Everything below is what a beginner actually needs first: greetings, polite words, numbers, family, food, time and getting around. Each entry shows the Setswana 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
Dumela Hello Ke a leboga Thank you O amogetswe Welcome Tsamaya sentle Goodbye Ee Yes Nnyaa No Tsweetswee Please Intshwarele Sorry Meeting people Introduce yourself and ask how someone is
Leina la me ke Amara My name is Amara Leina la gago ke mang? What is your name? O tsogile jang? How are you? Ke tsogile sentle I am fine Metsi Water Dijo Food Tsala Friend Ntlo House Counting Numbers one to five and shopping at the market
Nngwe One Pedi Two Tharo Three Nne Four Tlhano Five Ke bokae? How much is it? Mmaraka Market Metsi Water Madi Money Questions people ask about Setswana Is Setswana hard to learn? Tone distinguishes otherwise identical words. The g is pronounced as a throaty sound, closer to Scottish loch. Politeness markers attach directly to verbs. Where is Setswana spoken? Botswana and South Africa — around 8 million. Writing system: Latin alphabet.
Can I learn Setswana 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.