Afraid in Zulu

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Halloween makeup is scary.  Afraid or scared, is saba in Zulu.  Ngi-saba umbani (I’m scared of thunder).  Halloween makeup scares you, iya-sabeka. 

Nature made many races that live in different parts of the world.  All of them have ugly people, depending on their concept of beauty.  For example, standards of judging a beautiful person in Africa are different from China’s.  We can be very cruel and say someone is so ugly, he is scary.

Weddings are very stressful.  The bride is scared that the groom might not show up.   Grooms are also scared of being stood up at the altar.
Some people are scared of heights and will not go up Mount Kenya, Tour Eiffel, Statue of Liberty or scale the Great Wall of China.

 Sa-ba.  The first part is pronounced as in sassafras, the second part as in baba, the term used for father in most languages.

ZULU
ENGLISH
Mubi uyasabeka.
He is so ugly.  He is scary.
U-Jean Pierre u-saba i-nja.
Jean Pierre is scared of the dog.
U-Marie u-saba u-pelepele.
Marie is scared of chillies.
I-America i-saba i-Russia.
The U.S. is scared of Russia.
I-Russia i-saba i-America.
Russia is scared of America.
U-saba-ni?
What are you scared of?
Ngi-saba u-thisha.
I’m scared of the teacher (maybe you didn’t do your homework).
Halloween i-ya-sabisa.
Halloween is scary.
Ngi-saba u-ku-hamba nge-bhanoyi.
I’m scared of flying.
A-bafana a-bamnyama e-Merika ba-saba a-ma-phoyisa.
African American boys are scared of the police.
A-bafana a-bamhlophe e-Amerika a-ba-wa-sabi a-ma-phoyisa.
White boys in America are not scared of the police.

EXERCISE:  Ask your friend what he scares him:  U-sa-bani?

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang     

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