Home in isiNdebele

Salibonani bangane (hello friends). We hope you are enjoying exploring the blog and learning isiNdebele. Thank you to those in the community who have been asking and answering questions in the Community Questions tab and sending suggestions via email. For those who have asked for our little free Northern Ndebele Phrasebook booklet, if we missed your email, please do remind us.

If you are new, as always, please start at the first post at the bottom and work your way up to this, the newest post. We want to remind you to explore the other tabs in the menu at the top. For example, there are about 50 free lessons in the Lessons tab, if you would like to learn isiNdebele more formally there.


Lessons

Lamhla, we will talk about the word for "home" in isiNdebele.

indlu - house,

izindlu - houses,

phakathi kwendlu - in the house,

endlini - inside the house,

umninundlu - the head of the house,

owendlu - a member of the household,

ikhaya - home,

iseko - hearthstone,

umama - mother,

ubaba - father,

umfazi - my wife,

umkhami (indoda) - my husband.


For example, ekhaya means to be at home. You can say ubabone ekhaya - greet those at home (remember for the previous posts below, that ukubona means "to see", so this translates directly to "see them at home").


If you know any other related phrases in isiNdebele, leave them in the comments, in the community questions forum, or pop an email  to northernndebeleblog at gmail.com to interact more.

Bonus phrases: uthembekile - she is honest.
                         uyasebenza ngcono - her work is improving.
                 
These are izinto eziqakathekileyo - important things, I'm sure you will agree. Until next time sala kuhle (stay well).


Gardening in isiNdebele

Salibonani bangane. We hope you are enjoying exploring the blog and learning isiNdebele. Thank you to those in the community who have been asking and answering questions in the Community Questions tab and sending suggestions via email. For those who have asked for our little free Northern Ndebele Phrasebook booklet, if we missed your email, please remind us because the volunteer team try to send once a week but are only human, haha.

If you are new, as always, please start at the first post at the bottom and work your way up to this, the newest post. There are also several dozen lessons in the Lessons tab, if you would like to learn isiNdebele more formally.

Lessons

Lamhla, we will talk about plants. There was a community question about the word "cena". Do you know what it is?



impoko - a flower blossom.

unyawolwenkukhu - the flame lilly, national flower of Zimbabwe and stunning blossom.

insewula - the first proper rainstorm of the season, ukusewula, the falling of rain is cool.

insaba - sun rays, also needed by plants.

isiphunzi - a tree stump.

igwenzi - a growth shoot on the tree stump.

isinde - a little new shoot from a tree or the ground.

isihlahlakazana - a shrub (or small tree, isihlahla).

umnyankomo - a soft goosegrass.

usezi - another type of grass.

umsingizane - rat's tail grass (there are lots of types of local grasses, tell me in the comments if you know more).

ichibi - a shallow pond (nice for the garden).

isiziba - a deeper pool in which maybe to swim, ukuntsheza.

umnondo - wild syringa or ash tree (not to be confused with inondo which is a moth worm).

umnyezane - a willow tree.

umsobo - a wild nightshade shrub.

uxakuxaku - a type of local tree that has a distinctive edible fruit (remember your soft x click sounds).

unyelele - a peeling bark ochna tree.

insango - a wild type of hemp.

isilimo - a grown crop (also, the spring).

isilimi - a farmer.

ikhuba - a hoe to dig with.

umqwente - a root crop.

isigelo - scissors or cutting shears.

isisesetho - a sieve you can use ukusesetha (to sift or winnow, leaving insetshe, the sediment, or umule, the chaff or husks).

ifotsholo - shovel.

umsele - a ditch you dig.

ubulongwe - fresh dung.

ilele - a ladder.

usiba - a feather (you might find one in the garden, from isisila, a bird's tail).

unyelele - a type of locust that is eaten.

umalusi - a shepherd (sort of related to gardening, more for herding izimvu, sheep).

umlondolozi - a keeper or protector, now I'm thinking of that Jerusalema song from covid lockdown times, londoloza is to take care of, isilonda is a wound, and isilondolozo is protective care.

umphothulo - mealies (corn) that are ground and boiled.

isitshwala - thick nice porridge.

ilambazi - thinner porridge.

isijeza - porridge with some melon flavour. Ok, now sengilambile (I am hungry), so better go eat.

If you know any other gardening related words in isiNdebele, leave them in the comments, there are lots more.

Kuhle, to get involved, please feel free to ask or answer some community questions, or contact us via northernndebeleblog@gmail.com. Ikhotha eyikhothayo. For those reading here, "cena" is a small aloe plant.



Insuku Zonke Usuku Lonke

Salibonani bangane (hello friends). If you are new, please start at the first post at the bottom and work your way up to this, the newest post.

Lamhla, we will talk about how to say "every" or "all" in isiNdebele. For example, for breakfast today, ngadl' amaqanda wonke (I ate all the eggs). We will learn about saying everything, sisonke (we altogether).

Khumbula, siyaposta new lessons on the Ndebele lessons tab, so go there for over 40 lessons for you to learn isiNdebele formally, lesson 42 might give you the answer to everything, or perhaps lesson 44 will tell you how to say "everything" better:

Lessons

For those who read the title, you will probably like to know that it means:

insuku zonke - every day,

usuku lonke - all day.

