Example Example

IPA Meaning Notes

(IPA) (Written)
This vowel is pronounced somewhat
[i] [ˈsiːza] -siza "help"
like ease in English.
Somewhat like English vowel in the
[u] [uˈmuːzi] umuzi "homestead"
word loom.
e is e when the following syllable
[e] [umɡiˈɓeːli] umgibeli "passenger"
contains an "i" or a "u", or final
[ɛ] [ˈpʰɛːɠa] -pheka "cook" e is ɛ everywhere else
o is o when the following syllable
[o] [umaˈɠoːti] umakoti "bride"
contains an "i" or a "u", or final
[ɔ] [ɔˈɡɔːɡo] ogogo "grandmothers" o is ɔ everywhere else
Is pronounced somewhat like mama in
[a] [ˈdiːda] -dida "puzzle"
English.
Example Example
IPA Meaning Notes
(IPA) (Written)
[m] [uˈmaːma] umama "my/our mother" Pronounced as in English.
"his/her/their Pronounced as in nine in
[n] [uˈniːna] unina
mother" English.
Pronounced as in French
[ɲ] [iˈɲoːni] inyoni "bird"
vignette.
[ŋ] [iŋˈɡaːne] ingane "child" Pronounced as in sing.
"pipe for
[p] [iːˈpiːpi] ipipi Pronounced as in speech.
smoking"
[pʰ] [ˈpʰɛːɠa] -pheka "cook" Pronounced as in pin.
[t] [iːˈtiːje] itiye "tea" Pronounced as in "step".
Pronounced somewhat as in
[tʰ] [ˈtʰaːtʰa] -thatha "take"
English "top".
Pronounced as in English
[k] [kumˈnaːndi] kumnandi "it is delicious"
"skill".
Pronounced somewhat like c in
[kʰ] [iːˈkʰaːnda] ikhanda "head"
"cat".
Pronounced more or less as in
[b] [ˈbaːla] -bhala "write"
English bed, but fully voiced.
Pronounced more or less as in
[d] [iːˈdaːda] idada "duck"
English duck, but fully voiced.
Pronounced somewhat like in
[ɡ] [ɔˈɡɔːɡo] ugogo "grandmother"
go, but fully voiced.
[ɓ] [uˈɓaːɓa] ubaba "my/our father" Pronounced with implosion.
[ɠ] [uˈɠuːza] ukuza "to come" Pronounced with implosion.
Pronounced more or less as in
[f] [ˈiːfu] ifu "cloud"
English fun.
[v] [ˈvaːla] -vala "close" Pronounced as in English very.
[s] [iːˈsiːsu] isisu "stomach" Pronounced as in English say.
[z] [umˈzuːzu] umzuzu "moment" As in English "zoo"
[ʃ] [iːˈʃuːmi] ishumi "ten" Pronounced as in English shall.
[h] [ˈhaːmba] -hamba "go" Pronounced as in English hand.
[ɦ] [iːˈɦaːʃi] ihhashi "horse" Pronounced as in English ahead.
[l] [ˈlaːla] -lala "sleep" Pronounced as in English leaf.
Pronounced as in Welsh
[ɬ] [ˈɬaːla] -hlala "sit"
Llanelli.
[ɮ] [ɮa] idla "eat" Voiced form of ɬ.
[tʃ] [uˈtʃaːni] utshani "grass" Pronounced as the English chin.
[dʒ] [ˈuːdʒu] uju "honey" Pronounced as the English jump.
[kx ~ kɬ
[umklɔˈmɛːlo] umklomelo "prize" Pronunciation varies by speaker.
~ kl]
"his/her/their
[j] [uˈjiːse] uyise Pronounced as in yes in English.
father"
Pronounced as in wall in
[w] [ˈwɛːla] wela "cross"
English.

ˈ Example (IPA) Example (Written) Meaning Notes

[ǀ] [iːˈǀiːǀi] icici "earring"
[ǀʰ] [uɠuˈǀʰaːza] ukucaza "to fascinate"
[ɡǀʱ] [isiˈɡǀʱiːno] isigcino "end"
[ŋǀ] [iˈŋǀwaːŋǀwa] incwancwa "sour corn meal"
[ŋǀʱ] [iˈŋǀʱoːsi] ingcosi "a bit"
[!] [iːˈ!aː!a] iqaqa "polecat"
[!ʰ] [iːˈ!ʰuːde] iqhude "rooster"
[ɡ!ʱ] [umɡ!ʱiˈɓɛːlo] uMgqibelo "Saturday"
[ŋ!] [iˈŋ!ɔːla] inqola "cart"
[ŋ!ʱ] [iˈŋ!ʱɔːndo] ingqondo "intelligence"
[ǁ] [iːˈǁɔːǁo] ixoxo "frog"
[ǁʰ] [uɠuˈǁʰaːsa] ukuxhasa "to support"
[ɡǁʱ] [uɠuˈɡǁʱɔːɓa] ukugxoba "to stamp"
[ŋǁ] [iˈŋǁɛːɓa] inxeba "wound"
[ŋǁʱ] [iˈŋǁʱɛːɲe] ingxenye "part"

