Learning Acholi Language By Bulalu Tonny

Acholi - days of the week  Monday - ceng baraja Tuesday - ceng aryo Wednesday - ceng adek Thursday - ceng angwen Friday - ceng abic Saturday - ceng abicel Sunday - ceng cabit

Acholi - months of the year  Dwe me acel - January Dwe me aryo - February Dwe me adek - March Dwe me angwen - April Dwe me abic - May Dwe me abicel - June Dwe me abiro - July Dwe me aboro - August Dwe me abongwen - September Dwe me apar - October Dwe me apar acel - November Dwe me apar aryo - December

Acholi - numbers  0 jero 1 acel 2 aryo 3 adek 4 angwen 5 abic 6 abicel 7 abiro 8 aboro 9 abongwen 10 apar 11 apar (wiye) acel 10 1 12 apar (wiye) aryo 13 apar (wiye) adek ... 20 pyere aryo 30 pyere adek ... 100 miya acel  200 miya aryo 300 miya adek ... 1 000 alip acel

Acholi - plural nouns  deity / deities - jok / jogi county chief(s) - jago / jagi elder(s) - ladit / lodito person / people - dano / jo male(s) - nyok / nyogi husband(s) - cwar / cog woman / women - dako / mon child / children - latin / lotino doctor(s) - daktaa / daktari worker(s) - latic / lotic messenger(s) - lakwena / lokwena visitor(s) - welo / wele thief / thieves - lakwo / lokwo sinner(s) - labal / lobal home(s) - paco / paci house(s) - ot / odi chair(s) - kom / kom cloth(es) - bongo / bongi book(s) - buk / buk spear(s) - tong / tongi mountain(s) - got / godi bull(s) - twon / twoni sheep - romo / romi goat(s) - dyel / dyegi Guinea fowl(s) - aweno / aweni chicken(s) - gweno / gweni fish(es) - rec / rece cat(s) - puc / puce

Acholi - questions, interrogative pronouns  Which? - Mene? Who? - Nga? What? - Ngo? Why? - Pingo? How? - Nining? How many? How much? - Adi? When? - Awene? Where? - Kwene? near - cok far - mabor

Acholi - time  hour - cawa [from Arabic] minute - dakika [from Arabic] morning - odiko day, afternoon - dye ceng evening - otyeno night - dye wor day before yesterday - laworo maca yesterday - laworo today - tin  tomorrow - diki day after tomorrow - diki maca week - cabit month - dwe season - kare year - mwaka

Acholi proverbs  ACHOLI proverbs arwot ki oda : I am the chief in my own house a- : I rwot : chief ot : house ladwar neno opoko pii ki wange a hunter sees the water gourd with his own eyes (when thirsty he checks by himself) ladwar : hunter neno : sees opoko : gourd pii : water ki : with wange : eyes yito duny lubu agulu : smoke evaporates from the pot yito : smoke duny : evaporates agulu : pot dako nywal ki nyeke : woman gives birth with her co-wife mon nywal ki nyeggi : women give birth with their co-wives dako : woman mon : women nywal : give birth ki : with nyeke : co-wife nyeggi : co-wives ruko war ikom okuto : wearing a shoe when one has thorns in the feet ruko : to dress war : shoe okuto : thorn ibino ki gwok macol : you come with a black dog (you have misfortune) i- : you [sing.] bino : come ki : with gwok : dog ma : that col : black cogo oturo wot (pa) gwok : a bone stops the travel of the dog cogo : bone o- : it turo : stops  wot : travel gwok : dog akuri ma welo neno wang ceng : a visiting dove looks/checks the sun akuri : dove ma : that welo : visits neno : sees wang : eye ceng : sun agoro pe camo kato kulu : a white ant does not eat beyond a river pe : not camo : consume/eat kato : passing kulu : river lee ma welo poto i bur : visiting animal falls into a hole/pit lee : animal ma : that welo : visitor poto : falls bur : hole/pit ogwang pe lwoko gweno : fox does not escort chicken (one cannot expect enemy help) ogwang : fox pe : not lwoko : excort/accompany gweno : hen twol nwoyo lakke : a snake repeats its bite (bad things are repeating) twol : snake nwoyo : repeats lakke : teeth odo mabor pe neko twol : a long stick does not kill the snake one cannot solve a problem from distance odo : stick ma : that bor : long/tall pe : not neko : slaughter twol : snake opuk ma tek/laco ki neno i mac : a strong/male tortoise will be seen in the fire opuk : turtle ma : that tek : strong / laco : male neno : see mac : fire bolo opuk i pii : throwing the turtle into water bolo : to throw opuk : turtle i : in, into pii : water opoto ma tugo : it falls like the coconut (something nice happens unexpectedly) o- : it poto : falls tugo : coconut

How to tell Relationship In Acholi Language:  Me - An, or Kom an, or Koma. Me Myself - An Gikoma. You: - In (sing.) wun(plural) You Yourself - In Gikomi or Kom in. He/She/It - En Himself/Herself/Itself - En Gikome. or Kom en. They - Gin Themselves - Komgi or Kom gin. They Themselves - Gin gi gikomgi. We - Wan or wane(other acholi accent) We ourselves - wan gikomwa. Ourselves - Komwa .................................................................... Mother - Mego or Min Mumy - maa, mama, My mum/mother - Mama na, or Maa,  Your Mum/Mother - Meru, or meni, or Min in His/her/it Mum/Mother - Mine, or min ...(..name of the person) eg: Min Okot. Their Mother - Min gi or Meg gi. Our Mother - Min wa, or Megi wa. ...................................................................... Father - Wego or won Dad/Daddy - Baba, aba na, baba na. My Dad/Father - Wora or Won An. Your Dad/Father - Woru or Won In. His/her/its Dad - Wone, or Won en. Their Dad/Father - Won gi. weg gi Our Dad/Father - Won wa, or wegi wa End. Next Lesson. will cover - Brothers, Sisters, Cousins,, Uncles and Aunts.

How to tell Relationship In Acholi Language:  Me - An, or Kom an, or Koma. Me Myself - An Gikoma. You: - In (sing.) wun(plural) You Yourself - In Gikomi or Kom in. He/She/It - En Himself/Herself/Itself - En Gikome. or Kom en. They - Gin Themselves - Komgi or Kom gin. They Themselves - Gin gi gikomgi. We - Wan or wane(other acholi accent) We ourselves - wan gikomwa. Ourselves - Komwa .................................................................... Mother - Mego or Min Mumy - maa, mama, My mum/mother - Mama na, or Maa,  Your Mum/Mother - Meru, or meni, or Min in His/her/it Mum/Mother - Mine, or min ...(..name of the person) eg: Min Okot. Their Mother - Min gi or Meg gi. Our Mother - Min wa, or Megi wa. ...................................................................... Father - Wego or won Dad/Daddy - Baba, aba na, baba na. My Dad/Father - Wora or Won An. Your Dad/Father - Woru or Won In. His/her/its Dad - Wone, or Won en. Their Dad/Father - Won gi. weg gi Our Dad/Father - Won wa, or wegi wa End. Next Lesson. will cover - Brothers, Sisters, Cousins,, Uncles and Aunts.