| I | Pronomen | nna | I am here now. Nna ke fano jaanong. |
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| you | Pronomen | wena | You are my friend. Wena o tsala ya me. |
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| he | Pronomen | ene | He is at home. Ene o kwa gae. |
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| she | Pronomen | ene | She is very happy. Ene o itumetse thata. |
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| we | Pronomen | rona | We work every day. Rona re dira letsatsi lengwe le lengwe. |
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| they | Pronomen | bone | They are in the house. Bone ba mo ntlong. |
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| what | Pronomen | eng | What do you want? O batla eng? |
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| where | Adverb | kae | Where is the school? Sekolo se kae? |
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| when | Adverb | leng | When will you come? O tla tla leng? |
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| who | Pronomen | mang | Who is that person? Motho yoo ke mang? |
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| why | Adverb | goreng | Why are you sad? O hutsafetse goreng? |
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| how | Adverb | jang | How do you know? O itse jang? |
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| to be | Verb | bo | I am very tired. Ke lapile thata. |
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| to have | Verb | na le | I have a book. Ke na le buka. |
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| to do | Verb | dira | They do the work. Ba dira tiro. |
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| to go | Verb | ya | We go to school. Re ya sekolong. |
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| to come | Verb | tla | Please come tomorrow morning. Tswee-tswee tla ka moso mo mosong. |
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| to see | Verb | bona | I see the moon. Ke bona ngwedi. |
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| to know | Verb | itse | I know your name. Ke itse leina la gago. |
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| to think | Verb | akanya | We think about life. Re akanya ka botshelo. |
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| to want | Verb | batla | They want more water. Ba batla metsi a mangwe. |
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| to need | Verb | tlhoka | I need your help. Ke tlhoka thuso ya gago. |
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| to make | Verb | dira | She makes good bread. Ene o dira senkgwe se se molemo. |
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| to take | Verb | tsaya | Take the book home. Tsaya buka o ye nayo gae. |
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| to give | Verb | naya | Give me the water. Naya metsi. |
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| to say | Verb | raya | They say the story well. Ba raya kgang sentle. |
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| to tell | Verb | bolelela | Tell me the truth. Mpolelele boammaaruri. |
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| to ask | Verb | botsa | Ask the teacher now. Botsa morutabana jaanong. |
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| to find | Verb | bona | I found my book. Ke bone buka ya me. |
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| to look | Verb | leba | Look at the sky. Leba legodimo. |
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| to use | Verb | dirisa | Use this small table. Dirisa tafole eno e nnye. |
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| to work | Verb | dira | They work every week. Ba dira beke nngwe le nngwe. |
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| to eat | Verb | ja | We eat rice tonight. Re ja raese bosigo jono. |
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| to drink | Verb | nwa | Drink the milk now. Nwa mashi jaanong. |
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| to sleep | Verb | roba boroko | The child sleeps early. Ngwana o roba boroko ka bonako. |
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| to walk | Verb | tsamaya | We walk to town. Re tsamaya re ya toropong. |
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| to run | Verb | taboga | The boy runs fast. Mosimane o taboga ka bonako. |
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| to read | Verb | bala | I read this book. Ke bala buka eno. |
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| to write | Verb | kwala | Write your name here. Kwala leina la gago fano. |
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| to speak | Verb | bua | They speak Tswana well. Ba bua Setswana sentle. |
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| to listen | Verb | reetsa | Listen to the teacher. Reetsa morutabana. |
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| to hear | Verb | utlwa | I hear the music. Ke utlwa mmino. |
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| to buy | Verb | reka | We buy fresh bread. Re reka senkgwe se sesha. |
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| to sell | Verb | rekisa | They sell fruit here. Ba rekisa maungo fano. |
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| to pay | Verb | duela | I pay the money. Ke duela madi. |
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| to help | Verb | thusa | Help the small child. Thusa ngwana yo monnye. |
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| to love | Verb | rata | I love my family. Ke rata lelapa la me. |
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| to live | Verb | tshela | We live in the city. Re tshela mo motseng. |
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| to die | Verb | shwa | All people die someday. Batho botlhe ba a swa ka letsatsi lengwe. |
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| to learn | Verb | ithuta | Children learn at school. Bana ba ithuta kwa sekolong. |
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| to teach | Verb | ruta | They teach the children. Ba ruta bana. |
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| to open | Verb | bula | Open the door now. Bula lebati jaanong. |
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| to close | Verb | tswala | |
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| person | Substantiv | motho | That person is kind. Motho yoo o pelonomi. |
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| man | Substantiv | monna | The man is strong. Monna o nonofile. |
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| woman | Substantiv | mosadi | |
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| child | Substantiv | ngwana | The child is sleeping. Ngwana o robetse. |
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| boy | Substantiv | mosimane | The boy reads quietly. Mosimane o bala ka tidimalo. |
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| girl | Substantiv | mosetsana | The girl is happy. Mosetsana o itumetse. |
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| family | Substantiv | lelapa | My family is big. Lelapa la me le legolo. |
