English is Nigeria’s official language, and you can live in Lagos on English alone. But Lagos is Yoruba land - Eko, in Yoruba - and on the street, in the market and in the danfo, the city also speaks Yoruba and Pidgin. A greeting in either changes how people deal with you.
Lagos is also home to people from every part of Nigeria, so you will hear Igbo, Hausa and a dozen other languages. Pidgin is what they share.
Greetings come first
In Nigeria, launching into a request without greeting someone is rude. Greet first, ask second - at the gate, at the shop, at the office, every time. And greet older people properly: in Yoruba, the respectful form starts with E.
| Yoruba | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|
| E kaaro | Good morning | To an older person or a stranger; kaaro to a friend |
| E kaasan | Good afternoon | |
| E kaale | Good evening | |
| Bawo ni? | How are you? | Answer daadaa ni - fine |
| E se | Thank you | O se to a friend or someone younger |
| E kaabo | Welcome | |
| E ku ise | Well done | To anyone working |
| Pele | Sorry | Sympathy - when someone trips, is tired, is ill |
| O dabo | Goodbye |
Yoruba is a tonal language, written properly with tone marks - Ẹ káàárọ̀. Most people leave the marks off when texting, as above.
Words you will hear every day
- Oga - boss. Any man in charge, and a polite way to address one.
- Madam, Aunty, Uncle - for women and men older than you, related or not. Calling an older person by their first name is rude.
- Ma and sir - at the end of almost every sentence to someone older.
- Elo ni? - How much? The most useful question in any market.
- Owa! - “I’m getting off here,” called to a danfo driver.
- Oyinbo - a white person, or a foreigner generally. Usually said without any hostility.
- Kia kia - quickly.
Pidgin
Nigerian Pidgin is the city’s common tongue. It sounds close to English and is not; words you recognise do different work.
| Pidgin | Meaning |
|---|---|
| How far? | Hello, how are you? Answer I dey - I’m fine |
| Wetin? | What? |
| Abeg | Please |
| Wahala | Trouble. No wahala - no problem |
| Oya | Come on, let’s go, go ahead |
| Sabi | Know, or know how to. I no sabi - I don’t know |
| Chop | Eat |
| Na so | That’s how it is; exactly |
| Shey? | Isn’t it? Did you? - turns a sentence into a question |
| Sharp sharp | Quickly |
| Japa | To emigrate - literally, in Yoruba, to run away |
Nigerian English
Some English means something different here:
- “I’m coming” - “wait, I’ll be right back”, said as someone leaves.
- “Well done” - a greeting to anyone working, not praise.
- “Sorry” - sympathy, even when it was not the speaker’s fault.
- Go-slow - a traffic jam.
- Flash - to ring someone and hang up so that they call you back.
- Dash - a gift or a tip.
- Off the light, on the generator - switch off, switch on.
- “Up NEPA!” - what the whole street shouts when the power comes back.
Manners that go with the words
- Use your right hand to give, take and eat.
- Younger people bow, kneel or prostrate to greet elders in Yoruba custom. Nobody expects that of a foreigner, but a slight bow and both hands when giving something to an older person are noticed and appreciated.
- Don’t rush the greeting. Asking after someone’s family, their work and their health before getting to business is not small talk; it is the business.