Hello! (Note: Yoga is actually the
formal and polite way of greeting
people of all ranks)
Biaibo?
What’s up?. How is it (with you?)
(lit.: What do you say?) (Note:
you cannot say this to someone
deserving honour and respect)
Response 1: Mam ace/Etamit
Nothing much/It is fair
Response 2: Emamete ace (cut)
(absolutely) Nothing much (lit.: I
don’t have much more to say)
Anyoika/Anyena bo nat ace?
What’s up? (lit.: What else?)
Response: Emamete/Ejokuna/
ejoka (cut)
Nothing/It’s (very) fine
Kosodi bodo?. Ikote bo ai kangina?
What’s up? (lit.: How is it over
there?)
Response 1: Emamete cut
Nothing much
Response 2: Geteget/mot mot/
aikwang aikwang
So so or fairly (Lit.: A little fair/
‘swimming’ with difficulty)
Slang:
Ateso
English
Audio
Biabo ejautene kon?
What is your situation like?/
How is your health?/How are you
keeping on?
Inyobo erono/ationis/ican?
What is wrong?/ the problem?
Response: Mam ace
Nothing
Ejakai?
Are you fine?
Ikote ai?
How is it? (Lit. How are they?)
Formal:
Responding to greetings;
Araibo ijo?. Arai nat ijo/kede ijo?
How about you (singular)?
Araibo nat yesi?. Arai nat yesi?
How about you (pl.)?
A complete greeting in Ateso consists of several phrases and questions. When
greeting another person, one should go through atleast a few of them. For
example:
Ateso
English
Audio
Eyalama aanyun ijo
I’m happy to see you
Eong da eyalama aanyun ijo
I’m happy to see you too
Atubor apak naepol mam oni
iwanyuna
Long time no seen (lit.: We have
taken long without seeing each
other)
Eong da adau apak mam aanyunit
ijo
Me too, long time not seeing you
Version 1: Biabo aijar?
How is life?
Version 2: Ikoni bo aijar ai?
How is life?
Response 1: Ejai ejokuna/Mot mot
It is good/a bit fair.
Response 2: Geteget
So so.
Response 3: Aremit aremit/
Kwapekwangin
Just pushing/Just like that.
Ikoni apaaran ai/Elosi bo apaaran
biai?
How is your day? (Lit.: How is
the/your day going?)
Response 1: Ejokuna
Good
Response 2: Elosi ejok cut/noi
It is going on very well
Response 3: Geteget
So so. (lit.: Toddling/slow)
Elosit bo apaaran biai?/Biabo abu
apaaran kolosio?
How was the day?/How did the
day go?
Response 1: Ejok
Good
Response 2: Ajokuna/Ajok
It was good
Version 1: Lukore?
The people at home?
Version 2: Biabo itunga lukore?
How are the people at home?
Version 3: Do bodo ikonitunga/
abo itunga koni?
How about your people?
Response: Ejokuka
They are good
Biaibo Mukongoro?. Ejai
Mukongoro biai?
How is Mukongoro? (Mukongoro
being a place where the person
being greeted lives/resides or is
coming from)
