Order a Simple Meal
The student can order a simple meal.
- Stating food preference and other specific items in a restaurant
- Ordering meals at a restaurant
- Asking questions about food menu
- Asking how much or pricing things while shopping
- Responding to a salesperson
Vocabulary List
Click the audio icon below to play the recorded pronunciation for each word. You can also open the list below in a new tab, which can be downloaded or printed.
Practice: Interpretive Communication
Presentational Communication
Context: Michael is telling his friends about the food he likes best.
Transcript:
Oúnjẹ tí mo fẹ́ran jù ni ìrẹsì jọ̀lóọ̀fù àti ẹran adìyẹ. Mo fẹ́ràn ìrẹsì jọ̀lóọ̀fù nítorí pé oúnjẹ aládùn ni. Mo lè jẹ́ pẹ̀lú dòdò àti ẹ̀wà. Nígbà míràn, mo lè jẹ́ pẹ̀lú ẹran adìyẹ nìkan, màá wá mu omi si. N kò fẹràn láti mu kóòkì ti mo bá jẹ ìrẹsì jòlóọ̀fù.
Practice: Presentational Communication
Listen to the presentation and read the transcript
- Make a list of the vocabulary you find interesting in the video.
- Write at least two sentences using some of the vocabulary you heard in the video. Say them out loud.
Interpersonal Communication
Context: Michael and Tolu are planning to go to an African restaurant. They look at the restaurant’s menu on their phones to decide if the restaurant has the kinds of food they would love to have for lunch.
Transcript:
Micheal: Ṣé o mọ̀ nípa ilé ounjẹ Africa ti ó wà ni Downtown?
Tolú: Bẹ́ẹ̀nì, ṣùgbón mi ò mọ̀ bóyá wọ́n ń ta oúnjẹ Yorùbá.
Micheal: Èmi náà. Jẹ́ ki a wo àwon ounje ti wón ń tà lórí ińtánẹ́ẹ̀tì.
Tolú: Hmm, wòó, wọ́n ní gbẹ̀gìri àti ewédú.
Micheal: Wọ́n tún ń ta ṣàki, àmàlà, iyán àti pònmó.
Tolú: Hmm, gbogbo oúnje Naìjíría àti ti àwọn orílè èdè Afírika míràn ni wọ́n ń tà.
Micheal: Jẹ́ ká pàdé níbẹ̀ ní ago méjìlá ọ̀sán.
Tolú: Kò burú
Micheal: Ó dàbò.
Tolú: Ó dàbọ̀.
Practice: Interpersonal Communication
Watch the video again and read the transcript carefully.
- Using your phone, pull up the menu of your favorite restaurant from Google
- Tell a friend the food you would like for lunch or dinner from the restaurant’s menu
- Switch roles to ask what food your friend would like to have for lunch
Grammar Notes
Verbs
Verbs are the main grammatical component that expresses the action in a sentence or phrase. Verbs in Yoruba can be monosyllabic or disyllabic. Monosyllabic verbs such as sùn, “sleep,” wẹ̀ “bath,” rà “buy or spoilt,” gbé “carry,” etc. have only one syllable and they can provide complete information about the action in a sentence.
Examples:
- Mo sùn. “I slept.” “Sùn” is the verb that expresses the action in this sentence.
- Mo máa wẹ̀ ” I will bathe.” “Wẹ̀” is the verb in this example.
Disyllabic verbs have more than one syllable and express complete action in a sentence. Examples include: gbàgbé “forget,” rántí “remember,” ṣubú “fall,” pàtẹ́wọ́ “clap” etc.
Regardless of the number of syllables in a verb, verbs in Yoruba can be transitive or intransitive. Examples 1 and 2 above are intransitive verbs because they do not need an object noun or pronoun to make complete sense.
Transitive verbs require that an object noun or pronoun be included in the sentence. Otherwise, the sentence will be meaningless.
Examples:
3. *Mo jẹ “I ate”
The sentence in example 3 is meaningless in Yorùbá without the object noun . See example 4 below for the correct structure of the sentence:
4. Mo jẹ iṣu. “I ate yam.”
In addition to transitive and intransitive verbs, Yoruba has other types of verbs, and a few of them are discussed below:
Auxiliary Verbs
Auxiliary verbs could be described as helping verbs, but they cannot provide complete information about the action in a sentence unless they are paired with a main verb. Examples are words like ṣẹ̀ṣẹ̀ “just,” fẹ́rẹ̀ (fẹ́) “about.”
Examples:
5. Olú ṣẹ̀ṣẹ̀ dé láti ilé ìwé. “Olú just arrived from school.”
6. A ti fẹ́rẹ̀ (fẹ́) bẹ̀rè. “We are about to start.”
Some auxiliary verbs are indicators of tense and aspect in Yorùbá. See the next chapter for more discussion on tense and aspect in Yorùbá. They function along with the main verbs in the sentence to show tense and time of an action. For example, máa “will” is an auxiliary verb that shows an action that will take place in the future, while ń, marks ongoing action in Yoruba.
Examples:
7. Mo máa lọ sí lé ounjẹ Africa ti ó wà ni Downtown. “I will go to the African restaurant in Downtown.”
8. Bọ́lá ń wa ọkọ̀. “Bọ́lá is driving a car.”
Split verbs
Split verbs are verbs that have one singular meaning but split in a sentence to allow for insertion of another word. The split alongside the inserted word informs the overall meaning of the sentence.
Example:
- Tẹ́—lọ́rùn “To be content.”
- Ó tẹ́ mi lọ́rùn láti jẹ́ ọ̀jọ̀gbọ́n ní yunifásítì. ” I am content with being a university professor.”
2. Gbà—gbọ́ “To believe”
- Mo gba ọlọ́run gbọ́.” I believe in God.
Note: In split verbs, the insertion of the appropriate noun or pronoun in between the verbs allows for complete and meaningful sentence.