Zulu/Printable version

Zulu

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Lesson 1

This introductory lesson provides a simple conversation with a table of all the vocabulary used. Then the ways to say your name or the names of others is provided.

Hello

UPhilani ubingelela umngani wakhe, uNandi.

uPhilani: Sawubona Nandi.

uNandi: Sawubona Philani.

uPhilani: Unjani?

uNandi: Ngikhona (ngiyaphila), wena unjani?

uPhilani: Nami ngikhona (ngiyaphila). uhambe kahle.

uNandi: Ngiyabonga. Usale kahle.

isiZulu	isiNgisi
Sawubona	Hello
Unjani?	How are you?
Ngikhona	I'm fine
Wena	You
Nami	Also (and me)
Sala	Stay
Hamba	Go
Kahle	well
Ngiyabonga	Thank you.

The first exchange illustrates a fairly casual or familiar tone. It is both more formal and more polite to use the plural forms, e.g.:

uJacob: Sanibonani

uNjabulo: Yebo, sanibonani.

uJacob: Ninjani?

uNjabulo: Sikhona/Siyaphila, nina ninjani?

uJacob: Nathi sikhona/siyaphila.

isiZulu	isiNgisi
Sanibonani	Hello
Ninjani?	How are you?
Sikhona/Siyaphila	We're fine/well
Nina	You (plural)
Nathi	Also (and us)

It would normally be considered somewhat rude and abrupt to say goodbye just then. An exchange of pleasantries would normally follow such greetings, but in large cities, since people are often busy, this short conversation is sufficient.

A very polite way of saying farewell would be:

uJacob: Nihambe kahle.

uNjabulo: Nisale kahle.

Notes

1. Sanibona(ni) where the final ni may or may not be used

Introducing people

Philani introduces his friend Thabo to Nandi.

uPhilani: Nandi, Lo umgani wami, uThabo.

uNandi: Ngiyajabula ukukwazi!

uThabo: Nami, ngiyajabula ukukwazi!

Thabo introduces himself to Nosipho.

uThabo: Igama lami nguThabo!

uNosipho: Ngiyajabula ukukwazi! NginguNosipho.

uThabo: Ngiyajabula ukukwazi!

isiZulu	isiNgisi
Igama	Name
-mi	my
Lo (Lona)	This
Nina	You (plural)
Ngiyajabula ukukwazi	I'm pleased to know you.
Umngani	Friend
Ngingu-	I'm

The above table says that -mi means my but la- that is added to it is for agreement. Lami agrees with igama. The same is true for wami: the wa- agrees with umngani.

How are you?

Philani sees his friend Thabo in the street.

uPhilani: Sawubona Thabo!

uThabo: Yebo, sawubona Philani!

uPhilani: Unjani?

uThabo: Ngiyaphila, wena unjani?

uPhilani: Angiphilile.

isiZulu	isiNgisi
Angiphilile	I'm not well.

Surname

Nandi tells Thabo her surname.

Nandi: Isibongo sami uNdlovu.

uThabo: NgingowakwaKhumalo.

isiZulu	isiNgisi
Isibongo	Surname
Ngingowakwa-	I'm of the family of

Summary

• We can say hello: Sawubona, Sanibona or Sanibonani
• Ask people how they are: Unjani?, Ninjani?.
• Say how you are: Ngiyaphila, ngikhona, angiphilile.
• Introduce yourself: Igama lami ngu-, Ngingu-.
• Introduce others: Lo ngu-.
• Say your surname: Isibongo sami, Ngingowakwa-.

Next step

Try the Exercise or go the next Lesson 2.

Talking about yourself

In this lesson, we learn how to say where we stay, where we come from and whether we work or study. The conjugating of the verbs involved is also explained.

Ngihlala eThekwini

uNandi: Sawubona Philani!

uPhilani: Yebo sawubona Nandi!

uNandi: Unjani?

uPhilani: Ngisaphila, wena unjani?

uNandi: Nami ngikhona.

uPhilani: Wena uhlalaphi?

uNandi: Ngihlala eThekwini, uhlala kuphi?

uPhalani: Mina ngihlala eGoli.

Before explaining the dialogue fully, the verb -hlala with its pronoun prefixes is given. Mina, Wena, Yena, Nina, Thina, Bona are used for emphasis, just as we can say, "Me, I live in Durban" in English. This means that Zulu is a pro-drop language like Spanish, Greek, and many others.

Pronoun	isenzo	isiNgisi
Mina	ngiyahlala	I live
Wena	uyahlala	You live
Yena	uyahlala	He/She lives
Thina	siyahlala	We live
Nina	niyahlala	You(pl) live
Bona	bayahlala	They live

Every verb is used in this manner, so for instance -sebenza means work so 'Ngiyasebenza' means I work. It needs to be noted here that ya is added in between subject concord, the ngi part, and the verb stem. This is only done when there is no expressed object or adjunct. It should be noted that writing 'Yena ngiyahlala' in Zulu is the same as writing "He stay" in English. Leaving out the subject concord, for instance, 'Mina hlala', is the same as "Me, stay!" in English, where the second word is a command. If the pronoun is used it must always agree with the subject concord. One way to remember the names of the pronouns is to think of them as Aunts, Thina (Tina), Mina, Nina. Say "Mina ngi, Thina si, Nina ni" aloud to yourself a few times.

isiZulu	isiNgisi
Uhlalaphi?	Where do you stay?
Uhlala kuphi?	Where do you stay?
eThekwini	At/in/from Durban
eGoli	At/in/from Johannesburg

The above table introduces the -phi affix which means where. It cannot stand alone so it is either added to the end of the verb or ku- is prefixed to it. Words in Zulu beginning with 'e' mean at somewhere. A list of places in South Africa is provided below.

isiNgisi	Pretoria	Cape Town	Johannesburg	Durban	Pietermaritzburg	Ladysmith
isiZulu	iPitoli	iKapa	iGoli	iThekwini	uMgungundlovu	uMnambithi

In principle, if we want to create the name of a place that we do not know the actual name for, we can take the English word for it and add an 'i' to the beginning of it. So London would be iLondon. To turn this into the place of/at/in London we change the 'i' to an 'e'.

