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Dumela	hello (to one person)
Dumelang	hello (to several people)
Dumela rra	hello, sir
Dumela mma	hello, madam
O tsogile jang?	how are you? (lit. how did you wake?)
Ke tsogile sentle	I'm well (lit. I woke well)
Le kae?	how are you (all)? (lit. where are you?)
Re teng	we are fine (lit. we are here/present)
O kae?	how are you? (lit. where are you?)
Ke teng	I am fine (lit. I am here)
Ke a leboga	thank you
Ke itumetse	I am glad / pleased
Intshwarele	excuse me, forgive me
Ke kopa …	please … (lit. I request …)
Tsamaya sentle	goodbye (to one leaving: go well)
Sala sentle	goodbye (to one staying: stay well)
Robala sentle	good night (sleep well)
Ee	yes
Nnyaa	no
Ga ke itse	I don't know
Ke lapile	I am tired
Ga ke a lapa	I am not tired (note the irregular negation)
Leina la me ke …	my name is …
O bidiwa mang?	what is your name? (lit. you are called who?)
A o bua Sekgoa?	do you speak English?
Ke ithuta Setswana	I am learning Setswana
Go siame	all right, it's fine, OK
Pula!	rain! — the Setswana blessing and national cheer
nngwe	one
pedi	two
tharo	three
nne	four
tlhano	five
thataro	six
supa	seven
robedi	eight (lit. bend two fingers)
robongwe	nine (lit. bend one finger)
lesome	ten
lesome le bongwe	eleven
masome a mabedi	twenty
lekgolo	one hundred
sekete	one thousand
motho	person (class 1; plural: batho)
batho	people
monna	man; husband (pl. banna)
mosadi	woman; wife (pl. basadi)
ngwana	child (pl. bana)
bana	children
mosimane	boy (pl. basimane)
mosetsana	girl (pl. basetsana)
rre	father; sir
mme	mother; madam (also: but/and as conjunction)
nkoko	grandmother
rremogolo	grandfather
malome	maternal uncle
rakgadi	paternal aunt
nnake	my younger sibling
mogolo	elder sibling; elder
losika	family, relatives, lineage
tsala	friend (pl. ditsala)
kgosi	chief, king (pl. dikgosi)
morutabana	school teacher
moithuti	student, learner
ngaka	doctor; traditional healer
moruti	pastor, minister
modisa	herder, shepherd
molemi	farmer
Motswana	a Tswana person (pl. Batswana)
tlhogo	head
leitlho	eye (pl. matlho)
tsebe	ear (pl. ditsebe)
nko	nose
molomo	mouth
leleme	tongue
leino	tooth (pl. meno)
seatla	hand (pl. diatla)
letsogo	arm (pl. mabogo)
leoto	leg, foot (pl. maoto)
pelo	heart
madi	blood (also: money — context decides)
moriri	hair
sefatlhego	face
mpa	belly, stomach
mokwatla	back
letlalo	skin, hide
lerapo	bone (pl. marapo)
ntša	dog (pl. dintša)
katse	cat
kgomo	cow, head of cattle (pl. dikgomo)
nku	sheep (pl. dinku)
podi	goat (pl. dipodi)
pitse	horse (pl. dipitse)
tonki	donkey
koko	chicken (also: knock-knock at a door)
kolobe	pig
tlhapi	fish (pl. ditlhapi)
nonyane	bird (pl. dinonyane)
tau	lion (pl. ditau)
tlou	elephant (pl. ditlou)
nare	buffalo
kubu	hippopotamus
kwena	crocodile
phiri	hyena
phokoje	jackal
tshwene	baboon
tshephe	springbok, antelope
phuti	duiker (small antelope)
noga	snake (pl. dinoga)
ntsi	fly (insect)
monang	mosquito
metsi	water
noka	river (pl. dinoka)
molapo	stream, riverbed
letsha	lake, pan
lewatle	sea, ocean
letsatsi	sun; day (pl. malatsi — days)
ngwedi	moon
kgwedi	month (pl. dikgwedi)
naledi	star (pl. dinaledi)
legodimo	sky, heaven (pl. magodimo)
leru	cloud (pl. maru)
pula	rain (also: the Botswana currency; a blessing)
phefo	wind; cold air
mmu	soil, earth
lefatshe	earth, land, country, world
thaba	mountain (pl. dithaba)
letlapa	rock, stone (pl. matlapa)
motlhaba	sand
lerole	dust
setlhare	tree; medicine (pl. ditlhare)
bojang	grass
sekgwa	forest, thicket
naga	wilderness, veld, countryside (pl. dinaga — lands)
molelo	fire
mosi	smoke
mogote	heat
serame	cold, frost
komelelo	drought
dijo	food
bogobe	porridge — the staple dish
mabele	sorghum (a different tone pattern means 'breasts')
mmidi	maize, corn
borotho	bread
nama	meat
mashi	milk
tee	tea
kofi	coffee
letswai	salt
sukiri	sugar
lee	egg (pl. mae)
leungo	fruit (pl. maungo)
namune	orange (fruit)
morogo	leafy greens, spinach dish (pl. merogo)
dinawa	beans
seswaa	seswaa — pounded slow-cooked meat, the national dish
magwinya	fat cakes (fried dough)
bojalwa	beer, alcohol; traditional sorghum beer
ntlo	house, hut (pl. matlo)
lelwapa	courtyard, home, household
lebati	door
fensetere	window
setulo	chair (pl. ditulo)
tafole	table
buka	book (pl. dibuka)
pene	pen
pitsa	cooking pot (pl. dipitsa)
kobo	blanket; traditional blanket (pl. dikobo)
diaparo	clothes, clothing
mosese	dress, skirt
ditlhako	shoes
tšhelete	money
sethunya	flower (also: gun — context decides)
koloi	car, vehicle; ox-wagon (pl. dikoloi)
baesekele	bicycle
tsela	road, path, way (pl. ditsela)
motse	village, town (pl. metse)
