Useful Little Ndebele Words

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Kulungile, for those in the community who are keen to learn some of those little but useful connecting words in Ndebele khathesi, here you go:

kuhle - good/ well

kodwa - but

ngoba - because

njenga - like

kuphela - only (as in, "just this alone")

futhi - again

nxa - when, as in "when I was young".

njani? - how?

ngaphi? - where?

-ni? - what?

ngubani? - who? (such as okabani? - whose?)

nini? - when?

njalo - also/ and

ngakho - therefore

kakhulu - very much (as in "thank you very much")

masinyane - soon

kancinyane - a little bit

njengoba - since

lanxa - although

kumbe  - or

khathesi - now

kubi - badly/ poorly

-vele - always

-hlana - quite pretty (from -hle, pretty)

Sahle kuhle, bakithi.