc
tiny adj tidi
tire v olo;
be tired adj ol
to (person) prep bot
to (thing) prep iyi
toadstool n obwol ma pe kicamo
tobacco n taa
today adv tin
toe n anyira tyen;
toe-nail, n lwet tyen
together adv kacel
tomato n nyanya
tomb n bur lyel
tongue n leb
tooth n lak
top adj iwiye
torch-grass n rao
torment v yelo/ miyo tam mapol/yelo cwinye
a torment n ayela yela
tore v yec
tortoise n opuk
toss v bayo; bolo
1
track v lubo kore
touch v mako/gudo
toward prep tung bot
tough adj nwang; tek
town n taun
trade v cato wil

trader n lacat wil
tradition n kit me tekwaro
traitor n latuc mung pa dano
1
trap n ciko/mako
2
trap v ciko
transfer v kobo

travel v wot;
traveller n lawot
tread v nyono/ kato ki iwi
treat v tic kede
tree n yat;
tremble v myel kom
trench n bur wang kalele
tribe n kaka
1
tribute n ajog me konyo can
2
tribute v jogo
trip v ceto ka limo
trouble n peko
trousers n long
true adj adaa
truly adv adeda
trumpet n kutu buruji
trunk n cing lyec/kor yat
1
trust v geno
2
trust n gen
truth n loko lok ada
try v temo
tesetse-fly n lwangi ajongamiye
tumult n woo
tunic n bongo
turn v loke
tusk n lak lyec
twelfth adj me apar wiye aryo
twelve n apar wiye aryo
twenty n pyere aryo
twice adv ki ryo
twig n jang yat
twilight n ryeny ribiribi
twine n tol uno
twins n rudi /rut
1
twist v dwoyo/dwalo
twist2 n wot wake kun nongo iwiro komi
two n aryo
U
udder n nyar lee
ulcer n bur ma bedo ii dano
umbrella n oker
uncle n nera

uncover v walo
under prep ite
understand v nyang
undo v gonyo
undress v lunyo bongo
unfasten v gonyo gin ma kitweyo
unfriendly adj ngat ma pe maro dano/pe winye ki dano
unhappy adj cwer cwiny /wang ic
unite v ribo kacel
unkind adj pe lakica
unkindness n bedo labongo kica
unknown adj pe ngene
unlawful adj pe rwate ki cik
unripe adj numu; pe ocek
until prep/conj wang ma
unworthy adj pe opore
up1 prep malo
2
up adv aa malo
upright adj atir
uproar n woo; make an uproar bedo ki woo
uproot v puto/nako
1
upset v wango ic
2
upset v arem kom manok nok
stomach upset n aruba ic
upside down adj olungtuke
urge to fight v piyo
urine n lac;
urinate v laa
us pro wan
V
vaccinate v gwero
vagina n tun(vulgor to use altenatively use (kom pa mon)
vain adj kwee/matwal
valley n dye kulu
vapour n aluu
veine n ler
vegetable n pot dek
1
venture n jami ma itamo me timo kun mito diyo cwiny
2
venture v timo gin mo onyo wot kamo me pe tye aber
verily adv adeda
verse n tyeng
1
very adv matek/tutwal

very2 adj kikome
vessel n ler ma tero remo i kom dano
vest n bono me lega/ bongo ma kiruku cati i wiye
vex v wang ic /par/jul
village n caro
vine n olok/ acuga
viper n twol ororo
virgin n nyako ma pwod pe oribe ki laco
visible adj nen

visit v limo
1
voice n dwon
2
voice v waco lok moni
vomit n ngok
vulture n acut
W
W.C (Water-closet) n coron pii
wag v yengo yib
wages1 n cul pi tic moni ni
2
wages v cako lweny ikom dano
wail v kok
waist n pyer
wait v kuro
wake v aa malo
walk v wot
wall n kor ot
wallet n kica keto cene
wallow v ngene
wander v tamo
want v mito
war n lweny
warm adj. Mur mur
warn v gengo
wart-tog n kul
wash v lwoko
1
watch v kuro
2
watch n Cawa
water n pii
1
wave v yengo cingi me moto dano
2
wave n yamo ma woto iwi pii
wax n odok

