How to Start and End a Conversation in Igbo

Learning individual Igbo words and greetings is one thing.

Knowing how to put them together into a conversation is another.

How do you greet someone, ask how they’re doing, respond, keep the conversation going—and eventually say goodbye?

In this guide, you’ll learn how to start and end a simple conversation in Igbo, step by step.

You’ll learn phrases such as:

Ndeewo, kedu ka ị mere?
Hello, how are you doing?

A dị m mma. Gị kwanụ?
I am fine. And you?

and:

Ngwanụ, ka ọ dị.
Alright, goodbye.

This topic is taught in IgboLearn’s Basic Greetings and Introduction in Igbo lesson. If you want to hear an Igbo tutor pronounce the phrases and practise the complete conversation, you can continue the lesson for free on IgboLearn.

Start the free Igbo lesson on IgboLearn

How Do You Start a Conversation in Igbo?

One simple way to start is with a greeting followed by asking how the other person is doing:

Ndeewo, kedu ka ị mere?
Hello, how are you doing?

You may already know:

Ndeewo — Hello

But real conversations don’t usually stop at hello.

Adding:

Kedu ka ị mere?
How are you doing?

gives the other person something to respond to.

So instead of learning Ndeewo as an isolated greeting, you can start putting it into a conversation:

Person A: Ndeewo, kedu ka ị mere?
Hello, how are you doing?

Now let’s look at how the other person can respond.

How Do You Say “I Am Fine” in Igbo?

In the lesson, the response is:

A dị m mma.
I am fine.

You can also return the question by adding:

Gị kwanụ?
And you? / What about you?

Together:

A dị m mma. Gị kwanụ?
I am fine. And you?

Now we have an exchange:

Person A: Ndeewo, kedu ka ị mere?
Hello, how are you doing?

Person B: A dị m mma. Gị kwanụ?
I am fine. And you?

Notice the difference.

You’re not just memorising two translations anymore.

You’re learning how one Igbo phrase leads naturally to another.

To hear how this sounds, you can visit the IgboLearn Dictionary. Search for words and Phrases and tap the play button

How Do You Keep an Igbo Conversation Going?

Once you’ve greeted each other, you need somewhere for the conversation to go.

If you’re meeting someone, one natural next step is asking their name:

Gịnị bụ aha gị?
What is your name?

So Person A can respond:

A dị m mma. Gịnị bụ aha gị?
I am fine. What is your name?

The other person can answer:

Aha m bụ Eze.
My name is Eze.

And return the question:

Aha m bụ Eze. Gị kwanụ?
My name is Eze. And you?

The pattern Aha m bụ… means “My name is…”

Simply add your own name.

For example:

Aha m bụ Obi.
My name is Obi.

If you want to spend more time learning introductions, read our complete guide on how to introduce yourself in Igbo.

For now, we’re going to keep the conversation moving.

How Do You Say “Nice to Meet You” in Igbo?

After introducing yourself, you can say:

Ọ dị mma ịmata gị.
Nice to meet you.

In our conversation:

Aha m bụ Obi. Ọ dị mma ịmata gị.
My name is Obi. Nice to meet you.

At this point, think about what you’ve already accomplished.

You’ve greeted someone.

Asked how they’re doing.

Responded when they asked you.

Asked their name.

Introduced yourself.

And said it was nice to meet them.

Those individual phrases are beginning to form something much more useful: a complete Igbo conversation.

Reading the conversation helps you understand it. But to become comfortable using these phrases yourself, you also need to hear and repeat them.

In IgboLearn’s lesson, an Igbo tutor takes you through the conversation phrase by phrase so you can hear the pronunciation and practise along.

Listen and continue the free lesson on IgboLearn

How Do You End a Conversation in Igbo?

Starting a conversation is only half of it.

You also need to know how to end one. The lesson uses:

Ngwanụ, ka ọ dị.
Alright, goodbye.

So when it’s time to end the conversation, you can say:

Ngwanụ, ka ọ dị.

Now we have everything we need to go from hello to goodbye.

A Simple Igbo Conversation for Beginners

Let’s put the whole conversation together.

Person A:

Ndeewo, kedu ka ị mere?
Hello, how are you doing?

Person B:

A dị m mma. Gị kwanụ?
I am fine. And you?

Person A:

A dị m mma. Gịnị bụ aha gị?
I am fine. What is your name?

Person B:

Aha m bụ Eze. Gị kwanụ?
My name is Eze. And you?

Person A:

Aha m bụ Obi. Ọ dị mma ịmata gị.
My name is Obi. Nice to meet you.

Person B:

Ngwanụ, ka ọ dị.
Alright, goodbye.

There it is.

One simple conversation in Igbo from beginning to end.

You don’t have to memorise the entire thing immediately.

Start by understanding the flow:

Greet → Ask how they’re doing → Respond → Ask their name → Introduce yourself → Nice to meet you → Goodbye

Once that sequence makes sense, the individual phrases become easier to place in context.

Practise Starting and Ending a Conversation in Igbo

Now try it yourself.

Find someone you can practise with and divide the conversation into two roles.

You start:

Ndeewo, kedu ka ị mere?

Let them respond:

A dị m mma. Gị kwanụ?

Then keep going until one of you ends with:

Ngwanụ, ka ọ dị.

When you’re finished, switch roles.

If you don’t have someone to practise with right now, read both sides aloud yourself.

The goal isn’t just to remember what each phrase means.

It’s to become comfortable moving from one part of the conversation to the next without immediately switching back to English.

Don’t Just Learn Individual Igbo Phrases

Searching for individual translations can help you build your vocabulary.

But imagine knowing:

Ndeewo means hello.

A dị m mma means I am fine.

Aha m bụ means my name is.

…and still not knowing how to put them together when you meet someone.

That’s the gap between knowing Igbo phrases and having a conversation in Igbo.

Learning complete exchanges helps you understand when phrases are used, what might come next and how you can respond.

Hearing those exchanges matters too.

You don’t want to recognise:

Kedu ka ị mere?

only when it’s written on a screen.

You want to begin recognising it when another person actually says it to you.

That’s why the full IgboLearn lesson goes beyond the written phrases and lets you learn along with an Igbo tutor.

Continue the Starting & Ending Conversations lesson for free

Learn More Everyday Igbo Conversations

Once you’re comfortable with this basic exchange, you can start making your conversations more interesting.

If you’re still working on greetings, learn how to say good morning in Igbo and other common Igbo greetings and responses.

And when you want to go deeper into exchanging names and talking about yourself, use our guide to introducing yourself in Igbo.

Each topic adds another piece.

Greetings help you start.

Questions help you keep talking.

Introductions help someone get to know you.

And knowing how to say goodbye lets you end the conversation naturally

Frequently Asked Questions