Examples:

Singular Plural
umuntu (person) abantu (people)
ugogo (grandmother) ogogo (grandmothers)
igama (name) amagama (names)
inhlanzi (fish) izinhlanzi (fish)

Classes 14 (ubu-) and 15 (uku-) form an exception to this rule, as they have no
corresponding plural classes (if necessary, plurals of Class 14 are formed from class 6. nouns
of Class 15 have no plural forms).

Furthermore, the class of the noun determines the forms of other parts of speech, i.e. verbs,
adjectives, etc - their prefixes are derived from those of the substantive classes, and will be in
agreement with them.

Examples:

umfana omkhulu (large boy)

isihlahla esikhulu (large tree)

In terms of semantics, groups of similar nouns belong to similar noun classes. For example,
names and surnames are only found in class 1a. Designations of persons which are derived
from verbs (e.g. singer, from sing) are commonly in class 1, abstract concepts (e.g. beauty) in
class 14, loanwords in classes 9 and 5, and nouns derived from the infinitives of verbs (e.g.
eating, from eat) in class 15.

The following table gives an overview of Zulu noun class, arranged according to singular-
plural pairs.

Class Singular Plural

1/2 um(u)-1 aba-2, abe-3
1a/2b u- o-
3/4 um(u)- imi-2
1

5/6 i- ama-, ame-4

7/8 is(i)- 5
iz(i)-5
9/10 iN-6 iziN-6
11/10 u- iziN-6
14 ubu- (ama-)7
15 uku-

1
umu- replaces um- before monosyllabic stems, e.g. umuntu (person).
2
ab- and im- replace aba- and imi- respectively before stems beginning in a vowel, e.g.
abongameli (president).
3
abe- occurs only in rare cases, e.g. in abeSuthu (the Sotho) or abeLungu (the Whites, the
Europeans).
4
ame- occurs only in one instance, namely amehlo (eyes) the plural of iso (eye; originally:
ihlo).
5
is- and iz- replace isi- and izi- respectively before stems beginning with a vowel, e.g.
isandla/izandla (hand/hands).
6
The placeholder N in the prefixes iN- and iziN- for m, n or no letter at all, i.e. in classes 9
and 10 there are three different prefixes, though only one per noun stem. Examples:

iN- = i-: iMali (money)

iN- = im-: impela (truth)
iN- = in-: inhlanzi (fish)

7
Rare, see above.

[edit] Verbs

In contrast to the noun, the Zulu verb has a variable number of components, which are
arranged in sequence according to a defined set of rules. Examples of these include:

 a subject prefix (SP), which agrees with the subject of the sentence
 a temporal morpheme, which indicates the tense of the verb
 an object prefix (OP), which agrees with the object of the sentence
 the verb stem (VS), which carries the underlying meaning of the verb
 a suffix, which can signify various aspects of the verb (e.g. tense or modality)

The verb stem and the suffix are always present, but the other parts are optional, i.e. their
presence depends on the function of the verb in the sentence.

[edit] Simple verb stems

Simple verb stems are ones to which no suffixes are attached that would alter the basic
meaning of the verb. Examples include:

-w- to fall
-dl- to eat
-enz- to make, to do
-nqamul- to break [something]
-os- to cook, to roast
-siz- to help

[edit] Complex verb stems

Complex verb stems are derived from simple verb stems by attaching various suffixes, thus
changing the meaning. Thus, we can take the stem -enz (to make, to do) and apply a few
common suffixes to get different shades of meaning. E.g.:

-enz- to make, to do
-enzan- to do something together
-enzek- to be doable i.e. possible
-enzel- to do something for someone
-enzis- to bring someone for doing something
-enziw- to be made, to be done

[edit] Subject prefixes

In Zulu, a subject prefix corresponds to the subjective case of English personal pronouns,
such as I or he. Unlike personal pronouns, however, Zulu subject prefix cannot stand alone,
but must be attached to a verb. Zulu does possess a set of independent personal pronouns;
however, these are only used to emphasise the subject to whom they refer.