way n yoo
we pro wan
weak adj goro
wealth n lonyo
weapon n jami me lweny
wear n ruko/rwako
weary adj olo
weather n piny
weave v cweyo mukeka
1
weed n doo
2
weed v doyo
weigh v kilo
1
well n kulu
2
well adj/adv ber
west n tung poto ceng
wet adj dyak
wet season adj cwir
what int. pro ngo?
1
wheel n lawala nyonyo
wheel2 v loro nyonyo
wheel barrow n gadi gadi
wheel chair n gari pa lugoro/lungolo
1
when adv awene
2
when conj ikare ma
where adv/conj kwene?
whereas conj kara
whet v pako obe mabit
whetstone n kidi me pako pala
whether conj kono
1
which adj mene
2
which pro gin ma gitye ka lok ikome
1
while conj kun; kong; ikare ma
while2 n kare moni ni
3
while v ma pwodi
while away n ikare ma apeke
whip1 n del me goyo dano onyo lee
2
whip v pwodo
whirl v wire oyot oyot
whirlwind n lapiru
whisper v kwilo lok
1
whistle v lwiyo
2
whistle n pirin
white adj tar

whiten v lonyo wek obed matar
make white v yubu matar
who? pro Nga?
whole1 adj ducu
2
whole n ma kulu/pe kipoko
whore n malaya
whose? adj/pro mega nga?
why? adv pingo?
wicked adj lajok
widow n daa too/ dako ma cware otoo
wife n dako pa
wilderness n dye lum/tim
wind n yamo;
to wind n riyo; dolo
window n wang ot/dirica
wine n vino
wing n bwom
wink v diyo wang
winnow v pyeto;
winnowing fan n odero
wipe v yweyo; rucu
wire n waya;
wisdom n ryeko;
wise adj ryek;
wise person n laryeko; dano maryek
1
wish v 1. tamo; mito ginmo gomo
2
wish n 1. giname imito
witch n lajok;
witch craft n jok
witch-doctor n latyet; ajwaka
with prep kwede
wither v ner; two
within prep/adv ii
without prep labongo; nono
witness n caden
wizard n lajok; Latal
woe n Ruk macon
wolf n orudi
woman n dako
womb n ot nyodo; ic
1
wonder n 1 ur madit
2. ginmo ma miyo dano bedo ki ur madwong
2
wonder v uro

wonder at v uro ne
a wonder n gin aura; jami me tango
wood n yat; yen
firewood n yen tedo
wood-pecker n otetel
wool n tol; uci
word n nyig lok;
1
work n tic
2
work n tic;
workman n latic
world n lobo; wi lobo
worm n kwidi
guinea-worm n kwidi coo
round-worm ni ojoga
worn, v oruku
wear v ruku
worn out adj ool; oti
worry v cwer cwiny; par
worship v woro
worthy adj ber; pore
wound n ret; wang bur
wrinkles n bell
wrist n ngut cing;
wrist-knife n pala
write v coyo
writhe v twenye/dwanye ki arem
wrong adj 1. pe ber; pe tye kakare 2. balo; wrong way round
olungtuke; abade
X
xylophone n dara (achaic)
Y
yam n obato; aboce; mayuni
yap v gweyo
yard n yadi
yawn v ngamo
year n mwaka
yeast n tobi;
yellow adj ocwak ocwak
yes interj eyo; kakare nyutu ni tye atir
yesterday adv aworo; day before yesterday aworo maca
yet adv. pwodi

yolk n kom tong-gweno ame obedo amaramar
yonder adv/adj ca; kwica
you pro yin
you (pl) pro wun
1
young adj tidi
unripe adj Numu
2
young n lotino
your adj megi

youth n 1. Bulu
Z
zebra n Lagwa
zero n not; zero
zoo n Kagwoko lee tim
zoom v wot malu oyot oyot
zig zag adj ogonne ogonne; goyo kona
Modified Verb Stems

