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We have to give Kerry Washington her props. The very busy star of Scandal and mother of two has found the time in her busy schedule to try and learn the language of her husband, Nnamdi Asomugha. The former Nigerian-American footballer is from the Igbo ethnic group, and Washington showed off some of her skills with the language while wishing Igbo acctress, Uzo Aduba, a happy birthday. Hold onto your hats, folks:

To translate, she basically said “Remembering your birthday today, thanks be to God.” In response, Aduba, who was also as impressed as the rest of us, showed off her own knowledge of her language:

Her response was “Heh! My sister, you speak Igbo? That’s very good. Thanks for the birthday wish.”

This actually isn’t the first time Washington has spoken or done anything in the Igbo language. She’s shared well wishes for the new year in Igbo on Twitter in the past:

Her children also have Igbo names. Her son’s middle name is Kelechi, which is said to mean “glorify God,” or “thank God,” and her daughter’s middle name is Amarachi, which means “God’s grace.”

The 41-year-old is pretty serious about embracing the culture. In an interview with InStyle, she revealed that after marrying Asomugha, she was actually given an Igbo name.

“Nnamdi’s parents are Nigerian immigrants. His father passed when he was young,” she said. “When you marry into the Igbo culture, you get a new name. My name is Ogechi. I wear it on a necklace my mother-in-law gave me.”

That’s not necessarily an invitation for you to see the actress on the street and start calling her Ogechi, but it’s definitely an interesting thing to know.

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