UNIT 20 ISI NKE IRI ABỤỌ ỊZỤ AHỊA NA IRE AHỊA (buying and selling / shopping )

Objective

By the end of this lesson, learners should be able to: 1) Engage in a buying and selling dialogue. 2) Use a sense of Igbo numbers in the bargaining process. 3) Know the prominent Igbo color names. 4) Know the different kinds of Igbo adjective.

Introduction

Buying and selling is an essential part of the Igbo tradition. The Igbo market is not a “one price tag” says it all, it is a bargaining place. People beat the prices down until they get the right price. Igbos are generally known as farmers and craftsmen. They plant and reap their produce. Most of these produce or products end up in the market where they are sold at a reasonably bargained price.

Lesson Vocabulary

ịsị - say - sịrị		Said
Abada		Wrapper
Ahịa		Market
Akpụkpọ ụkwụ		Shoes
Ákwà		Cloths
Àkwáb		Egg
Akwụkwọ ndu/akwụkwọ ndu		Green
Atụ		Chewing stick
Azịza		Broom
Bụluu		Blue
Di iche iche		Different kinds
Edo-edo		Yellow
Efe/uwe		Shirt/blouse
Ego		Money
Ego ole		How much
Enyo		Glass
Eri/owu		Thread
Gwara		Told
ịchafụ		Chiffon
Idị ọnụ		To be expensive
Igwa		To tell
Iko		Cup/tumbler
Ikwe ọnụ ahịa		To burgain
ịnọ		To sit. * ịnọ can also mean “to be in a place”.
Ire ahịa		To sell
Iwe ihe		To take something
Iyeri		Earrings
Izụ ahịa		To buy
Mbọ		Comb
Mmee mmee		Red
Ncha		Soap
Ntụ – ntụ		Ash
Ntụtụ		Needle
Ọcha		White
Oche		Chair
Ogbo		Sponge
Ojii		Black
Ọla		Jewelry
Onye na azụ ahịa		Buyer
Onye na ere ahịa		Seller
Ụcha		Colors
Ude		Cream/lotion
Uhie-uhie		Brown
Ute		Mat
Wepụ		Take out more
Weta		Bring

Lesson Conversation:

Onye na ere	Onye na ere ahịa na onye na azụ ahịa na ekwe ọnụ ahịa.	A buyer and a seller bargain on how much to buy a produce
Onye na azụ ahịa (Buyer):	Onye na-ere ji?	Who is selling yams?
Onye na ere ahịa (Seller)	Ọ bụ m na-ere ji	i am the one selling yams
Onye na azụ ahịa (Buyer):	Ego ole?	How much?
Onye na ere ahịa (Seller):	O bụ naira asatọ	It is eight naira
Onye na azụ ahịa (Buyer):	Naira isii	Six naira
Onye na ere ahịa (Seller):	Mba, ọ dighi mma	No that is not good
Onye na azụ ahịa (Buyer):	Onye na azụ ahịa (Buyer):	Give it to me at six naira and a half
Onye na ere ahịa (Seller):	Weta naira asaa	Bring seven naira
Onye na azụ ahịa (Buyer):	Mba, ọ di ọnụ	No it is very costly
na ere ahịa (Seller):	Ọ dị mma! Hapụ ya. M naghi ere ego ole ahụ	Ok leave it i am not selling that price
Question	Ego ole ka ị na ere azụ?	How much are you selling fish?
Answer	M na-ere azụ naira ise.	I’m selling fish, five naira
Question	Ọ bụ maka otu?	Is it for one?
Answer	Eee, ọ bụ maka otu.	Yes, it is for one.
Question	ị ga-ere naira atọ?	Would you sell three naira?
Answer	: Mba, ị ga-azụ naira anọ?	No, would you buy four naira?
Question	Ha dị mma?	Are they good?
Answer	Eee, ha nile dị mma.	Yes, they are all good

Lesson Monologue

Jessica na ekwu maka ezigbo ọnọ ahịa ọ zụrụ akpa ya. Jessica is talking about the bargain she got on her bag.

Aha m bụ Jessica M gara ahịa tata/taa ịzụ akpa ọcha. M hụrụ akpa m chọrọ. Onye na ere ahịa sịrị na ọ ga ere ya naira anọ. M jụrụ ya, ọ ga ere akpa ahụ naira abụọ. Ọ sịrị “Mba, weta naira atọ.” M gwara onye na ere ahịa na ọ bụ sọsọ naira abụọ ka m nwere. Ọ gwara m weta ego M zụrụ akpa ahụ naira abụọ.