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| mother | Substantiv | mme | My mother is here. Mme wa me o fano. |
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| father | Substantiv | rre | My father works hard. Rre o dira ka natla. |
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| friend | Substantiv | tsala | She is my friend. Ene ke tsala ya me. |
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| house | Substantiv | ntlo | The house is new. Ntlo e ntšhwa. |
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| home | Substantiv | gae | We are going home. Re ya gae. |
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| school | Substantiv | sekolo | The school is nearby. Sekolo se gaufi. |
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| city | Substantiv | motse | The city is very big. Motse o mogolo thata. |
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| country | Substantiv | naga | Our country is peaceful. Naga ya rona e na le kagiso. |
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| world | Substantiv | lefatshe | The world is changing. Lefatshe le a fetoga. |
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| street | Substantiv | mmila | The street is busy today. Mmila o tletse gompieno. |
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| room | Substantiv | phaposi | This room is small. Phaposi eno e nnye. |
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| time | Substantiv | nako | Time moves very fast. Nako e tsamaya ka bonako thata. |
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| day | Substantiv | letsatsi | Today is a good day. Gompieno ke letsatsi le lentle. |
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| night | Substantiv | bosigo | The night is cold. Bosigo bo tsididi. |
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| morning | Substantiv | moso | The morning is beautiful. Moso o montle. |
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| evening | Substantiv | maitseboa | We work in the evening. Re dira maitseboeng. |
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| week | Substantiv | beke | A week has seven days. Beke e na le malatsi a supa. |
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| month | Substantiv | kgwedi | This month is busy. Kgwedi eno e tshwaregile. |
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| year | Substantiv | ngwaga | This year is new. Ngwaga ono o mosha. |
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| today | Adverb | gompieno | I am working today. Ke dira gompieno. |
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| tomorrow | Adverb | kamoso | We will go tomorrow. Re tla ya kamoso. |
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| yesterday | Adverb | maabane | She came yesterday morning. Ene o tlile maabane mo mosong. |
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| now | Adverb | jaanong | Come here now. Tla fano jaanong. |
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| sun | Substantiv | letsatsi | The sun is hot. Letsatsi le mogote. |
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| moon | Substantiv | ngwedi | The moon is bright tonight. Ngwedi o tshwanetse bosigo jono. |
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| star | Substantiv | naledi | That star is bright. Naledi ele e phatsima. |
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| sky | Substantiv | legodimo | The sky is blue. Legodimo le le tala. |
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| earth | Substantiv | lefatshe | The earth is our home. Lefatshe ke gae ga rona. |
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| fire | Substantiv | molelo | The fire is very hot. Molelo o mogote thata. |
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| water | Substantiv | metsi | The water is cold. Metsi a tsididi. |
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| rain | Substantiv | pula | The rain is coming. Pula e a tla. |
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| wind | Substantiv | phefo | The wind is strong. Phefo e maatla. |
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| tree | Substantiv | setlhare | The tree is tall. Setlhare se seleele. |
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| flower | Substantiv | lelomo | The flower is beautiful. Lelomo le lentle. |
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| mountain | Substantiv | thaba | The mountain is high. Thaba e telele. |
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| river | Substantiv | noka | The river has water. Noka e na le metsi. |
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| sea | Substantiv | lewatle | The sea is very big. Lewatle le legolo thata. |
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| food | Substantiv | dijo | The food is ready. Dijo di siamile. |
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| bread | Substantiv | senkgwe | The bread is fresh. Senkgwe se sesha. |
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| rice | Substantiv | raese | We eat rice often. Re ja raese gantsi. |
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| meat | Substantiv | nama | The meat is hot. Nama e mogote. |
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| fish | Substantiv | tlhapi | The fish is fresh. Tlhapi e sesha. |
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| egg | Substantiv | lee | The egg is broken. Lee le thubegile. |
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| milk | Substantiv | mashi | The milk is warm. Mashi a bothitho. |
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| fruit | Substantiv | maungo | Fruit is good food. Maungo ke dijo tse di molemo. |
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| tea | Substantiv | tee | The tea is hot. Tee e mogote. |
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| coffee | Substantiv | kofi | The coffee is strong. Kofi e bogale. |
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| head | Substantiv | tlhogo | My head hurts today. Tlhogo ya me e botlhoko gompieno. |
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| eye | Substantiv | leitlho | Her eye is red. Leitlho la gagwe le khibidu. |
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| ear | Substantiv | tsebe | My ear hurts now. Tsebe ya me e botlhoko jaanong. |
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| mouth | Substantiv | molomo | Open your mouth wide. Bula molomo wa gago thata. |
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| nose | Substantiv | nko | My nose is cold. Nko ya me e tsididi. |
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| hand | Substantiv | seatla | Wash your hand now. Tlhapa seatla sa gago jaanong. |
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| foot | Substantiv | lonao | His foot is strong. Lonao lwa gagwe lo nonofile. |
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| heart | Substantiv | pelo | My heart is calm. Pelo ya me e ritibetse. |
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| name | Substantiv | leina | Your name is beautiful. Leina la gago le lentle. |
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| book | Substantiv | buka | This book is new. Buka eno e ntšhwa. |