Now you will notice that there are differences for the word for all/ every. It uses the same stem, -nke, but it is different in isiNdebele based on how the noun starts. So if you forgot the noun classes such as isi/izi etc, now is a good time to polish up, because the word for "all" is dependent on these. Once you know that, you will find it easy to say phrases such as:

izindlu zonke - all of the houses/ huts,

imizi yonke - all of the villages,

umuzi wonke - the entire village,

wonke umuntu - every person,

omama bonke - all of the women,

yonke indoda - every man,

impuphu yonke - all of the mealie meal,

ukudla konke - all of the food. Now I am hungry again, sengilambile, ngizakunath'itiye.


Kuhle, for today was that everything, konke? Leave a comment if you think of more of everything, or if you liked the post. 

Remember also that you can ask or be a community volunteer to answer questions in the Community Questions tab or contribute further. If you would like us to send you our cool Northern Ndebele Phrasebook for free, pop us an email to  northernndebeleblog@gmail.com .


If you would like to contact us, please email northernndebeleblog@gmail.com.

Lisale.

Writing in isiNdebele

Salibonani bangane (hello friends). If you are new, please start at the first post at the bottom and work your way up to this, the newest post.

Lamhla, we have some exciting news. The Northern Ndebele Phrasebook written by a community member, is available. Amhlophe, we will be emailing it for free to anyone who is interested. If you don't get your copy, just pop us an email again at northernndebeleblog@gmail.com, as we are only human and can make mistakes, haha. It is a simple book but hopefully the 100 Ndebele phrases will especially help those asking about sentence construction and everyday phrases in isiNdebele. We also hope that this book and any others will inspire others to write their own books, which we can distribute or share when they are available. Be inspired and keep moving forward!


We post new lessons on the Ndebele lessons tab, so go there for going on 50 lessons for you to learn isiNdebele formally:

Lessons

Ok, so since we're talking about books, here are some bonus "back to school" related words and phrases in isiNdebele:

Book - ibhuku,

Read - bala,

Write - bhala,

Learn - funda (remember ukufunda is the verb "to learn")

Thank - bonga (Ngiyabonga - I thank you),

Think - cabanga,

Time - isikhathi (angila sikhathi - I don't have time). So I'll see you next time, kusasa (tomorrow).

Ok, which others do you know? Leave a comment with other back-to-school or book related words that you think of.

Siyabonga and thanks also to those who are answering and asking questions in the Community Questions tab.



If you would like to work with us, please email northernndebeleblog@gmail.com, otherwise, enjoy your Northern Ndebele Phrasebook to those who receive the email soon.

Sahle kuhle.

Expressing your Feelings in isiNdebele

Salibonani bangane (hello friends). If you are new, please start at the first post at the bottom and work your way up to this, the newest post.

Lamhla, let us look at a summary of the feelings in isiNdebele. Once you know these words, you can express how you feel better. That is your emotions, not just "to feel with your fingers" which for interest's sake uses the verb "ukuphuthaza". For more about writing sentences, we have over 42 lessons up on the Lessons tab for you to learn isiNdebele formally:

Lessons

Remember that "uku-" in front of a verb just means "to".

To cry - ukukhala (or ukulila),

Win - -nqoba, -phumelela, -ahlula,

Gentle - -chuma, 

Happy - -thokoza, -thaba,

Rejoice - -jabula,

Sad - -dana, 

Frown - -hwaqa, (-jamela is to frown angrily at someone/something),

Fear/fearful - -esaba (-tshaywa luvalo)/ -esabeka,

Disgust - -cunuka, -cunula, -nenga,

Anger - -hlukuluza, -caphula, -zondisa, -thukuthelisa. If you have a bad temper (Wena ulaka),

Surprised - -mangala,

Silly/ foolish - -phukuzela, -ganga, ubuthutha,

Embarrassed - -phoxa,

Confused - -dideka, -phithizeka, phambanisa, 

Different - -ahluka,

Excited - -duda, -phaphatheka, -vusa, -phakazela,

Sympathise - -khalela, -zwela, -lilela,

Shy - umuntu olenhloni,

Calm - -thula, -thulisa, ukuthula,

Disappointed - -dumala,  -dumaza, -dana, -danisa,

Frustrated - -jiyeza, -jiyeka,

Sick - -gula,

Sneeze - -thimula (it is like a feeling),

Dirty - -ngcolisa,

Contempt - ukudelela.


Which others do you know? Leave a comment with other feeling words that you think of.


Here are example sentences:

uchumile - she is gentle.

siyathabile/ siyathaba - we are happy.

udanile - she is sad.

sahlukene lalabobantu - we are different from those people.

izinto lezi zahlukile - these things are different.


To those who would like to write something for us to post, please email your writing to northernndebeleblog@gmail.com. We are working on a simple Northern Ndebele booklet which we can email to those interested when it is done. For those who would like to ask questions, or help others with questions they ask, please look under the community tab for any comments:


We appreciate the engagement, abazawami, as we would like it to be easy and fun to learn isiNdebele. If you would like to work with us, please email northernndebeleblog@gmail.com.

Sahle kuhle.

Expressing Being Helpful in the isiNdebele Language

 Salibonani abangane (Hello friends). If you are new, please read the blogs from the bottom and work your way up to this, more intermediate level isiNdebele one. We hope you are enjoying learning the African language of Ndebele here and on the other tabs on this website.

Kulungile, lamhla let us look at talk about being "helpful" in isiNdebele. The verb for "to help" is "ukusiza". Some useful ways to use "ukusiza" include:


Ngisiza! - help me! (useful one indeed)

Ngisizeni - help me

Sizani, bantwana! - help, children!

Msize, mntwana - help him, child (singular)

Msizeni, bantwana - help him, children (plural)

Ungagisiza kusasa khonapha na? - Will you be able to help me here tomorrow?