An example with the subject prefix si- and the personal pronoun thina (both meaning we):

Sihamba manje. We are going now.

Thina sihamba manje. We are going now.

There is a unique subject prefix for each grammatical person and each noun class.

initial SP non-initial SP-

Person Singular Plural Person Singular Plural
1st ngi- si- 1st -ngi- -si-
2nd u- ni- 2nd -wu- -ni-
Class Singular Plural Class Singular Plural
1/2 u- ba- 1/2 -ka- -ba-
1a/2b u- ba- 1a/2b -ka- -ba-
3/4 u- i- 3/4 -wu- -yi-
5/6 li- a- 5/6 -li- -wa-
7/8 si- zi- 7/8 -si- -zi-
9/10 i- zi- 9/10 -yi- -zi-
11/10 lu- zi- 11/10 -lu- -zi-
14 bu- 14 -bu-
15 ku- 15 -ku-

The non-initial subject prefixes (SP-) are used when a further prefix is attached to the SP, for
example in the negative of certain tenses.
[edit] Object prefixes

In Zulu, the object prefix is used to designate the direct object or indirect object of a verb
(formal Zulu does not distinguish between these two cases). Just like the subject prefixes,
object prefixes cannot stand independently, but must be attached to a verb stem. Independent
personal pronouns can be used in conjunction with object prefixes as well, serving, again, to
shift the emphases of the sentences.

Examples with the OP -m- (him/her/it) and the personal pronoun yena (him/her/it):

Ngiyambona. I see him.

Ngimnika isipho. I give her a gift.
Ngimbona yena. I see him.

There is a unique object prefix for each person and noun class.

Object prefixes
Person Singular Plural
1st -ngi- -si-
2nd -ku- -ni-
Classe Singular Plural
1/2 -m- -ba-
1a/2b -m- -ba-
3/4 -wu- -yi-
5/6 -li- -wa-
7/8 -si- -zi-
9/10 -yi- -zi-
11/10 -lu- -zi-
14 -bu-
15 -ku-

[edit] The imperative

Formation of the imperative:

without object with object

Singular: (yi) - VS - a OP - VS - e
Plural: (yi) - VS - ani OP - VS - eni

The only exception to this is the common verb stem -z-, to come, whose singular and plural
imperative forms are woza and wozani respectively.

Examples:

without object with object

Stem Singular Plural Singular Plural
-dl- Yidla! Yidlani! Yidle (inhlanzi)! Yidleni (inhlanzi)!
 Eat! Eat! Eat it (the fish)! Eat it (the fish; inhlanzi: cl. 9; OP: -yi-)!
-enz- Yenza! Yenzani! Kwenze! Kwenzeni!

Do Do! Do this! Do this!

-siz- Siza! Sizani! Msize! Msizeni!

Help! Help! Help him! Help him!

[edit] The infinitive

Formation of the infinitive:

Aff.: uku - (OP) - VS - a

Neg.: uku - nga - (OP) - VS - i

Examples:

Verb stem Infinitive Meaning

-w- ukuwa to fall
ukungawi not to fall (cf. note)
-dl- ukudla to eat
ukungadli not to eat
ukuyidla to eat it (e.g. inhlanzi, the fish; OP: -yi-)
ukungayidli not to eat it
-enz- ukwenza to do
ukungenzi not to do
-os- ukosa to roast
ukungosi not to roast

Several sound changes occur, when two vowels occur together. These include:

-nga- → -ng- before vowels

uku- → uk- before o
uku- → ukw- before other vowels - this sound change occurs automatically in speech.

Note: Furthermore, the suffixe -a will be found with verb stems which end in w, never -i;
e.g.: uku-nga-w-a.

[edit] The present

Formation of the present tense:

Aff.: SP - (ya) - (OP) - VS - a

Neg.: a - SP- - (OP) - VS - i

The form -ya- is found when:

  the verb is the last word in the sentence
 the verb contains an object prefix, and the object follows the verb
 the speaker wants to emphasise the factuality of the statement.

Examples:

Uyahamba. He is going.
Uhamba ekuseni. He is going in the morning.
Akahambi. He is not going.
Uyangisiza. He is helping me.
Ungisiza namhlanje. He is helping me today.
Akangisizi. He isn't helping me.
Usiza uyise.
He is helping his father.
Uyamsiza uyise.

