Everything below is what a beginner actually needs first: greetings, polite words, numbers, family, food, time and getting around. Each entry shows the Sango 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
Bara ala Hello Merci mingi Thank you Tondaa Please Ala ngbâ nzoni Goodbye Eh Yes Pëpe No Nzoni Good Pardon Sorry Meeting people Introduce yourself and ask how someone is
Iri ti mo nye? What is your name? Iri ti mbi Amara My name is Amara Tongana nyen? How are you? Mbi yeke nzoni I am fine Kamarad Friend Ngu Water Da House Molenge Child Counting Numbers and market basics
Oko One Use Two Ota Three Osio Four Oku Five A ngbâ nyen? How much is it? Marche Market Ngu Water Nginza Money Questions people ask about Sango Is Sango hard to learn? Grammar is light, which is why it spread as a common language. Tone is written with accents in careful spelling. Borrows extensively from French. Where is Sango spoken? Central African Republic — around 5 million including second-language speakers. Writing system: Latin alphabet.
Can I learn Sango 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.