The Meaning of "Sabi" in Nigerian Pidgin

May 30, 2025 0

Nigerian Pidgin, also known as Pidgin or Naijá, is an English-based creole language serving as a lingua franca across Nigeria. While it's widely used, it doesn't have official status. Many of Nigeria's 250+ ethnic groups use it, often mixing in words from their native languages.

Similar to the Caribbean Creole situation, Nigerian Pidgin is mostly used in informal conversations.

Nigerian Pidgin, like many pidgins and creoles, has a simpler phonology than the superstrate language. Nigerian Pidgin has been described as a tonal language, having a high tone and a low tone.

Nigerian Pidgin also varies from place to place.

Amongst Nigerians, using Pidgin shows that you can identify with everyone, irrespective of your status.

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Our safe place is Nigerian Pidgin: our common language.

The Word "Sabi"

Being derived partly from the present day Edo/Delta area of Nigeria, there are still some words left over from the Portuguese language in pidgin English (Portuguese ships traded slaves from the Bight of Benin).

Portuguese sabe at the beginning or middle of a sentence to mean: ‘’to know’’.

Sabi means "to know" or "to know how to", just as "to know" is saber in Portuguese. For example, you sabi do am? means "do you know how to do it?".

According to the monogenetic theory of pidgins, sabir was a basic word in Mediterranean Lingua Franca, brought to West Africa through Portuguese pidgin.

Read also: Understanding Nigerian Slang: Idan

Usually means capable. So most times it stands for the word “can”. And when you hear the word “No” before the Sabi word, it means ‘can’t’.

Your friends no sabi play=You friends can’t play.

You sabi talk fast=You can talk fast.

At times it’s used just for sake of emphasis. Especially when used as the last word of a sentence.

Common Pidgin Phrases

Here are some common phrases in Nigerian Pidgin to help you navigate conversations:

How bodi? / How you dey? - How are you?
How far? - How are you? / What's up?
Wetin? - What?
I dey fine - I’m fine.
Wetin dey happen? - What’s going on?
Wahala - Problem/Trouble. Example - Why you dey give me wahala?
Comot! - Get out!
Abeg - Please, but usually not a repentant plea. Example - Abeg! No waste my time!
Vex - Upset. Example - Make you no vex me!
Abi? - Right?
Na so? - Is it so?
Wayo - Trickery.

Na You will hear this short two-letter word everywhere and anywhere you go. It has similar pronunciation with the same two-letter words in Bananas. Whatsoever the sentence thrown at you, kindly substitute this word with ‘is it’ and I am sure the communication will make more sense to you.

Na your money? = Is it your money?
Na so? = Is it so?

Na can also mean immediately Go na = Go immediately.

Na can be used twice in a sentence, in this case the last NA is used only for sake of emphasis.

Na you na= It’s you.
Na the ball na= It’s the ball.

ShebiPronounced shaybe. As funny as this may sound, this word is a question mark. Yeah it is a punctuation symbol ( Sounds crazy? Common we put up with y’all F word). When you hear it in a sentence, you may replace the word with a question mark. Let me baffle you some more. At times this question mark comes before the question. I know that sounds crazy too. Well, Nigerians are quite creatively crazy.

Shebi you hear = You heard?
I go play shebi = Am I playing?

DeyMostly used to replace the word “are” or “am”. However to get better grasp of the communication. You may quickly need to adjust arrangements of the sentence. Take it from the middle to the front of the sentence.

You dey crase? = Are you crazy?
I dey smell? = Am I smelling?

It’s also used for the word “is” as well.

The fish dey swim? = Is the fish able to swim?

DonUsually this is understood in a sentence by substituting the word with “have”.

You don bath= Have you taken your bath.
I don go there = I have gone there.
You don see the movie shebi = Have you seen the movie?

Sha or Shaa or ShaaaaThis word serves as a modifier. It modifies its coefficient word ( Usually modifies a noun). You can only know if its negative or positive depending on what you have done.If you did something awesome. Then,

You shaaa = Awesome you.
If you did wrong.
You shaa = Terrible you.

