Learn Chichewa

PROFESSIONS (NTCHITO)

Teacher - Mphunzitsi
Doctor - Dokotala
Nurse - Namwino
Businessman - Wamalonda
Builder - Womanga nyumba
Carpenter - Wopala matabwa
Soldier - Nsilikali
Policeman - Wapolisi
Farmer - Mlimi
Guard - Mlonda
Student - Ophunzira

DIALOGUE:
Mphunzitsi: Ukazakula, umafuna kuzakhala ndani?
Teacher: When you grow up, who do you want to be?
Ophunzira: Ndimafuna kuzakhala nsilikali.
Student: I want to be a soldier.

VOCABULARY FROM DIALOGUE:
*Chichewa verbs are usually combined with other syllables that indicates subject, tense and object.

Lets break down some of the verbs from the sententes in our dialogue above.

Ukazakula - when you grow up
U-ka-za-kula
U- (subject marker) = you
-ka- (tense marker) = future
-za- (tense marker) = perfect
-kula (verb) = to grow up

Umafuna - you want
U-ma-funa
U- (subject marker) = you
-ma- (tense marker) = present
-funa (verb) = to want

Kuzakhala - going to be
Ku-za-khala
Ku- (verb infinity marker) = to
-za- (tense marker) = future perfect
-khala (verb) = to be

Ndani (questions marker) = who?

Ndimafuna - I want
Ndi-ma-funa
Ndi- (subject marker) = I
-ma- (tense marker) = present
-funa (verb) = to want

CHEWA POPULAR NAMES

Upon birth each individual is allocated with a name that the individual will be identified with for many years to came.

Below is a list of some of the popular local Chewa names and their meanings.

Alinafe - He is with us ('He' is referring to God)
Chifundo - Mercy
Chifuniro - Wish/desire
Chikondi - Love
Chikumbutso - Memory
Chimwemwe - Joy
Chinsisi - Secret
Chikhulupiriro - Faith
Chipiliro - Patience
Chisomo - Grace
Chiyembekezo - Hope
Fatsani - Be meek
Ganizani - Think
Kumbukani - Remember
Lonjezo - Promise
Limbani - Be strong
Limbikani - Work hard
Madalitso - Blessings
Mayamiko - Praises
Matamando - Praises
Mayeso - Test
Misozi - Tears
Mphatso - Gift
Mtendere - Peace
Mtisunge - Keep us
Mumderanji - Why do you hate me?
Mwai - Lucky/Fortune
Nyadani - Be proud
Pemphero - Prayer
Pilirani - Persevere/endure
Phunziro - Lesson
Tadala - We have been bressed
Talandila - We have received
Takondwa - We are joyful
Tamandani - Praise
Thokozani - Be thankful
Tikhala - We will live/stay
Titha - We will be finished
Tiyamike - Let's be thankful
Tiyanjane - Let's unite/reconcile
Kondwani - Be joyful
Ndaziona - I have seen it
Ndasala - I have been left (alone)
Mavuto - problems/troubles/calamity/adversity
Ntunduwatha - The clan/family has gone/ended
Yamikani - Give thanks/ Be thankful
Yankho - An answer
Zinenani - You may talk

RELIGION (CHIPEMBEDZO)

Malawians are religious people. Most them of belongs to atleast a certain religious grouping.

The majority belong to Christian faith (Chikhristu), and Islam (Chisilamu) also command a substantial high percentage. In some areas, traditional religion (Chipembezo cha makolo) is still practiced.
On the other hand, there is a tiny part of the population which has started in recent past to embrace Humanism ideas.

Due to this, Chichewa vocabulary contains a good percentage of words that are spiritual in nature.

VOCABULARY
ENGLISH - CHICHEWA
God - Mulungu
Jesus - Yesu
Christianity - Chikhristu
Christian - Mkhristu
Islam - Chisilamu
Muslim - Msilamu
Prayer - Pemphero
Church - Tchilichi/Mpingo
Mosque - Mzikiti
Pastor - Mbusa
Sheikh - Shehe
Priest - Wansembe
Altar - Guwa
Angel - Mjero (pl. Amjero)
Spirit - Mzimu (pl. Mizimu)
Satan (Devil) - Satana
Evil spirit - Chiwanda (Ziwanda)
Denomination - Mpingo
Song - Nyimbo
Heaven - Kumwamba
Hell - Jahena/Gehena
Sermon - Ulaliki
Sacrifice - Msembe
Offering - Chopereka
Sacred - Kuyera (adj)
Holy - Kuyera (adj)
Fasting - Kusala
Faith - Chikhulupiriro
Life - Moyo
Light - Kuwala
Mdima - Darkness
Repentance - Kulapa
Heart - Mtima (pl. Mitima)
Joy - Chimwemwe
Peace - Ntendere
Bressings - Madalitso

