Gikuyu
Romanization
English Translation
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1
Wangui.
Wangui.
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2
yīoo.
Yes.
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3
nīatīa?
How are you doing?
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4
Nīkwega, komuthī arī mweri 27?
I am fine. Is today the 27th?
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5
īī, ūmūthī nī 27.
Yes, today is the 27th.
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6
īhīī, nūguo ūmūthe nī 30.
No. Today is the 30th.
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7
oh, onake nīarihītia, gūtikīrī na thīna.
Oh, you're also confused, but no problem.
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8
īīhīī, ūmūthī nī 30th, mweri 27 gūtiakire monday.
No. Monday was the 27th.
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9
īī, kwarī monday.
Yes, it was Monday.
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10
ini.
Yes.
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11
Kaī ataramenya ruciū nī halloween?
You don't know tomorrow is Halloween?
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12
unoro wa gūkū.
How is America?
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13
aaa, gūku nī kūnogetie riu.
I am tired of this place.
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14
Uraigua kūinūka?
Do you feel like going back home?
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15
īhīī, ndirainūka, ngūikara gūkū ndīethere mūthuri.
No, I'm not going home. I'm going to stay and find a husband.
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16
nūūgwetha mūthuri?
Are you going to find a husband?
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17
īī, nandiuī kūrīa ngīmūruta.
Yes, but I don't know where.
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18
ndūkūai ūke ngwethere.
Why don't you come and let me find you one.
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19
ngunōpe ti mūKenya.
I hope he isn't a Kenyan.
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20
Ūrenda mūthūngū?
Do you want an American?
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21
ndikwe, gūtīrī mūndū itangīoya akowwa ti muKenyan.
No, but I prefer any to a Kenyan.
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22
Riū na ndīkīrī na mwanake mdūke akūhikie?
Now I have a boy, why don't you marry him?
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23
uī, Mbugua. Riū kaMbugua nako rī.
Oh, Mbugua?
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24
īī.
Yes.
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25
Ndūkīuī nī kauni tondīkoire ndīkarere harīa gatigarītie.
He is too young. I can only keep him until he is big.
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26
ndūkūmūrera.
You'll keep him?
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27
Riu ndakimurera mwana wakwa tiwe ūgakīmūhikia.
Now if I keep him and babysit him, he can marry my daughter.
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28
Ndagakihikia mwana wakwa.
Are you going to babysit him as your husband?
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29
īī, ndūkūmūrera arī ūmūthurigwo.
Let me tell you. I am very hungry, my stomach is rolling around.
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30
Nīī reke ngwīre hūtīte? Nda yakwa hūtie, ndīraigua nda yakwa īgīthīī.
People get hungry too much here.
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31
Nīguo gūkū andū mahūtaga.
(note: English translation does not match Gikuyu conversation line for line.)
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32
īīī.
Yes.
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33
Onarīu ndīraigua nda yakwa īgīthīī.
Even now I feel my stomach rolling around.
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34
nīkūnoga na cukuru.
I also feel sleepy. I wish I was home having a nap.
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35
īī.
Now we won't pass through the shopping center?
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36
Nīī onanīī ndiraigua nogete, ndiraria ingūnūke ngakome.
When shall we go?
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37
Rīu ona tūikūgeia tūgīthiaga shopping.
Yes.
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38
Rīu tūgagithīī rī?
Or we go, if I buy whatever, I will refund you.
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39
īīī.
The problem is I have to go and wait for the kids at home.
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40
Kana tūgīthii, ndagūra kīria ndīgaragurarī ūūū ndīhīre.
Is anybody there?
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41
Oh, riu nīuī mahītia tondū riu nindirathiī gwaterera ciana mūcii.
Nobody.
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42
Gūtirī mūndū?
What about the babysitter?
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43
īī, gūtirī mūndū.
I don't have any. This place doesn't have babysitters.
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44
īī, mūirītu wa wera?
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45
Nīndī, gūkū nīgūkoragwa airitu a wira.
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46
oh, riu rīrīa babysitter okaga akoragwo ona Maria.
