ke a leboha
To say thank you in Sesotho, use ke a leboha.
ke a leboha is the standard way to thank someone. It works whether you are thanking one person or many.
Meaning: an expression of gratitude (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
ke a leboha is a complete sentence. ke means I, a is a present tense marker and leboha is the verb to thank, so it literally means I am thanking.
Which one should you use?
To show more gratitude, say Ke a leboha haholo, meaning I thank you very much.
How does it change in a sentence?
To speak for a group, change the subject prefix from ke to re. re a leboha means we thank you.
Did you know?
- Using re a leboha even when you are alone can be a way of acknowledging that your success was aided by your ancestors or community.
- In Sesotho culture, showing gratitude is often accompanied by a slight bow or a humble gesture of the hands, especially when addressing elders or people of high status.
- Sesotho belongs to the Bantu language family, meaning the root of leboha is shared with related words for gratitude in languages like Zulu and Xhosa.
Examples in context
- Ke a leboha.Thank you.Ke a leboha stands alone as a full sentence meaning thank you.Tatoeba #13778218 by ecorralest101, translation #1876041 by Asma
- Ke a leboha haholo.Thank you very much.
- Ke a leboha ka thuso ea hau.Thank you for your help.
Example conversation
Masego hands Thabo a glass of water.
- MasegoSena, Thabo.Here, Thabo.
- ThaboKe a leboha, Masego.Thank you, Masego.
- MasegoHa go na le taba.It is no problem.
- ThaboKe thabile.I am happy.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