Ngiphuma eFlansi

Jean starts talking to an older man. So to show respect he uses Sanibona and plurals.

uJean: Sanibona baba.

uNjabulo: Yebo sawubona.

uJean: Ninjani?

uNjabulo: Ngikhona, wena unjani?

uJean: Ngisaphila.

uNjabulo:Igama lami uNjabulo. Ungubani?

uJean: NginguJean.

uNjabulo: Ngiyajabula ukukwazi.

uJean: Nami ngiyajabula ukukwazi.

uNjabulo: Uphuma kuphi?

uJean: Ngiphuma eFlansi. Niphumaphi?

uNjabulo: Ngiphuma eKapa

Here in this example eFlansi is once again a locative and means in France. We have also introduced how to ask someone's name. Ubani means who? Ungu- means you are. So Ungubani means you are who or Who are you?

Another way to ask someone's name is Igama lakho ngubani?.

In general, this is the best way to express where you come from. Below is a list of countries.

Amazwe

Umbuso Uhlanganisile	iNgilandi	isiKotilandi	iWayelshi	iShayina
iSpeyini	iFlansi	iJalimani	iTaliya	iRashiya
iMelika	iKhanada	iZilandi Elisha	i-Ostreliya	iNingizimu Afrika1
iZimbabwe	iAngola	iButswana	iNamibhiya	iMekisiko

¹ uMzansi is also used it is a loan word from Xhosa.

Also note that depending on where you are it might be acceptable to say iFrance or iSpain. This is true of large cities. But it will always be correct to use the terms above.

Ngiyafunda/Ngiyasebenza

The above conversation continues.

uNjabulo: Wenza msebenzi muni?

uJean: Ngingumfundisi.

uNjabulo: Ngingudokotela.

Ngingudokotela

isiZulu	isiNgisi	isiZulu	isiNgisi
udokotela	doctor	unesi	nurse
umkhandi	repairman	uthisha	teacher
umfundi	learner/student	umama	mother
ugogo	grandmother	umkhulu	grandfather
ubaba	father	usisi	sister
umgane	friend	umpheki	cook
umzali	parent	usisi	sister
umfundisi	preacher	ubhuti	brother
udadewethu	my/our sister	umfowethu	my/our brother
umyeni	husband	umntwana	child
yebo	yes	cha	no

If we remember one of the ways to say our name, NginguPhilani means I am Philani. The same applies for saying you are a doctor or teacher.

uThabo: Ngingudokotela.

uNosipho: Hhayi mina ngingunesi!

uZodwa: Wena ungudokotela na?

uThabo: Yebo, ngingudokotela. Umyeni wakho ungumpheki?

uZodwa: Cha, yena ungumfundisi.

This above dialogue illustrates that the pronouns and concords apply here too with -ng-. The na at the end of Zodwa's first sentence turns it into a question. So the sentence means: 'Are you a doctor?'. 'Umyeni wakho ungumpheki?' uses tone to indicate the question. -kho means your and wa- is for agreement. So the sentence means: 'Is your husband a cook?'.

Note The words that are underlined need to be learned for the lesson and the exercises.

Summary

• We say where we live - Ngihlala eHillbrow.
• We can ask someone where they live - Wena uhlalaphi? or Uhlala kuphi?
• We know words for various cities in South Africa - iGoli iKapa etc or eGoli.
• We can form synthetic names for cities that we do not know the real name for - iLondon or iParis.
• We can ask someone what they do - Wenza msebenzi muni?
• We can say what we do - Ngingudokotela.
• We have learn various nouns for certain professions - unesi, umpheki etc.

Next step

Try the Exercise or go the next Lesson 3. Or alternatively, go back to the Index.

How many years

In this lesson, we learn how to say how long we've been working for, how old we are.

Ngineminyaka engu-5 ngisebenza

uNandi: Sawubona Philani!

uPhilani: Yebo sawubona Nandi!

uNandi: Unjani?

uPhilani: Ngisaphila, wena unjani?

uNandi: Nami ngikhona.

uPhilani: Uneminyaka emingaki, usebenza?

uNandi: Ngineminyaka engu-5 ngisebenza. Wena, uneminyaka emingaki ufunda eWits?

uPhilani: Ngineminyaka engu-2 ngifunda.

uNandi: Sala kahle.

uPhilani: Hamba kahle.

Pronoun	iSenzo	isiNgisi
Mina	ngineminyaka	I have years
Wena	uneminyaka	You have years
Yena	uneminyaka	He/She has years
Thina	sineminyaka	We have years
Nina	nineminyaka	You(pl) have years
Bona	baneminyaka	They have years

"Nginonyaka ngisebenza eKPMG" is used for one year. As said before this has the same pattern as the other verbs. To express how old we are, we use the same construction but with no verb after it or 'ubudala' may be used, which means years since birth. Note on the numbers, engu-5 should be read as engu-'five'. So the number is read as it would be in English. Thus engu-10 would be read as engu-'ten'. This is done because Zulu numbers are cumbersome particularly for numbers above 5.

Uneminyaka emingaki ubudala?

uNandi: Sawubona Philani!

uPhilani: Yebo sawubona Nandi!

uNandi: Unjani?

uPhilani: Ngiyaphila, wena unjani?

uNandi: Nami ngisaphila.

uPhilani: Uneminyaka emingaki ubudala?

uNandi: Ngineminyaka engu-25. Wena, uneminyaka emingaki?

uPhilani: Ngineminyaka engu-22 ubudala. Usebenzaphi?

uNandi: Ngisebenza eNedbank. Ubhuti wakho uyasebenza na?

uPhilani: Yebo, yena usebenza eCrispy Chicken. Umama wakho usebenza kuphi?

uNandi: Yebo, yena usebenza eChris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.

uPhilani: ungudokotela?

uNandi: Cha, yena ungunesi. Umama wakho uneminyaka emingaki?

uPhilani: Uneminyaka engu-37.

uNandi: uMama wami uneminyaka engu-41.

uPhilani: Sala kahle!

uNandi: Hamba kahle!

