The Learn Xhosa Podcast - Free with Makhosi

Introduction and Intentions Welcome back. Moving on beyond the basics ofpronunciations, greetings, introductions, escapephrases and good byes, we start getting into askingand answering questions, playing with tenses andnegative statements, so as to further the scope of ourconversations. It is important again for me to credit the manysources that have helped me to learn Xhosa andcompile this manual. They include Anne Munnik’sLearn Xhosa, Patricia Schonstein Pinnock’s Xhosa: ACultural Grammar, Beverley Kirsch and Silvia Skorge(with Sindiwe Magona)’s Clicking with Xhosa, SydneyZotwana’s old textbooks, African Voices and now alsoXandi Bryant’s Xhosa for Second language learners, whichis the most comprehensive compendium of grammarthat I have seen, and hope to see it used for thevaluable resource that it is by more then just me. Allof the above books will be of the utmost value to youin your Xhosa learning endeavors. Ndiyabulelakakhulu. These manuals are set out in the way that I feelis the best way for an adult to learn the language,which is the way I learnt it - as an adult. It leavesthings out that I think may confuse the beginner, butincludes everything that is necessary to get you to apoint where you can say, “Yes, I think I’m actuallygetting this”, “Yes, this makes sense”, “Yes, I am actually enjoying this to such an extent that I am prepared to put in the effort to improve my Xhosa(exponentially).”I hope to put you in a place, where you canpick up one of the above books and just absorb theinfo, making the most of the resources available toyou, which I found difficult before I was forced tolearn (whilst living in a village in the Eastern Cape atage 23). This is a difficult process to undergo – thelearning of a new language, but it can be done withpatience and persistence. Sometimes you will feel likea fool, sometimes you will feel shy, sometimes you willfeel stupid, but sometimes you will feel the mostprofound sense of satisfaction, pride and enjoyment.It is a very important contribution you are making tothe future of South Africa, even if you only know alittle. By using it, you are making an active attempt toreach out and to communicate with your fellow SouthAfricans on equal grounds. All of us are learning, so we can all be foolstogether. It is only a small part of the change we needas a community, as a society, and it is a humble start.Singabantu thina, sonke. Siyafana phakati.Masifunde kunye (Let’s learn together)Craigieji Makhosi, Cape Town, 2007 - 2011   UBuntu Bridge has been teaching Xhosa since 2006, there are various products, learning services and tools at : https://www.learnxhosaonline.com/store   #ubuntu #learnxhosa #xhosa #xhosalanguage #isiXhosa

Lesson 7: Negatives and Clarifications Level 2 Verbsbe employed - phangela arrive - fikago to - ya come from - velaoriginate/move away - suka exit - phumaget married - tshatafinish an action - gqibacome to an end - phela     UBuntu Bridge has been teaching Xhosa since 2006, there are various products, learning services and tools at : https://www.learnxhosaonline.com/store   #ubuntu #learnxhosa #xhosa #xhosalanguage #isiXhosa

Negatives [3] I go or I am going - ndiyahambaI don’t go, or I am not going - andihambi• The basic rule is that any positive, present tense verb endswith an a.• The a is replaced by an i at the end and moves to the front.• The ya never exists in the negative.I understand - ndiyaqondaI don’t understand - andiqondiYou like - uyathandaYou don’t like - awuthandi / akuthandiHe is pleased - uyavuyaHe is not pleased - akavuyiWe are listening - siyamamelaWe aren’t listening - asimameliYou (pl) are talking - niyathethaYou (pl) aren’t talking - anithethiThey are trying - bayazamaThey are not trying - abazami    UBuntu Bridge has been teaching Xhosa since 2006, there are various products, learning services and tools at : https://www.learnxhosaonline.com/store   #ubuntu #learnxhosa #xhosa #xhosalanguage #isiXhosa

