Basic Vocabulary: Verbs, Nouns & Other Goodies

Posted on by N. A. Dawn

Verbs

  1. -bamba: catch, hold
  2. -bhala: write
  3. -bona: see
  4. -cela: ask politely for something/request
  5. -cima: switch off
  6. -cula: sing
  7. -enza: do/make
  8. –funda: study
  9. –fundisa: teach
  10. -gcina: keep
  11. -hamba: leave
  12. -hlala: live/sit
  13. -jonga: look at
  14. -lala: sleep
  15. -mamela: listen
  16. -ngena: come in
  17. -nika: give
  18. -phuma: go out
  19. -qonda: understand
  20. -sela: drink
  21. –thanda: love/like
  22. -thatha: take
  23. -thetha: talk/speak
  24. -tya: eat
  25. -vala: close
  26. vela: come from
  27. -vula: open
  28. -xelela: tell [someone]
  29. -ya: go (to a place)
  30. -zalisa: fill in
  31. –akha: build
  32. –azi: know
  33. –bhatala: pay for
  34. –bulisa: greet
  35. –buya: return
  36. –dlala: play
  37. -fika: arrive
  38. –funa: need/want
  39. –funda: study
  40. –fundisa: teach
  41. –goduka: go home
  42. –gula: be sick
  43. –hla*: go down
  44. –oyika: be afraid of/fear
  45. –phangela: be employed
  46. –phila: be alive
  47. –qhuba: drive
  48. –sebenza: work
  49. -sela: drink
  50. –shiya: leave (something)
  51. –thanda: like/love
  52. –va*: hear/understand
  53. –vuka: wake up
  54. –za*: come
  55. –zama: try
  56. –bonisa: show
  57. –bukela: watch
  58. –cinga: think
  59. –fumana: get/find
  60. –galela: pour/add
  61. –gqiba: finish
  62. –hlamba: wash
  63. –hleka: laugh
  64. –lila: cry
  65. –lungisa: fix
  66. –ma*: stand, stop (NB: -mile = standing)
  67. –mamela: listen
  68. –netha: rain
  69. –nxiba: get dressed
  70. –phela: come to an end
  71. –phinda: repeat
  72. –sa: take someone/something to a place
  73. –thenga: buy
  74. –thengisa: sell
  75. –tshatile: be married [no –ya- used: eg. Nditshatile – I am married / Anditshatanga – I am not married.]
  76. –vuya: be happy
  77. –wina: win
  78. –ba*: steal
  79. –hla*: go down
  80. –mka*: depart
  81. -ba: be/become (see that BA also means “steal”). Ndifuna ukuba I want to be a teacher.
  82. -buyisa: return something (see BUYA return)
  83. -cheba: cut something growing
  84. -coca: clean
  85. -dada:  swim
  86. -fana: be similar/resemble
  87. -khaba: kick
  88. -khumbuza: remind
  89. -ncamisa: kiss
  90. -netha: rain (eg. Kuyanetha. It is raining)
  91. -ngcolisa: make dirty
  92. -ngxola: make a noise
  93. -nxila: get drunk (-nxilile = be drunk)
  94. -onqena: be lazy
  95. -phuza: kiss
  96. -shukumisa: move (something), shake
  97. -sika: cut
  98. -sula: wipe
  99. -tshintsha: change
  100. -tyisa: feed (from TYA)
  101. -vuma: agree
  102. -wa: fall down
  103. -wisa: drop something/someone
  104. -xoka: lie
  105. -yeka: stop doing something
  106. –ba: steal (latent “i” verb)
  107. -beka: place/put on
  108. –faka: put in
  109. –libala: forget
  110. –khumbula: remember/miss
  111. –khupha: take out
  112. –ngenisa: put in
  113. –sebenzisa: use
  114. –phendula: answer
  115. –buza: ask
  116. –pha: give (see also NIKA)
  117. –qala: start
  118. –hleba: gossip
  119. –betha: hit
  120. –aphula: break (transitive – takes an object; also sometimes -ophula)
  121. –aphuka: become broken (intransitive –aphukile = broken;also sometimes –phukile or –ophukile, eg. Ikhomputha yam yophukile/yaphukile/iphukile. My computer is broken.)

