Health & Hospital

1. Me ani yɛ me ya

   My eyes hurt

   Usage

   Tell a doctor or pharmacist about eye pain. ani means "eye"

   Grammar Note

   "body part + yɛ me ya" means "... hurts" (literally "... makes me pain"). Swap in another body-part word for other pains.

2. Me aso yɛ me ya

   My ear hurts

   Usage

   Tell a doctor or pharmacist about ear pain. aso means "ear"

   Grammar Note

   The same "body part + yɛ me ya" frame; only the body-part word changes.

3. Me ɛse yɛ me ya

   I have a toothache

   Usage

   Tell a dentist or pharmacist about tooth pain. ɛse means "tooth"

   Grammar Note

   The same "body part + yɛ me ya" frame. ɛse is "tooth", written with ɛ (U+025B).

4. Me nsa yɛ me ya

   My hand hurts

   Usage

   Tell someone about pain in a hand or arm. nsa means "hand / arm"; the same form also means alcohol, but with ya (pain) it is the hand

   Grammar Note

   nsa is a homograph meaning "hand / arm" and "alcohol"; context tells them apart.

5. Me ho nyɛ

   I do not feel well

   Usage

   Say that you are unwell. It is the negative of Me ho yɛ ("I am fine")

   Grammar Note

   nyɛ is the negative of yɛ ("to be good"); the nasal prefix marks negation, as in the Bible's ho nyɛ den ("not strong"). The whole sentence is a combination; it is not listed as a phrase in dictionaries.

6. Mehia ɔyarehwɛfo

   I need a nurse

   Usage

   Say this at a hospital or clinic when you need a nurse

   Grammar Note

   ɔyarehwɛfo is built from yare (sickness) + hwɛ (look after) + fo (person): "one who tends the sick". The Mehia frame matches Mehia dɔkota.

7. Ayaresabea wɔ he?

   Where is the hospital?

   Usage

   Ask where the hospital or clinic is

   Grammar Note

   The question word he comes last. ayaresabea is ayaresa (treatment) + bea (place): "place of healing".

8. Ayamtuo

   Diarrhea

   Usage

   Name the symptom to a doctor or pharmacist

   Grammar Note

   ayamtuo is "diarrhea". It is used in "Mewɔ ayamtuo" (I have diarrhea).

9. Ebini

   Poop

   Usage

   The general dictionary word for feces; usable to describe stool to a doctor. Whether it is the everyday word has not been confirmed

   Grammar Note

   ebini is "feces"; the form bini also exists, and the dictionary lists agyanan as a synonym. Backed by a single dictionary only.

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