More examples [4] Note the dropping of the initial vowel after the negative:Andi I talk - ndiyathethaI am not talking - andithethiI talk Xhosa - ndithetha isiXhosaI don’t talk Xhosa - andithethi siXhosaAwu-/ You are learning - uyafundaaku- You are not learning -awufundiYou are learning Xhosa - ufunda isiXhosaYou aren’t learning Xhosa - awufundi siXhosa Aka- She sees - uyabonaShe doesn’t see - akaboniShe sees people - ubona abantuShe doesn’t see the people - akaboni bantuAsi- We understand - siyaqondaWe don’t understand - asiqondiWe understand the teacher - siqonda ititshalaWe don’t understand the teacher - asiqondi t..Ani- You (pl) are helping - niyancedaYou are not helping - anincediYou (pl) help the lady - ninceda inkosikaziYou aren’t helping the lady - anincedi nkosikazAba- They are looking - bayajongaThey are not looking - abajongiThey look over there - bajonga phayaThey aren’t looking there - abajongi phaya   UBuntu Bridge has been teaching Xhosa since 2006, there are various products, learning services and tools at : https://www.learnxhosaonline.com/store   #ubuntu #learnxhosa #xhosa #xhosalanguage #isiXhosa

Commands and Negative commands [5] Positive commands are literally just the action word:Go - hamba talk - thethaDo not ....... (sing) - Musa uku...Do not ........ (plural) - Musani uku....Do not go – musa ukuhambaDont go y’all - musani ukuhambaDo not talk – musa ukuthethaDo not talk (pl.) - musani ukuthetha    UBuntu Bridge has been teaching Xhosa since 2006, there are various products, learning services and tools at : https://www.learnxhosaonline.com/store   #ubuntu #learnxhosa #xhosa #xhosalanguage #isiXhosa

Short form: [6] * This form is commonly used, thus we will emphasise its use.Musa uku .... -> Suku.....Musani uku .... -> Sanuku......Don’t talk - Sukuthetha (plural) sanukuthethaDon’t hurry – sukukhawuleza (plural)sanukukhawulezaDo not learn - sukufundaDo not read (pl) - sanukufundatell a lie – xoka(phosisa is a more polite - uyaphosisa- you have erred)Do not tell a lie – sukuxoka (plural) sanukuxoka   UBuntu Bridge has been teaching Xhosa since 2006, there are various products, learning services and tools at : https://www.learnxhosaonline.com/store   #ubuntu #learnxhosa #xhosa #xhosalanguage #isiXhosa

Please - Khawu......e [7] *** A construct for please:khawu...(verb stem)....ee.g. Please go - khawuhambePlease listen - khawumamelePlease talk English - khawuthethe isiNgesiPlease repeat - Khawuphinde note: it is pure co-incidence that the verb forhurry/go quickly is khawuleza.   UBuntu Bridge has been teaching Xhosa since 2006, there are various products, learning services and tools at : https://www.learnxhosaonline.com/store   #ubuntu #learnxhosa #xhosa #xhosalanguage #isiXhosa

Can you?/Do you know how? [8] Do you know how to - uyakwazi?Do you know how to speak? - uyakwazi ukuthethaisiX?Yes, I do know how to - Ewe, ndiyakwaziNo, I don’t know how to - hayi, andikwazi   UBuntu Bridge has been teaching Xhosa since 2006, there are various products, learning services and tools at : https://www.learnxhosaonline.com/store   #ubuntu #learnxhosa #xhosa #xhosalanguage #isiXhosa

Further Clarification Phrases: [9] The following phrases are used when you need to get further clarity or when coaching a Xhosa person onhow to speak Xhosa with you. * indicates priority*I do not understand andiqondi*I do not hear/get you andikuva(which can also mean that )I do not understand you andikuva*what are you saying? uthini?What did you say? utheni?*Please repeat khawuphindePlease go (talk) slow khawuzekeleleI am still learning Xhosa ndisafunda isiXhosa*Do not talk so fast sukukhawuleza*What is this ? Yintoni le?What is ...”Hayibo”..... in English?Yintoni ...”Hayibo”... ngesiNgesi?What is ...”elephant”... in Xhosa?Yintoni ...”elephant”... ngesiXhosa?   UBuntu Bridge has been teaching Xhosa since 2006, there are various products, learning services and tools at : https://www.learnxhosaonline.com/store   #ubuntu #learnxhosa #xhosa #xhosalanguage #isiXhosa

