Igbo Grammar List

Ụgbọ elu “airplane” and ụgbọ mmiri “boat” each join a second-group word to a first-group word. Borrowed words often keep their own vowels.

In standard spelling n'ụlọ means in the house or at home. Before a consonant the word stays na.

That lowering is called downstep. Teaching books often mark high with an acute accent and low with a grave accent, but conventions differ.

Akwa can mean cry, egg, cloth or bed depending on its tones. Igwe means iron or sky.

Mmiri “water” is m-mi-ri and ndị “people” begins with a syllabic n. Say the nasal as a sound of its own.

Ọ bịara can mean he came or she came. The sentence or the situation tells you who.

A letter or two-letter pair almost always sounds the same way, as in nri “food” and mmiri “water”. Dialects pronounce some letters differently.

Words read in clear steps, like o-bo-do “town” and a-hị-a “market”.

This journey teaches it. People also speak local dialects, and some everyday words differ from place to place.

The vowels are a, e, i, ị, o, ọ, u and ụ. The three with a dot underneath are separate letters.

The Onwu spelling of 1961 gives 36 letters. They include the dotted vowels ị, ọ and ụ and the dotted letter ṅ.

Ṅ has a dot above it. It is rare, and many writers type plain n for it.

Tone marks appear in some dictionaries and school books. Lessons here write words without them.

Ch, gb, gh, gw, kp, kw, nw, ny and sh are single letters. In achịcha “bread”, ch is one letter.

Vowels fall into two groups: i u e o, and ị ụ ọ a. Prefixes and suffixes usually copy the group of the word they join.

Write na-agụ “is reading” and ga-abịa “will come”. Some writers leave the hyphen out, and both spellings are read the same way.

Writing ulo for ụlọ drops two letters. Many people leave the dots off when typing on a phone, but books and lessons keep them.

Ụlọ m is my house, ụlọ gị is your house, and ụlọ ya is his, her or its house.

Bịa ebe a means come here, Gaa ụlọ means go to the house and Rie nri means eat food.

Learn the ten words and use them after the noun: ụbọchị abụọ is two days.

People often answer Ndewo with the same word.

Bịa ebe a means come here.

Many writers print it Kedu ka ị mere. Adị m mma means I am well.

Mụ “I”, gị “you”, ya “he, she, it”, anyị “we”, unu “you all” and ha “they” stand alone, for example for emphasis or after bụ.

Together they make nwa nwanyị for girl and nwa nwoke for boy.

Ọtụtụ nri is a lot of food. Ana m asụ Igbo ntakịrị means I speak a little Igbo.

Akwụkwọ a bụ nke m means this book is mine. Nke Ada means the one belonging to Ada.

Ọma means good: ụtụtụ ọma is good morning.

Ụlọ nne m is the house of my mother, and ụlọ akwụkwọ is a house of books, which means a school.

A number or ọtụtụ “many” shows how many: akwụkwọ atọ means three books.

Ụbọchị abụọ means two days. Otu “one, a” usually comes first: otu nwoke is a man.

Ọ hụrụ m means he or she saw me, and Ọ hụrụ ya means he or she saw him, her or it.

Ada riri nri means Ada ate food. Words that say where or when usually come last.

Ị na-agụ akwụkwọ? means are you reading?

Use aha m bụ for your name and abụ m for who you are.

People say it to show they feel for you.

Use ọ or o, ị or i, anyị, unu and ha before a verb. The word for I, m, usually comes after the verb or its helper.

Biko, nyere m aka means please help me.

Ọ na-eri takes e-, and Ọ na-aga takes a-.

Ihe ọma is a good thing, and mmadụ atọ is three people.

Achọrọ m nke ahụ means I want that one.

Add them at the end of a sentence: Ọ ga-abịa echi.

Ịga is to go, ịbịa is to come, iri is to eat and ịgụ is to read. Take off the prefix to find the root: ga, bịa, ri, gụ.

Gba ọsọ means run, gba egwu means dance, rụ ọrụ means work and gụ akwụkwọ means read or study.

Nnọọ nụ welcomes more than one person.

Ee, ọ dị mma means yes, it is fine.

Ị na-agụ akwụkwọ means you are reading, said to one person. Unu na-agụ akwụkwọ is said to a group.

Nwoke a means this man, and ụlọ a means this house.

Nwanyị ahụ means that woman, and ụlọ ahụ means that house or the house.

Aha m bụ Ada means my name is Ada, and Nke a bụ akwụkwọ means this is a book.

Nri a dị ụtọ means this food is tasty, and Ọ dị mma means it is good.

Ebee ka ị na-aga? means where are you going, and Ebee ka ọ nọ? means where is he or she?

Gịnị bụ aha gị? means what is your name, and Gịnị ka ị chọrọ? means what do you want?

Kedu ka i mere? means how are you, and Kedu ebe i bi? means where do you live?

Ọ nọ n'ahịa means he or she is at the market.

Ọ na-eri nri means he or she is eating, and Anyị na-agụ akwụkwọ means we are reading.

