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First words

Greeting

Me sha'ashe: the first thing to know how to say.

In Bamum you do not say "good day": you say "I greet you".

Me sha'ashe — I greet (you)

That is the all-purpose greeting, usable at any hour. The rest of the day has its own formulas, all built on Poket:

  • Pe yuem me? — in the morning, literally "did you wake up well?"
  • Poket ndutnguon — good afternoon
  • Poket shu'u — good evening
  • Poket lenju — have a nice day

And when taking your leave: Pwo shi'a famju — see you tomorrow.

💡 The apostrophe in sha'ashe or shu'u is not decoration: it marks a glottal stop (the small catch in the throat between two vowels).

format_list_bulletedVocabulary in this lesson

  • Me sha'ashe
    hello (lit. "I greet you")
  • Pe yuem me ?
    good morning (lit. "did you wake up well?")
  • Poket ndutnguon
    good afternoon
  • Poket shu'u
    good evening, good night
  • Poket lenju
    have a nice day
  • Pwo shi'a famju
    see you tomorrow
  • Poket nyi !
    bon voyage, safe journey
  • A saa fe'e
    it's been a while

info_outline Source : Omniglot