Zulu Lesson Life is Heavy

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Heavy is si-nda in Zulu. Si-nda also means to escape injury or death, but we will concentrate on heavy, for now.


Miscarriages are heavy on grieving parents. A woman is heavy with child. Polygamy is heavy on women, but it is still practised in Africa and certain religions.  It is illegal in Europe and north America, so men have mistresses.

It is heavy on workers when car plants and factories move to no minimum wage countries.  It’s not, on owners, because they can declare bankruptcy and relocate to another state or country, manufacturing the same thing.


Si-nda.  The first part is pronounced like Cindy and the second one like Linda.

ZULU

ENGLISH

Ma-ma, i-ya-si-nda.

Mother it’s heavy.

A-yi-si-ndi.

It is not heavy.

Lo-mshi-ni u-ya-si-nda.

This machine is heavy.

A-wu-si-ndi.

It is not heavy.

Joyce be-le-tha i-nga-ne.

Joyce put the child on your back.

Nge-ke i-ya-si-nda.

I wont, it’s heavy.

I-ya-si-nda le-nya-nda.

This parcel of wood is heavy.  Women in Africa and other continents go to the forest to collect dead branches for firewood.

A-yi-si-ndi.

It is not heavy.

U-ya-si-nda u-me-ndo.

Marriage is difficult/heavy.

I-mpi-lo i-ya-si-nda.

Life is hard/heavy.

Ku-ya si-nda e-khaya.  U-Paul wa-di-li-zwa.

It’s hard at home.  Paul lost his job.

By:  Nonqaba waka Msimang.

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