A collection of useful phrases in Sango (yângâ tî sängö), a Ngbandi-based croele spoken in the Central African Republic, Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
See these phrases in any combination of two languages in the Phrase Finder. If you can provide recordings, corrections or additional translations, please contact me.
Key to abbreviations: frm = formal, inf = informal, sg = singular (said to one person), pl = plural (said to more than one person).
| Phrase | yângâ tî sängö (Sango) |
|---|---|
| Welcome | Nzoni gango |
| Hello (General greeting) | Bara mo Balaô |
| Hello (on phone) | |
| How are you? | Töngana nye? |
| Reply to 'How are you?' | Mbï yeke sêngê (I'm fine) Mbï duti nzoni (I'm fine) Ye ake ape (Very good / not bad) Nzoni (Very good / not bad) |
| Long time no see | Aninga e wara tere ape! |
| What's your name? | Ïrï tî mo nye? |
| My name is ... | Irï tî mbï ... Irï tî mbï a yeke ... |
| Where are you from? | Ala londo na ndo wa? |
| I'm from ... | Mbi londo na ... |
| Pleased to meet you | Anzere ti hinga ala |
| Good morning (Morning greeting) |
Ala lango ndjoni? (Did you sleep well?) |
| Good afternoon (Afternoon greeting) |
|
| Good evening (Evening greeting) |
Balaô |
| Good night | Nzoni lakwi |
| Goodbye (Parting phrases) |
Mbi zia mo Gue nzoni Na peko (See you later) Na peko ma (See you soon) Na kekereke (See you tomorrow) Nzapa bata mo (God protect you) |
| Good luck! | |
| Cheers! Good Health! (Toasts used when drinking) |
|
| Have a nice day | |
| Bon appetit / Have a nice meal |
Kobe anzere na yanga ti mo (May the food please your mouth) |
| Bon voyage / Have a good journey |
Ala gwe ndjoni (Go well) |
| Yes | En |
| No | Ên en |
| Maybe | |
| I don't know | Mbi hinga ape |
| I understand | Mbi ma awe |
| I don't understand | Mbi ma ape |
| Please speak more slowly | |
| Please say that again | |
| Please write it down | |
| Do you speak English? | Mo tene anglai? |
| Do you speak Sango? | Mo tene Sango? |
| Yes, a little (reply to 'Do you speak ...?') |
En, kete |
| Do you speak a language other than Sango? |
Mo hinga ti sala tene na mbeni yanga nde? |
| Speak to me in Sango | |
| How do you say ... in Sango? | |
| Excuse me | Pardon |
| How much is this? | |
| Sorry | Mawa Mbi gbu gere ti mo (I grab your foot) Asala ye ape (reply - It is nothing) |
| Please | Mbi gbu gere ti mo |
| Thank you | Singîla Singîla mingi |
| Reply to thank you | Asala ye ape (It's nothing) |
| Where's the toilet / bathroom? | Douche ni ayeke na ndo wa? Cabinet ni ayeke na ndo wa? Da ti puru ni ayeke na ndo wa? |
| This gentleman will pay for everything | Koli so ayeke futa nginza ti ye ni kwe |
| This lady will pay for everything | Wali so ayeke futa nginza ti ye ni kwe |
| Would you like to dance with me? | Mo ye ti dodo na mbi? |
| Do you come here often? | Mo ga geh mingi? |
| I miss you | |
| I love you | Mbi ye mo |
| Get well soon | |
| Go away! | Mo hon! |
| Leave me alone! | Zia mbi! |
| Help! | Zängö! |
| Fire! | |
| Stop! | |
| Call the police! | Iri aturugu! |
| Christmas greetings | |
| Easter greetings | |
| Birthday greetings | |
| Congratulations! | |
| One language is never enough | |
| My hovercraft is full of eels |
Some phrases provided by Jeffrey Rein
Hear some phrases in Sango:
If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.
Information about Sango | Phrases | Numbers | Tower of Babel
Other collections of Sango phrases
https://www.brighthubeducation.com/studying-a-language/43530-sango-vocabulary-language-of-central-african-republic/
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Sango_phrasebook
http://centrafrique.sango.free.fr/index_uk.htm
Bislama, Cape Verdean Creole, Chabacano de Zamboanga, Chabacano de Cavite, Haitian Creole, Jamaican, Mauritian Creole, Norfuk, Papiamento, Réunion Creole, Sango, Sierra Leone Creole, Tok Pisin
[top]
You can support this site by Buying Me A Coffee, and if you like what you see on this page, you can use the buttons below to share it with people you know.
If you like this site and find it useful, you can support it by making a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or by contributing in other ways. Omniglot is how I make my living.
Note: all links on this site to Amazon.com
[top]