Ada na Obi means Ada and Obi, and mmiri na nri means water and food.

Ndị nkuzi means teachers, and ndị enyi means friends.

Ha nọ n'ụlọ means they are at home, and Ọ nọ ebe a means he or she is here.

Onye bụ nwoke ahụ? means who is that man, and Onye bịara? means who came?

Ọ bụ nne m means it is my mother. It also answers a question such as Onye bụ nwanyị ahụ?

Ahụghị m ya means I did not see him or her and Erighi m nri means I did not eat.

Ọ bịala means he or she has come, and O rila nri means he or she has eaten.

Aga m abịa means I will come and Ana m eri nri means I am eating.

Biko, kwuo nwayọọ means please speak slowly.

Bịanụ ebe a means come here, all of you.

Say iri “ten” plus na and the extra number for 11 to 19, and iri plus a number for the tens.

Ọ dị oyi means it is cold, Ọ dị ọkụ means it is hot and Ọ mara mma means it is beautiful.

Ukwu, nta, ọhụrụ, ochie, ọcha, ojii, ọma and ọjọọ come after the noun, as in ụlọ ọhụrụ, a new house.

Agala ahịa means do not go to the market and Erila nri ahụ means do not eat that food.

Add nwoke or nwanyị to say brother or sister, and ochie for grandmother or grandfather.

Nke mbụ dị mma means the first one is good.

Ọ bụ gị? means is it you? and the answer is Ee, ọ bụ m, yes, it is me.

Abụghị m onye nkuzi means I am not a teacher, and Anọghị m n'ụlọ means I am not at home.

Aghọtara m means I understand, and Aghọtaghị m means I do not understand.

Put the time phrase at the end: Ọ na-agụ akwụkwọ n'ụtụtụ means he or she reads in the morning.

Akwụkwọ ahụ nọ n'elu oche means the book is on the chair.

Ana m asụ Igbo ntakịrị means I speak a little Igbo.

Elekere abụọ is two on the clock.

They are names, so they begin with a capital letter.

Ga gives gara, me gives mere, ri gives riri and hụ gives hụrụ.

Ndị a bụ ndị enyi m means these are my friends.

Tone can link a thing to its owner, as in ụlọ nne m, and it separates some verb forms, so context decides.

Gịnị mere ị na-achị ọchị? means why are you laughing?

Nke ọma means well, ngwa ngwa means quickly and nwayọọ means slowly.

Achọrọ m mmiri means I want water. Amaara m ya means I know it.

Amụ is the verb for learning, and the thing learned follows it.

Enwere ahịa n'obodo anyị means there is a market in our town.

Ọ ga-abịa echi means he or she will come tomorrow.

Ọ gaghị abịa echi means he or she will not come tomorrow, and Agaghị m abịa means I will not come.

Ebee ka ị na-aga? means where are you going, and Gịnị ka ị chọrọ? means what do you want?

Ka anyị gaa means let us go, Ka m gaa means let me go and Ka ọ bịa means let him or her come.

Ị chọrọ mmiri ma ọ bụ nri? means do you want water or food?

Maka gị is for you, and Edere m akwụkwọ a maka nne m means I wrote this letter for my mother.

Achọrọ m ịga, mana enweghi m ego means I want to go, but I have no money.

Mgbe ole ka ị ga-abịa? means when will you come?

Emeka anọghị n'ụlọ n'ihi na ọ gara ahịa means Emeka is not at home because he went to the market.

Ya na nne ya gara ahịa means he or she went to the market with his or her mother.

Ọ naghị eri anụ means he or she does not eat meat. Anaghị m eri anụ means I do not eat meat.

Ngwa, bịa ebe a means okay, come here.

O nwere ụmụ abụọ means he or she has two children. With m, it is Enwere m ego, I have money.

Ole ka ọ bụ? means how much is it?

Olee ihe ị chọrọ? means which thing do you want?

Onye nkuzi is a teacher, onye ọrụ is a worker and onye ahịa is a trader or customer.

O si Enugwu bịa means he or she came from Enugu.

Ada na-arịa ọrịa, ya mere ọ bịaghị means Ada is ill, so she did not come.

Ụbọchị ọzọ means another day, and Kwuo ya ọzọ means say it again.

Ụmụ akwụkwọ means students and ụmụ nwanyị means girls or women.

Ọ gụchara akwụkwọ ahụ means he or she finished reading the book, and mecha means finish.

Ọ zụtakwara anụ means he or she also bought meat.

Ba enter gives bata come in, pụ go out gives pụta come out and we take gives weta bring.

Ọ na-abịa mgbe niile means he or she always comes, and ụfọdụ ndị means some people.

Ọ masịrị m means I like it, Agụụ na-agụ m means I am hungry and Ụjọ na-atụ m means I am afraid.

Nye m ego means give me money, and Gwa m aha gị means tell me your name.

Narị atọ is three hundred and puku abụọ is two thousand.

Naịra abụọ is two naira, and naịra iri is ten naira.

Ka anyị rie nri means let us eat, and Ka ha gaa means let them go.