My name is Jessica I went to the market today to buy a white bag. I saw a bag that I wanted The seller said he would sell it four naira. I asked him, if he would sell that bag two naira. He said, “No, bring three naira. I told the seller that I have only two naira He told me to bring the money I bought that bag for two naira.

Lesson Note

Grammar Notes

Grammer

Verb: ịga (to go)

Question: ị na-aga ahịa? (Are you going to the market?)
Answer: Eee, m na-aga ahịa. (Yes, I’m going to the market.)
OR
Mba, m naghị aga ahịa. (No, I’m not going to the market.)

Verb: ịzụ (to buy)

Question: ị na-azụ nri (Are you buying food?)
Answer: Eee, m na-azụ nri. (Yes, I am buying food)
OR
Mba, m naghị azụ nri. (No, I am not buying food)

Nkọwaaha (Adjectives)
An adjective qualifies a noun or pronoun. Nke a bụ ụdịrị nkejiasụsụ na enye nkọwa na okwu ọbụla ọ dị na ya. Let’s look at the different adjective classes.

Descriptive adjective (Nkọwoaha keaha)
These describe a noun or pronoun and make it more clearly understood. Nke a bụ ebe aha na akọwa aha. E.g.
mma – good/beauty
njọ - ugly
obere – small
nnukwu - big
ibu - fat
okpokpo – huge
ogologo – tall/straight
mkpụmkpụ – short
ọcha – white
oji – black
nkenke – petite
arọ - heavy
nfe – lightweight
ọjọọ - bad
ezigbo – best

NOTE In Igbo, everything goes through a process. We just don’t sleep, “we sleep sleep and we walk walk”. One cannot simply say that somebody is tall. The adjective, “tall” is not complete without a transitive object, “toro”. E.g.

Uche toro ogologo. (Uche is tall)
Ngozi sụrụ mkpumkpu. (Ngozi is short)
Africa bụru ibu. (Africa is big)
Ọ dị nkenke. (It is petite)
Ọ dị arọ. (It is heavy)

 Toro is the process of being tall.
 Sụrụ is the process of being short
 Buru is the process of being fat
 Dị is the process of being petite, heavy, light, bad, big, huge, white, black.
 Bụ is the process of being the best.
 Mara is the process of being beautiful

Interrogative adjective (Nkọwaaha keajujụ)
These are used in asking questions. “Ọ bụ mkpụrụokwu nke njụajụajụ na emebe ya”. E.g
Gịnị – what
Kedụ – how
Kedụ ebe – where
Olee ebe - where
Kedụ ihe – what
Olee – what.
Kedụ mgbe – when
Olee mgbe - when

1. Gịnị ka i me? (What did you do?)
2. Kedụ ka o si mee? (How did it happen?)
3. Kedụ ebe ọ nọ? (Where is she?)
4. Kedụ ihe ị na-eme? (What are you doing?)
5. Kedụ mgbe ọ lara? (When did he leave?)
6. Olee ihe ị na-eme? (What are you doing?)

NOTE : People from Imo and Abia state only say “olee”. People from Anambra state say “kedụ”.

Numerical adjectives (Nkọwaaha keọnụọgụgụ)
All the Igbo numerals belong to this class, whether ordinal (nke mbu = first) or cardinal (otu, abuọ, etc.). ọtụtụ, nile, dum are also numerical adjectives. E.g.

1. Mmadu atọ bịara na ụlọ m. (Three people came to my house.)
2. Mmadu nile ga-aga ụlọ akwụkwọ. (Everybody will go to school.)
3. Unu dum mara mma. (All of you are beautiful.)
4. Ọtụtụ mmadụ gara ahịa. (Many people went to the market.)
5. M bụ onye nke mbụ. ( I am the first person.)