[edit] The participial form

Formation of the participle:

Aff.: SPP - (OP) - VS - a

Neg.: SPP - nga - (OP) - VS - i

In the participial form, the subject prefixes (SP) u-, ba- and a- of the classes 1, 1a, 2, 2b and
6 become e-, be- and e- respectively (SPP). The participial form is used, among others:

 to indicate simultaneity
 in subordinate clauses with certain conjunctions.
 with certain auxiliary verbs.

Examples:

Ukhuluma edla. He talks while he eats (Eating, he talks).

Ngambona engasebenzi. I saw that he was not working

[edit] The subjunctive

Formation of the subjunctive:

Aff.: SPS - (OP) - VS - e

Neg.: SPS - nga - (OP) - VS - i

In the subjunctive, the subject prefix u- of classes 1 and 1a (SP) becomes a- (SPS). The
subjunctive is used

 in wishes and polite requests

 in sequences of requests
 with certain auxiliary verbs
Examples:

Ngamtshela ahambe. I told him he should go.

Woza lapha uzame futhi! Come here and try it again!
Umane ahleke. He only laughs.

[edit] The perfect

The perfect tense describes the recent, although what is meant by 'recent' depends on the
speaker. In the colloquial language, the perfect is often preferred to the preterite.

Formation of the perfect:

Aff.: SP - (OP) - VS - e/ile

Neg.: a - SP- - (OP) - VS - anga

The long form in -ile is found when the verb is the last word in the sentence or clause,
otherwise the short form in -e is used, with the -e- accented.

Examples:

Sihambile. We went.
Sihambe izolo. We went yesterday.
Asihambanga. We did not go.
Asimbonanga. We have not seen him/her.

[edit] The stative

A range of Zulu verbs indicate a change of state or a process, which tends towards some final
goal (cf. inchoative verbs). To indicate that this final state has been achieved, the stative verb,
which is related to the perfect, is used.

Formation of the stative:

Aff.: SP - VS - ile
Neg.: a - SP- - VS - ile

Examples:

Uyafa. He is dying.
Ufile. He is dead.
Ngiyalamba. I am becoming hungry.
Ngilambile. I am hungry.
Siyabuya. We are turning back.
Sibuyile. We have returned.

Note that the form verbs with certain endings, the ending -ile is not used. These are:
Verb stem Stative
-al-, -el- -ele
-an-, -en- -ene
-am-, -em- -eme
-ath-, -eth- -ethe
-as-, -es- -ese
-aw-1 -ewe

1
This is a unique case, namely the irregular passive -bulaw- from -bulal-.

[edit] The preterite

The preterite is used to indicate the distant past, the past preceding the perfect, and as a
narrative perfect.

Formation of the preterite:

Aff.: SP + a - (OP) - VS - a
Neg.: a - SP- - (OP) - VS - anga (cf. the perfect tense)

In the affirmative, because of the merger of the SP with a following a in the spoken language,
the following subject prefixes result for the preterite:

Person Singular Plural

1. nga- sa-
2. wa- na-
Class Singular Plural
1/2 wa- ba-
1a/2b wa- ba-
3/4 wa- ya-
5/6 la- a-
7/8 sa- za-
9/10 ya- za-
11/10 lwa- za-
14 ba-
15 kwa-

Examples:

Sahamba. We went.
Asihambanga. We did not go.
Asimbonanga. We did not see him/her.

[edit] The consecutive

Formation of the consecutive:

 Aff.: SP + a - (OP) - VS - a
Neg.: SP + a - nga - (OP) - VS - a

The consecutive is used to describe a sequence of consecutive events in the preterite, and
differs from it only in the negative.

Examples:

Wavuka wagqoka wahamba. He woke up, dressed, and went out.

Wabaleka wangabheka emuva. He ran away and did not look back.

[edit] The future I

Formation of the future tense I:

Aff.: SP - zo - (OP) - (ku) - VS - a

Neg.: a - SP- - zu - (ku)- (OP) - VS - a

The marker of the future tense is the prefix zo- in the affirmative and the corresponding zu-
in the negative. The form is constructed from the auxiliary verb uku-za (or with the auxiliary
uku-ya) and the infinitive of the verb. So, ngiza ukusiza (I am coming to help) = ngizosiza
(I will help), or, alternatively ngiya ukusiza (I am going to help) = ngiyosiza (I will help) -
English (as well as French and others) has had a similar development, whereby the verb to go
has become the marker of the future tense. To form the negative, the auxiliary verb is negated
and then merged with the following verb, thus angizi ukusiza = angizusiza. In the case of
monosyllabic verb stems, as well as those that begin with vowels, the prefix -ku- is added to
the stem – this becomes -k- before o and -kw- in front of other vowels.

