Shona

The Human Body

The Human Body

Vocabulary

  1. musoro – head
  2. vudzi – hair
  3. ziso/maziso/meso – eye(s)
  4. nzeve – ear(s)
  5. mhino – nose(s)
  6. muromo/miromo – mouth(s)
  7. rurimi – tongue
  8. zino/mazino/meno – tooth/teeth
  9. kumeso – face
  10. ruoko/maoko – hand(s)/arm(s)
  11. munwe/minwe – finger
  12. nzara – nail
  13. dumbu/matumbu – stomach(s)
  14. gumbo/makumbo – leg(s)
  15. ibvi/mabvi – knee(s)
  16. chigunwe/zvigunwe – toe(s)

Scenario: At the Doctor’s with a swollen foot

Vocabulary used

chiremba – doctor

mukoti – nurse

chipatara – hospital

murwere – patient

zvimba – swell

akawira pasi – fell

kurwara – be sick

kubva rinhi – since when

kurwadziwa – ache

Dialogue

Murwere: Mhoroi. (Hello (respect))

Chiremba: Ndiripo.  Mauya. Chii chinokuendesa kuchipatara? (I am well. Welcome. What brings you to the hospital?)

Murwere: Ndakawira pasi. Tsoka yangu yazvimba. (I fell down. My foot is swollen)

Chiremba: Chero kurwadziwa? (Any pain?)

Murwere: Kurwadziwa kwakawanda. (Lots of pain)

Chiremba: Kubva rinhi? (Since when?)

Murwere: Kubva nezuro. (Since yesterday)

Chiremba: Tinoda x-ray. (We will need an x-ray.)

Murwere: Waita basa. Ndichaendepi? (Thank you. Where will I go?)

Chiremba: Mukoti achakuratidzai. (The nurse will show you.)

Grammar notes:

Interrogatives

  1. sei? – how? (Akauya sei? How did he/she come?)
  2. chii? – what? (Ichi chii? What is this?)
  3. ani? – who? (Zita rako ndiani? What is your name?)
  4. nei? – why? (wadonha nei? Why did you fall?)
  5. kupi? – where? (Unogara kupi? Where do you live?)

 

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Resources for Self-Instructional Learners of Less Commonly Taught Languages Copyright © by University of Wisconsin-Madison Students in African 671 is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.