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| word | Substantiv | lefoko | This word is important. Lefoko leno le botlhokwa. |
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| language | Substantiv | puo | Tswana is a language. Setswana ke puo. |
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| money | Substantiv | madi | I need more money. Ke tlhoka madi a mangwe. |
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| work | Substantiv | tiro | This work is hard. Tiro eno e thata. |
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| love | Substantiv | lorato | Love is very important. Lorato le botlhokwa thata. |
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| music | Substantiv | mmino | The music is beautiful. Mmino o montle. |
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| story | Substantiv | kgang | The story is interesting. Kgang e a kgatlha. |
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| way | Substantiv | tsela | This way is easy. Tsela eno e motlhofo. |
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| thing | Substantiv | selo | That thing is new. Selo seo se sesha. |
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| life | Substantiv | botshelo | Life is not easy. Botshelo ga bo motlhofo. |
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| door | Substantiv | lebati | The door is open. Lebati le butswe. |
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| table | Substantiv | tafole | The table is big. Tafole e kgolo. |
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| chair | Substantiv | setulo | The chair is broken. Setulo se thubegile. |
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| car | Substantiv | koloi | The car is fast. Koloi e bofefo. |
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| good | Adjektiv | molemo | This food is good. Dijo tseno di molemo. |
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| bad | Adjektiv | maswe | |
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| big | Adjektiv | kgolo | The house is big. Ntlo e kgolo. |
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| small | Adjektiv | nnye | The room is small. Phaposi e nnye. |
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| new | Adjektiv | ntšhwa | I bought a new book. Ke rekile buka e ntšhwa. |
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| old | Adjektiv | kgologolo | |
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| long | Adjektiv | telele | The road is long. Tsela e telele. |
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| short | Adjektiv | khutshwane | |
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| high | Adjektiv | godimo | The mountain is high. Thaba e kwa godimo. |
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| hot | Adjektiv | mogote | The tea is hot. Tee e mogote. |
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| cold | Adjektiv | tsididi | The water is cold. Metsi a tsididi. |
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| happy | Adjektiv | itumetse | The child is happy. Ngwana o itumetse. |
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| sad | Adjektiv | hutsafetse | She feels very sad. Ene o hutsafetse thata. |
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| beautiful | Adjektiv | montle | The flower is beautiful. Lelomo le lentle. |
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| easy | Adjektiv | motlhofo | This work is easy. Tiro eno e motlhofo. |
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| hard | Adjektiv | thata | This question is hard. Potso eno e thata. |
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| fast | Adjektiv | bofefo | The car is fast. Koloi e bofefo. |
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| slow | Adjektiv | bonya | |
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| right | Adjektiv | siame | Your answer is right. Karabo ya gago e siame. |
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| wrong | Adjektiv | phoso | That answer is wrong. Karabo eo e phoso. |
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| important | Adjektiv | botlhokwa | This book is important. Buka eno e botlhokwa. |
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| true | Adjektiv | ammaaruri | That story is true. Kgang eo ke ammaaruri. |
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| full | Adjektiv | tletse | |
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| empty | Adjektiv | lolea | The room is empty. Phaposi e lolea. |
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| young | Adjektiv | monnye | The child is young. Ngwana o monnye. |
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| strong | Adjektiv | nonofile | That man is strong. Monna yoo o nonofile. |
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| weak | Adjektiv | bokoa | |
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| red | Adjektiv | khibidu | The flower is red. Lelomo le khibidu. |
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| blue | Adjektiv | tala | The sky is blue. Legodimo le le tala. |
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| green | Adjektiv | tala | |
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| yellow | Adjektiv | serolwana | |
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| black | Adjektiv | ntsho | The car is black. Koloi e ntsho. |
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| white | Adjektiv | tshweu | The milk is white. Mashi a masweu. |
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| yes | Interjektion | ee | Yes, I am ready. Ee, ke siametse. |
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| no | Interjektion | nnyaa | No, I do not know. Nnyaa, ga ke itse. |
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| not | Adverb | ga | I am not tired. Ga ke a lapa. |
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| and | Konjunktion | le | Tea and bread are ready. Tee le senkgwe di siamile. |
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| or | Konjunktion | kgotsa | Tea or coffee is fine. Tee kgotsa kofi go siame. |
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| but | Konjunktion | mme | |
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| if | Konjunktion | fa | If it rains, stay home. Fa pula e na, nna gae. |
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| because | Konjunktion | ka gonne | I stayed home because it rained. Ke nnile gae ka gonne pula e nele. |
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| with | Präposition | le | I came with my friend. Ke tlile le tsala ya me. |
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| without | Präposition | ntle le | He left without money. O tsamailwe ntle le madi. |
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| for | Präposition | bakeng sa | This gift is for you. Neo eno ke bakeng sa gago. |
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| from | Präposition | go tswa | She comes from school. Ene o tswa sekolong. |
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| to | Präposition | go | We went to town. Re ile toropong. |
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