Ngisiza umgan'ami kanengi - I help my friend many times


If you would like to read more, or brush up on some concepts, you can read more in the Lessons Tab. There are now over 40 lessons there, to help you improve your isiNdebele language. Feel free to explore the other tabs on this blog to learn more.

We hope you are enjoying learning the isiNdebele language. Remember you can check out the Lessons tab for more than 40 more formal isiNdebele beginner lessons there, and be helpful to answer or ask questions in the Community tab. We are run by volunteers who want to help others learn isiNdebele, so nxa uyafuna ukusiza, siyacela you are welcome to join the community. Some of our community members are writing a little Northern Ndebele phrasebook, which we can send you for free when it is finished, to learn some basic sentences from the pdf booklet. If you would like to advertise/ sponsor a page, send us an email at northernndebeleblog@gmail.comSalani kuhle bakhithi.




Asking in isiNdebele May I or Let us with the Subjunctive Mood in Ndebele

Salibonani abangane (Hello friends). If you are new, please read the blogs from the bottom and work your way up to this, more intermediate level isiNdebele one. We hope you are enjoying learning the African language of Ndebele here and on the other tabs on this website.

Kulungile, lamhla let us look at if you may want to know how to ask "May I?" For example if we want to say "May I take this?" we could say "Ngithathe lokhu?". This is using the subjunctive mood and can be used in the future or present tenses in isiNdebele. Another useful expression is adding "Ake" in front of a subjunctive verb, to ask nicely, for example "Ake sihambe" for "Please, let us go". You can read more in the Lessons Tab.

Other uses in the subjunctive mood are:

asihambe "let's go", 

akubuye ungisize "please return to assist me",

Ake uthathe lokhu, budi "please take this, brother",

Ungathathi lokho "Do not take that" (Notice the -nga- as explained in the Lessons tab),

bafana, buyani lingisize "boys, come and help",

gezisa lokhu kodwa ngiyacela, ungagezisi lokho "wash this but please I am asking do not wash that".

We hope you are enjoying learning the isiNdebele language. Remember you can check out the Lessons tab for about 40 more formal isiNdebele beginner lessons there, and answer or ask questions in the Community tab. We are run by volunteers who want to help others learn isiNdebele. If you would like to know how you can join us (we are always happy for more help, bakithi), or for other information or suggestions, or to advertise/ sponsor a page, or if you see a spelling mistake (there is no Ndebele autocorrect unfortunately yet), send us an email at northernndebeleblog@gmail.com. Salani kuhle bakhithi.





IsiNdebele Names for Wild Animals

Salibonani bangane (hello friends), we hope you are enjoying interacting and learning on the blog here. If you are new, please scroll down to the bottom posts and read your way up. If you would like to help answer questions or ask questions, please do so in the Community Questions tab. There are some new lessons up in the Lesson tab; there are now more than 36 lessons for you to learn Ndebele a bit more formally. We will be adding more lessons regularly. If you spot any mistakes or would like to add something, feel free to comment

Lesson 37 should help you to understand verbs that begin with vowels (a,e,i,o or u) and how those verbs are connected so no vowels are next to eachother in isiNdebele.

Lamuhla, we will go over some isiNdebele names for wild animals, as some in the community were asking questions about wild animal names, so you can say Ngifuna ukubona ingwenya (I want to see a croc/ flat dog).

Ingwenya - crocodile

Inyoni - bird (such as imvenduna - hoopoe, insingizi - ground hornbill, comment below if you know more or want to know another bird name in isiNdebele)

Isilwane/ izilwane - lion/s

Ubhejane - rhino

Isidumuka - waterbuck

Ibhalabhala/ amabhalabhala - kudu (a majestic antelope)

Umvundla - rabbit or wild hare

Inyoka - snake

Inhloni/ izinhloni - hedgehog/s

Inungu/ izinungu - porcupine/s (another prickly customer)

Idube - zebra

Inkolomi/ Izinkolomi - tsessebe

Untalo - gecko (one type)

Intshe - ostrich

Inkawu - monkey

Isihwalahwala - colourful tree lizard

Unwabu/ izinwabu - chameleon/s (also colourful but different, also called "hamba bijana" (go slowly's) in the chilapalapa/ fanagalo language derived from isiNdebele)

Imvubu - hippo

Uxamu - water iguana (imbulu is the tree iguana)

Inyamazana - wild animals

Imvubu/ izimvubu - hippopotamus

Ikhankha/ amakhankha - jackal/s

Intundla - giraffe

Insimba - civet cat or genet cat

Umbankwa - lizard

Ingulungundu/ izingulungundu - warthog/s

Ingwe - leopard

Umuhlwa - termite (small but important)

Isibungu - small caterpillar (icimbi/amacimbi are edible caterpillars if you're hungry)

Ihlosi/ amahlosi - cheetah/s

And as a bonus isihlahla (tree) and izihlahla (trees), such as ngumkhomo (it is a baobab tree), and impophoma is a waterfall.

Salani kuhle (stay well). If you would like to support us, please go to our Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/NorthernNdebele or get involved as a volunteer by emailing us at northernndebeleblog@gmail.com. For any questions, please ask and answer those of other learners in the Community Questions tab



Ndebele Future Tense and Um/Imibhida

 

Salibonani bangane (hello friends), we hope you are enjoying interacting and learning on the blog here. If you are new, please scroll down to the bottom posts and read your way up. If you would like to help answer questions or ask questions, please do so in the Community Questions tab. There are some new lessons up in the Lesson tab; there are now more than 35 lessons for you to learn Ndebele a bit more formally. If you spot any mistakes or would like to add something, feel free to comment. 

