D: D
Damn (Interj): Jam
Damn it, what have you done?: Jam i, wa yu du?
Look at your damn ball: Ku pon yu jam baal
Damn it, why have they not invited him for the party: Jam i, wa mek dem naa invait im fi di paati
Dance (Nou & Ver): Daans, Wain or Brokinz
Wain:
Meaning:
- To dance and sometimes the dancer might be seductive
- To grind the hips
Nou
The dance party is tonight: Di brokinz paati a tinait
Ver
She realy likes dancing: Im laik a brokinz fitruu
Jerome and the wife like to dance: Jerome an di waif laik fi daans
He liked the way the lady danced in front of him: Im en laik di wie di lied wine eena fron a im
I am going to the show tonight to see how those girls dance: Mi gwain a shuo tinait fi si hou dem-de gyal wain
To dance to reggae music: Skank
We are dancing to the reggae song; Wi a skankin
Dandy (Nou): Stuoshas
Meaning: A man who is concern about his dressing and appearance
The women like him because he is dandy: Di uman-dem laik im bikaaz im a stuoshas
Timo is dandy and he realy knows fashion: Timo a stuoshas an im nuo fashin fitruu
Dangerous (Adj): Tallawah
Those men are dangerous: Dem-de man-dem a talawa
The street is dangerous, don’t walk alone there in the night: Di striit a talawa, nuh waak aloun de eena di nait
Darling (Nou): Daalin, Bibi, Boso, Dudu, Dundus, Lulu, Tutu, Putu or Putus
Look over there my darling is coming: Ku uoba deso mi lulu a kom
My darling, come and we go for shopping: Mi boso, kom wi guh fi shapin
Is she your darling? i am seeing you always smiling when you are talking to her: Im fi-yu bibi? mi si yu haazwiez a kin yu tiit wen yu a taak tu har
Daughter (Nou): Daata
Caroline is my daughter: Caroline a mi daata
She is the daughter of Mr. Drake: Im a di data fi Maas Drake
Dawn (Nou & Ver): Dieliet
Nou
Tomorrow you come before dawn: Tumaro yu kom bifuo dieliet
They reached Amsterdam at dawn: Dem kech Amsterdam dieliet
Ver
The people of Agago are yet to see the dawn of its politics when Darah Derow comes: Di piipl fi Agago a yet fi si di dieliet fi i politricks wen Darah Derow kom
Day (Nou & Adv): Die pronounced as dyay
Nou
Today is Tuesday: Tide a Tyuuzde
The nation of today is different from the time we were youth: Di nieshan aff tide a difran fram di taim wi en a yuut
Today is beautiful, di you know that? Tide a boonoonoos, yunuo dat?
Adv
We can’t meet today, let us meet tomorrow: Wi kyaahn miit tide, mek wi miit tumaro
The other day: Wa die
I saw her the other day in the market: Mi si har wa die pon di maakit
Dear (Nou): Dier
Dear Sir, good morning. I am call Mr. Baluku: Dier sa, gud mwanin. Mi a kaal Maas Baluku
Deceive (Ver): Shooks, Shuuks or Plie im out
Why did you deceive her: Wa mek yu shooks im
He deceived me: Im plié mi out
December (Nou): Disemba
December is the twelveth month of the year: Disemba a di twelb mont fi di ier
I was born in the month of December: Mi en baan eena di mont aff Disemba
Definition (Nou): Difinishan
Definition of a brother is someone you share great opportunities with and the one who can raise you up from a bad state: Difinishan aff a breda iz smadi yu shier criss apachuniti wid an di wan huu kyan riez yu op fram a mashop
Deception (Nou): Olo
She like deception: Im laik olo
Defecate (Ver): Diidi or Duudu
The child want to defecate: Di pikni waan fi diidi
Degree (Nou): Digrii
He went to college to study for a degree: Im guh tu kalij fi stodi fi a digrii
The girl has high degree of understaning: Di gyal hab hai digrii af ovastandin
Delicate (Adj): Frenkeh
Children have delicate skin: Pikni hab frenkeh skin
Delightful (Adj): Boonoonoos
Today is delightful: Tide a boonoonoos
I have a delightful friend: Mi hab a boonoonoos fren
The park is delightful: Di paak a boonoonoos
The show was delightful: Di shuo en boonoonoos
Demented (Adj): Stakki
That man and woman coming are demented: Dat man an uman a kom a stakki
Described (Adj): Kaali
The place is described as origin of man: Di plies a kaali harijin fi man
Olim is described as the land of knowledge, peace, love and respect: Olim a kaali di lan a nuolij, peace, lob an rispek
Dessert (Nou): Dizort
The place is near the desert: Di plies a nier di dizort
Destroy (Ver): Mash op or Mash Dong
Destroy the corrupt systems of this nation: Mash op di babilan sisstim-dem fi dis nieshan
