Cooking & Markets

1. Ke batla go ithuta go apaya bogobe

   I want to learn how to cook bogobe

   Usage

   Asking to learn to cook the staple porridge

   Grammar Note

   bogobe is the staple grain porridge of Botswana. apaya is "cook" (dictionary). Composed from dictionary-verified words by regular grammar; native review recommended.

2. Ke apaya bogobe jwa mabele

   I am cooking sorghum porridge

   Usage

   Saying what you are cooking

   Grammar Note

   bogobe jwa mabele is sorghum porridge. mabele is a class 6 plural, "sorghum" in the dictionary. Composed from dictionary-verified words by regular grammar; native review recommended.

3. Nama e a nkga sentle

   The meat smells good

   Usage

   Praising the smell of the meat

   Grammar Note

   nkga is "smell, emit odour" (dictionary). nama is class 9. sentle is "well" (dictionary). Composed from dictionary-verified words by regular grammar; native review recommended.

4. O se ka wa tsenya letswai

   Please do not add salt

   Usage

   Asking for no salt

   Grammar Note

   The prohibition is o se ka wa + verb (found in the New Testament and tn.wikipedia). letswai is a class 5 noun "salt". Composed from dictionary-verified words by regular grammar; native review recommended.

5. Ke kopa o apaye nama sentle

   Please cook the meat well

   Usage

   Asking for the meat to be cooked well

   Grammar Note

   Ke kopa o + subjunctive (ending -e) means "please ...": apaya becomes apaye. No verified idiom for "thoroughly", so "well" is used. Composed from dictionary-verified words by regular grammar; native review recommended.

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