More clues: The facial expression or tone of the speaker can be used to denote if he is speaking positive of negative.If he says, the boy shaaa…and he is worried…you know he means the guy is terrible. If he smiles…he means the guy is cool. Shaaaa is just functioning as a modifier.

DemUsually means ‘Them’ or ‘They’ or ‘Are They’.

Dem don come= Are they here.
You see dem= You seen them?
Dem dey play games = They are playing games.

CommotUsually means depart, get out, go away, get lost!

Commot here = get out from here.
He don commot = he departed.

AbegMeans “please”.

Abeg commot = please go away.

NkoAnother question mark. Most times you can replace it with “What about”.

You nko = You? or What about you?

At-all-at-allMeans “absolutely not”.

JoorJoor is a lazy slang adopted into the pidgin dictionary from the Yoruba language. It’s one of those word that is more of a swagger talk than it actually functioning with a meaning. It means please, but it is usually in a sentence to beautify the talk. Nothing more. Just a sexy way of talking.

Leave me jaare= Please, leave me.

JaareThis is also same with joor.

WakaIt was adopted from the word walk. It means move, go away, to travel, walk and so on depending on the circumstance of usage.

Small-smallIt means handle with care, take it easy, relax, calm down, little-by-little all depending on the circumstance of usage.

LegbereThis is from Niger delta areas of Nigeria. A legbere is someone who isn’t smart. At times depends on the circumstance of usage it means a looser. Quite a negative word to describe your shabbiness at doing things.

Microtintin minutesI wonder if the radio presenters invented this. But it simply means very soon.

PkogriYou will spend money, when you get here. So it’s only a fair thing you know what the money is called. Pkogri means money especially in Warri and the Niger Delta areas of Nigeria. Money can also be called Pepper, Tekue, Bah, Paper and Coins.

AbiThis is another word that’s used as a question mark. Abi can also stand on it’s own to mean “Right ?” either in a sentence or as a single word.

You dey mad abi = Are you mad? or You mad, right?

WahalaThis word means trouble, disaster, pandemonium, chaos, trouble and related words.

Wahala dey = There’s trouble.

The word originates from the Igbo word di meaning the same thing and pronounced similarly[citation needed]: anu di na ofe (literally "meat is in pot") and anyi di na london (lit.

Igbo unu, a plural second-person pronoun equivalent to the English term "you people", has been adopted as una.

Hausa ba at the end of an intonated sentence or question: you no wan come, ba?

There’s also Obodo Oyibo, borrowed from the Igbo language.

Kia-kia is borrowed from Yoruba language which means ‘quickly-quickly’. Say it twice to indicate urgency or emphasis.

Unlike the English word, 'chop' which implies that something is being sliced or hacked; in pidgin it means 'food'. This phrase means 'This meal is delicious'. For instance, one could say: ‘You sure of dis tin wey you dey talk so?

It means, ‘Are you sure of what you are saying?

You could say, 'Abeg come chop food' which is an invitation to a meal.

Comot! The flip side is 'Wahala dey o', meaning there is a problem.

If you are visiting Nigeria, don't be daunted by the 520 languages in our repertoire. Just remember to add a little bit of pidgin to yours and you will be fine.

My maternal grandfather, Sergeant Afa, was a soldier whose family of 11 moved from barrack to barrack. My aunties married and introduced new languages into the family. My father also moved our family around by working in different states, until he settled in Abuja when I was born. Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba languages are our national languages because they are spoken by the majority.

Pidgin English is extremely popular in most parts of Africa, particularly West Africa, and has been accepted as the de-facto language of blue collar trade and merchants.

Even if you don’t find yourself traveling to Nigeria in the distant future, try one of these phrases on one of your Nigerian friends, and fully bask in their glowing response.

The Meaning of "Sabi" in Nigerian Pidgin

The Word "Sabi"

Common Pidgin Phrases

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