English→Congolese French

Translate English to Congolese French like a local.

Le français de Kinshasa garde une base française tout en laissant entrer des mots de lingala comme mbote et le familier cadavéré.

Going the other way? Congolese French to English·Cette page en français

474 local dialects

AIRTranslate on iPhone choosing between French varieties

What locals actually say

Hi, how are you?

Mbote, ça va ?

Mbote reste en lingala comme salutation courante, même dans une phrase française informelle.

I’m exhausted after work.

Je suis cadavéré après le travail.

Cadavéré est un terme familier du français congolais pour dire qu’on est complètement épuisé.

Can you send me some airtime?

Tu peux m’envoyer les unités ?

Les unités désignent couramment le crédit téléphonique dans les échanges quotidiens en RDC.

Where should I get off for the market?

Je descends où pour le marché ?

Descendre où is a common Congolese French construction for asking where to get off public transport.

Let’s eat at the small restaurant near the market.

Allons manger au malewa près du marché.

Malewa is a Lingala loanword for a modest local eatery, signaling casual Kinshasa speech.

Give my greetings to your mother.

Donne mbote à ta mère.

Mbote is a Lingala greeting used inside Congolese French, signaling an informal local register.

It’s really hot today.

Il fait chaud seulement aujourd’hui.

Postposed seulement is a casual Congolese French intensifier meaning really or very much.

We’ll see each other tomorrow, okay?

On se voit demain, on est ensemble.

On est ensemble is a Congolese conversational formula signaling agreement, solidarity, or confirmation.

Notes like these come with every AIRTranslate translation, so you learn why locals phrase it that way as you go.

How Congolese French differs

Congolese French (Kinshasa). Standard base; Lingala loanwords in casual speech (mbote as greeting stays Lingala); cadavéré informal for exhausted; courteous register in formal text.

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Localization Notes explaining why locals say it that way