The time the babysitter comes, she stays with Maria.
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47
īī, akoragwo ena Maria, gūkū gwīthīna Muingi mūno.
Yes, she only stays with Maria, there is a great problem here.
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48
ini, īī.
Oh, yeah.
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49
Riu ngūgīthiī njīre mūthuri urīa wonirei ithirwakini kagakimengere Tuesday.
Now, I'm going to tell the man you see, Kim's dad, and I'll refund the money on Tuesday.
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50
Mbeca.
Money?
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51
Tirīu, aaa tirīu.
Not now, not now I mean.
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52
Nandīramenyaī, ndena ceki no thii ngaenjanie.
I know, I've got a check. I can go and cash it.
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53
Oooh, rui nīkūhinge, mahingaga cikici.
It's closed now. They close at six.
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54
Nonihinya muno tondu niurathii gweterera ciana.
I know it's difficult because you have to go and wait for the kids.
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55
Ngwīciria. Onarīu nīmōkite.
I hope they are at home.
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56
Me mūcii.
are they?
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57
īī, ngwīciria. Onarīu nīmokīte.
Yes, I think they have arrived.
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58
Ooh- tūtikīrīkangie ūngūnūke.
Let's finish so we can go home.
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59
Kana baba wao, ūronagūkū kūhana atīa?
How do you find America?
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60
Gūkū gūkwenda mūndū wīna ūūgi wake eamūciarīre.
This place needs someone who is naturally smart.
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61
Nīkīūrathomo?
What are you studying now?
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62
Ndīreka, Sociology, Nutrition, Githūngū na Speech.
I am taking Sociology, Nutrition, English and Speech.
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63
Gūkū mathomo marī hinya.
Education here is difficult.
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64
Mekwenda mūndū wīna ūūgī wake wamūcierire.
Sure, it needs someone who is smart.
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65
Gūkū athūngū matiragūcinda.
I was afraid to study with these Americans.
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66
īī- gūkū onao tiogī.
Why?
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67
Ona kūri angī thomaga nao matoī kwandika ona ritwa.
I thought they were so bright at school.
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68
īī- ndingiuga niogi muno, gukiri aria ogii.
In that case I had to give up or get zero.
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69
īī kūrīogī na angī matarī ogī.
Oh, they also fail and get zeros.
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70
nīī tene ndetigagīra gūthoma nao.
In my class there are some who don't even know how to write their names.
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71
īī.
Oh, sure.
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72
tondū ndonaga to marīogī muno.
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73
Onaniī, nīndetigagīra gūthiī nao cukuru, tondū ndonaga tamarī ogī mūnō. Nyitage noti makīhītūka.
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74
Kihe Maria protieni nyingī agīkūrie meciria.
Yes, give Maria lots of protein.
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75
ūū- Maria, anga niguo ngwīka, ndīrenda angūrīre gūkū nīngūmūinūkia.
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76
Kahe protieni nyingī nīguo gagīkūre.
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77
Ooh.
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78
Nīgethe akīūhīge kuuma arī o munini.
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79
Ona mūciī no ohīge nīkuo kūrī nyingī.
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80
Cia mboco, na minji na indo clothe.
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81
Nīūraigua ūnogete?
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82
īī- ndīraīgua nogīte ngūcūnga na kūrakara.
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83
mmm.
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84
Onanū nīandakaria nīagītūrehe mbeca ingī, rīu tūngīrē ona kūu tūkiīnuka.
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85
mmm.
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86
John ainūkaga thaa cigaana?
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87
Ainūkaga thaa inya no auma na mūcemanio.
Bad news.
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88
Ooh.
What.
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89
īīī- niī ndīraigua nogete biu, niī onandiūi kana ni ngūkora mūndū mūciī.
John's grandma died.
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90
John enakīena tondū cūcū wao niarakuire.
What happened to her?
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91
Ati cūwe nīarakuire? Nīkīī kīramūrīre?
She was too old, it's better for her to go and rest.
