Sesotho Idioms & Their Meanings

Ho roba pelo

Literally: “To break the heart”

Meaning: To cause deep grief or disappointment to someone.

Ho ba le pelo e telele

Literally: “To have a long heart”

Meaning: To be patient and forbearing.

Ho ba le pelo e khuts'oane

Literally: “To have a short heart”

Meaning: To be impatient or quick-tempered.

Ho theola pelo

Literally: “To lower the heart”

Meaning: To calm down; to be reassured or comforted.

Ho roba molao

Literally: “To break the law”

Meaning: To do wrong; to violate a rule or custom.

Ho tšoara ka matsoho a mabeli

Literally: “To hold with both hands”

Meaning: To welcome or accept something wholeheartedly and gratefully.

Ho shwa ke tlala

Literally: “To die of hunger”

Meaning: To be extremely hungry (an emphatic expression, not literal death).

Ho bua ka nko

Literally: “To speak through the nose”

Meaning: To speak nasally / through the nose (a manner of speech); the claimed 'disgruntled, sulky' sense is not the documented idiomatic meaning.

Ho lahla mahlo

Literally: “To throw the eyes”

Meaning: To glance at; to cast a quick look in a direction.

Ho fa motho molomo

Literally: “To give a person a mouth”

Meaning: To give someone licence or grounds to speak (or talk back) / to embolden them to answer — not primarily 'to put words in someone's mouth'.

Ho tšoarana ka mahetla

Literally: “To hold one another by the shoulders”

Meaning: To support and stand by one another in solidarity — though the standard Sesotho form uses 'matsoho' (hands), making this 'mahetla' (shoulders) version questionable.