Questions in Fon

Questions:

.WAV Files

Nabi we? - How much is it?

Asi towele do gangi a? ... Een, asichele do gangi. - Are your wives well? ... Yes, my wives are well. The Fon are polygamist, and most people know that Westerners are not polygamist, so to tease, they asked me how my wives (plural) were doing.

Asi nabi a do? - How many wives do you have? If you say you have more than one wife, you'll probably be asked this question. If you are over 20 and you aren't married, they will want to know why. I got tired of explaining why I wasn't married so I gave them the below answer and had some fun.

Ah! un do asi sukpo din! Yea! I have a lot of wives! I was often asked the same questions over and over again: where are you from?, how long are you here for?, how many wives do you have?, how many kids do you have?, when are you going back to the US? What did you bring me? etc. Instead of getting frustrated, I used humor and said things like- "Ah- I have a lot of wives." If they would press me for a number I would say "oh about 30," and they would know I was kidding. They love to joke around. Being in Benin can be very frustrating and humor is the best remedy.

Azote a no wa? What kind of work do you do?

A na nu sin kpede a?... Eeen, na nu sin kpede- Are you going to drink a little water?... Yes, I'm going to drink a little water.

Ete a du a de? - What did you eat?

Ete a na du? - What are you going to eat?

Tok Tok Tok- Onomatopoeia for knock knock knock. Because it so hot inside their houses, they spend most of their time outside. Rarely do people go in their houses and close the door unless they are sleeping. If you know someone is in their house and the door is open, it's hard to knock on it so they use the onomatopoeia instead.

Me we?...Nye we - Who is it? It's me (response to the above). If you live in Benin, you will surely have lots of visitors both wanted and unwanted because everyone wants to see the Yovo. You will be the center of attention whether you like it or not, so this will come in handy.

Ete a hen wa nu mi?- What did you bring for me? If you go anywhere, it is expected that you bring something back. Anything will do. Realize that you won't be able to make everyone happy. Being generous in Benin is a double edged sword. Giving is good for you because you will be glad to help people and the recipients of your gifts will be appreciative. Unfortunately, the more you give, the more people will come to you asking you for "cadeaux" (gifts- in French). You will have to set limits and stick to them, or you may find yourself being harassed.

Kenklen, Un hen nu ti nu we ã- I didn't bring anything for you. - Response to "What did you bring me" This is a little forward. You may want to make up something to make a joke out of the fact you were a cheap skate (or so they like to make you feel). You can say "I brought myself". Or I brought the sun for you etc. Humorous and creative "non-gifts" are often appreciated too.

Ete ba a de? - What are you looking for?

Fite a na yi de? - Where are you going?

Fite a no no de?- Where do you live?

Un no no do Yovo tome, do Etats-Unis, do Ameliki. - I live in the land of white people, in the United States of America. I would say Yovo tome just to be funny because it goes without saying. Many of the whites in Benin are from Europe (mostly France, Germany, and the Netherlands), so you may be labeled European. From their perspective Americans are the same as Europeans because we share a common heritage even though we've been separated for over 200 years. I guess it's the same as someone who doesn't know much about Africa, might think that there isn't much difference between a Nigerian and a Beninese person because they are both African.

Novi nabi a do? Un do novi nyonnu dokpo, kpo novi sunnu dokpo - How many brothers or sisters do you have? I have one sister and one brother.

Sin bla sin we we a?, Eeen, sin bla sin mi. - Are you thirsty?...Yes, I'm thirsty.

Vi nabi a do? - How many kids do you have?

Un do vi we. - I have two children.

Un do sunnu dokpo, kpo nyonnu dokpo. - I have one boy and one girl.

Xove sin we we a? Eeen, xove sin mi. - Are you hungry?...Yes, I'm hungry.

Xwe nabi a do. Un do xwe ko nukun tanton. - How old are you?...I am 27 years old.

Hwetenu a na leko do Benin? - When are you going to come back to Benin?

Na leko, ekpo xwe we- I'm going to come back in two years.

Non Fon Pages: My Pictures of Benin Benin Related Links Guest Book Maps Stories From My PC Diary Beninese Food Recipes New Content! Peace Corps Q & A Benin Books and Music