Infinitive Habitual aspect Gloss
Gammo Gamo to receive
Ngollo Ngolo to cross
Daggo Dago to hate, refuse
Turro Turo to be broken
Twero Twero to be able, may
Bedo Bedo to be
Byeko byeko to estimate
Kwoyo Kwoc to sew
Rwatte Rwatte to meet
Penyo Penyo to ask (questions)
Rwenyo Rwenyo to be lost, disappear, be lacking
Butu Butu to lie down, go to bed
Turo Turo to break, to cut up, to disown, to give up
Pwonyo Pwonyo to learn, study
Cung Cung to stand, come to halt
Mitto Mito to want
Werro Wero to sing
Manno Mano to go round
Lwongo Lwongo Call, invite
Weyo Weo to sweep up
Too Too to die, break down, go sour

Parro Paro to be concerned about
wacco waco to tell
Lokko Loko to speak
Dwoggo Dwogo to return, do again
Dwokko Dwoko to reply, respond, answer
Cullo Culo to compensate
Timmo Timo to do
Medde Medde to continue
Dong Dong To remain
Willo Wilo to buy
Gwerro Gwero to immunize
Wekko Weko to leave
Temmo Temo to try, attempt
Miyo Miyo to give
Coyo Coyo to write
Lokko Loko to exchange
Turro Turo to be broken
Tyekko Tyeko to finish
Nyike Nyike to come nearer
Oo Oo to arrive, amount to, be right, pass (exam)
Cobbo Cobo to fulfil
Purro Puro to do gardening, grow
Katto Kato to go past
Winyo Winyo to hear, feel, smell, understand, to obey
Ling Ling To be silent
Kwallo Kwalo to steal
Yeng Yeng to be satisfied (with food)
Yabbo Yabo to open
aa a to get up, arise
Bino Bino to come
Ryeny Ryeny to shine
Ngweyo Ngweyo to pick a smell
loro loro to shut, lock
Tiyo Tiyo to work, make, do
Maro Maro to like, love
luppo lubo to go after, follow
Dongo Dongo to grow up, ripen, develop, wear out (clothes)
Makko Mako to hold
Ngeyo Ngeyo to know
Mwonyo Mwonyo to swallow
Bwunyo Bwunyo to smile
Lwokko Lwoko to wash (ind. parts of body)
Matto Mato to drink
Cwallo Cwalo to send

Gedo Gedo to build
Meddo Medo to add on, to increase
Dotto Doto to breast feed
Pango Pango to rent, to hire
Cango Cango to treat medically
Bunyo Bunyo to do quickly, hurry
Nenno neno to see, look
Kello Kelo to bring, fetch, hand in, cause
Wekko Weko to let, leave alone, to stop doing
Jallo Jalo to be unsuccessful, give up
Cammo Camo to eat
leko Leko to feed, herd
Kuro Kuro to wait for,look after, watch
Yenyo yenyo to look for, trace, choose
tuc Tuc to come from ,emerge
Lweny Lweny to fight, struggle
Rem Rem to be in pain, feel unwell
Leggo Lego to pray, to ask for
Rwatte Rwatte to meet, to find
Cullo Culo to pay
Ngollo Ngolo to cut, be mad
Nyero Nyero to laugh
Kwanno Kwano to read, attend church
Bedo Bedo to sit down
loo Loo to go down, descend
Nyommo Nyomo to marry a wife
Pwoyo Pwoyo to appreciate, admire, approve of
Balle Balle to be spoilt ,go wrong
Limmo Limo to visit
Wot Wot to walk
Tyekko Tyeko to compete, push one another out of the way
Tammo Tamo to think, hope, prepare
Goyo Go to beat,hit, strike, lay (eggs)
Yitto Yito to climb, board e.g a bus
Tero Tero to take (path), go (that way)
Dongo Dongo to develop
Catto Cato to sell
Tero Tero to take, carry, conceive
Dwono dwono to drive, steer
Konyo Konyo to help
Tuku Tuku to play, joke
Nywallo Nywalo to be born
Teddo Tedo to cook, boil, put in small heaps, settle.

