Zulu Lesson Long

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Marathons have a short distance for beginners or the lazy, and a long one for fitness addicts.

Today’s Zulu lesson is about something long: a long road, a long lecture etc.

Voters are like a pride of lions. They lounge in the grass somewhere in Botswana or South Africa and wait. It’s not wait, wait. It is wait and think, how to photo-bomb a family of smaller animals.

American voters are giving Donald Trump a long rope to hang himself. The Zulu word for long is -de-. Explaining  it for my visitors is going to be tricky. Indefinite. That is the English word we’ll use as a compass.

Do you have a friend that goes full circle, before telling you what happened? He drives you crazy, but you all flock around him because you like his embellished stories.

Indaba ende: a long story.

Impilo ende: a long life. Why do we want to be alive, with all these debts? Ha! Ha!

Indlela ende: a long road. Spring and summer is great for marathons. Some organizers are very kind. They have short distances for those who were lazy the whole winter, and long distances, for the die-hards that went to the gym religiously.

Ingubo ende: a long dress. Mothers want daughters to wear them long. Girls want them as short as possible.

Ingane inde: a long child, meaning he’s tall, like Victor Wembanyama, basketball player born in France.

Icala lide: a long trial. None of Donald Trump’s trials will ever go to trial, thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court. That will formally remove the judiciary, as the third government branch.

Ilanga lide: a long day. Adults want to play when the kids are asleep. It’s bad news when one of them says: “Not tonight Bob. I’ve had a long day.” Bob? What happened to BABY?

Going to church on Sunday? Don’t doze off when the sermon is long.

Nonqaba waka Msimang

Executive Blogger

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