Possessive adjectives (Nkọwaaha kennwe)

NOTE: All Igbo pronouns except i, ị, ọ, o, are possessive adjectives. Sometimes the word “nke” is used before the pronouns to stress their possessive functions or qualities as adjectives. “Ndi a na egosi onye nwe ihe”.
Example:

Anyị nọ na ụlọ nke ya. (He is in his house.)
M jere ụlọ akwụkwọ ha. (He went to their school.)
Ha nọ na otu nke anyị. (They belong to our group)

Demonstrative adjectives (Nkọwaaha kenruaka)
These adjectives point to the thing being talked about. They have the same features of “a” and “ahụ” as demonstrative pronouns. “Nke a na egosi ihe a na ekwu maka ya.”
Examples:

Akwụkwọ a bu nke m. (This book is mine.)
Nwoke ahụ agaghi alụm. (That man will not marry me.)
Nwanyị ahụ hụrụ m na anya. (That woman loves me.)
Oche a buru ibu. (This chair is big.)
Akpa ahụ dị ọcha. (That bag is white.)

Lesson Exercise

1. Fill in the blank spaces as appropriate using your own words and translate into English.
a) Chinwe na _________ ahia.
b) M _________ aga ahia.
c) Ego ole ka ị __________ ere ihe ndi a?
d) ị ga __________ naira asatọ?
e) Gịnị ________ ị na __________.
f) M ________ okpu mmee mmee.
g) O _________ere akwa ọcha
h) Ha _________izụ akpa ojii.
i) Obi ________Ada _____ahia unyahụ/echi gara aga.
j) Ahịa anyị mara _______.

2. Write a dialogue (15 sentences.) between a buyer and a seller.

3. Make sentences with these words:

a) ahịa ______________________________________________
b) ọkụkọ _____________________________________________
c) ikwe ọnụ ahịa ______________________________________
d) ewu atọ ____________________________________________
e) ire_________________________________________________
f) ịzụ ________________________________________________
g) akpụkpọ-ụkwụ ______________________________________
h) onye_______________________________________________
i) ego ole_____________________________________________
j) kedụ_______________________________________________

4. Fill in the blank with the correct answer:

a) Nna m _________ ahịa ụnyahụ/echi gara aga. (ga-aga, gara)
b) Nne m _________ ọkụkọ ise. (nwere, mụrụ, lụrụ)
c) Ha ________ ọtụtụ ihe n’ahịa n’izuụka gara aga. (zụrụ, ga-azụ, na-azụ)
d) Ọkụkọ m _______ akwụkwọ. (na-achọ, na-ata, na-ahụ, na eri)
e) Ada _______ osikapa echi. (siri, ga-esi, na esi)
f) Jessica ______ ụmụ ewu ise. (hụrụ, soro, mụrụ)
g) Anyị ______ anụ na ahịa ahụ. (rere, loro, soro, para)
h) Ụlọ anyị _______ ogologo. (suru, roro, zoro, toro)
i) Osikapa ______ anu___nri. (na, di, bụ, ri, je)
j) Ahịa anyị _____ ibu. (bi, luru, buru, jere)

5. Translate this passage:
Taa bụ ụbọchị ahịa obodo anyị. Aha ya bụ orie ukwu. Ọ bụ nnukwu ahịa obodo anyị. Ahịa anyị mara mma. Ọtụtụ mmadụ na-abịa ahịa anyị mgbe nile. Ahịa anyị mara mma. Nne m na ere ọtụtụ ih na ahịa anyị. Nna m ga-aga ahịa echi. Anyi nọ na ahịa tata. Obi gara unyahụ. Ọ ga-aga ọzọ echi. Obodo di iche iche na abịa ahịa anyi. Ha na abia ere nri na mmanya di iche iche.

6. Write the Igbo names of other items sold in the market. Be ready to discuss these and the bargaining process in class.

7. Underline the adjectives in these sentences. Write them on the line.

a) Emeka nwe akpa ọcha_________
b) Nneka hụrụ nnukwu ụlọ________
c) ukwụ m di arọ________
d) akwụkwọ a di mfe__________
e) O bụ nkenke mmadụ____________
f) Anyi nile bụ ndi ojii_________
g) Aka ya sụrụ mkpụmkpụ___________
h) Nwanne ya nwanyi bụ onye ọcha___________
i) Obi mara mma____________
j) Nwa ahụ bụ obere nwa__________

8. Circle the adjectives below.

ọtọ, ewu, ogologo, ire, mma anụ, obere
ibu, ele, okpokpo, gara, mkpumkpu, amara
ọcha, enwe, ụlọ, ogbo, oji, nnukwu, ezi
torotoro, nkenke, anur, arọ, garri, mfe, otu