Dano Dano Buk Buk Poto Potti Kweri Kweri Yat Yadi Kom Kom Bongo Bongi Lee Lee Dyang Dyangi
Acholi Noun sing Plur Sing Plur Sing Plur Sing Plur Sing Plur Sing Plur Sing Plur Sing Plur Sing Plur
Classes
Personal Pronouns
I We an Wan -a -wa -a -wa -na -megwa -a -wa -a -wa -a -wa -na -wa -a -wa
You You in Wun -i -wu -i -wu -ni -megwu -i -wu -i -wu -i -wu -ni -wu -i -wu
He/She They en Gin -e -gi -e -gi -ne -megi -er -gi -e -gi -ere -gi -mege -gi -ge -gi
Subject Prefixes + +
a- wa
i- wun
e- gin
Object Suffixes -i -ni -i -i -ni -ni -i -i -i -ni -ni -ni -ni -ni -i -i
This -proximal man magi -ni magi -ni magi -ni magi -i -i -i -ni -ni -ni -ni -ni -i -i
That - referential meno meno -ono mago -no -no -no -no -o -o -o -no -no -no -no -no -o -o
That - distal caa cani -caa cani -cani cani -cani cani -cani -cani -cani -cani -cani -cani -cani -cani -cani -cani
My - mega na na -a na na na na na -a -a -a na na na na na -a -a
Your - megi ni ni -i ni ni ni ni ni -i -i -i ni ni ni ni ni -i -i
His/Her - megge ge ge -ge megge megge megge megge megge -ge -ge -ge megge megge megge mege merg -ge -ege
Our - megwa wa wa -wa wa wa wa wa wa -wa -wa -wa wa wa wa wa wa -wa -wa
Your - megwu wu wu -wu wu wu wu wu wu -wu -wu -wu wu wu wu wu wu -wu -wu
Their - meggi gi gi -gi gi gi gi gi gi -gi -gi -gi gi gi gi gi gi -gi -gi
Of - Ø/a/me a- a- Ø Ø Ø/me Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø/me Ø/me Ø/me Ø/me Ø/me Ø/me
Whom/Which/What nga Mene mene mene mene mene mene mene mene mene mene mene mene mene mene mene mene mene
Is/Are Locatives (-i) + - tye tye tye tye tye tye tye tye tye tye tye tye tye tye tye tye
atye wutye
Am/Is/Are Not itye wutye wunu
euye gin gitye
Is/Are Not
Verb "to have" atye utye tye tye tye tye tye tye tye tye tye tye tye tye tye tye tye tye
Has / Have - tye itye utye wunu
etye gin tye
Don't Have ape upe pe pe pe pe pe pe pe pe pe pe pe pe pe pe pe pe