They destroyed many youths in this country: Dem a mash op nof yuut eena dis kontri
The heavy rain destroyed their home: Di hebi rien mash op fi-dem yaad
Detox (Nou): Wash out
Take a lot of water to detoxify the body: Tek nof waata fi wash out di badi
Orange and ginger is realy good for detoxifying the body: Arinj an jinja a gud fitruu fi wash out di badi
Devil (Nou): Debl or Di Wikid Wan
The devil has led many brothers and sisters to hatred: Di debl en liid nof breda anh sistren tu hiet
The devil has destroyed many lifes in this world: Di wikid wan en mash op banz a laif pan dis wurl
Deceitful (Adj): Disepshos
He is deceitful: Im a disepshos
Diarrhea (Nou): Running Belli
I have diarrhea: Mi hab a running belli
Diaspora (Nou): Dayaspora
He is in the diapora: Im a eena di dayaspora
Die (Ver): Ded
He is going to die early if he continues to drink alcohol excessively: Im gwine ded hoerli ef im kantiniu fi dyink liquor kyaan-don
Different (Adj): Difran
The way i behave is different from my brothers: Di wie mi gwaan a difran fram mi breda
The book is different: Di buk a difran
Different nations but same people: Difran nieshan bot siem piipl
Dilemma (Nou): Precke or Pricke
Meaning: A situation where someone finds it hard to release him/her from entanglement of difficulties which are unpleasant or trying
I am in dilemma: A mi eena precke
Disappoint (Ver): Shooks
I waited till late for him to come but he disappointed me: Mi did wiet til liet fi im tu kom bot im shooks mi
To fail to fulfill a promise: Sherrif
She failed to fulfill her promise of loving me forever: Im sherrif fi lob mi fieba
Dishonesty (Nou): Hood-i-op
You are dishonest: Yu a hood-i-op
Many people are dishonest in this world of today: Nof piipl a hood-i-op eena dis wurl aff tide
Disobedient (Adj): Haad-aize
They are disobedient youth: Dem a haad-aize yuut
They are disobedient children: Dem a haad-aize pikni
Disordered (Adj): Chaka-chaka
The house is disordered, clean it: Di a hous a chaka-chaka, pran i
Disordered (Adj): Chaka-chaka
Disrespect (Ver): Style
Do not try to disrespect me: Nuh trai fi style mi
Distant (Nou): Chak or Chuku
My house is a long distance away from his: Mi hous chak op fram fi im
I have to go a long distance to reach town: Mi haffi guh chak op a toun
All the way (A long distant to travel): Chak or Chuku
Darah Derow you have to go all the way to Olim, Syndicate today: Darah Derow yu hafi guh chak op a Olim, Syndicate tide
It’s all the way up to Ontario that you will find good fish: A chak op a Ontario dat yu a guh fain gud fish
Distress (Nou): Pooroo
Meaning: State of difficulty or pshycological suffering
She is distressed: Im a pooroo
When you are distressed don’t drink alcohol: Wen yu a pooroo, nuh dyink liquor
Direction (Nou): Wie
She has gone to the northern direction: Im gaan naat wie
They took the direction of Pretoria not Johenesburg: Dem tek Pretoria wie naa Johenesburg
Which direction did they take: Wich wie dem ton
Dirty (Ver): Doti, Dotti or Dutti
The dress is dirty: Di frak a dotti
The table is dirty: Di tiebl a dotti
Disk Jockey- DJ (Nou): Selekta
He is the Dj of Dadereen: Im a di selekta fi Dadiriin
Dadereen has one of the best reggae DJs: Dadiriin hab wan a di bes reggae selekta-dem
Division (Nou): Divijan or Divizhan
The football team is in division one: Di futbaal tiim eena divizhan wan
The city has four divisions: Di rimma hab fuo divizhan
Do (Ver): Duh or Du
Do that: Duh dat
Do you like that place: Duh yu laik dat plies
Doing (Ver): A duh or A du
What is he/she doing:
Wa im da du
Wa im a du
What are the children doing? let them come here: Wa di pikni-dem a du? mek dem kom ya
How is he doing in the new school?: Hou im a duh eena di nyuu skuul
Be doing: Gwaan wid
What are the girls doing inside the house: Wa gyal-dem gwaan wid eena di hous
What is Berna doing inside my room: Wa Berna gwaan wid enna mi ruum
She is doing nothing: Im a duh notn
Bob and his friends are doing all kinds of bad things to us: Bob-dem a gwaan wid a banz a bad ting tu wi
I am happy to hear of how you are doing: Mi appi fi yeri hou yu a gwaan
Doing something fast: Kwiktaim
They are building the house very fast: Dem a bill di hous kwiktaim
Do it: Dwiit
Don’t: Duohn, Doun or Nuh
I don’t know what to say: Mi nuh nuo wa fi seh
I don’t know where he is: Mi nuh nuo we im de
Did you know? Yunuo?
