Downloaded 10 times
Uploaded byFrancico Jose
A rough guide to ici bemba
This document provides a rough guide to learning basic Bemba language for volunteers traveling to Zambia. It includes pronunciation guidelines, common greetings, verb conjugations in different tenses, lists of feelings, times of day, nouns and connecting words. The guide was created by a volunteer, Owen Scott, to help future volunteers learn some Bemba before traveling overseas through collaborative guides. It is not meant as a comprehensive textbook but as an organized presentation of introductory information to get started.
A rough guide to ici bemba
- 1. A Rough Guideto IciBemba Volume 1 of the hopefully soon-to-exist, volunteer/co-worker produced: EWB Language Guide Series Written by: Owen Scott, Elias Mutwale
- 2. Table of Contents SectionPage Disclaimer 1 Preface 2 On the Importance of Language 3 Pronunciation 4 Greetings 5 Verbs (conjugation) 6 Verbs (list) 11 Feelings 12 Times 13 Some Nouns 14 Connecting Words 15 Other Useful Things 16 Sentences 17
- 3. 1 Disclaimer It is almostcertain that not everything in this guide is correct. However, much of it is. There…it’s been said.
- 4. 2 Preface I developed thisguide during my last few weeks in Zambia as a way to help future EWB volunteers (and volunteers with other organizations) to learn Bemba prior to leaving for overseas. The impetus for the guide came from the many nights I spent sitting alone by candlelight studying verb conjugation by written practice; I simply felt like much of the study I did while in Zambia could have been done more effectively prior to leaving (and with less opportunity cost related to other cool stuff). I am by no means fluent in Bemba; in fact, I can barely speak the language at all, and have never held down anything close to a conversation. However, I did learn a lot in my time overseas, and feel that that knowledge is valuable and worth sharing. This guide was written by me (Owen), and then edited and contributed to heavily by my friend, co-worker, and primary Bemba teacher Elias Mutwale. He even edited some of my English. I can’t express in words how grateful I was for his help, and hope that many future volunteers from EWB can participate in collaborative efforts such as this to take our organizational language learning capacity to another level. This guide is not a “how-to guide”, nor is it an “exercise book”, nor is it divided into bite- size lessons. Rather, it is simply an organized presentation of information. It is up to the reader to decide how this information is to be used/learned. I trust you to figure this one out for yourself… (also, any questions about this guide, contact: owenscott@ewb.ca)
- 5. 3 On the Importanceof Language Understanding and speaking the local language while overseas can bring you many things. It can gain you added trust, it can bring you added comprehension of your surroundings, and it can allow you to interact more enjoyably with other people. However, there are more important reasons to learn language as well. In Zambia, as in many countries, English is the official language but it is no one’s first language. English is learned in school, and, in most cases, school is not free. Thus, I might posit that English language ability and socio-economic status correlate fairly closely. For this reason, as a volunteer, by limiting yourself to effective communication only in English, you are also severely reducing your ability to even interact with the poorest of the poor; the people whose lives and opportunities you are ostensibly overseas to help improve. For me, this is the most important of many good reasons why language learning should continue to be a core organization value of EWB, and why we desperately need to work as an organization to make sure that resources and techniques are available to help our volunteers turn ambition into action with regards to language. Hopefully this guide can be a start.
- 6. 4 Pronunciation Don’t worry aboutbeing perfect. Just be close. You will learn more once you get there. Everything in this guide is written very phonetically, so follow this outline and you will be fine. Vowels: ‘a’ – like the ‘a’ in ‘cat’ ‘e’ – like the ‘a’ in ‘mate’ ‘i’ – like the ‘i’ in ‘ski’ ‘o’ – like the ‘oa’ sound in ‘coat’ ‘u’ – like the ‘oo’ sound in ‘cool’ Most consonants are pronounced the same as in English. There are a few exceptions: Consonants: ‘c’ – like the ‘ch’ in ‘chair’ ‘b’ – like a mix of ‘b’, ‘w’, and ‘v’ (try saying all three at once) ‘ ng’ ‘ – like the ‘ng’ in ‘singing’
- 7. 5 Greetings During your timein Zambia you will be constantly greeting people. Exchanging greetings and enquiring as to other people’s well-being is an integral part of the Zambian culture. Usually, when first meeting someone (even if you know them already) you should start with a “hello”. Depending on the context and time of day, what “hello” you use will vary. Following this initial greeting, you should move on to ask how they are. There is essentially no limit to the number of enquiries you can make (although there kind of it…it’s situation dependent…not that I really ever understood anything that well), so feel free to use more than one in succession. The list that follows is a list of some of the basic greetings to get you started. You will learn more as you travel. “Hellos” iciBemba English When to Use Greeting: Mwashibukeni? Good morning? Response: Eya mukwai. Yes mukwai. Morning Greeting: Mwaikaleni? You’ve been good? Response: Eya mukwai. Yes mukwai. Afternoon Greeting: Cungulo mukwai. Good evening mukwai? Response: Eya mukwai. Yes mukwai. Evening Greeting: Mwapoleeni? Hello? Reponse: Eya mukwai. Yes mukwai. Anytime Greeting: Mwabombeni? Work’s good? Response: Eya mukwai. Yes mukwai. When someone’s working.