Lesson 36 is an easy introduction on how you can say things that you will do in the future (isikhathi esizayo), such as "sizakudla" (we are going to eat) or "kaliyikuhamba" (you won't go). For fun lamuhla, here are some vegetables in Ndebele, comment if you can think of more.

  • Itamatisi - Tomato (it is in the noun class "ili/ama", if you don't know what that means, hope on over to the Lessons tab to see the less than a dozen isiNdebele noun classes. For tomatoes it goes from itamatisi to amatamatisi, hence it is in the noun class "ili/ama").
  • imbambayile (im/izim) - sweet potato (welcome back from the Lesson tab, if you know the noun classes now, you'll know the plural is izimbambayile for sweet potatoes).
  • Igwili (ili/ama) - potato.
  • Ithanga (ili/ama) - pumpkin.
  • Amakhomane - vegetable marrows.
  • Ijodo (ili/ama) - dry melon/ pig melon (ikhabe (ili/ama) is a watermelon by contrast.
  • And a bonus one to make from the imibhida (vegetables) in a imbiza (saucepan/ pot) is umhluzi - soup.

Salani kuhle (stay well). If you would like to support us, please go to our Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/NorthernNdebele or get involved as a volunteer by emailing us at northernndebeleblog@gmail.com. For any questions, please ask and answer those of other learners in the Community Questions tab



Ndebele Adjectives and Community Building

Salibonani bangane, if you are new here, please scroll down to read the posts from the bottom going upwards. Ok, we have been reading your comments and emails so want to address some of them. Lamhla we have some siNdebele adjectives as some have said they want more adjectives please. For those asking specific questions, like "How do you say neighbour in Ndebele?" (neighbour is umakhelwane, which is in the u/o class, if you've learnt well from the Lessons tab), kulungile keep the suggestions/ questions coming but please remember to also ask in the community questions tab

For those in the community who can answer, please do also answer some beginner questions in the community questions tab, and siyabonga kakhulu to those who have continued to answer so well already. As you know, the aim of this blog is to give an introduction to the isiNdebele language, and to be a place where the community can ask and answer questions. We are run by volunteers, so feel free to also get in touch if you would like to help out and be a volunteer in different ways too: northernndebeleblog@gmail.com

bad - -bi (like in ububi which is the noun for badness, hopefully you don't need it much)
better - -ngcono
big - -khulu (the same for a few adjectives in English)
certain - -thile
clear - -bonakala or -khanya or kusobala (it is clear)
different/ become different - -ahluka
early - -kuqala or use adverbs such as masinya or masinyane
easy - -lula (peezy)
empty - -thulula or -chitha
faithful - -thembeka
fragile - -famanga (be very very careful, handle with care)
fresh - -tsha
full - -gcwala (kugcwele - it is full)
generous - -phana
gentle - -mnene or -chuma (such as uchumile - she is gentle)
good - -hle or -lunga (to become good)
great - -khulu (it is the same for large, big and great)
happy - -thaba or -thokoza
hard - -lukhuni (remember ubulukhuni means hardship)
high - -phezulu or -phakama (to become on high)
humanity - it's a verb but a good one, ubuntu
humble - -thobeka (uthobekile - she is humble)
important - -nzima or -qakatheka (become important)
large - -khulu
late - -phuza (become late) or like now -libazisa (to make me late)
lazy - -vilapha (I'm not today, look at allthese adjectives)
little - -ngcinyane (yes it has a "c" click)
lonely - -zungu like umuntu olesizungu (a lonely person, ah shame)
long - -de
necessary - -dingeka or -sweleka, or -fanela (become necessary)
new - -tsha (you saw this recently, if I can re-fresh your memory)
old - -dala or as a bonus -luphala (when a person "grows old")
only - -dwa, or use the adverb kuphela.
other - -nye 
overcast/ cloudy - -fiphala, so kufiphele (it is overcast)
possible - -ngenzeka, kungenzeka (it is possible)
poor - -umyanga (of a person)
real - -qotho
reckless - olamawala (for a person)
right - -lunga, or ukunene for the right-hand side
small - -ncinyane
sore - -buhlungu
speckled - -feketha
strong - -qina
sure - -qinisa
thick - -qatha
true - pick in different situations from -qonda or -qina or -qotho
whole - -nke
young - -tsha (you can learn isiNdebele whether old or new)
 

Salani kuhle (stay well everyone)until next time, stay safe and keep enjoying learning isiNdebele here together.



Angithi, ufuna ukufunda? Learning isiNdebele during iCovid19.

Salibonani bangane. We hope you are doing alright in this Covid19.  Lamhla we have some Ndebele vocabulary to use at home. Angithi, ufuna ukufunda? (You want to learn, right? Many have been asking so we dusted off our computer keyboards). We also posted some new isiNdebele lessons (there are now over 30 lessons) in the lessons tab, for you to enjoy, and you can answer or ask questions in the community questions tab.

