Live & Learn Zulu

Language Synopsis

South Africa itself is a beautiful country and with it there are many beautiful languages. Zulu is the mother tongue of over 10 million people, mostly located within South Africa.

There are many more details and background information about the language within this free online encyclopedia and this excellent online source of information.

Below you will see the province of KwaZulu-Natal, with about 80% speaking this language. St. Lucia is the major city jammed packed with culture. See the video section below for more information!

Zulu never had a written form until Christian missionaries in the 19th Century devised a way to write the language. The first Zulu publication was Incwadi Yokuqala Yabafundayo written by Newton Adams. The book explained the spelling of words and the history of the Old Testament.

Useful Phrases:

Greeting - sawubona (single person), sawubonani (more than one person)

How are you? - Unjani?

I'm fine thanks, and you? - Ngikhona, ngiyabonga. Wena unjani?

Whats' your name? - Ngubani igama lakho?

My name is Mike - Igama lami ngu Mike

Where are you from? - Ubuyaphi?

Nice to meet you - Ngiyajabula ukukwazi

Goodbye - Sala kahle (single person), Salani kahle (multiple people)

I don't understand - Angizwa

I'm sorry - Uxolo

Thank you - Ngiyabona

You're welcome - Uyamukelwa

How much is this? - Kubiza malini

Learn Live Online

Nothing yet, but as soon as something becomes available we'll let you know!

Culture Corner

Cultural Quirks:

Warthog is a great site explaining many of the aspects of the native culture and religion.

National Dishes and recipes:

Zulu-recipes: Learn how to make Matebelekwane (steamed bread), Inkuku yasekya nama qeselengwane (chicken with mealie dumplings) and African beer!

Traditional Music:

See Immersion section to watch a video of a song sung by Andra.

History:

Isandlwana 1879: The Great Victory tells the historical tale of the 24,000 man army that inflicted the greatest defeat on the British army in Victorian times.

This site has plenty of historical information on the people and their kings.

Help Others Live and Learn

Have you had the experience of learning Zulu? If you have we'd love to hear any suggestions you may have for learning the language. Which resources did you find useful? Which weren't very helpful?

Please e-mail us your suggestions and findings using the form below. By sharing our language learning experiences we can help fellow language learners save valuable time and money. In fact that is the mission of Live and Learn Languages.