Lesson 7 Essentials and Test [10] You need to know these off-by-heart before the next lesson. These build your confidence and allow you touse Xhosa to improve your Xhosa and coach the Xhosa person how to speak to you so that you can communicate better, whilst still learning. You must also understand their underlying grammar where possible so that you can use the constructs in other contexts. 1. I do not understand.2. What are you saying?3. Please repeat.4. Do not go (talk) so fast.5. What is this?6. What is “hayibo” in English?7. What is “elephant” in Xhosa?8. Do you know how to speak Xhosa?9. Yes, I know how to.10. No, I don’t know how to.Answers:1. Andiqondi. 2. Uthini?3. Khawuphinde. 4. Sukukhawuleza.5. Yintoni le?6. Yintoni “Hayibo” ngesiNgesi?7. Yintoni “elephant” ngesiXhosa?8. Uyakwazi ukuthetha isiXhosa na?9. Ewe, ndiyakwazi. 10. Hayi, andikwazi.   UBuntu Bridge has been teaching Xhosa since 2006, there are various products, learning services and tools at : https://www.learnxhosaonline.com/store   #ubuntu #learnxhosa #xhosa #xhosalanguage #isiXhosa

Lesson 7 Convo - Clarification Phrases [11-13] (A Xhosa man greets a young lady Xhosa student)Vocab:At all - tu! I say - ndithiThen - ke (used like ‘then’ in “alright then” or “okthen”) Slang for English - isilungu1. B: Molo sisi2. S: Ewe3. B: Uphilile?4. S: Ndiphilile, enkosi. Wena unjani?5. B: Ndiright enkosi. Unqabile wena.6. S: Uxolo, bhuti, andiqondi. Ndisafunda isiXhosa.Sukukhawuleza. Ndithetha kancinci nje.7. B: Ndiyabona sisi. Ufuna ukuthetha isiLungu na?8. S: Andikuva, bhuti, khawuphinde?9. B: Ndithi: ufuna ukuthetha isiNgesi na?10.S: Hayi, bhuti, enkosi, andifuni. Ndizama ukuthethaisiXhosa nje. Uyakwazi ukuthetha isibhulu na?11.B: Ndiyakwazi. Wena uyakwazi ukuthethaisiFrentshi?12.S: Andikwazi tu!13.B: Alright, sharp ke sisi.14.S: Sharp ke bhuti. Sobonana leyitha.15.B: Bhabhayi   English:1. B: Hello, sister.2. S: Hello.3. B: Are you well?4. S: I am well, thanks, how are you?5. B: I’m alright, thanks. You are scarce.6. S: Excuse me brother, I do not understand. I am stilllearning Xhosa. Do not go fast. I speak a little bit.7. B: I see, sister, do you want to speak English?8. S: I don’t understand you, brother, please repeat.9. B: I am saying: do you want to speak English?10.S: No, brother, thanks, I do not want to. I am trying tospeak Xhosa only. Do you know how to speak Afrikaans?11.B: I know how. Do you know how to speakFrench?12.S: I don’t know how to at all!13.B: Alright, sharp then sister.14.S: sharp then, brother. See you later.15.B: Good bye   UBuntu Bridge has been teaching Xhosa since 2006, there are various products, learning services and tools at : https://www.learnxhosaonline.com/store   #ubuntu #learnxhosa #xhosa #xhosalanguage #isiXhosa