He is a teacher, did you know? Im a tiicha, yunuo?
Did you know that? Yunuo se
Did not (Ver): Neva or Neba
He did not come home today: Im neba kom a yaad tide
Dog (Nou): Daag
This is my dog: Dis a mi daag
Domineer (Ver): Trang-yai
Meaning: Rule or exercise power on someone in a cruel and autocratic way
This country has a domineering leader: Disya kontri hab a trong-yai liida
Donate (Ver): Doniet
Donate to the nation: Doniet tu di nieshan
Donation (Nou): Donieshan
Donation to help the extremely poor people who can hardly earn to get on with life: Donieshan tu help di puckro-dem
Donkey (Nou): Dangki or Jabby
The donkey is mine: Di dangki a fi-mi
It’s my donkey: A fi-mi jabby
Door (Nou): Duor
The door is strong: Di duor a chrang
Go and open that black door: Guh uopn dat blak duor
Keep the door open: Cotch di duor
Please keep the door open: Du cotch di duor
Doorway (Nou): Duor-mout
Tell her not to stand on the doorway: Tel har nat fi tan pon di duor-mout
Down (Adv): Dung or Dong
I am in down town Lagos: Mi eena dong toun Liegas
Put down the bucket of water: Pudong di bokit a waata
Draw (Ver): Draa or Jaa
Draw a straight line: Draa a chriet lain
Dress (Nou): Frak or Laama
She is sewing her dress: Im a suo im frak
Pick that white dress: Pik dat wait laama
Drink (Nou): Dringk, Jink or Dyink
What are they doing, they are drinking:
Wa dem a du, dem a jink
Wa dem gwaan wid, dem a dyink
Drinking can (Nou): Pannicle or Cannicle
Put for me a cup of water in the drinking can: Put fi mi a kop a waata eena di cannicle
Drive (Nou): Draib
I am going to drive back to Casablanca tomorrow: Mi gwain draib bak tu Casablanca tumaro
It’s by driving that Darah Derow came here: A draib Darah Derow draib kom ya
Driving fast: Lif-op
He is driving very fast to Los Angeles: Im a lif-op tu Las Iienjilis
Drive away: Shishi
He drove away to London: Im shishi tu Landan
Drizzle (Nou): Juu
The rain is drizzling: Di rien a juu
Drop (Nou): Drap or Jrap
Drop the ball: Drap di baal
Drum (Nou): Drom
The drum is his: Di drom a fi-im
They use the drum for the dance in the party: Dem yuus di drom fi di daans eena di paati
Drunk (Adj): Tipsi
She is drunk: Im a tipsi
He was very drunk yesterday: Im en tipsi kyaan-don yeside
Dry (Ver): Drai or Jai
Wait for the cloth to dry: Wiet fi di klaat fi jai
Bring a dry cup, this one is wet: Bring a drai kop, dis wan a wetiweti
The water poured on the book, put it outside so that the sun dries it: Di waata puor pan di buk, put i outsaid fi mek di son drai i
Dull (Ver): Bobo
He is a dull child: Im a bobo pikni
Don’t treat us like we are dull, we are adults: Nuh triit wi laka wi bobo, a wi big-smadi
Dusk (Nou): Dos
They will reach home till dusk: Dem a guh kech a yaad til dos
It’s now dusk and late, come tomorrow: A nou dos an liet, kom tumaro
Dusty (Adj): Dosi
The room is dusty: Di ruum a dosi
The chair is dusty, clean it with those rags: Di chier a dosi, pran i wid dem-de para-para
Dwarf (Nou): Puchin or Kunchin
He is a dwarf: Im a puchin
All of us are equal whether you’re a dwarf or very tall: Wuola wi a siem weda yu a punchin aar langulala
Dwindle (Ver): Dwinggl
The money i saved is dwindling: Di moni mi did siev a dwinggl