Nigerian Pidgin English Idioms

Nigerian Pidgin English is one of the ways many Nigerians communicate with eachother. It is spoken in all parts of the country as an unofficial national language.

How Pidgin English Came About

For many who speak English language as their first language speaking English is easy, but for people who have it as a second language speaking is not that easy. So you have many errors in pronunciation, spellings, misrepresentation and addition of local languages into the English language to give us what we call Pidgin English.

Nigerian Pidgin English Idioms

We like communicating using idioms to pass our message across in Nigeria, this makes our interactions smooth, easy going and enjoyable. Speaking using idioms helps cool tempers down and strengthens communications among ourselves. In fact, it is seen as abnormality if an elder speaks at length without using idioms. It is like a code thing which you are supposed to understand.

Some Nigerian Pidgin English Idioms

1. Feel at home, feel at home, na so visitor take dey spoil television.

2. Person wey belle full today, go hungry tomorrow.

3. Lean on me, lean on me, no mean say make you suffocate me.

4. Bring Suya, bring Suya, na cow body dey suffer am.

5. Life be like standing fan. E blow you small, e blow your neighbour small.

6. Jollof Rice wey dey bottom pot today, go dey for top of cooler tomorrow.

7. Do you know who I am, do you know who I am, na so traffic dey take start.

8. Akara and moin moin get the same parents. Na wetin dem pass through make them different.

9. No be who first call Police dey win the case.

10. Monkey smart, monkey smart, na because tree near tree.

11. I dey shame, I dey shame, na so person take dey die in silence.

12. E no get as e be wey e never be before.

13. Woman wey dey find pikin no dey wear cloth sleep.

14. Person wey dey chop egg no know say yansh dey pepper fowl.

15. No food for lazy man no be for pikin wey im mama dey sell food.

16. If e reach time to shit, yansh go open.

17. This one good, that one good, na im make mad man load plenty.

18. When money dey, friend go dey. When money go, friend go go.

19. Mosquito wey no dey hear word na im dey follow dead body enter grave.

20. Tie rope for goat, tie goat for rope, na the same thing.

21. The difference between Kpekere and plantain chips na packaging.

22. No be today yansh dey back.

23. You see "thank you", you dey find "very much".

24. Na village wey native doctor know e dey disappear.

25. No matter the size of elephant, e no fit cause earthquake.

26. When breeze blow, fowl yansh go open.

27. Pikin wey hide cane wey dey for house forget say bush near.

28. Cow wey rush go abroad go come back as corn beef.

29. Na the same hot water wey dey make egg hard dey make Potato soft.

30. Khaki no be leather.

31. You no go call goat brother just because you wan chop goat meat.

32. E go land, e go land, na im make butterfly take enter bush.

33. Na footballer wey ball dey im leg camera dey follow.

34. Dem no dey beg shit to smell.

35. To craze no hard, na to trek be the wahala.

36. Na from clap dance dey start.

37. Monkey no fine, monkey no fine but im mama like am.

38. Sun too hot no mean say fowl go lay boiled egg.

39. Na small shit dey spoil yansh.

40. Escort me, escort me, na im slave trade take start.

41. Temper hot, temper hot but e no still fit boil beans.

42. I no gree, I no gree, na im dey tear shirt.

43. Dog wey go lost no dey hear hunter whistle.

44. Na pikin wey no know im mama boyfriend dey call am brother.

45. Cow wey no get tail na God dey help am pursue fly.

46. Person wey dey cry dey see road.

47. Yansh no get teeth but e dey cut shit.

48. Na person wey wear shoe know where e dey pain am.

49. Dem no dey tell blind man say rain dey fall.

50. Second hand suit no dey get trouser.

51. Pikin wey say im mama no go sleep, no go take im eye sleep.

52. It's a small world no mean say you go fit trek am.

53. Na man wey dey reason dey scratch im beards.

54. Say you chop egg no mean say you don chop full chicken.

55. Money no dey today, money go dey tomorrow.

56. Dem no dey find black goat for midnight.

57. Cunny man die, cunny man bury am.

58. Na condition make crayfish bend.

59. No matter as shit big reach, e no fit tear yansh.

60. I get am before, no be property.

61. Person wey dey ask question no dey lost.

62. Na sleep dem take dey test die.

Please feel free to send in yours. Lol!!!

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