Ngiyaphile - I am healthy
Ukudla kusele na? -  Is there any food left?
Ukudla kwaphela - The food is finished (because there is nothing else to do indoors)
Impuphu kayikho - There is no mealie meal
Umama ugqoke ipyjamas -  Mother is wearing her pyjamas (covid19 work clothes)
Ngifanele ukusebenza - I must work
Ubaba usuthi -  Father is full (from eating)
Isisu - stomach (is the boss)
Isinkwa - bread loaf
Abantwana bathanda ukudla sibili - The children like to eat, very much
Amanzi kawakho - There is no water
Umntwana kalalanga - The child has not gone to sleep
Kabalalanga - They are not asleep
Sicaphukile - We are annoyed
Umntwana ukhalile/ udlalile - The child cried/ played
Insane kazikhali - The babies are not crying (luckily)
Abantwana baphandle - The children are outdoors
Ubeke ngaphi impahla? -  Where did you put the things?
Angifuni ukuhlala lapha nsukuzonke - I don't want to stay here every day
Izolo, lamhla, njalo kusasa -  Yesterday, today, and tomorrow (the days seem to be the same)
Kangimbonanga - I haven't seen her (my friend)

And a final very important Ndebele phrase, Ufundeni lamuhla? - What did you learn today?

Salani kuhle (stay well everyone)until next time, stay safe and keep enjoying learning isiNdebele.



Ndebele Phrases about Understanding

Salibonani bangane. We hope you read our previous post on Covid19.  Lamhla we have some Ndebele vocabulary about understanding. Enjoy and stay healthy.

Ngiyezwa - I understand
Remember to make a negative, as explained in the lessons tab, you add an "A" in front, so
Angizwi - I don't understand.
Phinda futhi - Please repeat that 
Uyakhuluma isiNdebele? - Do you speak Ndebele?
Yebo, kancane - yes, a small bit
Uxolo - pardon me
Uyakhuluma isiNgisi? - Do you speak English?

Hambani kuhle, until next time, keep enjoying learning isiNdebele.

Ndebele words for feeling sick and covid19

Salibonani bangane. We hope you are staying healthy during this coronavirus emergency. Some of the guidelines are:


  • Ukugezisa izandla (to wash your hands) with soap for at least 20 seconds to help ukubulala (to kill) the virus on your hands.
  • To keep a distance of about 3 metres from other people (so rather wave for now than shake izandla).
  • Ukukhangela nxa uyagula (to watch out for a fever/ cough), and call udokutela (the doc) on the phone if you notice this.

We hope that the spread of the virus can be slowed, and that those who have it can recover. We hope people can stay home, and during this time the phrase "distance learning" is quite fitting. We hope you can continue to learn Ndebele on this site, while you are ekhaya (at home), and of course we welcome comments and any community questions and answers. Kuhle, so here are some sentences:

Siyahlala ekhaya (We are staying at home)
Ngizakuhamba esitolo ukuthenga isinkwa (I am going to the shop to buy bread).
Ngicathabanga umngan'ami uyagula (I think my friend is sick).

Hlala endlini bakhithi, stay safe and let us hope for a speedy recovery of those of us who are sick.

If you like what we are creating here, consider becoming a Patron on: https://www.patreon.com/NorthernNdebele

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1F6uurmBKb96hPTG4tBt26DhYo7EmGTAPX

Northern Ndebele Words to Tell a Story of How You're Feeling

Samukele! Salibonani bangane (welcome, hello friends). If you are new, please start at the first post at the bottom and work your way up to this, the newest post.

Answer/ ask questions of the community Community Questions tab.

If you would like to support us, please go to our Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/NorthernNdebele or get involved as a volunteer by emailing us at northernndebeleblog@gmail.com.

Learn with the beginner lesson: Lessons tab.

Kulungile. We have some more lessons up in our Lessons tab, for those who would like to learn more there. Otherwise, see our other tabs, and answer/ ask some questions in the Community Questions tab. Lamhla, let us look at a dozen Ndebele phrases for how you're feeling (or how I am feeling at the moment, for some of these, haha).

Ngomile/ ngiwomile - I am thirsty
Ngibambekile - I am busy (always the case)

Ngidiniwe - I am feeling tired (too much blogging maybe)
Ngilambile - I am hungry (but...)
Ngilindile - I am waiting (for lunch time now)
Ngicaphukile - I am annoyed (that it's not lunchtime yet) 
Emini ngiyalambile - at the afternoon, I become hungry
Ngisuthi - I am full/ satisfied (for after eating, not yet)
Ngicakile - I am thin (because of the above)
Ngizimukile - I am fat (maybe after lunch)
Uhlakaniphile - You are clever (yes, you are)
Ngiphuzile - I am late (so...)
Ngifanele ukuhamba khathesi (I have to go now). 

Salani kuhle bangane.

Lokhu kuqakathekile, nxa uyafuna to get involved, please answer some community questions, or contact us via northernndebeleblog@gmail.com.



Ndebele Names for Domestic Animals

Samukele! Sakubona bangane (welcome, hello friends). If you are new, please start at the first post at the bottom and work your way up to this, the newest post.

Answer/ ask questions of the community Community Questions tab.

If you would like to support us, please go to our Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/NorthernNdebele or get involved as a volunteer by emailing us at northernndebeleblog@gmail.com.

Learn with the beginner lesson: Lessons tab.

There have been some questions in the emails and community questions about animals, numbers, and other topics for us to cover in the future. Thanks to those in the community who have been answering the questions, siyabonga. We have answered some in this post, like isilwane means a lion. Here are some domestic animals though, for the animal lovers:

Inkomo - a cow
Ubabhemi - a donkey
Imbuzi - a goat
Inja - a dog
Umangoye - a cat
Ingulube - a pig
Inkukhu - a chicken

Lapha kule'nkukhu na? - Are there any chickens here?
Qaphela inja - Watch out for the dog!