Lesson 7 Convo - Clarification Phrases [11-13] (A Xhosa man greets a young lady Xhosa student)Vocab:At all - tu! I say - ndithiThen - ke (used like ‘then’ in “alright then” or “okthen”) Slang for English - isilungu1. B: Molo sisi2. S: Ewe3. B: Uphilile?4. S: Ndiphilile, enkosi. Wena unjani?5. B: Ndiright enkosi. Unqabile wena.6. S: Uxolo, bhuti, andiqondi. Ndisafunda isiXhosa.Sukukhawuleza. Ndithetha kancinci nje.7. B: Ndiyabona sisi. Ufuna ukuthetha isiLungu na?8. S: Andikuva, bhuti, khawuphinde?9. B: Ndithi: ufuna ukuthetha isiNgesi na?10.S: Hayi, bhuti, enkosi, andifuni. Ndizama ukuthethaisiXhosa nje. Uyakwazi ukuthetha isibhulu na?11.B: Ndiyakwazi. Wena uyakwazi ukuthethaisiFrentshi?12.S: Andikwazi tu!13.B: Alright, sharp ke sisi.14.S: Sharp ke bhuti. Sobonana leyitha.15.B: Bhabhayi   English:1. B: Hello, sister.2. S: Hello.3. B: Are you well?4. S: I am well, thanks, how are you?5. B: I’m alright, thanks. You are scarce.6. S: Excuse me brother, I do not understand. I am stilllearning Xhosa. Do not go fast. I speak a little bit.7. B: I see, sister, do you want to speak English?8. S: I don’t understand you, brother, please repeat.9. B: I am saying: do you want to speak English?10.S: No, brother, thanks, I do not want to. I am trying tospeak Xhosa only. Do you know how to speak Afrikaans?11.B: I know how. Do you know how to speakFrench?12.S: I don’t know how to at all!13.B: Alright, sharp then sister.14.S: sharp then, brother. See you later.15.B: Good bye   UBuntu Bridge has been teaching Xhosa since 2006, there are various products, learning services and tools at : https://www.learnxhosaonline.com/store   #ubuntu #learnxhosa #xhosa #xhosalanguage #isiXhosa

Lesson 7 Convo - Clarification Phrases [11-13] (A Xhosa man greets a young lady Xhosa student)Vocab:At all - tu! I say - ndithiThen - ke (used like ‘then’ in “alright then” or “okthen”) Slang for English - isilungu1. B: Molo sisi2. S: Ewe3. B: Uphilile?4. S: Ndiphilile, enkosi. Wena unjani?5. B: Ndiright enkosi. Unqabile wena.6. S: Uxolo, bhuti, andiqondi. Ndisafunda isiXhosa.Sukukhawuleza. Ndithetha kancinci nje.7. B: Ndiyabona sisi. Ufuna ukuthetha isiLungu na?8. S: Andikuva, bhuti, khawuphinde?9. B: Ndithi: ufuna ukuthetha isiNgesi na?10.S: Hayi, bhuti, enkosi, andifuni. Ndizama ukuthethaisiXhosa nje. Uyakwazi ukuthetha isibhulu na?11.B: Ndiyakwazi. Wena uyakwazi ukuthethaisiFrentshi?12.S: Andikwazi tu!13.B: Alright, sharp ke sisi.14.S: Sharp ke bhuti. Sobonana leyitha.15.B: Bhabhayi   English:1. B: Hello, sister.2. S: Hello.3. B: Are you well?4. S: I am well, thanks, how are you?5. B: I’m alright, thanks. You are scarce.6. S: Excuse me brother, I do not understand. I am stilllearning Xhosa. Do not go fast. I speak a little bit.7. B: I see, sister, do you want to speak English?8. S: I don’t understand you, brother, please repeat.9. B: I am saying: do you want to speak English?10.S: No, brother, thanks, I do not want to. I am trying tospeak Xhosa only. Do you know how to speak Afrikaans?11.B: I know how. Do you know how to speakFrench?12.S: I don’t know how to at all!13.B: Alright, sharp then sister.14.S: sharp then, brother. See you later.15.B: Good bye   UBuntu Bridge has been teaching Xhosa since 2006, there are various products, learning services and tools at : https://www.learnxhosaonline.com/store   #ubuntu #learnxhosa #xhosa #xhosalanguage #isiXhosa