Here wakho means your again. The interrogative suffix -phi can also easily be used with sebenza. The characters inquire about age with or without ubudala. Notice how simply a question about someone else's age can be formed.

uGogo uya eKhaya

Remember these nouns from last lesson. We are going to make simple sentences with them. In Zulu, the subject has to provide a concord that is attached to the beginning of the verb. The words in the table below all belong to the first noun class. Unlike many other languages that just use the verb conjugated in the third person all the time. Ironically, this would be the case if all the nouns belonged to the first class. But this is not the case. The noun always determines the concord that the verb has attached to the front of it.

isiZulu	isiNgisi	isiZulu	isiNgisi
udokotela	doctor	unesi	nurse
umkandi	repairman	uthisha	teacher
umfundi	learner/student	umama	mother
ugogo	grandmother	umkhulu	grandfather
ubaba	father	usisi	sister
umgane	friend	umpheki	cook
umzali	parent	usisi	sister
umfundisi	preacher	ubhuti	brother
udadewethu	my/our sister	umfowethu	my/our brother
umyeni	husband	umntwana	child

Examples

• Udokotela usebenza eChris Hani Baragwanath.
• Ugogo uya ekhaya.
• Umngane wami usebenzela eWits.
• Umpheki usebenzela iMacDonalds.
• Umfundi ufunda eGoli.
• Umyeni wami usebenza eNedbank.
• Umkhulu uhlala eNaturena.
• Uthisha uya esikoleni.
• Nina nisebenza eStandard Bank.
• Thina sihlala eHoughton.
• Wena usebenzela iDeloite.
• Yena ufunda eWits.

isiZulu	isiNgisi
sebenza	work
uya	going
sebenzela	work for
funda	read/ study

So if we look at the sentences, we can see that all the nouns use the subject concord 'u'. This is the same subject concord that is used by 'yena' and 'wena'. The formation of one of these sentences can be summed up as follows: Umyeni u + sebenza eNedbank. So all we have to do is attach 'u' to the front of various verbs. Take note of the fact that the 'e' to form places is not used with sebenzela but it is always used with sebenza.

Summary

• We can tell people how old we are. Nginemiyaka engu-31.
• We can say how long we have been working. Nginemiyaka engu-11 ngisebenza.
• We can form simple sentences with nouns as the subject. Ugogo uhamba eKhaya.
• We have further illustrated the use of pronouns and their subject concords.

Next Step

Try the Exercise or go the next Lesson. Or alternatively, go back to the Index.

Uyazi eGoli?

In this lesson, we learn to talk about people and places we know. In addition to this we learn how to introduce multiple people.

Laba abangane bami

uNandi: Sawubona Philani!

uPhilani: Yebo sawubona Nandi!

uNandi: Unjani?

uPhilani: Ngisaphila, wena unjani?

uNandi: Nami ngiyaphila.

uPhilani: Laba abangane bami, nguNjabulo noXolani.

uNandi: Ngiyajabula ukunazi!

uNjabulo noXolani: Nathi siyajabula ukukwazi!

uNandi: Nihlalaphi?

uNjabulo: Ngihlala eGoli. Uyalazi iGoli?

uNandi: Angilazi iGoli.

uXolani: Ngihlala eKapa. Uyakwazi eKapa na?

uNandi: Yebo, ngiyazi eKapa.

uNjabulo noXolani noPhilani: Sala kahle.

uNandi: Hambani kahle.

Zulu	English
ukunazi	to know you (plural).
Uyazi	You know it
Angiyazi	You do not know it

We can use a similar form to ask someone if they know other places, for example, "Uyazi iTheweni?", "Uyazi iSoweto?" and even "Uyazi iLondon?". "Na" may be used to indicate a question in spoken language and in writing but when the language is spoken, generally questions are indicated with tone. This form cannot be used to ask if someone knows a person. This is because the of "uyazi" part of the verb. The y refers to the place iGoli basically u+i+azi becomes uyazi. Zulu does not allow vowels to be placed immediately alongside each other. The concept of object being attached to verbs is explained fully in a later lesson. We now introduce how to ask if you know someone.

Uyamazi uNelson wakwaMandela?

Dialogue

uXolani: Uyamazi uNelson wakwaMandela?

uNjabulo: Yebo, ubani ongamazi? Uyamazi uLucky wakwaDube?

uXolani: Yebo, ngiyamazi.

Zulu	English
Uyamazi	you know him
akamazi	he does not know him
uLucky wakwaDube	Lucky Dube

Once again the m in "ngimazi" refers to him/her.

• Yena uyamazi uDesmond wakwaTutu.
• uMngane wami uyazi eNew York.

Ngilikhohliwe!

A few days later, Xolani and Njabulo are at the mall when they see someone that they think they know.

Dialogue

uXolani: Uyamazi? (Nodding at her)

uNjabulo: Yebo, kodwa ngilikhohliwe!

uXolani: Igama lakhe uNandi, angithi?

uNjabulo: Hhayi yebo!

Here the li in ngilikhohliwe refers to igama. '-khe' means her/his. It is used like -mi and -kho.

Summary

• We can ask people if they know people. - Uyamazi uNelson wakwaMandela?
• We can ask people if they know places. - Uyazi iNaturean?
• We are able to introduce multiple people. - Laba abangane bami.
• We can say if we have forgotten someone's name. - Ngilikhohliwe

Next step

Try the Exercise or go the next Lesson 5. Or alternatively, go back to the Index.

Nginabantwana

In this lesson, we learn how to tell people what family members we have. We also introduce plurals for all the professions that we learnt in isiFundo esibili. In addition, we introduce name of various other professions.

Ngiyimaneja

uNandi: Sawubona Philani!

uPhilani: Yebo sawubona Nandi!

uNandi: Unjani?

uPhilani: Ngiyaphila, wena unjani?

uNandi: Nami ngikhona kodwa angiphilile.

uPhilani: Uphethwe yini?

uNandi: Ngiphethwe ngumkhuhlwane.

uPhilani: Ube ngcono!

uNandi: Ngiyabonga kakhulu, Philani.

uPhilani: Ubaba wakho wenza msebenzi muni?

uNandi: Ubaba wami uyimeneja.

uPhilani: Ubaba wami uyi-Accountant.

uNandi: Hamba kahle.

uPhilani: Sala kahle.

Zulu	English
iMeneja	Manager
i-Accountant	Accountant
Ngiyabongo kakhulu!	Thank you very much!
Uphethwe yini?	What are you suffering from?
umkhuhlwane	flu or a cold
Ube ngcono!	Get well!

The above dialogue illustrates how a conversation changes if someone is not feeling well. In the table below, we provide a short list of what someone might be suffering from. Note the use of words that have been borrowed from English, these words for profession all begin with an 'i'.

