Common SiSwati Phrases

September 6, 2010 · Posted in South Africa 
SiSwati is one of the official languages of South Africa and is the national language of Swaziland. SiSwati is a Bantu language, related to isiZulu, isiXhosa and isiNdebele. SiSwati is usually just called Swati (or Swazi, which comes from Zulu) in English. There are over a million first-language speakers of SiSwati in South Africa alone .The 2001 South African census estimates the number of siSwati speakers to be 1,194,428. At 3% of the population, siSwati speakers make up the third smallest official language group in South Africa. In South Africa most of the speakers of this language are situated in the eastern region of the Mpumalanga province, which borders Swaziland. This summary explores the linguistic derivation of the language, the history of written codification and dialectal variation, and recent attempts to standardize the language in South Africa.
The population in Swaziland, which is predominantly Siswati Speaking stands at just under a Million.

Greeting
Hello -?Sawubona
How are you? -?Unjani?
I am fine. -?Ngikhona
I am fine, thank you. -?Ngikhona ngiyabonga
Goodbye -?Sala kahle
Good luck -?Inhlanhla lenhle
Have a safe journey. -?Ube (singular) / Nibe (plural) neluhambo loluphephile

Expressions
yes -?yebo
no -?cha
please – ngiyacela
thank you -?ngiyabonga
help -?sita (singular) / sitani (plural)
danger -?ingoti
emergency -?simo bucayi
excuse me -?lucolo
I am sorry. -?Ngiyacolisa
I love you. -?Ngiyakutsandza

Questions / sentences
Do you accept (credit cards/traveler’s cheques)? -?Uyawavuma (emakhadi etikweledi/emasheke etivakashi)?
How much is this? -?Kubita malini loku?
I want … -?Ngifuna…
What are you doing? -?Wentani?
What is the time? -?Ngicela sikhatsi?
Where are you going? -?Uya kuphi?

Numbers
1 – one -?kunye
2 – two -?kubili
3 – three -?kutsatfu
4 – four -?kune
5 – five -?kusihlanu
6 – six -?kusitfupha
7 – seven -?kusikhombisa
8 – eight -?kusiphohlongo
9 – nine -?kuyimfica
10 – ten -?kulishumi
11 – eleven -?lishumi nakune
12 – twelve -?lishumi nakubili
13 – thirteen -?lishumi nakutsatfu
14 – fourteen -?lishumi nakune
15 – fifteen -?lishumi nesihlanu
20 – twenty -?emashumi lamabili
21 – twenty one -?emashumi lamabili nakunye
22 – twenty two -?emashumi lamabili nakubili
50 – fifty -?emashumi lasihlanu
100 – hundred -?likhulu
1000 – thousand -?inkhulungwane

Days of the week
Sunday – LiSontfo
Monday – uMsombuluko
Tuesday – Lesibili
Wednesday – Lesitsatfu
Thursday – Lesine
Friday – Lesihlanu
Saturday – uMgcibelo

Months of the year
January – Bhimbidvwane
February – Indlovana
March – INdlovulenkhulu
April – Mabasa
May – INkhwekhweti
June – Inhlaba
July – Kholwane
August – Ingci
September – Inyoni
October – Imphala
November – Lweti / INkhosilencane
December – ?INgongoni / INkhosilenkhulu

Computers and Internet terms
computer -?ngcondvomshini
e-mail -?i-imeyili
Internet -?i-inthanethi
Internet caf? -?likhefi le-inthanethi
website -?i-webhusayithi

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Comments

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