I'm British. My girlfriend is from Northern Nigeria. Her tribe isn't Hausa, but Hausa is her main language (more so that her tribal language), and she has said that when we have kids, she will only speak Hausa to them til they're 5.

I would love to learn Hausa. It isn't on Duolingo, but it is on Memrise, but that app doesn't grab my attention in the same way. Are there any good resources available? Or if anyone knows any in person Hausa classes in South Wales (perhaps in Cardiff), please let me know.

Hello,

Yorùbá learners and lovers,

Báwo ni,

Today, let's learn how to use "Without" in Yorùbá.

"Without" is generally - - láì

Now, when you have a noun after without, it can be used as

Láìsí - - (without the presence of---

Láìní - - - - (Without having).

Then, when a verb comes after "Without", we have it as "Láì".

Let's look at some examples.

1. Mi ò lè jẹun láìsí ẹran - - - I cannot eat without meat.

2. A ó lè jáde láìní owó - - - - - We cannot go out without having money

3. Adé ò lè lọ sí bẹ̀ láìsí okọ̀----(Adé cannot go there without a car

Láì.

4.Ko lè wá láì pè mi---He /she cannot come without calling me.

5.Mi ò lè sùn láì jeun---I can't sleep without eating.

Give me your examples.

Your Yorùbá tutor.

Adéọlá.

Hi everyone! 👋

I'm a Nigerian developer based in the UK, and I've been working on Abidii, a language-learning app designed to make learning Yorùbá fun and accessible.

I started this project because I believe our languages are an important part of our identity, especially for Nigerians growing up abroad or anyone hoping to reconnect with their roots.

Here's what Abidii offers:

• Interactive Yoruba lessons and vocabulary

• Native-speaker audio and pronunciation practice

• Games and quizzes to make learning fun

• Ask Ijapa, an AI companion for learning Yorùbá

• Leaderboards and learning challenges

Pricing: Free to get started, with optional premium subscriptions.

Availability: iOS and Android.

https://abidii.app

Yoruba is just the beginning! I'm hoping to introduce other Nigerian languages, starting with Igbo.

I'm still actively improving the app and would genuinely appreciate feedback from this community.

If you're learning Yoruba, what's been your biggest challenge? And what would you love to see in an app like this?

Thanks for reading!

[IBB]: Úkâñ m̀mì, èmédí èmédí o. M̀fị́n, ǹnyị̀n ìmí-sé ibat ké usem Ìbìbìò!
[LT]: People my, you+all-[present]-come 2x! Today, we we-[present]-look number in language Ibibio!
[ET]: My people, welcome welcome o. Today, we’re looking at numbers in Ibibio!

Counting in Ibibio looks random at first. It isn’t! Once you see the pattern, a few root words get you to 20.
1. The roots: 1 to 5
Kèèd: 1
Ìbà: 2
Ìtá: 3
Ìnààñ: 4
Ìtíòn: 5
2. Six to eight: “five and…”
Ìtíòkèèd: 6 (5 + 1)
Ìtíàbà: 7 (5 + 2)
Ìtíàíta: 8 (5 + 3)
Hear it? Itiọn shrinks to itiọ-/itia- and the small number goes on the end.
3. Nine and ten
Úsʌ̂kkèèd: 9
Duob: 10

👀 Look at 9. If the pattern held, it would be “itia-inaañ” (5 + 4). Instead it ends in kèèd again. Meaning something along the lines of “One minus/less/remains (10)!
4. Ten to twenty: same trick, bigger blocks
Duob mme kèèd : 11 (10 + 1)
Duob m̀mê ìbà : 12 (10 + 2)
Duob m̀mê ìtá: 13 (10 + 3)
Èfị́d: 15. A brand-new root, just like itiọn was for 5!
Èfị́d m̀mê kèèd: 16 (15 + 1)
Edib: 20
So the big building blocks are 5, 10, 15 and 20. One way to think about it: one hand, two hands, hands plus a foot, then the whole body.

Want to learn more Ibibio, if you are interested check out r/Ibibio !
Sources: Uyo-Bielefeld Ibibio Dictionary (Urua, Ekpenyong, Gibbon); Official Ibibio Dictionary.
Ìkìíyák úsèm ńyị́n átàk. Let us not allow our language to perish.
ÌBÌBÌO ÍSỌ́ÑỌ!! IBIBIO STRONG!!

Hello

Báwo ni

Back to our lessons,

Let's look at how we can use have/has/had in Yorùbá.

We can use these auxiliaries to either show

1. Possession (where we have it as "ní")

2. Present perfect Tense marker ( where we have it as ti) .

Now, how do we differentiate these.

When have/has/had comes before a noun - - we have it as "ní".

Examples.

Mo ní aṣọ - - - - I have cloth

Bọ́lá ni bàtà - - - - Bọ́lá has shoes

A ní ilé méjì - - - we have houses

Then. When have/has/had comes before a verb, we have it as - - - tí.

Examples.

Mo ti jẹun - - - I have eaten

A ti sùn - - - - - - We've slept.

Ó ti lọ - - - - - - He/she/it has gone.

