Oshimbombo oshitoye
Grammar Corner: Talking about Talking
While this book should give you a good foundation in Oshindonga, there
are going to be situations in which you will need to ask native speakers
for more information about their language. Here are some useful words
and phrases to help you get started:
| English |
Oshindonga |
| How do you say ... in Oshindonga?... |
otashi ti ngiini mOshindonga? |
| What does ... mean?... |
otashi ti ngiini? |
| Word |
Oshitya |
| Wait |
Tegelela |
Another basic aspect in communication is telling someone what another person
has said. Below is a table of some phrases that come in handy when relating
a story:
| English |
Oshikwanyama |
| Say |
Tya (Ti) |
| He/she/they said that |
Aniwa |
| He/she says that |
Ota ti kutya |
| Hey! / I say! |
Otandi ti! / Ote ti! / Te ti! |
| What did he/she/they say? |
Aniwa ngiini? / Okwa ti ngiini? |
Exercise 3
You and a friend go to visit your kuku.
She can’t hear
all that well, so after your friend speaks, you need to repeat
what he said. Use words like aniwa, ota ti kutya, etc. Don’t
forget to change the subject concord, if needed. The first one
has been done for you.
| Friend: Wu uhala po, kuku? |
Kuku: Aniwa ngiini? |
| You: Aniwa wu uhala po nawa, kuku? |
Kuku: Oh, ondu uhala po nawa. Owa za peni kuume? |
| To eat |
Okulya |
| Friend: Onda za koAngola. |
Kuku: Aniwa ngiini? |
| You: |
Kuku: Oh, koAngolaaaa! Oto ningi shike moNamibia? |
| Friend: Ohandi landitha ooselula. (cell phones) |
Kuku: Aniwa ngiini? |
| You: |
Kuku: Oooooooh, oho landitha ooselula. Owa kala mo ethimbo
li thike peni? |
| Friend: Onda kala mo oomvula ntano. |
Kuku: Okwa ti ngiini? |
| You: |
Kuku: Ooh, oomvula ntano... |
| Friend: Ee-wa, kuku. Kala po nawa. |
Kuku: Aniwa ngiini? |
| You: |
Kuku: Ee-wa kuume, inda po nawa. Etela ndje uuleke! |
| Friend: Ee-wa kuku. |
|
Grammar Corner: In / On / At
Perhaps after reading the recipe for oshimbombo you
are wondering what mombiga means. Ombiga is “pot”, but mombiga?
Two things to note:
1.There are three important prepositions of place in Oshindonga, mo,
po, and ko. These can be roughly translated as “in/inside”, “on/on
top of”, and “at/to”.
2.When you have a phrase like “in the pot”, you might
think of writing **mo ombiga, but it is actually written (and said) mombiga.
The same thing goes for po, ko, and na (“and/with”).
Somewhat confusingly, mo, po, and ko are also used as pronouns
of place. That is, mo can mean “in there”, po can
mean “there”, and ko can mean “over there”. Po usually
refers to a place you can see, whereas ko is far away. See Grammar Corner: In
/ On / At, Part Two for more information.
CULTURAL INFORMATION
• Don’t smell food.
• Don’t sing while eating.
• It is rude to refuse food. Refuse politely e.g “Thank you
but I’m
full. I just ate.”
• It is traditional (as well as hygenic) to wash your hands before
eating.
• Do not pass food or drink behind someone’s back.
• When offering home-made food or drink always taste it first,
in the presence of the person. •This is to show that the comestible
is nawa.
• Eat oshimbombo with your right hand only.
• Take meat with your right hand, but put it in your left hand
to hold and eat it.
Aniwa:
~ Sha na kulya osha na kulonga. ~
If you want food, you must work.
(If you want something, you have to work for it.)
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