LANGUAGE GEMS 2
Expressing be
[ to 2nd person singular, 2nd & 3rd person plural]
be ( +verb) as imperative, etc = assimilated into main verb.
e.g Be quiet! = Yawusime!
Be joyful! = Biobele!
NB: For 2nd person plural, add = O i.e O yawusime!
Expressing been
been + ( there) = mute
e.g Have you been there before? = J'ene aniju I mute?
been + (here) = bote
e.g Has she been here since you called her? = I A sin kwura bio munju A bote?
Expressing between
between + (two of...) = ogboku
e.g Who is the taller between two of us = Wamini mapu ogboku
tubo geletein?
Expressing do not ( don't) [ as imperative, exclamation ]
do not = -ma [ added to the main verb ]
e.g Do not stay here. = Munju simema
Do not cry! = Owuma
do not = -aa [as negative, question ; added to the main verb ]
e.g I do not know = A nimiaa
Don't you believe him? = I O mininiaa?
Expressing except
except + ( pron. +verb...) = sime ogbo
I will not come except you promise me = A bobiya , I minini I p'riaa sime ogbo
except + ( dem. + noun...) = sikimate
e.g All of you should come except Boma = Boma sikimate, Ominimgba O bo.
Expressing either
either + ( of + plu...) = be gborubo [ to two persons ]
e.g Either of you should go = Omini mapu be gborubo mu.
Expressing from
from (+adv.) = saki turoko mu
e.g I don't want to see you again as from today =
Mimgba saki turoko mu, A bari Iy' erima.
from ( +pronoun...) = bara
e.g Take it from him = O bara ani oki.
Expressing here
here (as demo.pron) = mee
e.g Here is the money = Mee igbigi me
here ( after a verb, prep...) = munju, mianga
e.g Stay here with me = Mianga I na sime
Do you live here? = I munju angari?
here ( after a noun, pron.) = bo [ to ask a question]
e.g Was my husband here? = I di (munju) O bo?
here (after a noun, pronoun) = bom [ to affirm]
e.g Boma was here yesterday = Boma biein A bom
Expressing let
(do not) + let = dukuma
e.g Do not let him go = Dukuma O so
(shall, ..not) + let = dukubiya
e.g I will not let you go = A dukubiya I so
Let + (noun, pron...) = yee
e.g Let Biobele eat the rice = Yee Biobele arusu me fi
Expressing like
like (as prep.in affirmative.) = kika
e.g He looks like his father = Or' O da kikari
like (as prep.in question) = sime
e.g How is she like? = A tobra sime?
like (as adj.) = pembema
e.g A man like you should not be here = I pembema bo munju bo n'ibiaa.
like ( as verb) = bele
e.g I like hot food = Ar' ofirite fiye belemari
Expressing not at all
not at all = gbala gbala
e.g Have you been here before? Not at all! = Jene munju I bote? Gbala gbala
Expressing perhaps
perhaps = ebisia
e.g He will come - perhaps this evening = Ebisia mi bobiri O boba
Expressing seems
it + seems + pron... = gbala
e.g It seems Emi will come today = Gbala mimgba Emi A boba
seems + (adj....) = toru gbe
e.g What you have done, does it seem good? = I kori ye me ani toru gbe?
Expressing since
since = kwura bio ; saki kwura bio
e.g I have not seen him since yesterday = Biein kwura bio ma Ar' O eriaa
Since when did you come? = To saki kwura bio I bo?
Expressing still
still + vb... = pa
e.g Are you still eating? = I pa ye fiari?
still + pron. .. = ani so
e.g I begged her, still she refused to take it = Ar' A tekem, ani so Ar' okiaa
Expressing to
go + to ... = dama mu
e.g Go to him. = O dama mu
Go to the man you love = I belema owibo be dama mu
other conjugations
going to = dama muari will not go to = dama mubiya
went to = dama mum didn't go to = dama muaa
it + to... = ke
e.g Give it to the man = Ani ke owibo be p'ri
Throw it to the dog = Ani ke obiri be gbin
to + verb = be
e.g We came to fetch water = Wa minji du be bom
To ( as in title) = Ani
e.g To The Unknown God = Ani munimiaa Tamuno be
Expressing that
that +(noun...) = ani
e.g That woman is too fat = Ani erebo A kpokoro bakam
that ( as conj.) = mine
e.g She told me that she cannot come = A doku I p'rim mine Ar' inete bobiya
that + (aux.vb) = anee
e.g That is the man = Anee owibo be
Expressing too
too + (aux.vb; vb...) = so
e.g He too went = Ori so (O) mum
too + (much...) = bakam
e.g You talk too much = I ekwen bakam
Expressing think
think + (pron...) = siim
e.g You think he will come? = I siim O boba?
think + (-ing of...) = kuroma (ri)
e.g I am thinking of travelling tomorrow = A kuromari ba A ye mu
Start thinking now = Moku saki kuroma
NB: Generally in the Kalabari language, when two gerunds i.e ing verbs are found in one sentence, only the first is conjugated to its appropriate kalabari form ( putting the suffix -ari to the root word); the other takes up the infinitive form. See e.g above "I am thinking of..."
Expressing thought
thought + (pron...) = sin bara ; ke siim
e.g He thought I was sleeping = O ke siim A monoari
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