o etsa eng?
The English phrase "what are you doing?" is translated into Sesotho as o etsa eng?
This phrase is used to ask someone about their current activity.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the subject concord o (you), the verb etsa (do) and the interrogative eng (what).
Which one should you use?
If you are addressing a group of people (you plural), use le etsa eng? instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
To address a group of people (you plural), replace the subject concord o with le.
Did you know?
- In Sesotho, o etsa eng? can function as a casual greeting similar to 'how are you doing?' rather than just a literal inquiry into a person's activity.
- Because Sesotho is a tonal language, the way you pitch the syllables in o etsa eng? can subtly change the entire meaning of the sentence.
- The word etsa is a causative verb, meaning its root logically implies 'making' or 'causing' something to happen rather than just 'doing'.
Examples in context
- O etsa eng hona joale?What are you doing right now?
Example conversation
Lebo walks into the room and sees Tshepi studying.
- LeboTshepi, o etsa eng?Tshepi, what are you doing?
- TshepiKe bala buka e ncha.I am reading a new book.
- LeboNa ke ntho e thabisang?Is it something interesting?
- TshepiEe, ke ntho e monate haholo.Yes, it is a very nice thing.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries etsa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