Zulu	English
Ngiphethwe yisisu.	I have stomach ache.
Siphethwe ngumsebenzi	I suffering from work/ I'm stressed.
Uphethwe yikhanda.	I have a headache.
Yena uphethwe ngumkhuhlane.	I have a cold/flu.

Plurals

Class 1/1a		Class 2/2b
Zulu	English	Zulu	English
Singular		Plural
udokotela	doctor	odokotela	doctors
umkandi	repairman	abakandi	repairmen
umama	mother	omama	mothers
umfundi	student	abafundi	students
ubaba	father	obaba	fathers
umngane	friend	abangane	friends
umzali	parent	abazali	parents
umfundisi	preacher	abafundisi	preachers
umyeni	husband	abayeni	husbands

In English, we form plurals, in general, by adding 's' to the end of words e.g. mother becomes mothers. In Zulu, this is done by changing the prefix of the word for example umzali becomes abazali.

The nouns in the above table belong to class 1 or 1a in singular and 2/2b in plural. Class 1 is all nouns that have singular um/umu- and plurals of Class 2 aba/abe- whereas Class 1a is all nouns that have singular u- and plural of Class 2b o-. This may seem unimportant presently but each noun class has its distinct subject concord i.e. umfundisi uyahamba and abafundisi bayahamba. Class 1/1a and 2/ 2b have different prefixes but the same subject concords. This is why they are grouped into the same class.

The table below has nouns from class 5 and plural of Class 6 that correspond to various borrowed words from English. These are by no means the only words in Class 5/6 but they are introduced here for your convenience.

Class 5		Class 6
Zulu	English
iConsultant	Consultant	amaConsultant	Consultant
iKholigi	Colleague	amaKholigi	Colleagues
iMeneja	Manager	amaMeneja	Managers

Note that there is a true Zulu word for manager it is umphathi (um/aba). But borrowed words may and are often used especially in city centre or when speaking to second language speakers. Nouns of Class 5, have subject concords i- so 'iKholigi isenbenza eVodacom futhi'. In the plural form ,Class 6 , has a- for its subject concord 'amaKhogili ayasebenza.'

Nginabantwana

uZandile

Sanibona! NginguZandile wakwaKhoza. Nginabantwana. Ngihlala eYeoville. Ngineminyaka engu-32 ubudala. Nginemoto. Nginomyeni. Igama lakhe uSipho. Sineminyaka engu-12 sihlala khona.

Zulu	English
imoto	car
lakhe	his or hers
eYeoville	in Yeoville
Nginabantwana.	I have children.

Use of na

In Zulu, when vowels come together one of three possibilities occurs. The three possibilities are:

• If i or u is placed on another vowel it becomes y or w.
• One of the vowels is deleted.
• Vowel merge to form a new vowel, this called coalescence.

Coalescence simply mean a + a = a, a + i = e and a + u = o.

When we use 'na' as it is used in the short passage above, coalescence occurs. So if look more closely at some of the phrases above. For instance, 'Nginomyeni' the word umyeni means husband so Ngi + na + umyeni coalescence occurs a + u = o so we get Nginomyeni. If we examine the rest of the passage, we seeing coalescence happening five times.

Summary

• We can ask someone what they are suffering from. Uphethwe yini?
• We can form plurals of Class 1/1a and Class 3. uMama; oMama; umzali; abazali; iKholigi; amaKholigi.
• We are able to use 'na' to express have. Yena unemoto.

Ngithanda ukudlala ibhola

In this lesson, we learn how to express likes and dislikes. To this end, we introduce and explain how to use infinitives e.g. 'to play'. A number of verbs are also introduced.

Ubhuti usebenzela i-Eskom

uNandi: Sawubona Philani!

uPhilani: Yebo sawubona Nandi!

uNandi: Unjani?

uPhilani: Ngisaphila, wena unjani?

uNandi: Nami ngiyaphila.

uPhilani: Unobhuti angithi?

uNandi: Yebo, nginobhuti.

uPhilani: Ubhuti usebenzaphi?

uNandi: Ubhuti usebenzela i-Eskom.

uPhilani: Eish, yena uyasebenza kakhulu angithi?

uNandi: Yebo, manje uyasebenza kakhulu. Wena unobhuti?

uPhilani: Cha, anginaye ubhuti.

uNandi: Hamba kahle.

uPhilani: Sala kahle.

Zulu	English
angithi	isn't it
anginabhuti	I do not have a brother
Eish	wow
sebenzela	work for

When "na" is used in the negative, we just drop the first letter of the noun then add the na. So, to say I do have not a sister: Angi+na+sisi becomes 'Anginasisi'. We have also introduced the word angithi, which also be used instead of na or intonation.

Ngithanda ubisi noshizi

Funda

Sanibona! NginguThato wakwaNdlovu. Ngineminyaka engu-21 ubudala. Ngingumfundi. Ngifunda eWits. Ngifundela ukuba i-Accountant. Ngineminyaka engu-3 ngifunda. Ngifunda ngokuzimisela,futhi ngithanda ukudlala ibhola. Ngiphuza ubhiya newayini kodwa ngithanda ubisi noshizi futhi. Ngiyajabula ukunazi!

Zulu	English
umfundi	student
iWits	Wits (University of the Witwatersrand)
ukuba	to be
thanda	like
dlala	play
ibhola	soccer/ ball
phuza	drink
ubhiya	beer
iwayini	wine
ubisi	milk
ushizi	cheese

Notice the use of uku- as a prefix, it means 'to' so if we want to say I like to play, for instance, we simply put uku- onto the second verb as its prefix 'Ngithanda ukudlala'. Also notice the use of na-, it links two nouns with coalescence - merging - and means either 'with' or 'and'.

In the above table, we have introduced additional nouns. The nouns beginning with u- below to class 1a and those with i- to class 3. At this stage, you should be able to understand the whole passage.

Negation

Funda

Ugogo wami akathandi ukubhema. Yena akalithandi ikofi newayini. Akaluphuzi ubisi kodwa uyawudla ushizi. Akawudli utamatisi. Ngiphuza ubisi namanzi kodwa angiphuzi ubhiya. Obhuti bathanda ukuphuza umqombothi. Abaphuzi iwayini.

