Shona English

hold

verb, transitive cut

think

bad

another

understand

dry (substance)

Speaker: Ignatius T. Mabasa

fight

choose

laugh

sew

buy

open

mother

bag

south

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

fist

finger, thumb, toe

proverb (tsumo) The cow-hide eating expert was choked by a calf’s hide.

Speaker: Ignatius T. Mabasa

[LL] noun abandoned home

Example: outside Mt Darwin (IM)

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

true (not false)

noun worm

depression in rock

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

throat

word

verb (infinitive) bleed

verb (infinitive) ask

verb (infinitive) be white (colour)

verb (infinitive) want, need

verb (infinitive) return

verb (infinitive) press

verb (infinitive) prepared, be

verb phrase sit down

verb (infinitive) wash hair

verb (infinitive) put

verb (infinitive) stop

verb (infinitive) to hear

Speaker: Emmanuel Chabata

verb (infinitive) see

verb (infinitive) give

Speaker: Moenda Pureni

verb (infinitive) finish

verb (infinitive) enter

verb (infinitive) sleep

verb (infinitive) throw away

verb (infinitive) ill, become

verb (infinitive) raise

verb (infinitive) stand

Speaker: Maxwell Kadenge

verb (infinitive) sew

verb (infinitive) tie

verb (infinitive) sell

verb (infinitive) poor, be

verb (infinitive) thirsty, be

verb (infinitive) hungry, be

verb (infinitive) hidden, be

verb (infinitive) hunt

verb (infinitive) swell

not

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

years

Dialect: English loanword

twin

vaginas

cockroaches

malaria

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

thief

noun mouse, mice

raw

noun impala, impalas

verb ostrich, ostriches

hives

noun root (botanics)

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

noun

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

son-in-law

[LL] noun person (individual human)

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

phrase How are you? (literal: Are you happy?)

Speaker: Emmanuel Chabata

noun man (adult male human)

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

noun tree (not log)

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

neck (not nape)

Speaker: Ignatius T. Mabasa

noun hunter

Speaker: Reggemore Marongedze

noun water

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

child

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

month

Speaker: Ignatius T. Mabasa

slow

noun horn (of bull etc.)

Speaker: Emmanuel Chabata

bees

noun blood

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

noun tongue (anatomical)

Speaker: Moenda Pureni

sick

noun forest

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

noun lion, lions

Speaker: Reggemore Marongedze

ant

Speaker: Ignatius T. Mabasa

father-in-law

noun insects

phrase What are you afraid of?

Speaker: Ignatius Mabasa

grass

children

noun hair (on head of humans)

Speaker: Emmanuel Chabata

egg

Speaker: Ignatius T. Mabasa

noun breasts (female)

Speaker: Emmanuel Chabata

noun tooth (front, rather than molar)

Speaker: Emmanuel Chabata

proverb (tsumo) The tooth is a fool, it smiles even at one’s enemy. (Appearances can be deceiving.)

Speaker: Ignatius T. Mabasa

noun eye

waists