mélòó
The Yoruba phrase for "how much" is mélòó.
mélòó is used as a determiner to ask about the cost or price of an item.
Meaning: what is the cost/price? (det)
Did you know?
- In traditional Yoruba markets, asking mélòó is often just the start of a rhythmic negotiation process rather than a simple request for a single number.
- If you ask mélòó for a person's age or a count of items, the word functions more like 'how many' in English, showing the versatility of the term across different types of measurement.
- When asking mélòó for a bulk item, the answer may be given in traditional units of measurement that predate the colonial introduction of scales.
Examples in context
- Mélòó ni èso yìí?How much is this fruit?
- Mélòó ni ìwé náà?How much is the book?
Example conversation
Olumide is buying fruit from Morenike at a market.
- OlumideMorenike, ọmọ tàlà mélòó ni?Morenike, how much is the orange?
- MorenikeỌgọ́rùn-ún náírà ni kan.One is one hundred naira.
- OlumideÓ dun mọ́ mi, mo máa ra méjì.That sounds good, I will buy two.
- MorenikeẸ ṣeun, Olumide.Thank you, Olumide.