VERBS
to preach - kulalika
to pray - kupemphera
to kneel - kugwada
to bress - kudalitsa
to sing - kuyimba
to believe - kukhulupirira

EXAMPLE IN SENTENCES
God bless Malawi - Mulungu dalitsani Malawi.
Our hearts should not be troubled - Mitima yathu isavutike.
Peace be upon you - Ntendere ukhale ndi inu.
I am a Muslim - Ndine msilamu.
He is a Christian - Iye ndi nkhristu.
They are Catholics - Iwo ndi akatolika.
Which church do you belong to? - Kodi mumapemphera mpingo wanji?
(literally: you pray (kupemphera) at what church)
*Kodi = The question participle at the beginning of questions
*wanji = which
*mpingo = church

FOOD - CHAKUDYA

Locally Malawians have three distinctive meals per day, namely:
Breakfast - Kadzusa
Lunch - Nkhumaliro
Supper - Mgonero

OTHER FOODS - ZAKUDYA ZINA

Porridge - Phala
Eggs - Mazira
Maize - Chimanga
Potato - Mbatata
Fish - Nsomba
Meat - Nyama
Beans - Nyemba
Rice - Mpunga
Chicken - Nkhuku
Tomato - Tomato
Onion - Anyezi
Garlic - Adyo
Pumpkins - Mawungu
Cucumber - Nkhaka
Fruits - Zipatso
Water - Madzi
Tea - Tiyi
Milk - Mkaka
Salt - Mchere
Sugar - Shuga
Beer - Mowa
Drinks - Zakumwa

FOOD VERBS

To eat - Kudya
To drink - Kumwa
To cook - Kuphika
To be enough - Kukhuta
To chew - Kutafuna
To taste - Kulawa
To swallow - Kumeza

SENTENCES

I haven't eaten anything today - Sindinadye kalikonse lero
Do you drink beer? - Kodi iwe umamwa Moya?
I like rice with chicken - Ndimakonda mpunga wa nkhuku.
Iye akumwa madzi - She is drinking water.
Ndimadya phala mmawa uliwonse - I eat porridge every morning.

Vocabulary from examples:
Kalikonse - Anything
Lero - Today
Kodi - An interrogative word at the beginning of every question
Sindinadye - I haven't eaten (The negative for: ndadya - I have eaten)
Ndimakonda - I like (-konda - to like/love)
Iye - He/She
Mmawa - Morning
uliwonse - every

Welcome back!
The Lessons will be back soon!

CHICHEWA VERBS

Verbs are words that show an action, occurrence, or state of being.
They create a relationship between the subject and the object, expressing what is happening in a sentence and indicating time through tense.

In Language, every sentence contains a Verb.
it can be an action:

• John plays a drum.
• John amayimba ng'oma.

or it can be a linking verb:

• Mary is intelligent.
• Mary ndi wanzeru.

DID YOU KNOW?
In Language, the ratio of Nouns:Verbs:Adjectives
is estimated to be 14:3:1.
In simple terms it tells that;
if we puts all words found in Chichewa language in equal groups.
14 words in each group will be Nouns
only 3 will be Verbs.
This indicates that, despite their high frequency of use,
verbs are few in number. Making it much easy to master them.
This is an advantage for New Language Learners.

Below is the List of 78 Common Used Verbs in Chichewa.

