The lingua franca and de facto national language of the West African nation of Sierra Leone is the Sierra Leonean Creole, also known as Krio. It is an English-based creole language. 96% of Sierra Leoneans speak Krio, which was developed by liberated slaves who were repatriated to the country. Krio connects the various ethnic groups in the nation, especially in trade and social contact. Since Krio is the predominant language used by Sierra Leoneans to communicate at home and abroad, it has had a significant impact on Sierra Leonean English as well. (Source: Wikipedia).
At Transcribe Sierra Leone, the leading transcription and translation firm in Sierra Leone, with 80% of its clients coming from overseas, we think it is good to provide our clients with some commonly used Krio expressions to help them communicate with local Sierra Leoneans whenever they visit Sierra Leone to do their research work.
One great way to start speaking Krio is to learn common fixed phrases, without thinking too much about the grammar.
Below is a list of list of common phrases in Sierra Leonean Krio and their meaning in English. We shall be updating this blog section with more common Sierra Leonean Krio phrases and expressions as time goes on.
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| English | Krio | English | Krio | |
| i. | What is your name? | Wetin na yu nem? | My name is … | Mi nem na… |
| ii. | Nice to meet you. | A gladi fↄ sabi yu. | Nice to meet you too. | Misɛf gladi fↄ sabi yu |
| iii. | Where are you coming from? | Usay yu de kↄmↄt? | I am from … | A kↄmↄt na… |
| iv. | How old are you? | Omɔs iyia yu ol? | I am 30 years old. | Mi na 30 iyia ol. |
| v. | Are you married or single? | Yu mared ↄ yu na palampo? | I am single. | Mi na palampo. |
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Useful questions with ‘What is…?’
| English | Krio | English | Krio | |
| i. | What is your job? | Na us wok yu de du? | I am a nurse. | Mi na nↄs. |
| ii. | What is your nationality? | Wetin na yu nashↄnaliti? | I am a Sierra Leonean | Mi na Salon man. |
| iii. | What is your address? | Wetin na yu adrɛs? | It’s 56 Wilkson Road, Freetown | Na 56 Wilkinsin Rod, Fritɔŋ. |
| iv. | What is your phone number? | Wetin na yu fon nↄmba? | It is +232-01-453-534 | Na +232-01-453-534 |
| v. | What is your email address? | Wetin na yu imel adrɛs? | It is fectce@xymail.com | Na fectce@xymail.com |
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Saying ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’
| English | Krio | English | Krio | |
| i. | Hello. | Hɛlo. | A greeting when you see someone. | Na gritin we yu si pɔsin. |
| ii. | Hi/Hey! | Kushɛ | An informal greeting when you see someone. | Na kɔmɔn we fɔ grit we yu si pɔsin. |
| iii. | Good morning. | Gud mɔnin. | A formal greeting when you see someone until 12 pm. | Na we fɔ grit pɔsin te dɛn 12 oklɔk santɛm we yu si am. |
| iv. | Good afternoon. | Gud aftanun. | A formal greeting when you see someone between 12 pm and 6 pm. | Na we fɔ grit pɔsin bitwin dɛn 12 oklɔk santɛm te 6 oklɔk ivin we yu si am. |
| v. | Good evening | Gud ivnin. | A formal greeting when you see someone between 6 pm and 11pm. | Na we fɔ grit pɔsin bitwin dɛn 6 oklɔk ivin te 11 na nɛt we yu si am. |
| vi. | Good night. | Gud nayt. | What you say when you go to bed. | Wetin yu fɔ se we yu wan slip na nɛt. |
| vii. | Goodbye/bye. | Gudbay/bay. | What you say when you leave. | Wetin yu fɔ se we yu wan go. |
| viii. | See you later. | Si yu leta. | An informal way to say ‘goodbye’. | Na kɔmɔn we fɔ se gudbay. |
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For example:
| English | Krio | |
| i. | Good afternoon. Are you Mr Jalloh? | Gud aftanun. Na yu na Mista Jalↄ? |
| ii. | Yes, I am. | Yɛs, na mi. |
| iii. | Hello, my name’s Juldeh Bio. Nice to meet you. | Hɛlↄ, na mi nem Juldɛ Biyo. Nays fo mit yu. |
| iv. | Nice to meet you too. | Misɛf gladi fɔ sabi yu. |
| v. | Where are you from Mr Jalloh? | Usay yu kɔmɔt Mista Jalↄ? |
| vi. | I’m from Kono City, Eastern Sierra Leone. And you? | Mi a kɔmɔt na Kↄnↄ Siti, di Istɛn pat na Salon. We yusɛf? |
| vii. | I’m from Bo, Southern Sierra Leone. | Mi a kɔmɔt na Bo, di Sawtan pat na Salon. |
| viii. | What’s your work email address? | Wetin na yu imel adrɛs fɔ yu wok ples? |
| ix. | It’s s.juldeh@Qemail.com. | Na s.juldeh@Qemail.com |
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Responding to ‘How are you?’