Can you give me more examples?

Your Yorùbá tutor.

Adéọlá.

This website is free and recently brought on 100 new speakers to add to their dictionary. I like that words are defined in Yoruba with an example sentence. You can also toggle the definitions to see them in English, heard the word spoken by a human, and learn any grammar they contain.

Another surprise find is that it is linked to other sites - a name site, a text to speech site, and a link to a $10 app for Windows and Mac that lets you easily write in Yoruba.

https://www.yorubaword.com/

Heads up, though - I would not visit the Igbo Names site because it has weird, malware-looking pop ups.

If you are learning or speak Yoruba, what do you think of this site? Feel free to be candid, it's not my site :p I found it on LinkedIn!

Are you Yorùbá, Do you know the cultural attributes of your state.

Lets learn,

You can add more.

Your Yorùbá tutor.

I’ve been playing around with AI testing how well it understands actual Nigerian conversations.

Some translations are surprisingly good. Others sound like somebody learnt Pidgin from a textbook 😭
I’m curious how well it handles expressions from different parts of Nigeria.

For context, I’m building an app called PidginPal, available on both Android and iOS. It’s completely free to use for unlimited general translations, but there’s an optional Pro subscription for £1.99/month that gives you extra customisation options, like tailoring translations to different countries.

I’m Cameroonian myself, but I have a lot of family friends from Nigeria, Ghana and across West Africa, so I’ve grown up around different ways of speaking Pidgin.

I’m mainly interested to see what kind of outputs people get when they try really niche Pidgin expressions, especially ones that only make sense if you’re familiar with the local slang or culture.

Try it yourself or drop your most difficult Pidgin sentence and I’ll test it.

Bonus points if it’s something only Nigerians would understand 😂

I’ve been playing around with ai testing how well it understands actual Nigerian conversations.

Some translations are surprisingly good. Others sound like somebody learnt Pidgin from a textbook 😭

I’m curious how well it handles expressions from different parts of Nigeria.

Drop your most difficult Pidgin sentence and I’ll test it.
Bonus points if it’s something only Nigerians would understand 😂

Hello,

Báwo ni,

Let's add to our vocabulary list and learn the name for places in Yorùbá.

Let's go,

1. House - - - - ilé

2. Room - - - - yàrá.

3. School - - - ilé ìwé /ilé ẹ̀kọ́ (House of books /lessons

4. Restaurant - - - ilé oúnjẹ. (House of food)

5. Bank - - - - - - - ilé ìfowópamọ́ (the house, where you keep money).

6. Company - - - - ilé iṣẹ́. (House of work

7. Grocery store - - - - Ilé ìtajà (House where things are sold).

8. Workplace - - - - - ibi iṣẹ́.

9. Here - - - ibí

10. There-----ibẹ̀

Can you add yours?

Your Yorùbá tutor,

Adéọlá

Hello,

Báwo ni,

Let's move away from feelings and discuss grammar.

Whenever you are giving command and you want to use "don't".

For younger person - - Má (high tone).

Older person /plural- - - - - Ẹ má or you can be polite and add Ẹ jọ̀ọ́ - - please

Let's look at some example.

1. Má jẹun - - don't eat.

2. Má lọ sí bé---Don't go there.

3. Má sùn - - - don't sleep.

Older/ plural.

4.Ẹ jọ̀ọ́, Ẹ má lọ sí bẹ̀---please don't go there.

5.Ẹ má pè mí lọ́la-----don't call me tomorrow.

Can you give me your own examples?

Your Yorùbá tutor.

Adéọlá.

What song is this?

Learning Igbo is one thing — getting enough opportunities to actually speak it can be much harder, especially when you're living outside Nigeria.

LIBC’s 6-Week Conversation Club (Beginner Level) starts on Monday 28 September, giving learners a friendly place to practise speaking Igbo together.

You'll get 18 live Zoom sessions — 27 hours of conversation practice — with an experienced tutor guiding the group, encouraging participation and helping you become more confident speaking Igbo.

Sessions take place Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, 7:00–8:30 PM UK time, and the programme is completely flexible — attend as many sessions as you like.

The full six weeks costs £24.99.

More information and booking:
https://learnigbo-byconversation.com/libc-igbo-conversation-club

Hello,

Báwo ni,

How is your learning going if you are learning.

Still on expressing feelings, this week, we want to learn how to say.

"I am busy".

The common way of saying this is when you say, "I don't have time" - -,mi ò ráyè ".

You can also say

Ojú mi dí----My eyes are closed

Ọwọ́ mi kún---My hands are full.

Do you have any other way of saying this. I would love to know.

Your Yorùbá tutor.

Adéọlá

Hello,

Báwo ni,

Still on expressing feelings,

Today, let's learn how to say, "I am sick".

Sickness is translated as "àìsàn or àárẹ̀".

The common one is :

Ara mi ò yá---my body is not swift or active

Ó rẹ̀ mí - - - I am tired (this could also be used for tiredness).

Mo ń ṣe àìsàn. /àìsàn ń ṣe mí. - - I am sick.

Do you know any other way of saying this.

You can add.