Doesn't Have ipe wun upe
epe gin gipe
Whole/All - ducu/lung wan ducu ducu ducu ducu ducu ducu ducu ducu ducu
ducu wun ducu
gin ducu
Adjectives
good - ber maber mabeco maber mabeco maber mabeco maber mabeco maber mabeco maber mabeco maber mabeco maber mabeco maber mabeco
bad - rac marac maraco marac maraco marac maraco marac maraco marac maraco marac maraco marac maraco marac maraco marac maraco
Emphatics + -
He Is / It Is obedo obedo obedo obedo obedo obedo obedo obedo obedo obedo obedo obedo obedo obedo obedo obedo obedo obedo
pe obedo pe obedo pe obedo pe obedo pe obedo pe obedo pe obedo pe obedo pe obedo pe obedo pe obedo pe obedo pe obedo pe obedo pe obedo pe obedo pe obedo pe obedo
He Is Not / It Is Not
Many/a lot/much -mapol mapol mapol mapol mapol mapol mapol mapol mapol mapol
How many? -adi? adi? adi? adi? adi? adi? adi? adi? adi? adi? adi? adi? adi? adi? adi? adi? adi? adi?
Few /small -manok mukene manok mukene manok mukene manok mukene manok mukene manok mukene manok mukene manok mukene manok mukene manok
Other (s) -mukene mukene mukene mukene mukene mukene mukene mukene mukene mukene
Relative Pronoun ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma
Both -aryo aryo aryo aryo aryo aryo aryo aryo aryo aryo aryo aryo aryo aryo aryo aryo aryo aryo aryo aryo
Only/alone -keken keken Keken keken keken keken keken keken keken keken keken keken keken keken keken keken keken keken keken
One Two acel Aryo acel aryo acel aryo acel aryo acel aryo acel aryo acel aryo acel aryo acel aryo

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Listening comprehension exercises 1 2 3 4 5
Explorer’s Diary 1 2 3 4 5
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Dialogs 1 2 3 4 5
Proverbs and idioms 1 2 3 4 5
Homestay tasks 1 2 3 4 5
Culture notes 1 2 3 4 5
Grammar notes 1 2 3 4 5
“Learn on your own” advice 1 2 3 4 5
Grammar reference overviews 1 2 3 4 5
Glossary 1 2 3 4 5
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Language manual content

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Acholi Language Manual

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How to Use the Acholi Language Manual

The recorded activities on cassette tapes will help in comprehension as well.

Enjoy your learning.

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Dialogs/Texts/ Proverbs: Communicative tasks are introduced by a dialog or a text or a proverb

Grammar Notes: Grammar necessary for creative use of language in each

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The same manual was revised in December 2006 – July 2007 to

Acknowledgement: We appreciate the valuable advice, guidance and

This version of July 2009 is a result of more innovative ideas contributed

Acknowledgement: We appreciate the valuable advice, guidance and

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Grammar: Simple Present Tense

Unit 2: Introducing Self and Others.....................................18

Grammar: Verb Infinitive

Separate Personal Pronouns

Grammar: Verb “To Have”

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Already and “Not Yet” Tense

Modified Verb Stem

Verb “To Be”

Unit 5: Telling Time.............................................................92

Grammar: Possessive Particle “Of”

Unit 6: Community Integration.............................................126

Grammar: Adverbs of Place

“Ku” and “Ng” Modal Verbs

Unit 8: Know Your Body......................................................165

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Grammar: Far Future Tense

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Quote of the week: Swahili is an easy language, its use is

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Communicative tasks: • Greet one person

HIV/AIDS: • Address Care in a dialogue on page 14

Culture: • Importance of greetings

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Moses tye ka moto Opiyo kidiko.

Moses: Itye nining Ladit?

Moses is greeting Opiyo in the morning.

Moses : How are you sir?

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Matayo: Irii nining, lamego?

Matayo is greeting Diana during the day.

Matayo: Did you spend the day well?

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In iaa ki kwene? - Where do you come from?

Lwong nyig lok magi. Rot ki i kompak.

Abuto Wan wabuto

Arii Wan warii

As a safety measure, greetings are an identification strategy that can reduce

Greetings are very important for the Acholi. It is trladitionally extremely

Some people greet while shaking hands, and others hug.

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Adonga tye ka moto Prossy ki Lucy:

Adonga: Wurii wunu maber, anyira?

Adonga is greeting Prossy and Lucy:

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Titles of address: It is always good to use titles of address when