Zulu	English
bhema	smoke
amanzi	water
umqombothi	traditional beer

The passage above illustrates how to form negatives in the present tense. We add an 'a' before the subject concord and change the final letter of the verb to an 'i'. But this still raises questions, what happens when the first letter of the subject concord is a 'u'? Well in that case, it becomes a little more complicated. The table below show a summary of what happens.

What happens with u
Mina angiphuzi ijusi.	Thina asiphuzi ijusi.
Wena awuphuzi ubisi.	Nina aniphuzi ubisi.
Yena akadli ushizi.	Bona abadli ushizi.
Ugogo akaphuzi iwayini.	Ogogo abaphuzi ibhiya.
Umzali akaphuzi amanzi	Abazali abaphuzi amanzi.
iKholigi alidli ushizi.	amaKholigi awadli ushizi.

Summary

• We can say that we don't have a family member or an object. Anginagogo.
• We can say what we like and dislike. Ngithanda/angithandi
• We can tell people what we like to do and what don't like to do. Ngithanda ukudlala/ Angithandi ukudlala.
• We have learnt how to negate verbs in the present. Akathandi ubisi. Awuthandi ushizi.

Exercise/Lesson 1

Welcome to the exercises related to Lesson 1.

Click "▼" to check your answers.

Hello!

How would you respond to:

Sawubona bhuti!

Sawubona sisi!

Sanibona gogo!

Sawubona mntwana!

Sawubona Nandi! (Speaking to uPhilani)

Sawubona Philani!

Unjani?

Ngikhona, wena unjani?

Ninjani? (If part of a group, speaking to a single person.)

Sikhona, wena unjani?

Ninjani? (If part of a group, speaking to another group.)

Sikhona, Nina ninjani?

Sala kahle!

Hamba kahle!

Names

Translate the following Zulu sentences into English:

NginguSipho.

I'm Sipho.

Unjani?

How are you?

Igama lami nguThembu.

My name is Thembu.

Isibongo sami nguNdlovu.

My surname is Ndlovu.

NgingowakwaMthembu.

My surname is Mthembu.

Translate the following English sentences into Zulu:

This is Nandi.

Lo nguNandi.

I am pleased to meet you.

Ngiyajabula ukukwazi.

I am feeling unwell.

Angiphilile kahle.

I am ok.

Ngikhona.

Dialogue

Try translating the following dialogue:

uThabo: Sawubona sisi!

Thabo: Hello sister!

uZipho: Sawubona bhuti. Unjani?

Zipho: . Hello brother! How are you?

uThabo: Ngisaphila, Wena unjani?

Thabo: I'm still alive, how are you?

uZipho: wazalwa nini.

Zipho:ngazalwa mhlaka.

uThabo: Igama lami nguThabo, ngiyajabula ukukwazi.

Thabo: My name is Thabo, I'm pleased to meet you.

uZipho: Nami, ngiyajabula ukukwazi. Sala kahle!

Zipho: I'm also pleased to meet you. Stay well (Goodbye)

uThabo: Hamba kahle!

Thabo: Go well!

Next steps

• If you would like, review this lesson: Lesson 1
• Otherwise, continue to the next lesson: Lesson 2

Exercise/Lesson 2

Welcome to the exercises related to Lesson 2.

Click "▼" to check your answers.

Where do you live?

How would you respond to: (Assume for these questions that your name is Sipho Tshabala and that you're a doctor who works at Johannesburg Hospital, in Johannesburg. But you come from Durban.)

Wena uhlalaphi?

(Mina) Ngihlala eGoli.

Igama lakho ngubani?

Igama lami nguSipho.

Wena uphuma kuphi?

(Mina) ngiphuma eThekwini.

Wenza msebenzi muni?

(Mina) ngingudokotela.

Sawubona mkhulu!

Yebo sawubona mntwana!

Wena ungunesi na?

Cha, ngingudokotela.

Fill in the missing letters.

Mina ___yahlala.

ngi

Thina __hlala eKapa.

si

Yena _hlala eGoli.

u

Spot the error.

Yena nihlala ePitoli.

ni doesn't agree with Yena. It should be Yena uyahlala.

Mina ngihlala.

There is no ya.

Professions and Places

Translate the following Zulu sentences into English:

Wena ungubani?

Who are you?

Yena unguthisha na?

Is he/she a teacher?

Ngiyajabula ukukwazi!

I'm pleased to meet you!

Wena uhlala eKapa.

You stay in Cape Town.

Ngiphuma eKhanada.

I come from Canada.

Translate the following English sentences into Zulu:

You are a teacher.

Wena unguthisha.

My surname is Smith.

Isibongo sami nguSmith.

What do you do?

Wenza mbsenzi muni?

My husband is a repairman.

Umyeni wami ungumkandi.

Where do you come from?

Wena uphumaphi/ uphuma kuphi?

Odd one out:

Which one of the following is not in Europe: iJalimani; iNgilandi; iSpeyini; iMelika; iFlansi.

iMelika (America).

Which country does not speak English: iNingizimu Afrika; iNgilandi; iSpeyini; iMelika; iZimbabwe.

iSpeyini (Spain).

Fill in the blanks

Nina __phuma kuphi?

ni

Wena __phuma eKapa.

u

Spot the error. Fill in the blanks

Mina ngiphuma iPitoli?

i should be e.

Nina siphuma kuphi?

si should be ni as it agrees with Nina.

Dialogue

Try translating the following dialogue:

uSipho: Sawubona baba!

Sipho: Hello father!

uNjabulo: Yebo sawubona mfana. Unjani?

Njabulo: . Hello boy! How are you?

uSipho: Ngiyaphila, Wena unjani?

Sipho: I'm alive, how are you?

uNjabulo: Nami ngikhona. Ngubani igama lakho?

Njabulo: I'm here too. What is your name?

uSipho: Igama lami nguSipho, ubaba ungubani?

Sipho: My name is Sipho, Who is father?

uNjabulo: NginguNjabulo, ngiyajabula ukukwazi.

Njabulo: I'm Njabulo. I'm pleased to meet you.

uSipho: Nami, ngiyajabula ukukwazi!

Sipho: Me also, I'm happy to meet you!

uNjabulo: Uhlalaphi?

Njabulo: Where do you stay?

uSipho: Ngihlala eGoli. Wena uhlala kuphi?

Sipho: I stay in Johannesburg. Where do you stay?

uNjabulo: Mina ngihlala eSoweto futhi wena uphuma kuphi?

