Igbo Gender
Welcome to the fifth Igbo lesson about gender. This time we will view a list of people, feminine and masculine, followed by grammar rules, finally a list of expressions in Igbo to help you practice your daily phrases.
man nwoke |
woman nwanyi |
husband di |
wife nwunye |
boy nwa nwoke |
girl nwa nwanyị |
father nna |
mother nne |
Gender Grammar Rules
In general, gender is used to distinguish between male and female, sometimes referred to as masculine and feminine. For example: my son and daughter are students the noun [son] is masculine, while [daughter] is feminine. The following examples use gender in different ways and places to demonstrate their behavior.
| Grammar + Rules - Igbo |
|---|
| my son is a student [masculine + noun] nwa m nwoke bụ nwata akwụkwọ |
| her daughter is a student [feminine + noun] nwa ya nwanyị bụ nwata akwụkwọ |
| he has a tall brother [adjective + masculine] ọ nwere obele nwanne nwoke |
| she has a tall sister [adjective + feminine] ọ nwere obele nwanne nwanyi |
| his brothers are young [plural masculine + adjective] ụmụ nwanne ya nwoke dị obele |
| his sisters are young [plural feminine + adjective] ụmụ nwanne ya nwanyị dị obele |
The list below will probably provide more clarification. These are family members (males and females). I think it would be wise to memorize them as part of your important vocabulary list.
son nwa nwoke |
daughter nwa nwanyị |
brother nwa nne nwoke |
sister nwa nne nwanyị | grandfather nna nna/nne |
grandmother nne nna/nne |
child nwa |
children ụmụaka/ụmụazị/ụmụntakịrị |
Expressions in Igbo
Now it's time to practice expressions used in daily conversations. If you're a beginner in learning Igbo, then the phrases below are something you would want to know.
| English - Igbo |
|---|
| What do you mean? gịnị ka ị chere? |
| I don't understand a ghọtaghị m |
| I don't know a marọ m |
| What is that called in Igbo? gịnị ka a n'akpọ ** na asụsụ obodo unu? |
| What is this? gịnị bụ ihe a? |
| What does that word mean in English? kedụ ihe a n'akpọ okwu a na asụsụ bekee? |
| Sorry (if you made a mistake) ndo |
I hope you enjoyed this lesson about the gender in Igbo. Please check out our main menu here for more lessons: homepage. To see the full menu, you can also click on the "Menu" icon on the left side.
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