toropo	town, city
sekolo	school (pl. dikolo)
kereke	church
kgotla	the kgotla — traditional court and meeting place
moraka	cattle post
masimo	the fields, farmlands
patlo	search; courtship negotiation
gompieno	today
maabane	yesterday
kamoso	tomorrow
moso	morning; the next day
phakela	early morning; to rise early
motshegare	daytime, midday
maitseboa	evening
bosigo	night
beke	week (pl. dibeke)
ngwaga	year (pl. dingwaga)
selemo	summer; ploughing season
mariga	winter
nako	time (pl. dinako)
jaanong	now
pele	before; in front; first
morago	after; behind
gantsi	often
ka gale	always, usually
gangwe	once
go bua	to speak
go bala	to read; to count
go kwala	to write
go ithuta	to learn, to study
go ruta	to teach
go ja	to eat
go nwa	to drink
go robala	to sleep, to lie down
go tsoga	to wake up, to get up
go tsamaya	to go, to walk, to leave
go tla	to come
go ya	to go (to)
go dira	to do, to make, to work
go bereka	to work (colloquial)
go reka	to buy
go rekisa	to sell
go bona	to see, to get
go utlwa	to hear, to feel, to understand
go itse	to know
go rata	to love, to like
go batla	to want, to look for
go kopa	to request, to ask for
go botsa	to ask (a question)
go araba	to answer
go fa	to give
go tsaya	to take
go tlisa	to bring
go isa	to take (something) to
go baya	to put, to place
go bula	to open
go tswala	to close; to give birth
go apaya	to cook
go tlhapa	to wash (oneself), to bathe
go tlhatswa	to wash (things)
go feela	to sweep
go opela	to sing
go bina	to dance
go tshameka	to play
go tshega	to laugh
go lela	to cry
go taboga	to run
go ema	to stand, to stop
go nna	to sit, to stay, to become, to be
go dula	to sit, to live (dwell)
go sala	to remain, to stay behind
go fitlha	to arrive; to hide
go simolola	to begin
go fetsa	to finish
go leka	to try
go thusa	to help
go itaya	to hit, to strike
go kgaola	to cut
go bolaya	to kill
go fenya	to defeat, to win
go akanya	to think
go gopola	to remember, to think of
go lebala	to forget
go tshaba	to fear, to flee
go lwa	to fight
go swa	to die
go tshela	to live, to be alive; to cross
go gola	to grow
go lema	to plough, to farm
go disa	to herd (livestock)
go tshwara	to hold, to catch, to grasp
go romela	to send
go tlogela	to leave, to stop (doing)
go feta	to pass, to surpass
go boa	to return, to come back
go rapela	to pray
go leboga	to thank
go duela	to pay
go nyala	to marry (of a man)
go nyalwa	to marry (of a woman)
-golo	big, great (mogolo, segolo…)
-nnye	small, little (monnye, bonnye…)
-ntle	beautiful, good, fine (montle, dintle…)
-maswe	bad, ugly
-ntsho	black (montsho…)
-tshweu	white (motshweu…)
-hibidu	red (mohibidu…)
tala	green; blue; raw
-leele	tall, long (moleele…)
-khutshwane	short (mokhutshwane…)
-ntsi	many, much (bantsi, dintsi…)
thata	hard, difficult; very
bonolo	easy; gentle, kind
monate	nice, pleasant, delicious
molemo	good; useful (also: medicine)
-ntšhwa	new (montšhwa, sešwa…)
-kgologolo	old, ancient
botlhoko	painful, sore; sorrow
sentle	well, nicely, properly (adverb)
tsididi	cold
ke	I (subject concord); it is (copula)
o	you (sg.); he/she (class 1 subject concord)
re	we (subject concord)
lo	you (plural subject concord)
ba	they (class 2 subject concord)
ga … -e	negative frame: ga ke itse — I don't know
a	question particle: A o bua Setswana? — Do you speak Setswana?
le	and; with; also; you (pl.) concord
gore	that; so that
fa	if; when; here
gonne	because
kgotsa	or
jaaka	like, as
mo	in, at, on (locative)
ka	with, by means of; can; about
ga	of (possessive for some classes); at the place of
wa / ya / la / sa / ba / tsa	of — possessive concords by noun class
mang?	who? (Ke mang? — Who is it?)
eng?	what? (Ke eng? — What is it?)
kae?	where? (O kae? — Where are you?)
leng?	when?
goreng?	why?
jang?	how? (O tsogile jang?)
-kae?	how many? (Di le kae? — How many are there?)
Setswana	the Tswana language; Tswana custom
Sekgoa	English; European language/ways
Botswana	Botswana (land of the Tswana)
botho	humanity, human kindness (ubuntu)
kagiso	peace
lorato	love
boitumelo	joy, happiness
tumelo	faith, belief
botshelo	life
loso	death
tlala	hunger, famine
lenyora	thirst
bolwetse	illness, disease
tiro	work, task, deed (pl. ditiro)
thuto	education, lesson, teaching
puo	language, speech (pl. dipuo)
lefoko	word (pl. mafoko — words, news)
polelo	statement, story, sentence
nnaane	folktale (pl. dinnaane)
pina	song (pl. dipina)
mmino	music, dance
motshameko	game, play (pl. metshameko)
bogosi	chieftainship, kingship
mosepele	journey, trip
kitso	knowledge
maikaelelo	intention, goal, plan
tshimologo	beginning, origin
bokhutlo	ending, conclusion