campaign Expressions

Exclamations in Fon

Surprise, joy, annoyance or shock are expressed in fɔ̀ngbè with short, powerful interjections. Here are the most common ones, to slip into your conversations.

schedule 4 min
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1
Surprise

“Anɖí !” and “Ãḿ !”

Anɖí !Oh my! (pleasant surprise)
Ãḿ !What? (sharp surprise)
E !Hey! (calling out, getting attention)
Yɛ̀ɛ̀ !Oh! (astonishment)
2
Joy

Celebrating and laughing

Wǎwǎ !Well done! (applause)
É nyɔ́ tawùn !That’s very good!
Awǎnyi !Bravo! (celebration)
Aɖé !Joy!
É nyɔ́ tawùn !
That’s really good!

These words spoken by a native speaker: Parlons Fongbe Academy — 79 video lessons with a native speaker.Discover

3
Annoyance

Expressing frustration

Agbɛ̀ !Darn! (irritation)
É gbɛ̀ nú mì !This wears me out!
Eǒ !No! (firm refusal)
Kɛ̀kɛ̀n !Oh no!
info

Cultural tone

Beninese people use lots of expressive interjections — Anɖí ! or Ãḿ ! accompanied by a snap of the fingers or a light whistle. It is a whole emotional music.

Speaking from the gut

Slipping a Fon exclamation into a conversation immediately shows authenticity: Anɖí ! when you hear good news will make the person you’re talking to laugh.

à ≠ ǎ
One tone, and everything changes
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