Kulungile, here are the numbers in isiNdebele again (1 to 10):

Kunye
Kubili
Kuthathu
Kune
Kuhlanu
Isithupha
Isikhombisa
Isitshiyangalo mbili
Isitshiyangalo lunye
Isitshumi

Did we miss any out? What is your favourite domestic animal? 

We hope 2020 is a good year, and hope to carry on with the good work from 2019. If you would like to get involved or contact us, please email Northern Ndebele Blog: northernndebeleblog@gmail.com. You can also leave a comment with your email and we will get back to you, but comments can get lost with the spam ones sometimes, kunzima. Keep answering and asking questions in the community questions tab. Amandla!

Can you guess these bonus numbers: ikhulu, inkulungwane, isigidi? (Clue: They're getting bigger). Leave a comment below.



Past Tense in the Ndebele Language

Salibonani bangane (hello friends). If you are new, please start at the first post at the bottom and work your way up to this, the newest post.

Answer/ ask questions of the community Community Questions tab.

If you would like to support us, please go to our Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/NorthernNdebele or get involved as a volunteer by emailing us at northernndebeleblog@gmail.com.

Learn with the beginner lesson: Lessons tab.

Lamuhla, let us look at the Past Tense in isiNdebele. With the verbs, ukubona (to see) and ukuhamba (to go), we can say in Ndebele:

Ngibona - I see, or Ubona - you see (present tense) or
Ngabona - I saw, or Wabona - You saw (past tense).

For example, umfana wabona - the boy saw.

In the Perfect Tense (for the recent past), we can also say:

Ngibonile - I have seen (recently)
Uhambile - You have gone (recently).

For example, Ubonile'mfana? (Have you seen the boy?). Ye, ubuyile umfana, ngimbonile (Yes, the boy has arrived, I have seen him).

For more on the Past Tense, and also the Perfect Tense, go to Lesson 31 in the Lessons tab.

Hlalani kuhle bakithi.



IsiNdebele Vocab Words: What's Cooking?

Salibonani bangane (hello friends). If you are new, please start at the first post at the bottom and work your way up to this, the newest post. 
For today's post, we will look at some isiNdebele words associated with food.
imbiza - saucepan
ubukhokho - burnt on crust
bonda - stir
amasi - curds/ curdled milk
ukudla - meal/ food
phakela/ phakulula - dish up food
imphuphu yesinkwa - bread flour
ondla - nourish
ikhasi - peel
phothula/ chola - grind maize/ grind
ilitshe lokuchola - a grindstone
indlu - house
isikhwebu - mealie/ corn on the cob
inkomitsho - a cup
geca/ benga - cut with a knife
pheqa - close a knife
ithambo - bone
mnandi - pleasant/ nice
umhlabathi lo uvundile - this soil is fertile
ipulazi - farm
inala - plenty of crops
izinhlamvu/ amazambane - nuts/ groundnuts (not potato, like in other Bantu languages)
ifrigi - fridge
bila/ phuphuma - boil/ boil over
nambitheka - be tasty/ palatable (from nambitha, taste)
isibambo - tongs
uqwanga - gristle
ihwahwa - piece of animal fat
isitofu - stove (not tofu the food)
imbambayila (im/izim) - sweet potato
intuthu yamanzi - steam
umkhomo - baobab
bila - to boil
hluza - squash fruit to juice
itamatisi - tomato
igwili - potato
igovu - glutton
ibhabhalazi - hangover from drinking
umhluzi - soup
umkhiwa - fig
umganu - plate
nzima - heavy/ strong
mangalisa - surprised (from ukumangala)
ungqwaqwane - ice
hlanyela - plant/ sow
iziwiji - sweeties
inhlansi - spark
ulutho - thing
ilambazi/ isitshwala - thing/ thick mealie porridge
namathela - be sticky
inkalakatha - huge thing
umlaza - whey
inyamazana - animals
ingalukhuni - turkey
inyama yengulube - pork
isinkwa - bread
imbodlela - bottle
imithi - medicine
isabelo - a portion
isithelo sivuthiwe - the fruit is ripe (from vuthwa)
thinta - touch
faka emanzini - put into water to soak
chitheka - spill
khukhuza - scrape clean
uqhatshi - nice cooking food smell
umhlubulo - rib of meat
okudakisayo - harmful drugs
uluju/ ingcino - honey/ honeycomb
ukugadli okukhulisayo - malnutrition
umthimba/ umtshado - wedding
ulusu - tripe
phansi kwetafula - under the table
geza - wash
natha - to drink
ingcino/ inhlaka - sap
izinyo - tooth
phakathi - inside
amanzi acengekile - the water is pure
isithupha - thumb
umphimbo - throat
indebe - lip
qumbaqumba - tickle
chaya - spread out to dry
ithanga - pumpkin
itshizi - cheese
isikali - food can
tshisa - burn
nyama - meat
mpofu - light brown
uwomile - he is thirsty
isitshuba - napkin
isilungulela - heartburn/ indigestion
hlanza - vomit
lokhu kulomsebenzi - this is useful

Bonus words:
udwendwe (queue)
iphephandaba (newspaper)
umkhonto (traditional spear)
umuntu olesizungu - a lonely person
impophoma (torrent)
ubunyonyo/ ichobantwala - ant/ Matabele ant
amatheza/ umuhlwa - termites
amehlo amhlophe - congratulations
isilevu - chin
dumisa - worship
ibululu - puffadder
inhlathu (python)
nakana/ cabanga - meditate/ think on it
hoqa (to snore). Which I want to go and do now. Sala kuhle, bakithi.