Njabulo: I stay in Soweto also where do you come from?

uSipho: Mina ngiphuma khona eGoli.

Sipho: I come from here Johannesburg.

uNjabulo: Ngiphuma eThekwini. Sala kahle!

Njabulo: I come from Durban. Stay well!

uNjabulo: Hamba kahle!

Njabulo: Go well!

Next steps

• If you would like, review this lesson: Lesson 2
• Otherwise, continue to the next lesson: Lesson 3I

Exercise/Lesson 3

Welcome to the exercises related to Lesson 3.

Click "▼" to check your answers.

How long have you been working for?

How would you respond to: (Assume for these questions that your name is Zipho Mtembu and that you're a student in Cape Town in your 3rd year. But you come from Johannesburg. You are 23 years old. Your brother works at Crispy Chicken as a cook. Your mother is a nurse. Your sister is teacher.)

Uneminyaka emingaki usebenza?

Cha, ngiyafunda.

Uneminyaka emingaki ufunda?

Ngineminyaka eng-3 ngifunda.

Wena uphumaphi?

(Mina) ngiphuma eGoli.

Isibongo satho ngubani?

Isibango sami uMtembu

Ngihlala kuphi?

Sawubona mntwana!

Ungubani?

NginguZipho.

Wena unjani?

Ngikhona/ ngisaphila/ ngiyaphila.

Ubhuti wakho usebenzaphi?

Ubhuti wami/Yena usebenza eCrispy Chicken.

Uneminyaka emingaki ubudala?

Ngineminyaka engu-23.

Usisi wakho ungunesi?

Cha, usisi wami/ yena unguthisha.

Ubhuti wakho wenza msbenzi muni?

Ubhuti wami/ yena ungumpheki.

Age and Where do you...

Translate the following Zulu sentences into English:

Ngifunda eGoli.

I study in Johannesburg.

Wena Uneminyaka emingaki ubudala?

How old are you/ (How many years do you have since birth)?

Sihlala eNaturena.

We stay in Naturena.

Yena usebenza kuphi?

Where does he/she work?

Yena uphuma eMeliki.

He/She comes from America.

Umyeni wami usebenzela iNedbank.

My husband works for Nedbank.

Translate the following English sentences into Zulu:

How long have you been working for?

(Wena) uneminyaka emingaki usenbenza?

My name is Simon Hlope.

NginguSimon wakwaHlope.

The teacher is coming from school.

Uthisha uphuma esikoleni

We come from South Africa.

(Thina) siphuma eNingizimu Afrika.

Where do you all stay?

(Nina) nihlalaphi/ nihlala kuphi?

I have studied for three years.

(Mina) ngineminyaka engu-3 ngifunda.

Odd one out:

Which one of the following is not a correct sentence: Uthisha uphuma esikoleni; Ngisebenzela eCrispy Chicken; Bona bahlala eNaturena; Yena uphuma eMelika.

Ngisebenzela eCrispy Chicken. (e cannot be used with sebenzela)

Which of these nouns is not a possible family member: umama; umkhulu; usisi; umkandi; ubhuti.

umkandi (repairman).

Dialogue

Try translating the following dialogue:

uSipho: Sawubona Njabulo!

Sipho: Hello Njabulo!

uNjabulo:Yebo, sawubona Sipho. Unjani?

Njabulo: Hello Sipho! How are you?

uSipho: Ngiyaphila, Wena unjani?

Sipho: I'm alive, how are you?

uNjabulo: Nami ngisaphila.

Njabulo: I'm still alive.

uSipho: Uneminyaka emingaki ubudala?

Sipho: How old are you?

uNjabulo: Ngineminyaka engu-48. Uneminyaka engu-17?

Njabulo: I am thirty two. Are you seventeen?

uSipho: Cha, Ngineminyaka engu-16 ubudala!

Sipho: No, I am sixteen years old!

uNjabulo: Ubaba wakho usebenza kuphi?

Njabulo: Where does your father work?

uSipho: Yena usenbenza eFNB. Usenbenzaphi?

Sipho: He works at FNB. Where do you work?

uNjabulo: Ngisebenza eNaturena kodwa ngiphuma eThekwini. Ufundaphi?

Njabulo: I work in Naturena but I'm from Durban. Where do you study?

uSipho: Ngifunda eParktown Boys.

Sipho: I learn at Parktown Boys.

uNjabulo: Umama wakho uyasebenza na?

Njabulo: Does your mother work?

uSipho: Yebo, yena ungunesi.

Sipho: Yes, she's a nurse.

uNjabulo: Sala kahle!

Njabulo: Stay well (Goodbye)

uSipho: Hamba kahle!

Sipho: Go well (Goodbye)!

Next step

• If you would like, review this lesson: Lesson 3
• Otherwise, continue to the next lesson: Lesson 4

Exercise/Lesson 4

Welcome to the exercises related to Lesson 4.

Click "▼" to check your answers.

How long have you been working for?

How would you respond to: (Assume for these questions that your name is Lebohang Ndlovu and that you're a student in Pretoria in your 3rd year. But you come from Johannesburg. You are 22 years old. Your mother is a cook. Your brother is teacher. You have two friends called Sipho and Mfanafuthi. Sipho stays in Cape Town.)

Igama lakho ngubani?

Igama lami nguLebohang.

Laba ngobani?

Laba abangane bami nguSipho nonguMfanafuthi.

Wena uphumaphi?

(Mina) ngiphuma eGoli.

uSipho uhlala kuphi?

uSipho uhlala eKapa.

Do you know...

Translate the following Zulu sentences into English:

Uyamazi uNelson wakwaMandela?

Yebo, ngiyamazi. noma(or) Cha angimazi.

Translate the following English sentences into Zulu:

How long have you been working for?

(Wena) uneminyaka emingaki usenbenza?

My name is Simon Hlope.

NginguSimon wakwaHlope.

The teacher is coming from school.

Uthisha uphuma esikoleni

We come from South Africa.

(Thina) siphuma eNingizimu Afrika.

Where do you all stay?

(Nina) nihlalaphi/ nihlala kuphi?

I have studied for three years.

(Mina) ngineminyaka engu-3 ngifunda.

Odd one out:

Which one of the following is not a correct sentence: Uthisha uphuma esikoleni; Ngisebenzela eCrispy Chicken; Bona bahlala eNaturena; Yena uphuma eMelika.

