Everything below is what a beginner actually needs first: greetings, polite words, numbers, family, food, time and getting around. Each entry shows the Ewe spelling, the English meaning, and a respelling with the stressed syllable in capitals so you can say it out loud without guessing.
First words Greet someone and be polite
Woezor Hello Akpe Thank you Woezor loo Welcome Míadogo Goodbye Ɛ̃ Yes Ao No Meɖe kuku Please Meɖe kuku, fɔ mi Sorry Meeting people Introduce yourself and ask how someone is
Ŋkɔnye enye Amara My name is Amara Ŋkɔwò ɖe? What is your name? Aleke nèfɔ? How are you? Mele nyuie I am fine Tsi Water Nuɖuɖu Food Xɔlɔ̃ Friend Aƒe House Counting Numbers one to five and market basics
Ɖeka One Eve Two Etɔ̃ Three Ene Four Atɔ̃ Five Asi Market Tsi Water Aleke wòxɔ na? How much is it? Ga Money Questions people ask about Ewe Is Ewe hard to learn? Tonal, with tone often unmarked in casual writing. Uses special letters for sounds English lacks entirely. Verbs combine in series to describe one action sequence. Where is Ewe spoken? Ghana and Togo — around 7 million. Writing system: Latin alphabet with ɖ, ƒ, ɣ, ŋ, ɔ and ɛ.
Can I learn Ewe for free? Yes. This phrasebook is free to read, and SemaSoma gives you the first three units of the course plus 15 translations a day before anything is paid.