What Are You Saying in Zulu

U-thi-ni?  What are you saying?

The root of the question is -thi-.  The poor tourist might be clutching his guide book and talking to the locals in Spanish. The look on their faces say we don’t understand.

U-thi-ni?  What are you saying?  That is what they will ask the tourist in South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe, where the language isi-Zulu is spoken.

First day at school can be rough. One parent related her son’s experience.  He was crying when she picked him up because other kids said he was Chinese.  ‘But you are.’  She said that is when she decided to start on the identity of being Chinese and Canadian.  

Men stop scrolling on their phones or reading the paper when women say we need to talk.  When a woman says she needs some space, the man will probably say, U-thi-ni?
U-thi-ni?  You pronounce the first part like ooze, the second like tin and the last part like niece.

ZULU	ENGLISH
Bathini.	A girl’s name meaning what are they saying?  Maybe, there were some unanswered family questions when she was born. We had such a name in the family. Bathini was one of my mother’s sisters.
Ba-thi-ni nga-mi?	What do they say about me?
Ni-thi-ni nga-mi?	What are you (many people) saying about me?
U-thi-ni ngo- Donald Trump?	What do you say about Donald Trump? What is your take on Donald Trump?
Ngi-thi ha-mba.	I’m saying leave.
Ngi-thi- ha-mba u-yo-la-la.	I’m saying go and sleep.
Ba-thi ngi-mnya-ma.	They say I’m black (first day at school taunts).
Ba-thi i-si-to-lo si-va-li-we.	They say the store is closed.
Annabel, ngi-the-ni ku-we?	Annabel, what did I say to you?
U-the ngi-phe-ke.	You said I must cook.
Paul, ngi-the-ni ku-we?	Paul what did I say to you?
U-the ngi-phe-ke.	You said I must cook.

By:  Nonqaba waka Msimang.