Ngisebenzela eCrispy Chicken. (e cannot be used with sebenzela)

Which of these nouns is not a possible family member: umama; umkhulu; usisi; umkandi; ubhuti.

umkandi (repairman).

Dialogue

Try translating the following dialogue:

uSipho: Sawubona Njabulo!

Sipho: Hello Njabulo!

uNjabulo:Yebo, sawubona Sipho. Unjani?

Njabulo: Hello Sipho! How are you?

uSipho: Ngiyaphila, Wena unjani?

Sipho: I'm alive, how are you?

uNjabulo: Nami ngisaphila.

Njabulo: I'm still alive.

uSipho: Uneminyaka emingaki ubudala?

Sipho: How old are you?

uNjabulo: Ngineminyaka engu-48. Uneminyaka engu-17?

Njabulo: I am thirty two. Are you seventeen?

uSipho: Cha, Ngineminyaka engu-16 ubudala!

Sipho: No, I am sixteen years old!

uNjabulo: Ubaba wakho usebenza kuphi?

Njabulo: Where does your father work?

uSipho: Yena usenbenza eFNB. Usenbenzaphi?

Sipho: He works at FNB. Where do you work?

uNjabulo: Ngisebenza eNaturena kodwa ngiphuma eThekwini. Ufundaphi?

Njabulo: I work in Naturena but I'm from Durban. Where do you study?

uSipho: Ngifunda eParktown Boys.

Sipho: I learn at Parktown Boys.

uNjabulo: Umama wakho uyasebenza na?

Njabulo: Does your mother work?

uSipho: Yebo, yena ungunesi.

Sipho: Yes, she's a nurse.

uNjabulo: Sala kahle!

Njabulo: Stay well (Goodbye)

uSipho: Hamba kahle!

Sipho: Go well (Goodbye)!

Next step

• If you would like, review this lesson: Lesson 4
• Otherwise, continue to the next lesson: Lesson 5

Appendix A

1.1 Basic Grammar

1.1.1 Tenses

isiZulu has the same grammatical structure as English: subject, verb and object (SVO). But this order changes in to SOV when 'prepositions' are used in a similar way to French. Before explaining the tenses in Zulu, we need to introduce a few concepts. The first of these concepts is the adjunct. An adjunct is a sentence element that establishes the circumstances in which the action or state expressed by the verb take place. For example, in the sentence, "Today, I went shopping at the mall", all the words in bold are the adjuncts. Those words tell where and when "I went shopping". In English, different subjects do not change the subsequent verb, except when moving from singular to plural. This is not the case in Zulu. The governing noun of a sentence must always be indicated. This is done with a system of concords/prefixes that show this reference.

1.1.1.1 The Present tense

Instead of pronouns and articles, isiZulu uses a system of concordial prefixes. A simple indicative positive statement in the present tense without an adjunct takes the general form of:

NP-NS SP-ya-VS-a

where:

NP = Noun Prefix NS = Noun Stem SP = Subjectival Prefix VS = Verb Stem

An simple example is:

Umuntu uyahamba. "The person is walking."

Broken up into its parts according to the above-mentioned pattern, this becomes:

Umu-ntu u-ya-hamb-a

1.1.1.2 The Future Tense

A simple indicative positive statement in the future tense without an adjunct takes the general form of:

NP-NS SP-zo-(ku)-VS-a

If the verb stem consists of only one syllable, then the "ku" prefix is included. Using the same example as before:

Umuntu uzohamba. "The person will walk(go)." (Note: "hamba" means "go" as well as "walk".

Broken up into its parts this becomes:

Umu-ntu u-zo-hamb-a

1.1.1.3 The Immediate Past Tense

A simple indicative positive statement in the past tense without an adjunct takes the general form of:

NP-NS SP-NS-ile

For example:

Umuntu uhambile. "The person went."

Broken up:

Umu-ntu u-hamb-ile

1.2. Summary of Tenses

The below table provides a summary of the tenses of the indicative in Zulu all in first person.

Tense	Adjunct	No Adjunct	English
Present	Ngidla ukudla	Ngiyadla	I am eating (food)
Future (imminent)	Ngizodla ukudla	Ngizodla	I shall eat (food)
Future (non-imminent)	Ngiyodla ukudla	Ngiyodla	I shall eat (food)
Immediate Past Continuous	Bengidla ukudla	Bengidla	I have been eating (food)
Remote Past Continuous	Ngangidla ukudla	Ngangidla	I was eating (food) (sometime ago)
Immediate Past Tense	Ngidle ukudla	Ngidlile	I have eaten (food)
Remote Past Tense	Ngadla ukudla	Ngadla	I ate (food)

1.3 Noun Classes

The following table gives an overview of Zulu noun class, arranged according to singular-plural pairs.

Class	Singular	Plural
1/2	um(u)-1	aba-2, abe-3
1a/2b	u-	o-
3/4	um(u)-1	imi-2
5/6	i-	ama-, ame-4
7/8	is(i)-5	iz(i)-5
9/10	iN-	iziN-6
11/10	u-	iziN-6
14	ubu-	(ama-)7
15	uku-

¹ um- replaces umu- before monosyllabic stems, e.g. umuntu (man).

² aba- and imi- replace ab- and im- respectively before stems beginning in a vowel, e.g. abongameli (president).

³ abe- occurs only in rare cases, e.g. in abeSuthu (the Sotho) or abeLungu (the Whites, the Europeans).

⁴ ame- occurs only in one instance, namely amehlo (eyes) the plural of iso (eye; originally: ihlo).

⁵ isi- and izi- replace is- and iz- respectively before stems beginning with a vowel, e.g. isandla/izandla (hand/hands).

⁶ The placeholder N in the prefixes iN- and iziN- for m, n or no letter at all, i.e. in classes 9 and 10 there are three different prefixes, though only one per noun stem. Examples:

iN- = i-:  imali (money)
iN- = im-: impela (truth)
iN- = in-: inhlanzi (fish)

⁷ Rare, see above.

1.4 Subject prefixes

In Zulu, a subject prefix corresponds to the subjective case of English personal pronouns, such as I or he. Unlike personal pronouns, however, Zulu subject prefix cannot stand alone, but must be attached to a verb. Zulu does possess a set of independent personal pronouns; however, these are only used to emphasise the subject to whom they refer.

