KRIO

Ah de wit u

I love this expression. Simply, it translates to "I'm with you" and means just that.

Plenty yagba don fal down pan we

Let's say you lose your job, your get sick, and then your closest friend runs off with your ex. You could then say, "plenty yagba don fal down pan me." Or, if you're a local here, and your child is sick, your job pays next to nothing, and you have to take up a second job hauling sand, you could also use the expression.

Ah don chop me money

Literally meaning "I've eaten my money," this phrase is used to say, essentially, that the person is broke. Often you'll find that after a diamond is found, the person chops all the money. Similarly, logisticians who are overseeing budgets sometimes chop the money and abscond from the country.

U da vex me

This is an expression that the nightfighters may use after you tell them you won�t be needing their services for the evening. They will often be quite angry. (See "sista ah no be wan dat")

Sista ah no be wan dat

You will want to memorize this one if you plan to spend much time in the nightclubs in country, especially if you�re really not going to engage in acts of prostitution with the local nightfighters.

Usai you been do dem bad bad bad tings

This expression was used often during the Truth and Reconciliation Committee after the war. In short, it means �where did you commit those atrocities?�

You loss O

If you�ve been up country for a bit and haven�t seen a friend for a while, they may tell you �you loss o� up returning. You must reassure them �ah dey� (I�m here) so they know you still care.

Bad bad one

Bad bad one is popular slang here for an extreme affirmative. For example, when dancing in the street during a festival a local may ask you � you enjoy o?!� and you must reply �bad bad one!!� � please note that there is a an emphasis on each �bad.� Also, more �bad�s� can be added if you really are feeling it, so you might reply �bad bad bad bad bad one!!!!!!!!!!�

Belly-Belly tumba

Of all the tumbas in Sierra Leone, the belly-belly one is the biggest, roundest, and ripest. Now while many people here may claim that my tumba, or bootie, is small belly-belly, I have heard from many others on the street that in fact I have tumba levi�s, which means a nice round ass that fits well into jeans, like a model. What is certain, though, is that I am not straightcut like the girls on catwalks or most of the expat women here.

Small�small

Small�small is an expression that comes in very handy. It can mean most anything. For example, when someone asks you �how de bodi?� you may reply small-small, which means you�re doing fine but not that fine. If someone asks you if you know how to speak Krio, you can also respond with the small-small (especially after you�ve studied this phrasebook). When driving around Freetown, you might want to go small-small lest you smash into the back of a poda-poda or run down a chicken or goat. If someone asks you �do you want to go out on a bender tonight?� you might also reply small-small if you fear too much of a hangover. Small-small pikin are pictured plenty-plenty in my gallery.

Similar to small-small, there are also the expressions plenty-plenty, done-done, beacoup-beacoup, fast-fast, and fine-fine. In Krio, do to the lack of adjectives and adverbs, the existing ones tend to be doubled to indicate degree. (See belly-belly tumba.)

Pass Mak(mark)

Pass mak is equivalent to �it�s reached the boiling point� or �too much.� The last time I heard this was when the recently discharged soldiers were rioting outside the army barracks because they hadn�t been paid in four months. Every week the army general told them to come back the next week in order to collect their overdue payment. When no payment surfaced, the rioting would ensue. An old woman, walking by the scene of the angry soldiers pushing at the gate of army headquarters, muttered �pass mak!�

Mummi an Daddy business

Mummi an Daddy business is the business that goes on between two loving partners. If you�re not prepared to have children yet, you had better use a footsock.

Ah tell god tanki

This phrase is fairly straightforward, meaning �I give thanks to god for what I have.� So when someone asks you �how de bodi?� (how are you) or �how de day?�, if things are just dandy, you may reply �ah tell god tanki.�

Except otherwise

Except otherwise is a term that completely changes the content of the sentence that comes before it. For example, you may say �are you sure you will come to work tomorrow?� or �do we have enough fuel to get to Freetown� and the answer might be �yes, except otherwise.� This can be problematic on occasion.

Look at

�Look at� is commonly used in the place of �there it is� or �here is.� For example, of you happened to have misplaced your car, a friendly stranger might point you in the right direction by saying �look the car� or �look at the car.� Often, when you�re trying to find a certain person within a crowd, the locals will tell you �look at the black boy.� You might find this confusing because everyone here is black.