How to Create Questions in Igbo
Hello and welcome back!
In today’s lesson, we are going to be looking at how to create questions in Igbo. Learning how to ask questions in Igbo can help you form deeper relationships with people.
In English, we have the ‘wh’ questions, which are the most common ways of asking questions. These ‘wh’ questions are what we call ‘ájụ̀jụ́ ké’ in Igbo language. These ‘wh’ questions are: what, where, when, how, who & why.
Questions in Igbo
| English | Igbo |
| What | Gị́nị |
| Who | Ònyé |
| Where | Èbéē |
| Why | Màkà gị́nị |
| When | Kèdú mgbè |
| How | Kèdú |
Now I’m going to show you some example sentences in Igbo using the questions you learnt above.
Gị́nị
| Igbo | English |
| Gị́nị bụ̀ áhà gị́? | What is your name? |
| Gị́nị kà ị́ nà-èmé? | What are you doing? |
| Gị́nị kà ị́ chọ̀rọ̀? | What do you want? |
| Gị́nị bụ̀ íhé áhụ̀? | What is that? |
| Gị́nị nà-èmé? | What is happening? |
Ònyé
| Igbo | English |
| Ònyé bụ̀ ónyé áhụ̀? | Who is that? |
| Ònyé kà ị́ bụ̀? | Who are you? |
| Ònyé kà ị́ nà-àchọ́? | Who are you looking for? |
| Ònyé bụ̀ ńnà gị́? | Who is your father? |
| Ònyé nọ̀ ébé à? | Who is here? |
| Ònyé gwàrà gị́? | Who told you? |
Èbéē
| Igbo | English |
| Èbéē kà ị́ nọ̀? | Where are you? |
| Èbéē kà ọ́ nà-àgá? | Where is he/she going to? |
| Èbéē kà ọ́ dị́? | Where is it/where is it located? |
| Èbéē kà í sì? | Where are from/where do you come from? |
| Èbéē kà í bì? | Where do you live? |
| Èbéē kà ị́ nà-àrụ́ ọ́rụ? | Where are you working? |
Màkà gị́nị
| Igbo | English |
| Màkà gị́nị kà í jì èbé ákwā? | Why are you crying? |
| Màkà gị́nị kà í jì àgbá égwū? | Why are you dancing? |
| Màkà gị́nị kà í jì kpọ́ọ́ yā ásị̀? | Why do you hate him/her/it? |
| Màkà gị́nị kà í jì hụ́ yā n’ányá? | Why do you love him/her? |
| Màkà gị́nị kà í jì èkwú? | Why do you say so? |
| Màkà gị́nị kà í jì bị́á? | Why did you come? |
Kèdú mgbè
| Igbo | English |
| Kèdú mgbè ị́ gà-àbị́á? | When will you come? |
| Kèdú mgbè ọ́ gà-èbídó? | When will it start? |
| Kèdú mgbè ị́ nà-àgá ákwụ́kwọ́? | When are you going to school? |
| Kèdú mgbè há gà-ágbà ákwụ́kwọ́? | When will they wed? |
| Kèdú mgbè ó kwèsìrì? | When is it appropriate? |
| Kèdú mgbè ànyị́ gà-ágbà égwū? | When will we dance? |
Kèdú
| Igbo | English |
| Kèdú kà í mèrè? | How are you? |
| Kèdú kà ńdị́ ńkúzí gị mèrè? | How are your teachers? |
| Kèdú ótú ḿmádụ̀ gà-èsí àbụ́ dọ́kị́tà? | How can one become a doctor? |
| Kèdú kà ị́ gà-èsí èrú ụ́lọ̀ákwụ́kwọ́? | How will you get to school? |
| Kèdú kà í sì méé yā? | How did you do it? |
| Kèdú kà há sì èmé? | How do they behave? |
Okay, that wasn’t too bad right?
Now you know how to ask questions in Igbo. You can try it out on your own by making different questions using words like “Gị́nị”, “Ònyé”, “Èbéē”, “Màkà gị́nị”, “Kèdú mgbè”, and “Kèdú”. Just remember, the more you practice, the more you learn.
See you in the next lesson!