Kalabari · Lessons

A beginner path into Kalabari.

Words first. The lessons below begin with the people you would meet first — grandmother, kin, a market stall — and grow outward from there. Each lesson lists English prompts; the Kalabari translations arrive as our native speakers write them in.

• 01GreetingsThis is the first thing anyone learns. How we greet people at different times of day, and how we answer.15 words
• 02Meeting someone newNames, introductions, and where you are from.11 words
• 03Polite wordsThe words people use all day long.15 words
• 04Family and peopleNouns are naming words — the names of people, places, and things. A learner needs these before anything else, because you cannot say a sentence without them.31 words
• 05NumbersThe numbers themselves, plus a few counting words.38 words
• 06The house and things around itThe everyday world inside and just outside the compound.37 words
• 07Food and drinkWhat we cook, eat, and drink.31 words
• 08The bodyThe names of the parts of the body.25 words
• 09Animals and natureThe creatures and elements around us.16 words

This is only the beginner curriculum. More lessons — grammar, conversation, ceremonial speech — will follow.