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92
Nīgūkūra oūguo buuaaa, Ngai ndūkanjīre.
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93
īī- nīgū kura, ararī wa miaka mirongo īnana na kenda.
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94
īī- ūcio onakaba agīkue.
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95
Mirongo onana na kenda.
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96
Ūcio onareke agīkue.
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97
īī- ararī mūkūrū.
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98
aaa-hīī, rīu nīnjaririe githūngū natikīo kīrendekana.
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99
Niūndū twīhūthīra ya gīthūngū.
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100
Ūgwīarīa ūkainūka rī.
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101
Githi ndirakwīra ngūikara gūkū ndiethere mūthūri.
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102
Nīūgūgīikara nīndaigua.
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103
Kwīciria nīngūikara.
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104
Nīūgūgīikara nīndaigua.
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105
Kwīciria nīngūikara.
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106
Nīūgūikara.
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107
Gūkū nanīguo arūme marīhinyarī.
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108
Īhī wee, ningi ūgīkamenya ūrīa marīnda rī, no ūrīa matarenda rī kana marenda rī, niī ndiendaga ūhoro ūcio we kwīrīngīrīria.
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109
Niī, gūkū arūme marī hinya.
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110
Mūno, mūno.
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111
Alice no arathoma?
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112
īī-nokararuta wīra na nokarathoma.
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113
Kaī ene thīna mūingī ūcio mwana witū ī.
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114
Mmm, tūgwīka ūguo tumūhoere tu.
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115
No mūndū arī ona thīna wake gūkū.
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116
No ūngīrorania mathīna ma mūndū ūria ūngī rīmathina maku no kūingina marīingagira.
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117
Nīuī niī nyonaga mūndū arī na thina, kinya ngariganirwo nīmathīna mqkwa.
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118
Ūkona mene.
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119
īī-mūno, mūno, kwanja mūndū atoī mūndū.
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120
īīī
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121
Niī anga ndikīuī tondū ndiagīthīnīkire rīrīa ndokire, rīu nīhindī ndīrona thina.
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122
īī
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123
ndirakīmenya.
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124
Newe ūkūona thina ohanini, no warīkia cukuru.
Guess what. I feel like I am going to stop school.
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125
Rīu nī thukuru īrīkū na nīndīreciria kūmītiga.
Why?
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126
Nīguo, kitangirie, nīngūmītīga.
Njoki is going to school and I am too. Who will be called grandma?
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127
Kai itagūtugira Njoki mathome.
American women are married when they are too young.
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128
Njoki ari gīthoma, naithuī tūgīthome.
Yes.
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129
Ndītagwo cūcū na nondīrathīI cukuru.
How is Alice?
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130
Njoki ndakūhika orīu, na nīguo Amerika mahikaga marī a nini.
She is doing fine.
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131
īī-kana agīciare e mūnini.
Going to school and working.
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132
Haiaǃ Rīu ūngīka atīa?
She's got problems.
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133
Tiga ngītwo cūcū ikīngīrora nakū.
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134
Ngaai, noūmūhūre.
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135
Īīhīī, ndīngīmūhūra, onaniī itakīhūrirwo.
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136
Bora aikare okūu gwaku.
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137
īī-tiga ngikene ngītwo cūcū.
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138
Ūūi. Niī ndingīigua ngīkena ngītwo cūcū. Tirīu no anga nakinyia mīaka īngī.
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139
Gūkū mūndū etagwo cūcū arī mūnini mūmo.
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140
ini.
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141
īīī.
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142
Reke ngwīre nīnguoya karamu haha.
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143
Gakī ningī?
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144
Mbairū.
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145
Kūrenda kūiya? Ndūkae ngūiya.
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146
Karamu ndingīiya.
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147
Nīkī.
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148
Niī no ingīya no thendi karamu ndingīiya.
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149
Kūiya tūramu.
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150
Īīhī.
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151
Nīnjiaga tūramu gūkīra indo iria ingī ciothe.
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152
Gītigwo na wega.
Now we have finished.
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153
Ok, bye.
Ok, bye.