Looking for practical Alur to Tswana phrases? This free guide lists 100 essential sentences for travel, study, work, and everyday conversation. Each line shows the Alur phrase first, then the Tswana translation (Tswana) — so you can scan quickly before a trip, class, or video call.
The phrases are grouped into eight topics: greetings and pleasantries, useful phrases for travellers, everyday conversation, directions and getting around, shopping and dining, emergencies and health, work and business, and time, days and numbers. Use the table of contents to jump straight to greetings, directions, dining, emergencies, or numbers. You do not need perfect grammar to start — short, clear sentences often work better than silence when you are learning Tswana.
Tip: read the Tswana line out loud three times, then cover the Alur side and try to recall the meaning — repetition builds memory faster than silent reading.
Bookmark this page for offline review, share it with a travel buddy, or open the Alur to Tswana translator to paste your own messages and get an instant translation.
Greetings and pleasantries
Hello, goodbye, please, thank you, and polite introductions for meeting new people.
Salam
Dumela
Matur nuwun
Ke a leboga
Selamat pagi
Dumelang
Selamat sore
Dumela mo afternoon
Selamat malam
Dumela mo evening
Selamat bobo
Borai
Sampai jumpa
Tsamaya sentle
Selamat tinggal
Tsamaya sentle
Sapa nama mu?
O na le leina mang?
Nama ku John
Leina la me ke John
Kabar apa?
O kae?
Senang bertemu denganmu
Ke itumetse go kopana le wena
Useful phrases for travellers
Airport, hotel, tickets, and transport phrases for getting around on a trip.
Nyo nyi ngana Inggris?
A o bua Seisemane?
Nyo ngana Hindi badi.
Ke sitwa go bua Hindi sentle
Nyo ngana nyo.
Ke sitwa go tlhaloganya
Tolong nyi lempang.
Tsweetswee bua ka bonako
Nyo bisa nyi lagi?
A o ka bo o bua seo gape?
Di mana kamar mandi?
Borai bo kae?
Nyo nyi ka pusat kota?
Ke tshela jang go ya borai jwa motse?
Belok kiri.
Fetola go ya ka letlhako le letona
Belok kanan.
Fetola go ya ka letlhako le lebaganeng
Nyi terus.
Tswelela ka fao
Berapa harga tiket?
Gaeletsi e bokae?
Satu tiket, tolong.
Tikit e le nngwe, tsweetswee
Apakah jauh dari sini?
A ke kgole go tswa fano?
Nyo hilang.
Ke a latlhela
Di mana bisa beli kartu SIM?
Borai ke ka fao ke ka rekang SIM card?
Everyday conversation
Small talk, feelings, opinions, and common chat phrases for daily life.
Iyo
Ee
Ayi
Nnyaa
Mungkin
Mafoko
Ngeye
Ke a dumela
Ayi ngeye
Ke sitwa go dumela
Iya, enak
Seo se utlwisa molemo
Napa pendapatmu?
O akanya eng?
Bisa bantu saya?
O ka nthusa?
Saya butuh bantuan
Ke tlhoka thuso
Tunggu sebentar
Emisa motsotso
Saya minta maaf
Ke maswabi
Tidak masalah
Ga go na bothata
Selamat
A re amogele
Selamat ulang tahun
Tlhogomelo e e monate
Semoga selamat dalam perjalanan
O seka wa tsamaea ka bolokegong
Directions and getting around
Asking where something is, left and right, distances, and finding your way.
Dika stasiun kereta?
Ke kae borai jwa terene?(ke kae borai jwa terene)
Dika halte bis?
Ke kae borai jwa boso?(ke kae borai jwa boso)
Platform mana?
Ke phetogo efe?(ke phetogo efe)
Jam berapa ia berangkat?
Nako efe e tlogang?(nako efe e tlogang)
Apa ini jalan yang benar?
A ke tsela e e siameng?(a ke tsela e e siameng)
Iya dekat sini
E kgaogang fa(e kgaogang fa)
Iya jauh dari sini
E le kgakala le fa(e le kgakala le fa)
Bisa tunjukkan di peta?
O ka nthusa go bontsha mo mape?(o ka nthusa go bontsha mo mape)
Berhenti di sini, tolong
Emisa fa, tsweetswee(emisa fa, tsweetswee)
Berapa lama waktu yang dibutuhkan?
E tsaya nako e kae?(e tsaya nako e kae)
Shopping and dining
Ordering food, asking prices, paying the bill, and shopping at markets or stores.
Berapa harga ini?
Ke bokae?(ke bo kae?)
Itu terlalu mahal.
Seo ke se expensive(se ke se expensive)
Apakah ada yang lebih murah?
A o na le sengwe se se cheap?(a o na le sengwe se se cheap?)
Bisa bayar pakai kartu?
Na nka lefa ka khadi?(na nka lefa ka khadi?)
Saya mau meja untuk dua.
Ke kopa tafole ya babedi(ke kopa tafole ya babedi)
Tagihan, tolong.
Bille, tsweetswee(bille, tsweetswee)
Apakah layanan sudah termasuk?
Na tshebeletso e akaretswe?(na tshebeletso e akaretswe?)
Saya vegetarian.
Ke movegetarian(ke mo vegetarian)
Tidak ada makanan pedas, tolong.
A re na le dijo tse di spicy, tsweetswee(a re na le dijo tse di spicy, tsweetswee)
Ini enak.
Se ke se monate(se ke se monate)
Bisa minta menu?
Na nka nna le menu?(na nka nna le menu?)
Segelas air, tolong.
Glasi ya metsi, tsweetswee(glasi ya metsi, tsweetswee)
Emergencies and health
Help, police, doctor, pharmacy, and urgent situations when you need assistance fast.
Bisa ngelap polisi
Bua le mapolesa
Bisa ngelap ambulans
Bua le ambulance
Aku butuh dokter
Ke tlhoka ngaka
Aku merasa sakit
Ke ikutlwa ke sitwa
Aku alergi kacang tanah
Ke na le allergy go peanuts
Di mana rumah sakit terdekat?
Hospitale e kgethegileng e kae?
Sakit di sini
Go botlhoko fa
Aku kehilangan paspor
Ke sitwa passport ya me
Bisa telepon hotelku?
O ka bua le hotele ya me?
Tolong!
Thusa!
Work and business
Meetings, email tone, schedules, and professional phrases for the workplace.
Ngomong bareng kowe
Ke itumetse go kopana le wena
Ayo kita atur rapat
A re beye ngwaga ya kopano
Jam pira sing cocog kanggo kowe?
Nako efe e go thusang?
Aku bakal ngirim laporan dina iki
Ke tla romela reporteng gompieno
Apa kita bisa ngomong sesuk?
A re ka bua ka borai?
Mangga deleng file sing dilampirake
Tsweetswee, etse fa faele e amanang
Matur nuwun kanggo wektu kowe
Ke a leboga ka nako ya gago
Aku ngarep-arep bisa kerja bareng kowe
Ke itumelela go dira le wena
Apa kowe bisa nerangake titik kuwi?
A o ka tlhalosa ntlha eo?
Ayo aku bali menyang kowe
A ke boele go wena
Wektu pungkasan yaiku Jumuah
Nako ya go fela ke Labohlano
Time, days and numbers
Clock times, days of the week, months, quantities, and counting for appointments and plans.