Shona
Buying and Selling
Zimbabwean currency is not stable. After years of inflation the Zimdollar or Zollar was introduced in 2019 (ZML$) but inflation still plagues the country.
Vocabulary
- Tenga – buy
- Mutengi – buyer/customer
- Tengesa – sell
- Mutengesi – seller
- Kumusika – market
- Mari – money
- imarii – how much?
- chingwa imarii? – how much is bread?
- Chinoitamarii? – How much is this?
- mutengo – price
- dhora – dollar
- mutengo idhora rimwe – the price is one dollar
- Ndipewo chenji yangu – please give me my change
- Handidikutenga – I don’t want to buy
- handina mari yakakwana – I do not have enough money
- zvakachipa – cheap
- zvinodhura – expensive
- chirikudhura – it is expenive
- -kanaka – good
- -ibva – ripe
- -isina kuibva – unripe
Scenario: Buying bananas at the market
Rachel: Mhoro, Wakadii? (Hi, how are you?)
Mutengesi: Ndakasimba, waita hako. (I am well, thanks)
Rachel: Ndinoshuvira kutenga mabhanana. (I wish to buy bananas)
Mutengesi: Mabhanana mangani? (How many bananas)
Rachel: Mabhanana gumi. Imarii bhanana? (Ten bananas. How much are the bananas?)
Mutengesi: Dhora rimwe pamabanana maviri. (One dollar per two bananas.)
Rachel: Heano madhora mashanu. (Here are your five dollars.)
Mutengesi: Wazviita. (Thank you.)
Rachel: Chisarai zvakanaka. (Goodbye.)
