Zulu Lesson Thirsty

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Mama elephant teaching baby how to drink water. Incredible photo, 
with sunrays streaming in. Who shot this pic? Photo Credit: online pic.

I don’t drink enough water, despite countless New Year resolutions to drink more. Just shows you how ungrateful I am. All it takes is opening the tap. I don’t live in the desert where water is priceless. Vampires and bed bugs are thirsty for blood. Men like Trump are thirsty for second rounds in power.

Thirsty is oma in Zulu as in: Omar, Norma, Oman or comma. On a hot day someone will say: Ngaze ngoma (I’m so thirsty). The root word changes, when it describes the state of being thirsty. Ngomile, the ‘a’ becomes -ile.

Ngo-mi-le (I’m thirsty). You say the first part like lingo, the second like milk and the last like leg.

ENGLISH

ZULU

I’m thirsty.

Ngomile.

The child is thirsty.

Ingane yomile.

Mother is thirsty.

Umama womile.

Father is thirsty.

Ubaba womile.

The elephant is thirsty.

Indlovu yomile.

The dog is thirsty.

Inja yomile.

The car is thirsty.

Imoto yomile.

Exceptions: Fish and crocodiles are never thirsty for obvious reasons. However, crocodiles cannot wait for the mighty lion to be thirsty, so that they can try and grab his tail then pin him down. Good luck!

Nonqaba waka Msimang.

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