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The present lesson covers some essential Twi expressions used in a typical buying and selling situation. If you find yourself at the market, a supermarket, a grocery store, or any place of commerce, the Twi phrases given in this lesson will prove useful.
Video Lesson
The lesson is divided into four parts:
- Part 1: Buying
- Part 2: Selling
- Part 3: Pricing
- Part 4: Payment
Part One: Buying
| TWI | ENGLISH |
| tɔ | buy VERB |
| adetɔ | buying NOUN: the act of buying |
| woretɔ deɛn? | what are you buying? |
| meretɔ … | I’m buying … |
| meretɔ esam | I’m buying flour |
| meretɔ asikyire | I’m buying sugar |
| meretɔ nkyene | I’m buying salt |
| wopɛ deɛn? | what do you want? |
| mepɛ … | I want … |
| mepɛ mako | I want pepper |
| mepɛ gyeene | I want onion |
| wowɔ nkosua? | do you have eggs? |
| wowɔ aborɔbɛ? | do you have pineapple? |
| aane, mewɔ bi | yes, I have some |
| aane, yɛwɔ bi | yes, we have some |
| aane, ebi wɔ hɔ | yes, there is/are some available |
| dabi, menni bi | no, I don’t have some |
| dabi, yɛnni bi | no, we don’t have some |
| dabi, ebi nni hɔ | no, there isn’t/aren’t some available |
Part One: Selling
| TWI | ENGLISH |
| tɔn | sell VERB |
| adetɔn | selling NOUN: the act of selling |
| metɔn ntoma | I sell clothes |
| metɔn nkonnwa | I sell chairs |
| metɔn kyiniiɛ | I sell umbrella(s) |
| wotɔn mpaboa? | do you sell shoes (footwear)? |
| wotɔn kwadu? | do you sell bananas? |
| tɔ na tɔn | buy and sell |
Part One: Pricing
| TWI | ENGLISH |
| ɛboɔ; boɔ | price NOUN |
| bɔ boɔ | to name a price |
| atufoɔ boɔ | retailers’ price (cheap price) |
| ɛyɛ sɛn? | how much (is it)? |
| ne boɔ yɛ sɛn? | how much (is its price)? |
| mpaboa no boɔ yɛ sɛn? | how much is the price of the shoes? |
| ne boɔ yɛ den | it’s expensive |
| ne boɔ yɛ den pa ara | it’s very expensive |
| ne boɔ yɛ den dodo | it’s too expensive |
| te so | reduce it (the price) |
| te boɔ no so | reduce the price |
| ne boɔ yɛ den. mepa wo kyɛw te so | it’s expensive. please reduce it (the price) |
| fo | cheap |
| ɛyɛ fo | it’s cheap |
| ɛyɛ fo o! | it’s super cheap! |
| aduane no yɛ fo o! | the food is super cheap! |
Part One: Paying
| TWI | ENGLISH |
| tua | pay VERB |
| tua ka | to pay for it (pay what’s owed) |
| tua ma me | pay for me |
| mɛtua | I will pay |
| mentua | I won’t pay |
| mentumi ntua | I cannot pay |
| mɛtumi abɛtua (ɔ)kyena? | can I come and pay tomorrow? |
| firi | to take/give on credit |
| fa firi me | give it to me on credit |
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Founding Editor at LEARNAKAN.COM | MYTWIDICTIONARY.COM | LEARNAKANFLUENCYCLUB.COM
STEPHEN AWIBA, known by his students as TIKYA YAW, is the founding editor of LEARNAKAN.COM and MYTWIDICTIONARY.COM. He was born and raised in Kumasi, the Ashanti regional capital of Ghana, where Akan (Asante Twi) is spoken as the first language. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Linguistics and Theatre Arts from the University of Ghana and an MPhil in English Linguistics and Language Acquisition from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
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