- 8. 6 “How are you?’s” iciBembaEnglish When to Use Greeting: Muli Shaani? How are you? Response: Bwino. Well. Anytime Greeting: Mwashibukashaani? How did you sleep? Response: Bwino. Well. Morning Greeting: Mwaikalashaani Response: Bwino. Well. Afternoon Greeting: Mwabombashaani? How has work been? Reponse: Bwino. Well At/after work. Greeting: Kung’anda Kulishaani? How’s home? Response: Kung’anda Kuliye Bwino Home is well. Anytime.
- 9. 7 Verbs (conjugation) Verb conjugationcan be one of the most beneficial things to study before going overseas. If you intend to learn the language beyond simple greetings, there is no getting around learning the grammar rules surrounding verbs. The following section lists some of the most important verb tenses you will use while speaking Bemba. (Note: in Bemba, the very itself never changes based on conjugation; only the words that precede it do). Past Tense (yesterday or before) English iciBemba I verbed Nali verb You verbed Wali verb He/She verbed Ali verb We verbed Twali verb They verbed Bali verb You (plural) verbed Mwali verb English iciBemba I didn’t verb Nsha verb You didn’t verb Tawa verb He/She didn’t verb Ta verb We didn’t verb Tatwa verb They didn’t verb Taba verb You (plural) didn’t verb Tamwa verb Past Tense (earlier today) English iciBemba I verbed Naci verb You verbed Waci verb He/She verbed Aci verb We verbed Twaci verb They verbed Baci verb You (plural) verbed Mwaci verb English iciBemba I didn’t verb Nshaci verb You didn’t verb Tawaci verb He/She didn’t verb Taci verb We didn’t verb Tatwaci verb They didn’t verb Tabaci verb You (plural) didn’t verb Tamwaci verb
- 10. 8 Past Tense (veryrecent…almost present) English iciBemba I’ve verbed Na verb You’ve verbed Wa verb He/She has verbed A verb We have verbed Twa verb They have verbed Ba verb You (plural) have verbed Mwa verb English iciBemba I haven’t verbed Nshi verb You haven’t verbed Tau verb He/She hasn’t verbed Ta verb We haven’t verbed Tatu verb They haven’t verbed Taba verb You (plural) haven’t verbed Tamu verb Present Tense English iciBemba I’m verbing Nde verb You’re verbing Ule verb He/She is verbing Ale verb We’re verbing Twale verb They’re verbed Bale verb You’re (plural) verbed Mule verb English iciBemba I’m not verbing Nshile verb You’re not verbing Taule verb He/She isn’t verbing Tale verb We’re not verbing Tatule verb They’re not verbing Tabale verb You’re (plural) not verbing Ta-mule verb
- 11. 9 Present Tense (you’rephysically on your way to do it) English iciBemba I’m going to verb Naya muku verb You’re going to verb Waya muku verb He/She is going to verb Aya muku verb We’re going to verb Twaya muku verb They’re going to verb Baya muku verb You’re (plural) going to verb Mwaya muku verb *Note: you can also ‘go to place’, e.g. ‘Naya muku Zambia’ (‘I’m going to Zambia’) English iciBemba I’m not going to verb Nshilaya muku verb You’re not going to verb Tauleya muku verb He/She is not going to verb Taleya muku verb We’re not going to verb Tatuleya muku verb They’re not going to verb Tabaleya muku verb You’re (plural) not going to verb Tamuleya muku verb Future Tense (later today) English iciBemba I’ll verb Nala verb You’ll verb Wala verb He/She will verb Ala verb We’ll verb Twala verb They’ll verb Bala verb You’ll (plural) verb Mwala verb English iciBemba I won’t verb Nsha verb You won’t verb Tawa verb He/She won’t verb Ta verb We won’t verb Tatusa verb They won’t verb Taba verb You (plural) won’t verb Tamwa verb
- 12. 10 Future Tense (tomorrowor later) English iciBemba I’ll verb Nka verb You’ll verb Uka verb He/She will verb Aka verb We’ll verb Tuka verb They’ll verb Baka verb You’ll (plural) verb Muka verb English iciBemba I won’t verb Nshaka verb You won’t verb Tawaka verb He/She won’t verb Taka verb We won’t verb Tatwaka verb They won’t verb Tabaka verb You (plural) won’t verb Tamwaka verb Something you always do English iciBemba I verb Nda verb You verb Ula verb He/She verbs Ala verb We verb Tula verb They verb Bala verb You (plural) verb Mula verb English iciBemba I don’t verb Nshi verb You don’t verb Tau verb He/She doesn’t verb Ta verb We don’t verb Tatu verb They don’t verb Taba verb You (plural) don’t verb Tamu verb
