top ten ghanaian phrases and other observations

Top Ten Ghanaian Phrases
1. Obruni how are you? Everyone says this, from night market ladies, to young children, to professors and vendors calling to you on the street, and always with an emphasis on the “un” in Obruni.

2. What do you want? A polite and completely routine way of asking “what would you like?”. You hear this in every stall at a market.

3. Please I’m coming. Said when a Ghanaian wants you to wait for him. Assuring you that he will come back.

4. No Please. Used just like yes please is. I always laugh when I hear this one.

5. You go and come. Meaning, you will leave and then come back later. For example, if you don’t have enough money to pay the night market lady 50 pesewas for a bag of pineapple, you can go get the change and come back later.

6. Somehow. Used by my favorite taxi driver, Nuridean. “Somehow, I am tired.” “Nuridean, will you go to tema later?” “yes, somehow”. Always with the emphasis on “how” and the “some” in an unnaturally high pitch.

7. It is finished. There is no more. Usually you are told this when you want something the most, like fanchoco at the ISH market.

8. Small small. Used to describe a small amount. “You only speak small small twi”

9. I like it= I want it. It’s nice= I like it.

10. Ai! More of a noise than an expression, a high-pitched squeal of surprise or disapproval. Used by taxi drivers when you suggest a price that is “not good” or by the ladies at the market when you knock over an entire table of pens, rulers and notebooks with your huge, American backpack (not that I’ve had personal experience or anything).

I have also found that it’s very difficult to explain hypothetical situations. For example, when in a taxi and you want to know how far a certain place is and you ask “How long would it take to go to Adabraka?” The taxi driver always responds “Oh, you want to go to Adabraka? We go to Adabraka.” You have to say, “No, no no, how long WOULD it take?” You usually get the answer after several rounds of this.

Another thing that Ghanaians do to catch your attention is hiss. To produce this hiss, close your teeth and push your tongue up to the front of your teeth and make an “ssss” noise. I am constantly being hissed at. Ghanaians do not yell “Hey!” or even make a noise when they want to catch your attention, they just hiss. Once, I saw a university student, laden with three or four bags chasing down a tro-tro that he clearly needed to be on very badly, hissing after it. He did not yell, “Stop the tro-tro!” or “Hey!” or even “AHHHHH”, he just kept on hissing as though his life depended on it. I watched incredulously, completely sure that the tro-tro was not going to stop for the running hisser. Miraculously, the tro-tro stopped and began to back up to let him on. I think they can hear hissing through walls.