Shona Gender
Welcome to the fifth Shona lesson about gender. This time we will view a list of people, feminine and masculine, followed by grammar rules, finally a list of expressions in Shona to help you practice your daily phrases.
man murume |
woman mukadzi |
husband murume |
wife mukadzi |
boy mukomana |
girl musikana |
father baba |
mother amai |
Gender Grammar Rules
In general, gender is used to distinguish between male and female, sometimes referred to as masculine and feminine. For example: my son and daughter are students the noun [son] is masculine, while [daughter] is feminine. The following examples use gender in different ways and places to demonstrate their behavior.
| Grammar + Rules - Shona |
|---|
| my son is a student [masculine + noun] mwana wangu mudzidzi |
| her daughter is a student [feminine + noun] mwanasikana wake mudzidzi |
| he has a tall brother [adjective + masculine] ane hanzvadzi yakareba |
| she has a tall sister [adjective + feminine] ane hanzvadzi yakareba |
| his brothers are young [plural masculine + adjective] vanun'una vake vaduku |
| his sisters are young [plural feminine + adjective] vanun'una vake vaduku |
The list below will probably provide more clarification. These are family members (males and females). I think it would be wise to memorize them as part of your important vocabulary list.
son mwanakomana |
daughter mwanasikana |
brother hanzvadzi |
sister hanzvadzi | grandfather sekuru |
grandmother ambuya |
child mwana |
children vana |
Expressions in Shona
Now it's time to practice expressions used in daily conversations. If you're a beginner in learning Shona, then the phrases below are something you would want to know.
| English - Shona |
|---|
| What do you mean? uri kurevei? |
| I don't understand handisi kunzwisisa |
| I don't know handizivi |
| What is that called in Shona? icho chinonzii muchishona? |
| What is this? ichi chii? |
| What does that word mean in English? shoko iro rinorevei muchirungu? |
| Sorry (if you made a mistake) ndine urombo |
I hope you enjoyed this lesson about the gender in Shona. Please check out our main menu here for more lessons: homepage. To see the full menu, you can also click on the "Menu" icon on the left side.
Inspirational Quote: High achievement always takes place in a framework of high expectation. Jack Kinder |