1. to read - kuwelenga
2. to write - kulemba
3. to go - kupita
4. to come - kubwera
5. to drink - kumwa
6. to eat - kudya
7. to speak - kuyankhula
8. to say - kunena
9. to listen - kumvela
10. to love - kukonda
11. to hate - kuzonda
12. to sell - kugulisa
13. to buy - kugula
14. to cry - kulira
15. to laugh - kuseka
16. to sit - kukhala pansi
17. to watch - kuwonela
18. to want - kufuna
19. to need - kufuna
20. to enter - kulowa
21. to give - kupeleka
22. to call - kuitana
23. to walk - kuyenda
24. to beat - kumenya
25. to open - kusengula
26. to teach - kuphunzisa
27. to receive - kulandira
28. to send - kutumiza
29. to deliver - kupeleka
30. to ask - kufunsa
31. to search - kusaka
32. to look for - kufunafuna
33. to thank - kuthokoza
34. to stop - kuyima/kusiya
35. to play - kusewera.
36. to use - kugwiritsa ntchito
37. to divide - kugawa
38. to feel - kumva
39. to take - kutenga
40. to do/make - kupanga
41. to live - kukhala
42. to finish - kumaliza/kusiriza
43. to wait - kudikira
44. to let - kusiya
45. to meet - kukumana
46. to add - kuphatikiza
47. to die - kufa
48. to kill - kupha
49. to slaughter - kupha
50. to pass - kudusa
51. to wish - kufuna
52. to wear/to put on - kuvala
53. to close - kuseka
54. to push - kukankha
55. to ride - kukwela
56. to bring - kubwelesa
57. to lose - kutaya
58. to kick - kumenya theche
59. to taste - kulawa
60. to draw - kujambula
61. to catch - kugwira
62. to knock - kugogoda
63. to hug - kukhumbatira
64. to kiss - kumpyompyona
65. to miss - kusowa
66. to talk - kuyankhula
67. to regret - kunong'oneza bondo
68. to repair/mend/fix - kukonza
69. to hurt - kupweteka
70. to pay - kulipira
71. to think - kuganiza
72. to gain - kupindura
73. to put/to place - kuyika
74. to save - kusunga
75. to shout - kukuwa
76. to cut - kudula
77. to pray - kupemphera
78. to change - kusintha

CHICHEWA VERBS

Sentences are made-up of a combination of words.
• A boy is drinking water.
• Mnyamata akumwa madzi.

At the center of a Sentence is a verb. A Verb describes an action that is happening.
• drinking - kumwa

Unlike in English where Verbs act as standalone words, Chichewa Verbs do not only express ACTION they carry other details like:
• the subject - who is doing the action
• the object - who is receiving the action
• the tense - time and manner of an action
• etc

It is for this reason that Chichewa verbs can form a sentence on their own.

EXAMPLE 1:
Ndimakukonda - I love you.
Tamuwona - We have seen him.

I am aware that a sudden change of a single word
'Tamuwona' into a sentence 'We have seen him'
might seem scary to someone new to the language, but after our subsequent lessons you will appreciate how it all works.

A FRIEND FROM THE PAST
Before we look deeper into our Example 1, let's remember. Subject-Very-Object.
A simple sentence is made up of
• a subject
• a verb
• and an object.
A Subject do an Action
A Verb describes an Action being done
An Object receives an Action.

EXAMPLE 2:
The boy is kicking a ball.
Mnyamata akumenya mpira.

• The boy (Subject)
• Kick (Verb)
• Ball (Object)

I LOVE YOU
« Back to Example 1.
• Ndimakukonda - I love you.
Even though the Chichewa equivalent of the popular romantic phrase comes as a single word 'Ndimakukonda', it is actually a group of words attached to a Verb.
Let's breakup the word and face each member one by one:

Ndi-ma-ku-konda
Ndi- is a Subject Prefix for ' I '
ma- is a Tense Infix
ku- is an Object Infix for ' you '
konda is a Stem Verb for ' love '

After this I believe that our verb 'Ndimakukonda' looks a little friendly.

Ndi - I
ma - describes frequency(often or always)
ku - you
konda - to love.

Ndimakukonda - I love you.

VOCABULARY FOR EXAMPLES
kuwona - to see
kukonda - to love
kumenya - to kick
kumwa - to drink
mpira - ball
madzi - water

TOMORROW
In our next chapters we will look into Verb Prefixes and Infix in detail.

DAYS OF THE WEEK - MASIKU A PA SABATA

ENGLISH - CHICHEWA

Monday - Lolemba
Tuesday - Lachiwiri
Wednesday - Lachitatu
Thursday - Lachinayi
Friday - Lachisanu
Saturday - Loweluka
Sunday - Lamulungu

EXAMPLES

Today is Saturday - Lero ndi Loweluka.
Tomorrow will be Sunday - Mmawa lizakhala Lamulungu
Yesterday was Friday - Dzuro linali Lachisanu
Ndimapita ku tchalitchi Lamulungu lirilonse - I go to church every Sunday.
What day is today? - Kodi lero ndi lachingati?/ Kodi lero ndi tsiku lanji?