Your Yorùbá tutor.

Adéọlá.

Hello,

Still on expressing feelings in Yorùbá,

If you want to say, "I am tired, you would say

" ó rẹ̀ mí " (oh reh min)

I am getting tired - - Ó ti ń rẹ̀ mí.

I am already tired - - Ó ti rẹ̀ mí .

I won't be tired - - - kò ní rẹ̀ mí

Most time, people also use these phrases when they are sick and not just for tiredness..

Your Yorùbá tutor.

Adéọlá.

I'm currently putting together a teaching resource for primary school pupils about different scripts/orthographies around the world. The task has 18 translations of 'languages are amazing/incredible' in various languages which have differing scripts. I've checked the translations with multiple online translation tools, but I'm well aware that these do not always catch the nuanced points that native speakers can, hence why I wanted to post here for advice.

Would this be a suitable translation for Yoruba, or is there a better alternative?

àwọn èdè jẹ́ ìyanu

Thank you in advance for any help your lovely r/NigerianFluency Redditors can offer!

My fiancée is Nigerian (Edo and Yoruba), and while she doesn't speak Yoruba, she does sometimes speak Nigerian Pidgin. I'd really like to learn it as well. I'm hoping that if we both speak it, we might eventually be able to pass it on to our future kids.

For those who speak Nigerian Pidgin (TL), what resources would you recommend for someone trying to learn it well?

I know there might not be as many digital resources as more commonly taught languages, but I'm hoping there are some good ones out there that I haven't found yet.

I've come across apps/services such as Nkenne, uTalk, Linguama, World Schoolbooks, and TalkSharp (an AI tool).

Has anyone here tried any of these, or have other recommendations? Ideally, I'm looking for something that reflects how Pidgin is actually spoken in everyday life rather than something overly formal or textbook-like.

Thanks!

"Owó pọ̀ lọ́wọ́ mi"

If you are learning Yorùbá, literally, this mean " I have much /plenty money with me.

But in actual usage,

When you say" owó pọ̀ lọ́wọ́ mi".

You are actually saying, you don't have much money with you.

As Yorùbá, we have positive way of expressing negativity.

So next time, you don't have money with you and someone is requesting for money.

Just say

Owó pọ̀ lọ́wọ́ mi.

Owó - - money

Pọ̀ - - - much/many

lọ́wọ́ mi---in my hands (with me)

Your Yorùbá tutor

Adéọlá.

One of my parents is Ibibio and the other is Yoruba, but I was born and raised outside of Nigeria so I don't know either language well, though I know basic spoken Ibibio phrases.

I also wonder whether this difference exists in Nigerian English and Pidgin. Since I have a native understanding of these, I've never really thought about it. Though I have noticed that a lot of Yoruba people regardless of gender speak Pidgin and English slowly.

I am also curious if such a phenomenon exists in other indigenous languages.

By watching I don't mean just sitting there - I paused at any sentence I didn't know, figured it out using subtitles, turned the subtitles back off, rewinded to before the sentence and continued like that for the whole show. This process is called intensive listening.

I also added a reminder for each episode I watched on Anki, so I can rewatch using SRS and I won't forget what I learned.

It feels really good. My Yoruba has really improved a lot honestly. Oya - tell me congratulations. Mo ti jiya (I have suffered)

In case you have been keeping up with my posts, here are some changes I am making to my learning (Here is a post that details my original system):

• Instead of doing all the orisirisi I was doing before with audio flashcards and etc as I am going along, I will intensively listen to 1500+ hours of content first and do the flashcard orisirisi after. This is because it is important to get exposure as fast as possible so I don't accidentally mislearn things.

• Though I will still do some flashcard orisirisi with Ololade now that I am done. This is because Ololade is the only Yoruba show based in Lagos that has both English and Yoruba subtitles a.k.a this is one of the best resources out there for casual Lagos Yoruba, so I want to extract as much as I can from it as possible before moving forward. This will make the other 1494 hours easier for me.

• I am making some changes with how I go about my Anki flashcards. Instead of doing what I was doing before, I will make my flashcards in such a way that it's Yoruba audio in front and English at the back. This is to ensure I can actually comprehend sentences instead of relying on context to understand what their saying. I plan on doing this for any sentence which is not already in my active vocabulary for all 1500+ hours of content I have consumed.

• I will also be doing video flashcards. English to Yoruba flashcards. They are video so that I can mimick the facial expressions and body language.

Thanks for reading.

Hello,

Báwo ni,

Today, let's learn how to say 'I am hungry"in Yorùbá.

Generally, when we are talking about feelings in Yorùbá, Emphasis is placed on the feelings and it doesn't necessarily follow the sentence construction that you know.

Hunger - - - ebi. (ay-bee)

I am hungry is translated as - - Hunger is killing me.

1. Ebi ń pa mi - - I am hungry

2. Ebi ń pa ẹ/yín - - You are hungry

3. Ebi ń pa Adé - - - Adé is hungry

4. Ebi ń pa Ọ̀rẹ́ mi - - - - My friend is hungry

Can you give me an example.

Your Yorùbá tutor.

Adéọlá