Shona Made Easy

introduction to shona alphabet& pronunciation of basic words

Shona Alphabet

• 23 letters no L, X, Q• 5 vowels a, e, i, o, u• 18 consonants b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, m, n, p, r, s, t,

v, w, y, z

Vowels pronunciation

• a is pronounced as in Arnold• amai = mother• aenda = s/he has gone• auya = s/he has come• anoda = s/he loves• Tawanda aenda kumba- Tawanda has gone

home

e

• as in ernest• ese = all• enda = go(away)

i

• as in innocent• iyi = this• imba= house• *kumba= home

o

• as in obvious• ose= all mabhuku ose all books• ona= look ona imba iyi look at this house

u

• utsi= smoke• unoda=you love/like/want • unoda mari you want money• muti= tree• uyu= this • muti uyu this tree• musikana uyu this girl

Consonants

• b is not pronounced as in bike • baba(n)= father *dnt pronounce as barber• bata(v)= touch/hold *dnt pronounce as butter• bata mwana uyu hold this baby• basa(n)= job/work• hapana basa no job• ndinoda basa i want a job

bh

• is pronounced as b in bike• bha, bhe, bhi, bho, bhu

bha… barrel

bhe… best

bhi… biscuits

bho… boss

bhu… blue

most shona words with bh prefix are borrowed from english egbhazi busbhutsu bootsbhegi bag

ch

• no shona words exist in the form ca, ce, ci, co, cu• c does not exist on itself or with another letter except in

conjugation with h• cha, che, chi, cho, chu• pronounced as in chapter, chest, children, chocolate,

(chu-)tube• chikoro(n)= school• chingwa(n)= bread• chirwere(n)= disease• chido(n)= will• chipo(n)= talent/gift

d

• d is not pronounced as in dice • dama(n)= cheek *dnt pronounce as dammer• dare(n)= court • dama rangu ririkurwadza my cheek is painful• denga(n)= sky, heaven• haupindi denga you will not enter heaven• derere= okra

dh

• is pronounced as d in dice• dha, dhe, dhi, dho, dhu

dha… data

dhe… dent

dhi… discuss

dho… donkey

dhu… dumela

dz• dza, dze, dzi, dzo, dzu• sadza• dzidza(v) =learn• dzidzo(n) =education• dzana(v) =dance• dzenga• dzosa(v) =return e.g dzosa bhuku rangu= return my book• dzinga(v) =send away • e.g dzinga mukomana uyu= send away this boy• dzoka(v)= come back• dzura(v)= uproot esp a plant• dzima(v)= erase, switch off• eg dzima laptop, dzima chalkboard

f, g, gw, h, hw, j, k

• famba(v)= walk• gara(v)= sit • Gwanda• hama(n)= relative• hwahwa(n)= beer (also called doro)• hwai(n)=sheep• hondo= war• jira(n)= blanket• kurumidza(v)= make it faster, be fast • *there is no kh, hl

m, mh, mb• ma, me, mi, mo, mu• mha, mhe, mhi, mho, mhu• mba, mbe, mbi, mbo, mbu• munhu(n)= human being/person• mai(n)= mother• mbavha(n)= thief• mharadzi(n)= someone who destroys• mbiri(n)= fame/popularity may also mean two as in mbavha mbiri =two thieves• mbabvu(n)= ribs• murume(n)=husband, man• mukadzi=(n) wife, woman• mukomana(n)=boy• musikana(n)= girl• mheni(n)= lightning• mbambaira=(n) sweet potatoes

n, nh, nj, nz, nzw, nzv• na, ne, ni, no, nu• nha, nhe, nhi, nho, nhu• nja, nje, nji, njo, nju• nza, nze, nzi,nzo,nzu• nzwa, nzwe, nzwi,nzwo, nzwu• nzva, nzve, nzvi, nzvo, nzvu• namata(v)= pray• nhamo(n)= poverty• nhubu(n)=• na- = and Betty naSusan• ne-= and sadza nenyama• nhunzi= houseflies• nzeve= ear• nzara= hunger/ finger nails• wanzwa? = did you hear?• inzwa= listen• nzvenga(v)= dodge/ duck• nzvimbo(n)= place eg Mt Pleasent

p

• pano =here• pese=• pa- used when pointing to something

padumbu, paziso, panzeve• *there is no ph

r

• *no rh• ramba(v)= refuse, deny, turn down• e.g ramba mukomana• rova(v)= beat rova nyoka =beat the snake• rima(n)= darkness• ronga(v)= arrange, organise, plan• rongedza(v)= pack• rudo(n)= love• *no L in shona so r replaces l in most shona words

borrowed from other languages

s, sh, sv,• sa, se, si, so, su• sha, she, shi, sho, shu• sva, sve, svi, svo, svu• sadza• sveta(v)= suck• shasha(n)= expert• shanda(v)= work• shiri(n)= bird• Svondo(n)= Sunday• shoko(n)= word• shamwari(n)= friend• shure(n)= before, behind, back

t, ts

• *no th • tora(v)= take• tenga(v)= buy• tese= all of us• tenda(v)= thank• tatenda= thank you• tinoda= we want/like/love e.g tinoda chikoro=we love xul• tine= we have e.g tine mari= we have money• tsamba(n)= letter• tsitsi(n)= grace• tsiye(n)= eyebrow

v, vh

• va, ve, vi, vo, vu• vha, vhe, vhi, vho, vhu• vana(n)= children, plural of mwana• vhara(v)= close • vhara mukova= close the door• Muvhuro(n)= Monday• chivharo(n)= lid

w

• *no wh• wa, we, wi, wo, wu• wangu= mine mudiwa wangu• wedu= ours lecturer wedu• ndinokuda nemoyo wese• wakura• waenda• wadya

y

• ya, ye, yi, yo, yu• moyo(n)= heart

z, zh, zv

• za, ze, zi, zo, zu• zha, zhe, zhi, zho, zhu• zva, zve, zvi, zvo, zvu

-dzw-, -nzw-, -bw-

• ibwe= stone (also known as dombo)• Zimbabwe• udzwa