ke a go rata
/kɪ a χʊ ˈrata/
The English phrase "I love you" is expressed in Tswana as ke a go rata.
ke a go rata is used as an affirmation of romantic feeling. The verb rata can mean both "to love" and "to like", so the specific intensity of your feeling is often determined by the context or your tone of voice.
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of ke (I), a (aspect marker), go (you) and rata (love/like).
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle a is a present continuous aspect marker used in this phrase to indicate the ongoing state of loving someone.
How do you pronounce it?
/kɪ a χʊ ˈrata/
Did you know?
- In the broader Bantu language family to which Tswana belongs, the concept of 'loving' someone is often linguistically tied to the idea of 'wanting' or 'desiring' them.
- In Tswana culture, deep affection is often expressed through actions and respect rather than just verbalizing ke a go rata.
- The word rata is also used to express a craving for food or a strong preference for a particular hobby.
Examples in context
- Ke a go rata, moratiwa.I love you, my beloved.
- O itse gore ke a go rata?Do you know that I love you?
Example conversation
Kabelo and Tshepi are sitting together in a park.
- KabeloKe a go rata, Tshepi.I love you, Tshepi.
- TshepiKe a go rata le nna, Kabelo.I love you too, Kabelo.
- KabeloO nkgantsha thatata.You make me so proud.
- TshepiKe a leboga, moratiwa.Thank you, my beloved.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations and entries ke a go rata, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