Oge means time, so each phrase means the time of the rains or of the dry weather.

Were akwụkwọ gị bịa means take your book and come, and Ọ gbara ọsọ bịa means he or she ran here.

Achọrọ m ka ọ bịa means I want him or her to come.

Achọrọ m ịga ahịa means I want to go to the market.

Ọ nọ na-agụ akwụkwọ means he or she was reading.

Use onye plus a place or si plus a place and bịa.

A na-asụ Igbo n'ụlọ anyị means Igbo is spoken in our house.

Obi bi n'Enugwu means Obi lives in Enugu.

Ọ dị ka nne ya means he or she is like his or her mother.

Ọ ghọrọ onye nkuzi means he or she became a teacher.

O ji mma bee anụ means he or she cut the meat with a knife.

Gwa ya ka ọ bịa means tell him or her to come.

Ụlọ gị buru ibu karịa ụlọ m means your house is bigger than mine.

Anyị kwesịrị ịga means we should go.

Amaghị m ma ọ ga-abịa means I do not know whether he or she will come.

Mgbe m bịara, ọ nọ n'ụlọ means when I came, he or she was at home.

Amaara m na ọ dị mma means I know that it is good.

Ụmụ akwụkwọ niile means all the students and ndị niile means all the people.

Enwere m ike ịga means I can go, and Enweghi m ike means I cannot.

Anyị ruru ụlọ means we reached home, and Chere ruo echi means wait until tomorrow.

Tupu Ada gaa ụlọ akwụkwọ, o riri nri means before Ada went to school, she ate.

O riri nri wee gaa ụlọ akwụkwọ means he or she ate and then went to school.

Onye ọ bụla is anyone, ebe ọ bụla is anywhere and ihe ọ bụla is anything.

Ụlọ akwụkwọ school, ụlọ ọgwụ hospital and ụgbọ ala car are written apart. Check each new compound in the dictionary.

Ghọta means understand, chọta means find and zụta means buy. Learn each as one word.

A note may say that in some places people say nma for mma, good.

Ọ zụtaara m akwụkwọ means he or she bought a book for me.

Lessons write borrowed words as speakers do, and prefer an Igbo word when one is common.

Ọ gara ịzụta nri means he or she went to buy food.

Ọ dị mma ka ị bịa means it is good that you came.

Ọ dị ka ọ na-arịa ọrịa means it seems that he or she is ill.

Maazị Obi is Mr. Obi. Greet an older person first and use the title.

Ọ hụrụ onwe ya means he or she saw himself or herself, and mụ onwe m means I myself.

Mbụ, anyị riri nri; mgbe ahụ, anyị gara ahịa means first we ate, then we went to the market.

Akwụkwọ m gụrụ dị mma means the book I read is good.

Ihe m chọrọ is the thing I want, ebe m bi is the place where I live and mgbe m bịara is the time I came.

Onye na-eri nri means the person who is eating, and ndị na-asụ Igbo means the people who speak Igbo.

Ndewo is answered with Ndewo, and Kedu ka ị mere? with Adị m mma.

Ada sịrị na ọ ga-abịa means Ada said that she will come.

Ịgụ akwụkwọ dị mma means reading is good.

Ọ kacha mma means it is the best.

Ọ gara ahịa kama ịgụ akwụkwọ means he or she went to the market instead of reading.

Ọ malitere ịgụ akwụkwọ means he or she began to read.

Naanị otu ihe dị ebe a means only one thing is here.

Akwụkwọ nke m gụrụ dị mma means the book that I read is good.

Amaara m ịgụ akwụkwọ means I know how to read.

Ọ bụ akwụkwọ ka m na-agụ means it is a book that I am reading.

Ọ bụ Ada bịara means it was Ada who came.

Chidi means God exists, Ndubuisi means life is the chief thing and Nkechi means that which belongs to God.

Ọ bụghị naanị nri, kamakwa mmiri means not only food, but also water.

Ọ bụghị Ada bịara means it was not Ada who came.

Mụ learn gives ọmụmụ learning, and ịgụ akwụkwọ names the act of reading.

A proverb says something indirectly and leaves the listener to see the point.

Topic and nearby words decide, as with akwa.

Ọ gaara abịa ma ọ bụrụ na ọ nwere ego means he or she would have come if he or she had money.

Ezigbo enyi m means my dear friend. It opens many letters.

The elders say; the saying that follows is quoted as it is.

Ọ bụ ezie na ọ dị oyi, ọ bịara means although it was cold, he or she came.

Ọ bụrụ na ị chọrọ, bịa ebe a means if you want, come here.

A note says where a word is used, and standard spelling is kept elsewhere.

Ahụrụ m gị n'anya means I love you. It comes from hụ n'anya, which is literally see in the eye.

Words such as mana, n'ihi na and ya mere link clauses.

Each clause usually keeps its own subject and verb.

Egbe bere, ugo bere has the same shape in both halves.

It praises people who help each other.

It teaches live and let live, and the plain verb bere perch is repeated for balance.

A chi is a personal spirit, and the proverb says a firm wish can find support.