* latent “I” (A allergic verbs)

Nouns

Subject Conords

  1. umntu/abantu: person/people
  2. umfundi/abafundi: student/s
  3. umzali/abazali: parent/s
  4. umhlobo/abahlobo: friend/s
  5. utitshala/ootitshala: teacher/s
  6. umntwana/abantwana: child/ren
  7. amanzi: water
  8. isikolo/izikolo: school/s
  9. isiXhosa: Xhosa
  10. ukutya: food/to eat
  11. into/izinto: things
  12. ubani/oobani: who?
  13. umqhubi/abaqhubi : driver/s
  14. umfundisi/abefundisi: priest/s
  15. itshomi/iitshomi: friend [slang]
  16. intombi/iintombi: girl/s
  17. inkwenkwe/amakhwenkwe: boy/s
  18. isityalo/izityalo: plant/s
  19. inja/izinja: dog/s
  20. indlu/izindlu: house/s
  21. indlela/iindlela: road/s/way/s
  22. umlambo/imilambo: river/s
  23. ilokishi/iilokishi: township/s
  24. ikhaya/amakhaya: home/s [Classes 5/6]
  25. isiteyidiyum/iziteyidiyum (class 7/8): stadium/s
  26. ibhiye/iibhiye (class 9/10): beer/s
  27. isoka (class 9): soccer
  28. ivenkile/iivenkile (class 9/10): shop/s
  29. intaba/iintaba: mountain/s
  30. imali (class 9): money
  31. ingozi/iingozi (class 9/10): accident/danger/s
  32. itoyilethi/iitoyilethi (class 9/10): toilet/s
  33. indoda/amadoda (class 9/6): man/men
  34. igrosari (class 9): groceries
  35. imali (class 9): money
  36. umfazi/abafazi (class 1/class 2): woman/women
  37. umpheki/abapheki (class 1/class 2): cook/s
  38. umyeni/abayeni (class 1/class 2): husband/s
  39. imoto/iimoto (class 9/10): car/s
  40. umbane (class 3): electricity
  41. intloko (Class 9/10): head
  42. iliso/amehlo (5/6): eye/s
  43. umlomo (3/4): mouth
  44. impumlo (9/10): nose
  45. indlebe (9/10): ear
  46. intamo (9/10): neck
  47. isisu (7/8): stomach
  48. ibele (5/6): breast
  49. umlenze (3/4): leg
  50. unyawo/iinyawo: (11/10) foot
  51. ingalo (9/10): arm
  52. isandla (7/8): hand
  53. iinwele (10): hair
  54. ulwimi/iilwimi (11/10): tongue; language
  55. ilali (9/10): village
  56. indawo (9/10): place
  57. ulwandle (11): beach
  58. ibhola (9/10): ball
  59. ifestile (9/10): window
  60. igumbi (5/6): room [also irum]
  61. ihlazo (5): disgrace
  62. imbeko (9): respect
  63. imozulu (9): the weather
  64. ingxolo (9): noise
  65. inyaniso (9): the truth
  66. isidenge (7/8): fool
  67. isonka (7/8): bread
  68. ithemba (5/6): hope
  69. iyeza (5/6): medicine
  70. ubisi (11): milk
  71. ubuso (14): face
  72. ubuxoki (14): an untruth
  73. ucango (11/10): door (also: umnyango – class 4)
  74. ugqirha (1a/2a): doctor
  75. umona (3): jealousy (unomona. s/he is jealous. literally: s/he has jealousy.)
  76. umsebenzi (3/4): job/work/duty
  77. umzi (3/4): homestead

