dumela
/dumɛla/
The English phrase "hi" is translated into Tswana as dumela.
dumela is a standard, friendly greeting used in everyday social interactions.
Meaning: friendly, informal greeting (intj)
Which one should you use?
Use dumela when greeting a single person, whereas dumelang is used for multiple people.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form dumelang is used when greeting more than one person or when addressing a group.
How do you pronounce it?
/dumɛla/
Did you know?
- While dumela means 'hi', its root verb dumela also means 'to agree' or 'to believe'. To greet someone is essentially to acknowledge their presence and agree that they are welcome.
- When using dumela to greet an elder, it is customary to accompany the word with a slight bow or a gesture of respect to acknowledge their status.
- Tswana is a tonal language, meaning that changing the pitch of your voice while saying dumela can potentially change the meaning of the word in different contexts.
Examples in context
- Aa, o kae?Hey, how are you?
- Aa, o tswa kae?Hey, where are you from?
- Dumela, mma.Hi, ma'am.
- Dumela, rra.Hi, sir.
- Dumela, tsala ya me.Hi, my friend.
Example conversation
Two friends meet on the street.
- MasegoDumela, Thabo!Hi, Thabo!
- ThaboDumela, Masego!Hi, Masego!
- MasegoO tsoga jang?How are you?
- ThaboKe tsoga sentle, mme wena?I am doing well, and you?
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry dumela, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