| English | Krio | English | Krio | |
| i. | I am tired. | A taya. | I need to sleep. | A nid fↄ slip. |
| ii. | I am very busy. | A vɛri bizi. | I have a lot of things to do. | I gɛt bↄku tin dɛm fↄ du. |
| iii. | I am hungry. | A wan it. | I need to eat. | A nid fↄ it. |
| iv. | I am thirsty. | A wan driŋk. | I need to drink. | A nid fↄ driŋk. |
| v. | I am very well. | A de du vɛri wɛ. | +++ | |
| vi. | I am well/fine. | A de du wɛl/fayn. | ++ | |
| vii. | I am not so bad. | A nↄ de du so bad. | +- | |
| viii. | I am not very well. | A nↄ de fil wɛl. | – | |
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For example:
| English | Krio | |
| i. | Hi Mende. How are you? | Kushɛ Mɛnde. Aw yu de du? |
| ii. | Hi Temne. I’m not very well. | Kushɛ Timini. A nↄ de fil wɛl. |
| iii. | Oh no, what happened? | A bo, wetin hapin? |
| iv. | I’m tired. And how are you? | A taya. Ɛn aw yu de du? |
| v. | I’m very well thanks! | A de du wɛl , tɛnki! |
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Asking for clarification
| English | Krio | English | Krio | |
| i. | I do not understand. | A nↄ ↄndastand. | I cannot comprehend what you say. | A nↄ ebul ↄndastan wetin yu de se. |
| ii. | Can you repeat that, please? | Duya yu go ebul ripit dan de? | Can you say that again? | Yu go ebul se dat egen? |
| iii. | Can you spell that? | Yu go ebul spɛl dan de? | What is the spelling? | Wetin na di spɛlin? |
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For example:
| English | Krio | |
| i. | Where were you born? | Usay yu bↄn? |
| ii. | Sorry, I don’t understand. | A beg padin, a nɔ ↄndastand. |
| iii. | Where are you from? | Usay yu kↄmↄt? |
| iv. | I am from Makeni, Sierra Leone. | A kↄmↄt na Makeni, Salon. |
| v. | Can you spell that? | Yu go ebul spɛl am? |
| vi. | Yes. M-A-K-E-N-I. | Yɛs. M-A-K-Ɛ-N-I |
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On the phone
| English | Krio | English | Krio | |
| i. | Hello? | Kushɛ? | Answering the phone. | We yu de ansa di fon. |
| ii. | This is … (speaking) | Dis na… (de tↄk) | Giving your identity. | De sho udat yu bi. |
| iii. | Can I speak to…? | A go abul fɔ tↄk to…? | Asking to speak to someone. | We yu want fↄ tↄk to pɔsin. |
| iv. | Please hold (the line). | Duya, na fɔ hol ↄn di layn. | Wait a moment. | Wet kwik. |
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For example:
| English | Krio | |
| i. | (Phone rings) Hello? | (Di fon de ring) Kushɛ? |
| ii. | Hello. This is Juldeh Jalloh from EDSA, Sierra Leone Electricity Company. Can I speak to Ms Bio, please? | Kushɛ. Dis na Juldɛ Jalↄ frↄm EDSA, Salon Ilɛktrisiti Kɔmpani. Duya, a kin ebul tↄk to Ms Biyo? |
| iii. | Certainly. Please hold. | Yɛs. Duya na fɔ wet. |
| iv. | Thank you. | Tɛnki. |
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Other useful phrases
| English | Krio | English | Krio | |
| i. | Excuse me? | Ɛkskyuz mi? | To attraction. | Fɔ gɛt atɛnshɔn. |
| ii. | I am sorry. | A sↄri. | To apologise. | Fɔ beg padin. |
| iii. | How much is it? | Ↄmɔs fɔ am? | Asking the price of an object. | We yu de aks ɔmɔs fɔ sↄmtin. |
| iv. | How much are they? | Ↄmɔs fɔ dɛm? | Asking the price of two or more objects. | We yu de aks ɔmɔs fↄ tu ɔ bɔku tin dɛm. |
| v. | Thanks. – You are welcome. | Tɛnki. – Yu wɛlkɔm. | Responding to ‘thanks’ | Fↄ ansa we pɔsin tɛl yu ‘tɛnki’ |
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Asking for directions
| English | Krio | English | Krio | |
| i. | Where is the Cotton Tree? | Usay di Kↄnti Tri de? | Asking the location. | We yu de aks fɔ ples. |
| ii. | Go straight on. | Na fↄ go stret. | ↑ (Don’t turn) | ↑ (Nↄ tↄn) |
| iii. | Turn left. | Na fↄ tↄn lɛft. | ← | ← |
| iv. | Turn right. | Na fↄ tↄn ryt. | → | → |
| v. | Take the first left. | Na fↄ ɛnta na di fɔs lɛft hand say. | Turn left at the next street. | Tɔn na di lɛft na di nɛks strit. |
| vi. | Take the second right. | Ɛnta na di sɛkɔnd rayt hand. | Turn right after two streets. | Tↄn rayt afta tu strit dɛm. |
| vii. | Cross the road. | Krↄs di rod. | Go to the other side of the street. | Go na di ↄda pat ↄf di strit. |
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For example:
| English | Krio | |
| i. | Excuse me, where’s the SLBC radio station? | Ekskyuz mi, usay SLBC rɛdyo steshↄn de? |
| ii. | Go straight on, then turn right at the end of the road. The station is on your left. | Na fↄ go stret, dɛn tↄn na di rayt usay di rod tap/ɛnd. Di steshↄn de na yu lɛft. |
| iii. | Thanks very much. | A tɛl yu bɔku bɔku tɛnki. |
| iv. | You’re welcome. | Yu wɛlkɔm. |
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As you can see, there are several simple phrases you can learn that can allow you to survive in many Krio situations.
For your professional transcription and translation services and all your communication needs, please drop us note.
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