Xhosa Gender | LEARN101.ORG (original) (raw)

Welcome to the fifth Xhosa lesson about gender. This time we will view a list of people, feminine and masculine, followed by grammar rules, finally a list of expressions in Xhosa to help you practice your daily phrases.

man indoda
woman umfazi
husband umyeni
wife inkosikazi
boy umfana
girl intombazana
father utata
mother umama

Gender Grammar Rules

In general, gender is used to distinguish between male and female, sometimes referred to as masculine and feminine. For example: my son and daughter are students the noun [_son_] is masculine, while [daughter] is feminine. The following examples use gender in different ways and places to demonstrate their behavior.

Grammar + Rules - Xhosa
my son is a student[masculine + noun] unyana wam ungumfundi
her daughter is a student[feminine + noun] intombi yakhe ingumfundi
he has a tall brother[adjective + masculine] unomtakwabo omde
she has a tall sister[adjective + feminine] unodade wabo omde
his brothers are young[plural masculine + adjective] abantakwabo bancinane
his sisters are young[plural feminine + adjective] oodade wabo bancinane

The list below will probably provide more clarification. These are family members (males and females). I think it would be wise to memorize them as part of your important vocabulary list.

son nyana
daughter intombi
brother umtakwethu
sister udadewethu
grandfather utatomkhulu
grandmother umakhulu
child umntwana
children abantwana

Expressions in Xhosa

Now it's time to practice expressions used in daily conversations. If you're a beginner in learning Xhosa, then the phrases below are something you would want to know.

English - Xhosa
What do you mean? uthethukuthini?
I don't understand Andiqondi
I don't know Andazi
What is that called in Xhosa? ibizwa ntoni ngesi Punjabi?
What is this? Yintoni le?
What does that word mean in English? lithetha ukuthini eligama ngesingesi?
Sorry (if you made a mistake) uxolo

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