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Chapter 4
Oshimbombo oshitoye
Tula omeya mombiga na tula ombiga pomulilo. Fulukitha omeya e to tula
mo uusila. Pilula noluko ominute omilongo mbali. Tula oshimbobo poshiyaha
nolusindo. Tegelela nenge oto pi. Lya nonyama nenge nomboga. Oshimbobo
oshitoye!
Exercise 1
| English |
Past |
Present |
Future |
| Put (in/on/...) |
Tula (mo/po/...) |
Tula (mo/po/...) |
ula (mo/po/...) |
| Boil |
Fulukitha |
Fulukitha |
Fulukitha |
| Stir |
Pilula |
Pilula |
Pilula |
| Wait |
Tegelela |
Tegelele |
Tegelela |
| Burn yourself |
Pya |
Pi |
Pya |
| Cook |
Teleka |
Teleke |
Teleka |
| Bring |
Eta |
Eta |
Eta |
| Pound |
Tsa |
Tsu |
Tsa |
| Take |
Taamba |
Taamba |
Taamba |
| Pick (from many) |
Kutha |
Kutha |
Kutha |
| English |
Oshikwanyama |
| Traditional porridge |
Oshimbobo / Oshithima |
| Meat |
Onyama |
| Cabbage / Spinach |
Omboga |
| Dried spinach |
Ekaka |
| Goat |
Oshikombo |
| Beef |
Onyama yongombe |
| Chicken |
Ondjuhwa |
| Dog |
Ombwa |
| Fish |
Ohi |
| Field mouse |
Ombuku |
| Frog |
Efuma |
| Soup |
Osopa |
| Pasta |
Omakaloni |
| Rice |
Olwiishi |
| Oil |
Omagadhi |
| Tomato / Tomato sauce (Ketchup) |
Etama |
| Salt |
Omongwa |
| Fat cakes |
Uukuki |
| Apple |
Eyapula |
| Flour |
Uusila |
| Sugar |
Osuuka |
| Millet |
Omahangu |
| Traditional non-alcoholic drinks |
Oshikundu / Ontaku |
| Traditional alcoholic drinks |
Omalovu, Otombo, Ombike / Olambika |
| Bread |
Omboloto |
| Jam |
Ondjema |
| Butter |
Ombuta |
| Beans |
Omakunde |
| Tea |
Otee |
| Coffee |
Okoofi |
| Cooldrink |
Onamunate |
| Pot |
Ombiga |
| Plate / Bowl / Basin |
Oshiyaha |
| Spoon |
Olusindo / Okasindo |
| Fork |
Ofoloka |
| Knife |
Ombele |
| Hand |
Eke / Oshikaha |
| Cooking stick |
Oluko |
| Fire |
Omulilo |
| Match |
Okapalwa |
Aniwa:
~ Momeya ihamu ingenge owala. ~
Water does not move by itself.
(Things do not happen without a cause.)
Grammar Corner: Infinitives and Commands
Infinitives
Recall the verbs we saw in Chapter 2, Exercise 1:
| English |
Oshindonga |
| To sleep |
Okukotha |
| To eat |
Okulya |
| To bathe |
Okwiiyoga |
On the left side, we have infinitive verbs in English.
On the right, we have infinitive verbs in Oshindonga. Fortunately,
they are used in the same way in both languages. Notice that the
Oshindonga infinitive verbs are the past/future verb forms with
the prefix oku-. The only exceptions are those verbs beginning
in vowels, like iyoga, whose prefix is instead okwi-.
By now, you’ve probably noticed that the
past and future forms of verbs (not the subject concords) are always
the same.
Often the present
tense is the same as the past and future: Onda kotha, otandi kotha,
otandi ka kotha. Because this is the case, we will stop writing
verbs in past / present / future tables, and just write (in this case)
kotha. For verbs like “eat”, we will write lya (li):
Onda lya, otandi li, otandi ka lya. The present form is put in parentheses.
Commands
To form a command in Oshindonga, just say the past / future tense of
the verb without a subject concord:
| Put the flour in the pot. |
Tula uusila mombiga |
| Eat meat! |
Lya onyama! |
| Wait ten minutes. |
Tegelela ominute omulongo. |
| Stay well. |
Kala po nawa. |
| There are only a few irregular commands: |
| Go (away)! |
Inda! |
| Come! |
Ila! |
| If you are talking to a group of people, take
off the last a and put on -eni: |
| Come (many people) |
Ileni! |
| Stay well (many people) |
Kaleni po nawa.Also: Kalii po nawa. |
| To make a negative command, put ino or inamu
before the command: |
| Don’t be afraid! |
Ino tila |
| Don’t go! (many people) |
Inamu ya! |
| Note that for negative commands, you use the
past / future tense of the verb, not any irregular forms, and
without adding -eni. |
Grammar Corner: Habitual Actions
Observe the following translations:
| Otandi li onyama. |
I am eating meat. |
| Ohandi li onyama. |
I eat meat. |
| Oho li omboga? |
Do you eat cabbage? |
| Iha li ohi. |
S/he does not eat fish [in general] |
| Ita li ohi. |
S/he is not eating fish [right now]. |
Exercise 1
Respond to the following questions in Oshindonga.
1.Owu hole okulya onyama?
2.Oto li oshimbombo?
3.Oho li oshikombo?
4.Owa hala okunwa onamunate?
5.moNamibia, aantu oye hole okunwa ombiila. Na ngoye, owu hole?
6.Oho nu okoofi nenge otee?
7.Oho li ombwa?
8.Ondi hole okulya uukuki. Owu hole?
Exercise 2
Translate the following commands into Oshindonga.
1.Boil water!
2.You (plural) come now.
3.Please bring bread.
4.Eat fat cakes.
5.Cook frog!
6.Bring beans.
7.Go to the toilet.
8.Please give me the oshimbombo and omboga.
9.Bring the apple!
10.Please give me the tea.
11.Help me one dollar.
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