An example with the subject prefix si- and the personal pronoun thina (both meaning we):

Sihamba manje.	We are going now.
Thina sihamba manje.	We are going now.

There is a unique subject prefix for each grammatical person and each noun class.

initial SP Person Singular Plural 1st ngi- si- 2nd u- ni- Class Singular Plural 1/2 u- ba- 1a/2b u- ba- 3/4 u- i- 5/6 li- a- 7/8 si- zi- 9/10 i- zi- 11/10 lu- zi- 14 bu- 15 ku-

non-initial SP- Person Singular Plural 1st -ngi- -si- 2nd -wu- -ni- Class Singular Plural 1/2 -ka- -ba- 1a/2b -ka- -ba- 3/4 -wu- -yi- 5/6 -li- -wa- 7/8 -si- -zi- 9/10 -yi- -zi- 11/10 -lu- -zi- 14 -bu- 15 -ku-

The non-initial subject prefixes (SP^-) are used when a further prefix is attached to the SP, for example in the negative of certain tenses.

Pronunciation

Vowels

Letter	IPA	Example (IPA)	Example (Written)	Meaning	Notes
i	i	'siːza	-siza	"help"	Pronounced somewhat like ease in English.
u	u	u'muːzi	umuzi	"family"	Somewhat like English vowel in the word pool.
e	e	umgiˈɓeːli	umgibeli	"passenger"	Somewhat like bed in English.
	ɛ	ibʰubɛːsi	ibhubesi	"lion"	Pronounced somewhat like bay in English.
o	ɔ	ɔˈgɔːgo	ogogo	"grandmothers"	Somewhat like law in English.
	o	umgoːdi	umgodi	"hole"	Pronounced somewhat like boat in English.
a	a	idaːda	idada	"duck"	Pronounced somewhat like ark in English.

Note the table contains diphthongs and lengthened vowels.

Semi-vowels

Letter	IPA	Example (IPA)	Example (Written)	Meaning	Notes
y	j	ujiːse	uyise	"his/her/their father"	Pronounced as in yes in English.
w	w	iːwele	iwele	"twin"	Pronounced as in wall in English.

Consonants

Letter	IPA	Example (IPA)	Example (Written)	Meaning	Notes
m	m	ujiːse	umama	"my/our mother"	Pronounced as in English.
n	n	uniːna	unina	"his/her/their mother"	Pronounced as in no in English.
ny	ɲ	iːɲɔːni	inyoni	"bird"	Pronounced as in vignette.
ng	ŋ	iːŋɔane	ingane	"child"	Pronounced as in finger.
p	p	iːpiːpi	ipipi	"pipe for smoking"	This consonant is pronounced somewhat as in speech.
ph	pʰ	pʰɛːɠa	-pheka	"cook"	Pronounced as in pin never as in phone
t	t	iːtiːje	itiye	"tea"	Pronounced somewhat as in English.
th	tʰ	tʰaːtʰa	-thatha	"take"	Pronounced somewhat as in English but more fully aspirated i.e. with more air escaping from the mouth.
k	k	umakɔːti	umakoti	"bride"	Pronounced somewhat as in English.
	ɠ	uɠuza	ukuza	"to come"	Pronounced somewhere between k and g in English.
kh	kʰ	iːkʰaːnda	ikhanda	"head"	Pronounced somewhat like c in cat but more aspirated.
g	g	ugɔgɔ	ugogo	"granny"	Pronounced somewhat like in go never as in gem.
b	ɓ	ubaːba	ubaba	"my/our father"	Pronounced with implosion; the movement of the muscles approaches more or less that when smoking a pipe.
bh	b	bala	-bhala	"write"	Pronounced more or less as in English bed.
d	d	iːdaːda	idada	"duck"	Pronounced more or less as in English duck.
f	f	iːfu	ifu	"cloud"	Pronounced more or less as in English fun.
v	v	vaːla	-vala	"close"	Pronounced as in English van.
s	s	iːsiːsu	isisu	"stomach"	Pronounced as in English say.
sh	ʃ	iːʃuːmi	ishumi	"ten"	Pronounced as in English shall.
h	h	haːmba	-hamba	"go"	Pronounced as in English hand.
	ɦ	iːɦaːʃi	ihashi	"horse"	Pronounced as in English behind.
l	l	lala	-lala	"sleep"	Pronounced as in English laugh.
hl	ɬ	ɬaːla	-hlala	"sit"	Pronounced as in Welsh Llanelli. An approximation is pronouncing l and h simultaneously.
dl	ɮ	ɮaːla	-dla	"eat"	This consonant is voiced form of hl. This means the vocal cords are vibrating during articulation.
tsh	tʃ	utʃaːni	utshani	"grass"	Pronounced as the English chin.
j	ʤ	uʤu	uju	"honey"	This consonant is pronounced as the English jump.
kl	kɬ' (*)	kɬ'aːja	-klaya	"split"	To produce this sound: Raise the back of the tongue against the soft palate. Keep the front part of the tongue down behind the lower teeth. Force air through the closure caused by raising the back of the tongue against the soft palate.

(*) IPA transcription by G. Poulos & C.T. Msimang. A linguistic analysis of Zulu. Cape Town: Via Afrika, 1998.

Clicks

Letter	IPA	Example (IPA)	Example (Written)	Meaning	Notes
c	ǀ	ǀela	-cela	request	To produce this sound: Place the tip of the tongue against the upper front teeth and gum. Depress the centre of the tongue. Release the tip of the tongue drawing it slightly backwards.
q	ǃ	ǃala	-qala	begin	To produce this sound: Press the upper part of the tongue-tip against the part between the teeth ridge and the hard palate. Raise the back of the tongue so that it touches the soft palate. Depress the centre of the tongue. Release sharply downwards the tip of the tongue.
x	ǁ	ǁɔːǁɔː	-xoxo	chat, converse	To produce this sound: Place the upper part of the tongue-tip against the part between the teeth ridge and the hard palate. Raise the back of the tongue towards the soft palate. Withdraw one side of the tongue from the upper teeth.

Note: c is often described as the sound in tut-tut while x is the sound used for encouraging horses.

The click sounds can be aspirated, nasalised, voiced or voiced and nasalised together. This is shown in the below table.

Aspirated	Nasalised	Voiced	Voiced and Nasalised
ch	nc	gc	ngc
qh	nq	gq	ngq
xh	nx	gx	ngx