Useful Little Ndebele Words

Salibonani bangane (hello friends). If you are new, please start at the first post at the bottom and work your way up to this, the newest post. 

Remember, you can ask/answer questions, and generally discuss (or point out any spelling mistakes, ukupha kuhle kulokwamukela) in the Community Questions tab here:


If you would like to support us, please go to our Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/NorthernNdebele or get involved as a volunteer by emailing us at northernndebeleblog@gmail.com.
Also, if you would like to do some formal lessons, we are excited to now have about 30 beginner lessons to get you started formally in your Ndebele learning:

Lessons

Kulungile, for those in the community who are keen to learn some of those little but useful connecting words in Ndebele khathesi, here you go:

kuhle - good/ well
kodwa - but
ngoba - because
njenga - like
kuphela - only (as in, "just this alone")
futhi - again
nxa - when, as in "when I was young".
njani? - how?
ngaphi? - where?
-ni? - what?
ngubani? - who? (such as okabani? - whose?)
nini? - when?
njalo - also/ and
ngakho - therefore
kakhulu - very much (as in "thank you very much")
masinyane - soon
kancinyane - a little bit
njengoba - since
lanxa - although
kumbe  - or
khathesi - now
kubi - badly/ poorly
-vele - always
-hlana - quite pretty (from -hle, pretty)

Sahle kuhle, bakithi.

Salibonani bangane (hello friends). If you are new, please start at the first post at the bottom and work your way up to this, the newest post.

Lamhla, let us look at a summary of the noun classes in isiNdebele. Once you know these noun classes, you will be able to use any noun. For more about each noun class, we now have 27 lessons up for you to learn isiNdebele formally:

Lessons

Kulungile, nansi Noun Classes with words for singular/ plural:

  • Um (or Umu)/ Aba - for example umfana/ abafana, umuntu/ abantu,
  • U/O - ubaba/ obaba, umama/ omama,
  • Um (or Umu)/ Imi - umfula, umuthi/ imifula, imithi,
  • I (or Ili)/ Ama - ijaha, ilitshe/ amajaha, amatshe,
  • Is (or Isi)/ Iz (or Izi) - isalukazi, isitsha/ izalukazi, izitsha,
  • Im (or In)Izim (or izin) - imvu, inja/ izimvu, izinja,
  • U (or Ulu)/ Im (or In, or Izin) - ubhalu, ukhezo, uluthi/ imbalu, inkezo, izinti,
  • Ubu (both singular and plural) - ubunyonyo (ant or ants)
  • Uku - ukudla (food)


To those who would like to write something for us to post, please email suggestions to northernndebeleblog@gmail.com. For those who would like to ask questions, or help others with questions they ask, please look under the community tab for any comments:



We appreciate the engagement, as we would like it to be easy and fun to learn isiNdebele.

Sahle kuhle.

Proverbs in Ndebele

Salibonani bangane (hello friends). If you are new, please start at the first post at the bottom and work your way up to this, the newest post. 

Remember, you can ask/answer questions, and generally discuss (or point out any spelling mistakes, ngiyabonga) in the Community Questions tab here:


If you would like to support us, please go to our Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/NorthernNdebele or get involved as a volunteer by emailing us at northernndebeleblog@gmail.com.
 
Also, if you would like to do some formal lessons, we have over 30 beginner lessons and are adding to them:
Lessons



Kulungile, for those in the community who are keen for some proverbs in Ndebele lamhlanje, nansi:

Umuntu abozinuka amakhwapha - Everyone has flaws to be aware of.
Kwabo kagwala kakulasililo - Prevention is better than cure.
Inyembezi zendoda zehlela esifubeni - Men will try not to show that they are sad.
Inotho ngamazolo - Your possessions last only until tomorrow.
Inja ingaqhoba ithambo iyejwayela - One who is helped will return.
Akugeza lingelasiyinga - No person is perfect.
Intandane enhle ngekhothwa ngunina - One who is well looked after is joyous.
Indlovu ibulawa yibunyonyo - A lot of small steps can overcome a large problem.
Inhlanhla kayiphindwa kabili - Luck does not come a second time.
Ubukhosi ngamazolo - Be careful not to misuse your power over someone below you, because tomorrow you may be down to his position again.
Umlomo kawugcwalelwa ngumfula - It is easy to say than to do.
Ukubona kanye yikubona kabili - If it happens once, the second time you will know.
Ungexotshe'mpala zimbili - You cannot do two things at once.
Inhlwa kayibanjwa ngekhanda - First you should use your head/ learn, and then speak.
Isikhuni sitshisa umkhwezeli - One who troubles others will also be troubled.
Imamba yalukile, ubuchakide buchelesile - Similar to "when the cat is away, the mice will play".
Isithukuthuku senja siphelela oboyeni - Some toil for very little in return.
Amajodo awela abangelambiza - Luck can happen to fools.
Imbiza ibila ngokukhwezelwa - You can say this to encourage people to keep it up.
Sizayicela isivuthiwe - It shall be there for us to admire when we are done.

For the above proverbs, the isiNgisi translations are approximate, to show the meaning. For example, Indlovu ibulawa yibunyonyo can translate to something like "the big elephant is killed by small ants." 
If you have any comments, or would like to help with the Community Questions, that would be great.
Have fun bakithi, sahle kuhle.

Asking or Answering Ndebele Questions

Kulabantu eminengi (there are many people) who are asking questions and also people helping to answer. Remember, you can ask/answer questions in the Community Questions tab here.

For example, Mike asked the name for a specific type of snake, called a puff adder in isiNgisi.