Examples:

Ngizokuza. I will come.

Angizukuza. I will not come.
Ngizokwakha. I will build
Angizukwakha. I will not build.
Ngizomsiza. I will help him.
Angizumsiza. I will not help him.

[edit] Other tenses

Other forms, such as the pluperfect, the future II, the progressive forms or the conjunctive
forms are somewhat complicated. They are formed with single or double uses of the auxiliary
verb -ba-, to be, but in practical usage are abbreviated further.

[edit] Phrases
The following is a list of phrases that can be used when visiting a region where the primary
language is Zulu.
Sawubona Hello, to one person
Sanibonani Hello, to a group of people
Unjani? / Ninjani? How are you (sing.)? / How are you (pl.)?
Ngisaphila /
I'm okay / We're okay
Sisaphila
Ngiyabonga
Thanks (a lot)
(kakhulu)
Ngubani igama
What is your name?
lakho?
Igama lami ngu... My name is...
Isikhathi sithini? What's the time?
Ngingakusiza? Can I help you?
Uhlala kuphi? Where do you stay?
Uphumaphi? Where are you from?
Hamba kahle / Sala
Go well / Stay well (used as goodbye)
kahle
Hambani kahle /
Go well / Stay well, to a group of people
Salani kahle
Wow! (No real European equivalent, used in South African English) (you
Eish! could try a semi-expletive, such as oh my God or what the fuck. It
expresses a notion of shock and surprise)
Hhayibo No! / Stop! / No way! (used in South African English too)
Yebo Yes
Cha No
Angazi I don't know
Ukhuluma isiNgisi
Do you speak English?
na?
Ngisaqala ukufunda
I've just started learning Zulu
isiZulu

[edit] Sample text

(From the preamble to the South African Constitution)

Thina, bantu baseNingizimu Afrika, Siyakukhumbula ukucekelwa phansi kwamalungelo

okwenzeka eminyakeni eyadlula; Sibungaza labo abahluphekela ubulungiswa nenkululeko
kulo mhlaba wethu; Sihlonipha labo abasebenzela ukwakha nokuthuthukisa izwe lethu; futhi
Sikholelwa ekutheni iNingizimu Afrika ingeyabo bonke abahlala kuyo, sibumbene nakuba
singafani.

Translation:

We, the people of South Africa, Recognize the injustices of our past; Honor those who
suffered for justice and freedom in our land; Respect those who have worked to build and
develop our country; and Believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our
diversity.
[edit] Common place names in Zulu
Zulu place names usually occur in their locative form, which combines what would in
English be separate prepositions with the name concerned. This is usually achieved by simply
replacing the i- prefix with an e- prefix (for example, 'eGoli' translates literally as
'to/at/in/from Johannesburg' when iGoli is simply Johannesburg), but changes in the name
can also occur (see Durban below). The locatives are given in brackets.

 South Africa - iNingizimu Afrika / uMzansi Afrika

 Durban - iTheku (eThekwini)
 Johannesburg - iGoli (eGoli)
 Cape Town - iKapa (eKapa)
 Pretoria - iPitoli (ePitoli)
 Pietermaritzburg - uMgungundlovu (eMgungundlovu)
 Ladysmith - uMnambithi (eMnambithi)
 Overseas - phesheya

[edit] The 'Zulu'/'isiZulu' debate

The Zulu language is called 'isiZulu' in Zulu, 'isi-' being the prefix associated with languages
(e.g., isiNgisi = English, isiXhosa = Xhosa, isiBhunu = Afrikaans, isiJalimane = German,
etc.).

The root word Zulu can take many other forms in Zulu, each with a different meaning. Here
is a table showing how the meanings of two roots - Zulu and ntu - change according to their
prefix.

Prefix -zulu -ntu

um(u) umZulu (a Zulu person) umuntu (a person)
ama, aba amaZulu (Zulu people) abantu (people)
isi isiZulu (the Zulu language) isintu (culture, heritage, mankind)
ubu - ubuntu (humanity, compassion)
kwa kwaZulu (place of the Zulu people) -
i(li) izulu (the weather/sky/heaven) -
pha phezulu (on top) -
e ezulwini (in, at, to, from heaven) -

Some prefer to call Zulu isiZulu in English as per the Zulu name for the language.[citation needed]