 CULTURE INSIGHT - Appreciation: [14] - It is a sign of respect to give and receive with twohands. It has practical elements in that two handsare surer then one, lessoning the chance of droppingor spilling the item being given, which especially inold times was usually precious or rare, with food andtools taking more time and energy to produce thenwhat we are used to in this convenience/manufacturing/take-things-for-granted culture ofours. Children will still receive with two hands fromtheir parents or any other person who gives themsomething or will use both hands when tasked withgiving something to someone.- the act of using two hands by the receiver wouldhave symbolized to the giver (and others) firstly theappreciation of the gift, and secondly a sign that thereceiver was mindful enough to receive the gift andtake responsibility for it.- hand clapping (a quick double clap usually) is alsoused often to indicate agreement or appreciation- A modern adaptation includes the other handtouching the elbow or upper arm of the one giving orreceiving (often used in greetings too). Practically thisallows more reach and less awkward formality, whilststill communicating respect through the token gesturereminiscent of its predecessor.   UBuntu Bridge has been teaching Xhosa since 2006, there are various products, learning services and tools at : https://www.learnxhosaonline.com/store   #ubuntu #learnxhosa #xhosa #xhosalanguage #isiXhosa

UBuntu Bridge has been teaching Xhosa since 2006, there are various products, learning services and tools at : https://www.learnxhosaonline.com/store   #ubuntu #learnxhosa #xhosa #xhosalanguage #isiXhosa

Hello [9] saying hello to one person: Molo saying hello to more then one person: Molweni Molo/Molweni, although deriving from the Englishand Afrikaans greetings, “Morning and More”, can beused any time of the day or night and is usuallyfollowed by a name or title of the person being greeted,variations of which we will learn later on.   UBuntu Bridge has been teaching Xhosa since 2006, there are various products, learning services and tools at : https://www.learnxhosaonline.com/store   #ubuntu #learnxhosa #xhosa #xhosalanguage #isiXhosa

Pronunciation [11] An important place to start is with pronunciation. Thiswill be learnt and re-learnt as your experience with thelanguage grows. It is important to make an effort fromthe start as we all know how much an accent can affectability to communicate and early habits tend to stick.English is a non-phonetic language, which means thata letter can be pronounced in many different ways ordifferent letter can represent the same sound indifferent words. The following example reveals foursuch ways for A: Ape Arm Apple Air Xhosa is a phonetic language. The letters correspondto the sounds consistently, so it is an easy language tolearn to read quickly.   UBuntu Bridge has been teaching Xhosa since 2006, there are various products, learning services and tools at : https://www.learnxhosaonline.com/store   #ubuntu #learnxhosa #xhosa #xhosalanguage #isiXhosa

Vowels [12] Vowel: pronounced like: as in word for: in Xhosa:A ah mother mamaE egg yourself wenaI igloo well philileO or hello moloU oo-la-la brother ubhuti   UBuntu Bridge has been teaching Xhosa since 2006, there are various products, learning services and tools at : https://www.learnxhosaonline.com/store   #ubuntu #learnxhosa #xhosa #xhosalanguage #isiXhosa

Consonants [13] Are generally easy and may be learnt as one learns thelanguage. There are a few important exceptions:Ph peanut not phone (alive - phila, well - philile)Th talk not thought (talk - thetha)Hl hlala not shlala (live,sit - hlala) (down - phantsi)TIP: (keep front tip of tongue against palette whilstmaking a sh sound) well/beautifully - kakuhleRh in Gauteng/goud - eRhawutini (as in Afrikaans)AmaRharhabe – One of the main Xhosa proper tribes.   UBuntu Bridge has been teaching Xhosa since 2006, there are various products, learning services and tools at : https://www.learnxhosaonline.com/store   #ubuntu #learnxhosa #xhosa #xhosalanguage #isiXhosa

The Clicks [14] With the clicks it is important to remember that manypeople struggle at first, purely because they are notused to them. However, every human is capable ofmaking such sounds, many of us have made them indifferent contexts and everyone I have taught hasgotten the clicks after some practice, whether that beten minutes of practice or three days. It depends onones attitude as well as effort. Be patient with oneself. You may have to reprogramcertain muscles in your mouth. For such situations it isbest to practice often, but to rest whenever one starts tofeel strained by the effort. This may happen quickly inthe beginning, but this will change with time.Patience and practice.   UBuntu Bridge has been teaching Xhosa since 2006, there are various products, learning services and tools at : https://www.learnxhosaonline.com/store   #ubuntu #learnxhosa #xhosa #xhosalanguage #isiXhosa