- 13. 11 Verbs (list) Once you’vegot a grip on verb tenses, it can be useful to study some verbs to go along with them. The following section lists some of the most important verbs you may need to know when speaking Bemba in your community. You will probably learn more as you travel. English iciBemba English iciBemba to learn uku-sambilila to play (a game/sport) uku-teya to teach uku-sambilisha to play (an instrument) uku-lisha to eat uku-lia to understand/listen uku-umfwa to drink uku-nwa to try uku-esha to feel ukw-umfwa to roast/fry uku-salula to go uku-ya to like uku-temwa to sleep uku-lala to run uku-butuka to read uku-belenga to wash uku-washa to write uku-lemba to see uku-mona to bath uku-samba to think uku-totonkanya to take uku-senda to buy uku-shita to fetch (water) uku-tapa to work uku-bomba to meet uku-monana to dance uku-shana to cook ukw-ipika to watch uku-tamba to sit ukw-icala to make uku-panga to walk (to travel) ukw-enda to pack uku-longa
- 14. 12 Feelings Expressing feelings isa very important thing to be able to do while interacting with people. The verb “uku-umfwa” is “to feel” (see previous section). The following section will show you how to express in Bemba some of the things you may be feeling while travelling. English iciBemba Hungry Insala Thirsty Icilaka Tired Ukunaka Sleepy Utulo Awake Buka Happiness Insansa Sad Ubulanda Lonely Fuluka Sick Ukulwala Examples: Nde umfwa utulo. I’m feeling sleepy. Na umfwa nsala. I’ve felt hungry. Nala umfwa insansa. I will feel happy. uku-umfwa sana feeling - to feel very feeling Examples: Nde umfwa sana icilaka. I’m feeling very thirsty. Nali umfwa sana ukunaka. I felt very tired. Nala umfwa insansa. I will feel very happy. uku-umfwa panono feeling - to feel a little feeling Examples: Nde umfwa panono insala I’m feeling a little hungry Na umfwa ukunaka panono I’ve felt a bit tired Nali umfwa panono ubulanda I felt a bit ubulanda Note: ‘uku-umfwa’ should be pronounced ‘uk-umfwa’
- 15. 13 Times As you willsee later in this guide, being able to mention various times of the day will be very helpful once you start trying to form simple sentences. English Bemba Today Lelo Yesterday/Tommorow (determined by context) Mailo At a certain point in the future Panshita imo Morning Ulu cello Afternoon Akasuba Evening Icungulo This morning Luno ulu celo This afternoon Kano akasuba This evening Cino icungulo Yesterday/Tommorow morning Mailo ulu celo Yesterday/Tommorow afternoon Mailo acasuva Yesterday/Tommorow evening Maielo icungulo Pa “day of the week” On “day of the week (in English) ”
- 16. 14 Some Nouns Better learnton the ground, but I figured I’d include a few just for fun (if I were trying to learn the language before going overseas my main focus would be on verb conjugation, not noun memorization; in my opinion memorization is easier done through practice than study). English Bemba English Bemba fire umulilo road umusebo nshima (staple food) ubwali bicycle incinga house ing’anda water amenshi banana inkonde toilet icimbusu mushroom ubowa bag icola beans cilemba stomach ulufumo rice umupunga chicken inkoko groundnuts (peanuts) imbalala fish isabi pen/pencil icilembelo guitar banjo
- 17. 15 Connecting Words You’ll needa few of these to get going, but I don’t know that many. This is a start… English Bemba and/with na and then elyo pantu because pali about to ku at/on pa
- 18. 16 Other Useful Things Thesedon’t necessarily fit nicely into the structure of this document, but they are good to know. English Bemba Give me… (completely polite to say) Peniko… Where…? Kwisa…? Shinga…? How much for…? Ishina lyandi nine… My name is… Nimwebo banana ishina? What is your name? Muleya kwisa? You are going where? Mwafuma kwisa? You have come from where? Mwende bwino. Go well. Amenshi ayakunwa Water to drink. Kuti na Can I/I can Ndefwaya I’m wanting
- 19. 17 Sentences This final sectionwill show you how to combine some of the basic things in this guide to form more complex sentences. As you will see, the simple tools provided in this document will allow you to begin to say relatively complex things. These are just a few examples. Nde fwaya uku-samba cino icungulo. I want to bath this evening. Na umfwa sana icilaka, peniko amenshi ayakundwa. I feel very thirsty, give me water to drink. Nde fwaya uku-afwa uku-lima uku-sambilisha pali Zambia. I want to help to farm to learn about Zambia. Shinga ubwali na inkoko? How much for nshima with chicken? Mailo akasuba nka afwa uku-salula imbalala. Tomorrow afternoon I will want to help to roast groundnuts. Nde umfwa sana utulo, nka samba mailo ulucelo. I’m feeling very tired, I will bath tomorrow morning.