Siyabonga Lethiwe, it is called iBululu in isiNdebele. 

A Hospital Tour in Ndebele

Thanks for this suggestion from Sam. In this video, they tour a newly built hospital koBulawayo, speaking in Ndebele and English:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156139491841214&id=529096213&_rdr



Enjoy and see if you can pick up some Ndebele phrases, such as the greetings (sakubona/ unjani) and congratulations (amhlophe).

Summary of Noun Classes in isiNdebele

Salibonani bangane (hello friends). If you are new, please start at the first post at the bottom and work your way up to this, the newest post.

Lamhla, let us look at a summary of the noun classes in isiNdebele. Once you know these noun classes, you will be able to use any noun. For more about each noun class, we now have 27 lessons up for you to learn isiNdebele formally:

Lessons


Kulungile, nans' amaNoun Classes with words for singular/ plural:
  • Um (or Umu)/ Aba - for example umfana/ abafana, umuntu/ abantu,
  • U/O - ubaba/ obaba, umama/ omama,
  • Um (or Umu)/ Imi - umfula, umuthi/ imifula, imithi,
  • I (or Ili)/ Ama - ijaha, ilitshe/ amajaha, amatshe,
  • Is (or Isi)/ Iz (or Izi) - isalukazi, isitsha/ izalukazi, izitsha,
  • Im (or In)/ Izim (or izin) - imvu, inja/ izimvu, izinja,
  • U (or Ulu)/ Im (or In, or Izin) - ubhalu, ukhezo, uluthi/ imbalu, inkezo, izinti,
  • Ubu (both singular and plural) - ubunyonyo (ant or ants)
  • Uku - ukudla (food)


To those who would like to write something for us to post, please email your writing to northernndebeleblog@gmail.com. We are working on a simple Northern Ndebele booklet which we can email to those interested when it is done. For those who would like to ask questions, or help others with questions they ask, please look under the community tab for any comments:


We appreciate the engagement, as we would like it to be easy and fun to learn isiNdebele. If you would like to work with us, please email northernndebeleblog@gmail.com.

Sahle kuhle.

Using the same Ndebele word for singular and plural

Salibonani bangane (hello friends). Lamhla, let us look at the case for words that are the same in singular and plural in isiNdebele.

Like the English word, "sheep" means one or many of the animal, so there are words in Ndebele which mean both. For example:
ubunyonyo means either one ant or many ants, ubusuku means one or many nights, and ubuhlungu means pain or many pains (or poisons).

For more, read the lessons, we now have 25 lessons up for you to learn isiNdebele formally:

Lessons

To those who would like to ask questions, or help others with information, we created a community tab for any comments:


We appreciate the engagement, as we would like it to be easy and fun to learn isiNdebele.

Sahle kuhle.

Northern Ndebele

Salibonani bangane

If you are just starting your journey to learn and have fun with isiNdebele, please look at the first posts at the bottom of this page (scroll down) and work your way up to this, the newest post.

We have uploaded a new lessons, including the verb classes which once learnt, are simple to apply nsukuzonke. Nxa uyafuna ukufunda isiNdebele , hamba khonapha khathesi koLessons tab:

 Lessons

Have fun bakithi, we look forward to hearing from you.

♫ Ndebele song artist to listen to while you learn: ♪ Dorothy Masuku♪ e.g Hamba Notsokolo or Magumede.♫


The Weather in Ndebele

Salibonani bangane. Thanks to all those who write in every week to northernndebeleblog@gmail.com.

If you are just starting your journey to learn and have fun with isiNdebele, please look at the first posts at the bottom of this page (scroll down) and work your way up to this, the newest post.

Lamhlanje, let us give a reminder of the basic weather in isiNdebele:

Kuyaqanda - it is cold
Kuyatshisa - it is hot (can also be used for objects, like isinkwa kasitshisi - the bread is not hot)
Ilanga liyatshisa - a more specific way to say it is hot (the sun is hot)
Izulu liyana* - it is raining
Ngiyagodola - I am cold (my body)

*this may be confusing because the Zulu are also a people, speaking isiZulu. In isiNdebele though, izulu means rain.

Kulungile, we have uploaded a few new lessons, so if you would like to learn isiNdebele more formally, continue here in the Lessons tab:

 Lessons

Have fun bakithi, we look forward to hearing from you.

What is Samp?

Salibonani bangane. Thanks to all those who write in every week to northernndebeleblog@gmail.com. Thanks to Kuda for the contribution.

If you are just starting your journey to learn and have fun with isiNdebele, please look at the first posts at the bottom of this page (scroll down) and work your way to this, the newest post.

Lamhlanje, the question is, "What is samp, and what is it called in isiNdebele?"

Well, samp is made from corn/ mealies. Before it can get to a fine powder called "corn flour/ mealie meal" it is just the corn kernels chopped and stamped. This stage is called "samp", and is a common food in Southern Africa.

[Remember, the fine powder is called mealie meal (impuphu) and is used to make isitshwala (also called "pap" in South Africa). To see how isitshwala is made (and peanut butter spinach, which is delicious), see this little YouTube video we found earlier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PdP78WD74g.]

So what is samp in isiNdebele? Well, it is either itshakada or umgqutsu. For siNdebele readers in the community, which word do you use? What traditional drinks and foods do you like - isitshwala senyawuthi, idelele, amasi, amahewu, umqombothi?

Samp (itshakada) is made from coarsely ground dried corn/ mealies.

If you would like to contribute, email us at northernndebeleblog@gmail.comHave fun bakithi, we look forward to hearing from you.