In Chichewa, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday derived their names from the Chichewa tradition numbers (Previous Post on this Page) of
-wiri (two), -tatu (three), -nayi (four), -sanu (five).

In Literally translation
Lachiwiri means Day two
Lachitatu means Day three
Lachinayi means Day four
Lachisanu means Day five
While the others literally means
Lolemba - Day of writing (kulemba - to write)
Loweruka - Day of retiring/resting (kuweruka - to retire)
Lamulungu - Day of God ( Mulungu - God).

VOCABULARY: TIME

Time - Nthawi
What time is it? - Nthawi ili bwanji?
What time? - Nthawi yanji?
Morning - Mmamawa
Afternoon - Masana
Evening - Mazulo
Night - Usiku
Midnight - Pakati pa usiku
Year - Chaka
Month - Mwezi
Week - Sabata
Day - Siku
Hour - Ola
Minute - Phindi
Past - Kale
Future - Tsogolo
Now - Pano
Today - Lero
Yesterday - Dzuro
Tomorrow - Mmawa

FAMILY

Let's learn the common nouns related to Family.

NOUNS (Mayina)
ENGLISH - CHICHEWA

Family - Banja
Father - Bambo
Mother - Mayi
Parents - Makolo; Parent - Kholo
Grandparents - Agogo
Grandfather - Agogo Aamuna
Grandmother - Agogo Aakazi
Children - Ana ; Child - Mwana
Grandchildren - Zidzukulu; Grandchild - Chidzukulu
Son - Mwana wa mamuna
Daughter - Mwana wa mkazi
Brother - Mchimwene
Sister - Chemwali
Relatives - Achibale/Abale
Uncle - Malume
Aunt - Zakhali
Stepfather - Bambo opeza
Stepmother - Mayi opeza
Stepchild - Mwana opeza
Father-in-law/Mother-in-law - Apongozi
Son-in-law/Daughter-in-law - Mpongozi
Brother-in-law/Sister-in-law - Mlamu
Boyfriend/Girlfriend - Chibwenzi
Person - Munthu
People - Anthu
Twins - Mapasa
Friend - Mzake

NUMBERS

There are Two groups of Numbers that are used in Chichewa to describe quantity
1. TRADITIONAL NUMBERS

ENGLISH - CHICHEWA
1 One -modzi
2 Two -wiri
3 Three -tatu
4 Four -nayi
5 Five -sanu
6 Six -sanu ndi modzi
7 Seven -sanu ndi wiri
8 Eight -sanu ndi tatu
9 Nine -sanu ndi nayi
10 Ten -khumi

In Chichewa, nouns are grouped. Hence, numbers always have to agree with the preceding noun class.
we will learn more about noun classes in our coming lessons.

EXAMPLE
Ana awiri = two children
Nyumba ziwiri = two houses
Anyamata asanu ndi anayi - Nine boys

2. SIMPLIFIED NUMBERS

Modern Chichewa users and speakers rarely use the traditional numbers from 4 upwards.
A simplified form of numbers derived from the English equivalents are in use mostly in today's spoken Chichewa.

ENGLISH - CHICHEWA
1 One -modzi
2 Two -wiri
3 Three -tatu
4 Four - folo
5 Five - fayifi
6 Six - sikisi
7 Seven - seveni
8 Eight - eyiti
9 Nine - nayini
10 Ten - teni

In spoken language the sound of these numbers is the same as their English counterparts.

EXAMPLES

Ndagula tomato teni. - I bought ten tomatoes
Ali ndi ana seveni - She has seven children
Mbalame zitatu - Three birds

VOCABULARY IN EXAMPLES

Ana - Children (plural) [singular: Mwana - Child]
Nyumba - House/s ['Nyumba' is both plural and singular]
Anyamata - Boys (plural) [singular: Mnyamata - A Boy]
Ndagula - I bought [Nda-gula; Nda - subject prefix for 'I'; gula - verb 'to buy']
Ali - She has [A-li; A - subject prefix for 'He/She'; li - verb 'to have']
Mbalame - Bird/s ['Mbalame' is both plural and singular]

INTERROGATIVE WORDS

Who? - Ndani?
Where? - Kuti?
What? - Chiyani?
How many? - Angati?
What time? - Nthawi yanji?
When? - Liti?
How much? - Ndalama zingati?
Why? - Chifukwa chiyani?
How? - Bwanji?
Because - Chifukwa