Zulu
Conjugate VerbsFacts
- Language: Zulu
- Alternate names: Isizulu, Zunda
- Language code: zul
- Language family: Niger-Congo, Volta-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantoid, Southern Bantoid, Bantu, East Bantu, Southern Bantu-Makua, Nguni-Tsonga, Nguni (S.40), Southern Ndebele-Lowland, Zulu-Xhosa
- Number of speakers: 9563422
- Script: Latin script
More information:
Introduction
The language of the Zulu people is Zulu or isiZulu, a Bantu language. Zulu is the most widely spoken language in South Africa, with more than half of the South African population able to understand it. Many Zulu people also speak English, Portuguese, Shangaan, Sesotho and others from among South Africa's 11 official languages.
The Zulu Verb
Zulu verbs are formed by adding prefixes to a basic stem. However, the prefixes are not a fixed part of the verb, but indicate subject, object and various other nuances. Different stems and prefixes are used to indicate different tenses and moods.
Landscape, Krantzkloof in South Africa
The general linguistic structure of the isiZulu verb has the following set of 'slots' of the verb's basic components:
[NEG] [SC] [T/A] [MOD] [OC] [VR] [C] [A] [R] [P] [FV]with the following meanings:
- NEG: negative marker
- SC: subject concord
- T/A: tense/aspect
- MOD: mood
- OC: object concord
- VR: verb root, the dictionary lookup word
- C: Causative, is
- A: applicative, el
- R: reciprocal, an
- P: passive, w
- FV: final vowel
Zulu Nouns
The Zulu noun consists of two essential parts: the prefix and the stem. Nouns are grouped into noun classes based on the prefix they have, with each class having a number 1-17. The prefix occurs in two forms: the full form and the simple or short form. The full form includes an initial vowel, called the augment, while this vowel is dropped in the simple form.
Random Nouns
Verblist
aba, abela, ahlula, akha, akhiwa, ala, amba, ambatha, ambathisa, amuka, amukela, anda, andisa, andula, anela, anelisa, anga, aphuka, aphula, ayina, azi, azisa, ba, baba, bala, baleka, balela, balisa, bamba, banda, banga, basa, baza, be, beka, bekela, beletha, betha, bhabha, bhaka, bhakela, bhala, bhalela, bhalisa, bheca, bheda, bheja, bheka, bhekana, bhekela, bhema, bhenywa, bhidlika, bhidliza, bhodla, bhonga, bhongola, bhosha, bhubha, bhukha, bhukuda, bhula, bhuqa, bika, bila, bilisa, bingelela, biza, bohla, bola, boleka, bona, bonakala, bonana, bonela, bonga, bonisa, bonisisa, bonwa, bopha, buka, bukeka, bukela, bukeza, bulala, bulisa, bumba, buna, busisa, buya, buyela, buyisa, buyisana, buyisela, buza, cabanga, cambalala, canda, cathula, ceba, cela, chama, chathaza, chaza, chela, chelela, chicha, chichima, chilizela, chitha, chitheka, chokoloza, chukuluza, cika, cikeka, cima, cindezela, cinga, cisha, cubungula, cula, cunula, cupha, cwala, cwecwa, cwila, cwilisa, dabuka, dabula, daka, dakwa, dala, dalisa, dana, dansa, dayisa, dazuka, dazula, de, dedela, deka, dela, delela, delisa, dibana, dibanisa, didiyela, diliza, dina, dinga, dinisa, dinwa, dla, dlala, dlela, dlisa, dlula, dlwengula, doba, doda, donsa, dovoza, duba, dubula, duda, dudula, dula, duma, dumala, dumaza, dumisa, duna, duva, dweba, eba, ebuka, ebula, ebuza, edlula, edlulisa, eduka, ehla, ehlisa, ehluka, ehlukana, ehluleka, ehlulela, ejwayela, eluka, elusa, embatha, emuka, enaba, enda, endlala, engeza, enza, enzakala, enzakalisa, enzeka, ephuka, ephulela, eqa, esaba, eshwama, ethemba, ethuka, ethwasa, eya, fa, faka, fana, fanela, fanisa, feketha, fela, feza, fihla, fika, finyela, finyelela, finyeza, fisa, foloza, fowuna, fowunela, fudumala, fudumeza, fulela, fumana, funa, funda, fundisa, funeka, futha, fuya, gabha, gada, gana, ganga, gawula, gaxa, gaya, gcaba, gcina, gcinile, gcoba, gcona, gcwala, gcwalisa, geja, geza, giba, gibela, gida, gijima, giya, goba, gobhoza, godola, goduka, gomonqa, goqa, govoza, gqagqa, gqagqaza, gqaja, gqama, gqamisa, gqamuka, gqekeza, gqiba, gqilaza, gqoka, gqola, gqoma, gqula, gqwala, gqwalisa, gubha, guga, gula, gulisa, gunda, guquka, guqula, gwadlula, gwansa, gwavuma, gwaza, gweba, gwedla, gwema, gwinqa, gwinya, gxeka, gxila, gxiviza, gxiza, gxuma, halalisela, hamba, hambela, hla, hlaba, hlabelela, hlafuna, hlakanipha, hlakula, hlala, hlalisa, hlamba, hlangana, hlanganisa, hlanya, hlanza, hlasela, hlaza, hlaziya, hleba, hlehla, hleka, hlekisa, hlela, hlenga, hlephula, hlikihla, hlinza, hlinzeka, hloba, hlobisa, hlobonga, hlofa, hlohla, hlokoloza, hlola, hloma, hlomisa, hlonipha, hlosa, hluba, hlukumeza, hlukuza, hlupha, hlupheka, hlwa, hlwaya, hola, huba, humusha, huzula, hweba, jabha, jabhisa, jabula, jabulela, jabulisa, jaha, jika, jikaza, jikela, jikijela, jola, jova, joyina, jula, juluka, jwayela, kade, kala, ke, kha, khaba, khahlela, khala, khalipha, khama, khamisa, khanda, khangela, khangisa, khanuka, khanya, khanyisa, khathala, khathaza, khathazeka, khawuleza, khela, khetha, khethisa, khinga, khinsela, khipha, khiqiza, khithika, khiya, khiza, khohlisa, khohlwa, khokha, khokhela, kholwa, khomba, khombisa, khonkotha, khononda, khonza, khonzela, khotha, khula, khuleka, khulela, khulelwa, khulisa, khulula, khululeka, khuluma, khumbula, khumbuza, khumuka, khumula, khuphuka, khuphula, khuthala, khuthaza, khuza, khwabanisa, khwehlela, khwela, khweza, khwezela, kleza, klwebha, kweleta, lahla, lahleka, lala, lalela, lalisa, lalwa, lamba, landa, landela, layela, lele, lenga, letha, lethela, lethisa, libala, lila, lima, limaza, limisa, linda, linga, lingana, lingisa, loba, lobela, lobola, londa, lotha, luka, luma, lunga, lungela, lungisa, lwa, ma, mangala, mangalisa, mba, mboza, mema, mi, minza, mosha, mpempeza, muka, munca, munya, na, naba, naka, namatha, ncama, nceda, ncedisa, ncela, ncelisa, ncenga, ncibilika, ncika, ncintisana, ncipha, nciphisa, ncokola, ncoma, ncomeka, ndiza, netha, ngcola, ngcolisa, ngcwaba, ngcwelisa, ngeke, ngena, ngenisa, ngqofa, ngqofoza, ngqongqoza, ngqubuza, ngxolombisa, nika, nqaba, nqabela, nqaka, nqamuka, nqamula, nqanda, nqekuza, nqikaza, nqoba, nquma, nqwabela, ntaza, ntshontsha, ntweza, nuka, nxiba, nxusa, nya, nyakaza, nyakazisa, nyala, nyamalala, nyenyeza, nyumba, oda, oma, ona, onda, ondla, onga, opha, osa, otha, paka, pela, penda, pha, phahla, phaka, phakama, phakamisa, phalaza, phambuka, phapha, phasa, phatha, phawula, phazamisa, phefumula, pheka, phekela, phela, phelela, phemba, phenduka, phendula, phepha, phephela, phetha, phika, phikisa, phikisana, phila, philisa, phimisa, phinda, phinde, phisa, phithizela, phola, phonsa, phoqa, phoqelela, phoqoka, phoqoza, phosa, phothula, phoxa, phoxeka, phuca, phucula, phucuza, phuka, phula, phulula, phuma, phumela, phumelela, phumula, phupha, phutha, phuthuma, phuza, popola, qabatheka, qabuka, qabula, qagela, qala, qalaza, qaleka, qalisa, qamba, qamela, qanda, qaphela, qaqa, qaqamba, qasha, qathaka, qeda, qedakala, qeqebula, qeqesha, qeqesheka, qethuka, qhakaza, qhamuka, qhanyela, qhaqha, qhaqhazela, qhasha, qhatha, qhathanisa, qhebeza, qhela, qhelisa, qhephuka, qhephula, qhesha, qhina, qhiyama, qhuba, qhubeka, qhuma, qhumbuza, qhumisa, qhutha, qhuthula, qhwaga, qhwakela, qhwaya, qhweba, qimba, qina, qinisa, qinisekisa, qinisela, qoba, qoka, qokelela, qoma, qomisa, qonda, qondisa, qondisisa, qopha, qoqa, qotha, quba, quleka, qumba, qwasha, qwashaza, sa, saba, sala, sayina, sebenza, sebenzisa, senga, sha, shabalala, shada, shanela, shanyela, shaqa, shaqeka, shaya, shayela, shayisa, shaywa, shela, shesha, shicilela, shintsha, shisa, shiya, sho, shona, shukuma, shukumisa, shumayela, shumayeza, shunqa, shunqisa, shushisa, shwabana, sika, sina, sinda, singa, siza, soka, sola, sombuluka, sombulula, sondela, suka, sukela, sukuma, sula, sunduza, sutha, suza, swaca, swakama, swela, swelakala, tapa, tatamisa, tatazela, teleka, tenga, tetema, tha, thakatha, thanda, thandana, thandaza, thandeka, thatha, thela, themba, thembisa, thenga, thengisa, thetha, thi, thinta, thokoza, thokozela, thokozisa, thola, tholakala, thomba, thosa, thuka, thukuthela, thula, thulisa, thuma, thumela, thunga, thusa, thutha, thuthuka, thwala, thwasa, tshala, tshela, tshengisa, twikiza, vakasha, vakashela, vala, valelisa, vama, vamisa, vela, veza, vikela, vilapha, vimba, vimbela, viyoza, vota, vuka, vula, vuleka, vulekile, vuliwe, vulwa, vuma, vumela, vuna, vunguza, vusa, vutha, vuthwa, vuvuka, vuvukala, vuya, vuza, wa, wisa, xabana, xazulula, xega, xegisa, xhapha, xhasa, xhawulisana, xhegula, xhosha, xhuga, xhuma, xhumana, xhumanisa, xokozela, xola, xolela, xolisa, xoxa, xoxela, xuba, xubana, xubha, xwaya, xwayisa, ya, yala, yalela, yeka, za, zala, zama, ze, zila, zinga, zingela, zinza, zisa, zonda, zungeza, zwa, zwakala.
References
- Doke, Philip M.. Textbook of Zulu grammar. The University of the Witwatersrand. Cape Town, 1992.