Shona English

help

breathe

fry

fast

throw away

dream

vomit

fight

spit

turn

frighten

count

mother

grandmother (paternal or maternal), mother-in-law

noun hyena

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

banana

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

noun knee

Speaker: Emmanuel Chabata

proverb (tsumo) What’s good is good — milk can’t be made into a ball. (You can never add anything to what is already perfect.)

adjective white (colour)

Speaker: Emmanuel Chabata

noun liver

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

frog

nest

Speaker: Ignatius T. Mabasa

phrase the dam is full

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

adjective small

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

noun ash(es)

Speaker: Moenda Pureni

fence

noun skin (person’s)

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

green (colour)

Speaker: Moenda Pureni

eagle

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

verb rat

dust

grave

phrase I have never read that book

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

noun brother or sister (of the opposite sex)

yes

honey

Speaker: Ignatius T. Mabasa

noun smoke (of fire)

Speaker: Moenda Pureni

that

noun sand (opposite to following)

Speaker: Moenda Pureni

comb

verb (infinitive) feel warmth

Speaker: Moenda Pureni

verb (infinitive) die

verb (infinitive) sit, live or dwell (somewhere), remain

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

verb (infinitive) wash hands

verb (infinitive) bark (dog)

verb (infinitive) snore

verb (infinitive) throw

verb (infinitive) hear

Speaker: Moenda Pureni

verb (infinitive) throw away

verb (infinitive) yawn

verb (infinitive) leave

verb (infinitive) push

verb (infinitive) play

verb (infinitive) watch

verb (infinitive) take

verb (infinitive) chew

verb (infinitive) kill

verb (infinitive) thirsty, be

verb (infinitive) close

verb (infinitive) hunt

adverb not

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

noun grease (fat, organic substance)

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

noun jackals

north

Speaker: Ignatius T. Mabasa

twin

flowers

teeth

raw

pronoun 2.sg eland

noun mosquito

noun cow, cows, cattle

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

noun heart

Speaker: Emmanuel Chabata

son-in-law

thorn

rainbow

noun man (adult male human)

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

noun head (anatomic)

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

noun hunter

Speaker: Reggemore Marongedze

child

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

proverb (tsumo) The son of a king loses his honour in a foreign land (literally becomes just a servant elsewhere)

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

noun daughter

Speaker: Reggemore Marongedze

singer

noun gold

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

bat

Dialect: English loanword

noun kudu, kudus

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

noun flesh (meat)

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

noun ear

Speaker: Emmanuel Chabata

noun elephant, elephants

pipe

numeral two

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

adjective long (not ’wide’)

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

noun forest

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

noun python, pythons

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

little

adjective red (colour)

Speaker: Moenda Pureni

phrase what is your name? (informal)

Speaker: Emmanuel Chabata

phrase where are you going?

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

noun people

Speaker: Reggemore Marongedze

noun hair (on head of humans)

Speaker: Moenda Pureni

ankle