Luganda→English

Translate Luganda to English the way locals mean it.

Luganda speakers often use greetings, respectful forms, and idioms whose intended meaning is less literal and less formal in English than the words suggest.

Going the other way? English to Luganda

474 local dialects

AIRTranslate on iPhone choosing between Luganda varieties

What locals actually say

Oli otya, ssebo? Wasuze otya?

Good morning, sir. How was your night?

Oli otya is a routine greeting, not a request for a detailed report on your condition, while ssebo marks respectful address and wasuze otya asks about the night just passed.

Kale, nja kukukubira nga nkomye.

All right, I’ll call you when I’m finished.

Kale can signal agreement or close a small exchange, rather than simply naming a state of being okay; nga nkomye means when I have finished.

Togwaamu maanyi, tujja kutuukayo.

Don’t lose heart, we’ll get there.

Okugwaamu amaanyi literally describes strength leaving someone, but the construction is an idiom for becoming discouraged or losing hope.

Kino kitundibwa ssente mmeka?

How much is this?

ssente mmeka is the Luganda price construction: ssente means money and mmeka asks how many.

Ntuuka ntya ku ppaaka okuva wano?

How do I get to the taxi park from here?

Ntuuka ntya is the Luganda how-do-I-reach construction, while ppaaka is the Kampala term for a taxi park.

Nnyongereko ku matooke gano, ssebo.

Please add some more of these matooke for me, sir.

The suffix -ko in nnyongereko marks adding some for the speaker, and matooke names steamed green cooking bananas.

Muganda wange yazaala omwana omuwala.

My sibling has had a baby girl.

Muganda wange means my sibling in Luganda, while yazaala signals giving birth.

Omulimu gutandika ku ssaawa bbiri ez'okumakya.

Work starts at 8 in the morning.

The Luganda clock phrase ssaawa bbiri counts from the 6 a.m. reference point, so it means 8 a.m., not two o'clock.

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

How Luganda differs

Luganda (Kampala/Buganda); ssebo/nnyabo respectful address; oli otya greetings.

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Localization Notes explaining why locals say it that way