Miscellaneous

Object Concords

  1. Kukho – There is/there are
  2. Ewe – Yes
  3. Hayi – No
  4. Unayo? – Do you have one/it?
  5. Ewe, ndinayo. Yes I have one/it.
  6. Hayi, andinayo. No, I don’t have one/it.
  7. kodwa – but
  8. kuba – because
  9. okanye – or
  10. ukuba – if
  11. namhlanje – today
  12. ngoku – now
  13. ukuba – if/that/
  14. Tyhini! – Wow!
  15. Nyhani! – Really!
  16. kodwa: but
  17. kuba: because
  18. okanye: or
  19. ukuba: if
  20. namhlanje: today
  21. ngoku: now
  22. ukuba: if/that
  23. Tyhini! Wow!
  24. Nyhani! Really!
  25. kakade: actually
  26. kudala: it is a long time/it has been a long time/has it been a long time
  27. kunzima: it is difficult
  28. kulula: it is easy
  29. mhlawumbi? maybe
  30. nabo: them too
  31. nam: me too
  32. nani: you (plural) too
  33. nathi: we too
  34. nawe: you too
  35. naye: s/he too
  36. SC-na-ngaphi? How old? (Unangaphi? How old are you? Ndina-20. I am 20.)
  37. SC-neminyaka emingaphi? How old?   (Uneminyaka emingaphi? How old are you?)
  38. Soze = never will (in the future) (verb ends in –e after Soze, eg. Soze ndikuxelele! – I will never tell you!)
  39. Ukusukela… ukuya… from till (eg. Ukusukela eKapa ukuya ePaarl – from Cape Town to Paarl)
  40. Zange = never did (in the past) (verb ends in –e after Zange, eg. Zange ndikuxelele! – I never told you!)

 Questions, Phrases and Other Thingies

  1. ntoni? –what?
  2. njani? – how?
  3. phi? – where?
  4. nini? – when?
  5. bani? –who?
  6. Nabani? With who? (Uhlala nabani? Who do you live with?)
  7. Nantoni enye? And what else?
  8. Ngabani ixesha? At what time? (ngo1, ngo2, ngo3 – at 1pm, at 2pm, at 3 pm)
  9. Ngantoni? By means of what? (eg. Uhamba ngantoni xa ugoduka?)
  10. Uthini? What are you saying?/doing?
  11. Kutheni? Why?
  12. Molweni!  Hello to more than one!
  13. Ninjani?  How are you plural?
  14. Unjani?  How are you singular?
  15. Kunjani?  How is it?
  16. Sikhona.  We are fine/here.
  17. Siyaphila. We are fine [lit: alive.]
  18. Siphilile.  We are well.
  19. Sishap.  We are sharp.
  20. Sigrend.  We are grand.
  21. Unjani wena? And how are you (singular)?
  22. Ninjani nina?  And how are you (plural)?
  23. Kunjani kuwe? How is it with you?
  24. Ndikhona nam.  I am fine too.
  25. Ndiyaphila nam. I am fine too.
  26. Sikhona nathi.  We are also fine.
  27. Siyaphila nathi. We are also fine.

 Adverbs

  1. ebusuku: in the night
  2. emini: in the day/afternoon
  3. izolo: yesterday
  4. kabini: twice
  5. kakhulu: very much, a lot (cannot be used as in IT IS A LOT OF FOOD)
  6. kakubi: badly
  7. kakuhle: well
  8. kamnandi: nicely
  9. kancinci: very little, slow (cannot be used as in IT IS A LITTLE FOOD)
  10. kaninzi: many times
  11. kanye: once
  12. kathathu: three times
  13. kusasa: in the morning
  14. ngomso: tomorrow

Exclamations and Ways of Addressing People

  1. Mfethu! Dude!
  2. Sana! Babe!
  3. Thixo! Lordy! God!
  4. Torho! Shame!
  5. Wethu! My dear!
  6. Whu-ah! Oh dear!
  7. Yima! Stop!

Conjunctions

xa: when (not the question, eg. Ndithanda ukucula xa ndipheka. I love to sing when I cook. NEVER FOLLOWED BY –YA- in the present.)

Published by N. A. Dawn

Author / Solarpunk / Life-ozoid

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