Ke a o rata
In Sesotho, 'I love you' is expressed as Ke a o rata.
This phrase is used as an affirmation of romantic feeling.
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The literal translation of Ke a o rata is 'I you love'. Ke means 'I', a is a continuous aspect marker, o means 'you' and rata means 'love'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase can change depending on who you are addressing. To show respect to an elder or to address more than one person, change the object pronoun o to u, resulting in Ke a u rata. Additionally, in many Sesotho dialects, the object pronoun o is often replaced by ho, creating the form Ke a ho rata.
Did you know?
- In Sesotho culture, romantic love is often expressed through actions and indirect language rather than the explicit phrase Ke a o rata.
- Because Sesotho is a tonal language, the pitch used when saying rata can subtly shift the emotional weight of the phrase.
- To express a deeper, more soulful love, Sesotho speakers might use the word lerato which refers to love as an abstract concept or a spiritual force.
Examples in context
- Ke a o rata haholo.I love you very much.
- Ke a o rata, moratuwa oa ka.I love you, my beloved.
- O batla ho tseba hore ke a o rata?Do you want to know that I love you?
Example conversation
Palesa and Thabo are saying goodbye for the evening.
- PalesaKe a o rata, Thabo.I love you, Thabo.
- ThaboLe nna ke a o rata, Palesa.I love you too, Palesa.
- PalesaKe tla u utloela longing.I will miss you.
- ThaboKe tla u bona kapele.I will see you soon.
