The letter “A” makes an “ah” sound, similar to the “a” in the English word “father. " The letter “E” makes an “eh” sound, similar to the “ay” in the English word “say. " The letter “I” makes an “ee” sound, similar to the “ee” in the English word “see. " The letter “O” makes an “oh” sound, similar to the “o” in the English word “so. " The letter “U” makes an “oo” sound, similar to the “oo” in the English word “doom. "
To pronounce a breathy consonant, breathe out a little, almost like a sigh, as you say the letter, similar to how you would pronounce the “h” in the English word “behind. " Breathy consonants in Shona are represented by an “h” after the initial consonant: “bh,” “ch,” “dh,” “mh,” and “vh. " Most Shona dialects, as well as “Standard Shona,” do not use the “L” sound, except in loan words. [4] X Research source
For example, the combination “dz” might give you trouble, especially if your first language is English. The combinations “zv” and “sv” are properly pronounced with something like a whistle. This is a sound unique to the Shona language, and can also be difficult if you speak English or a European language as your first language. Listen to native speakers to get a better idea of how these combinations sound. [6] X Research source If you come across a word with a consonant combination that you have difficulty pronouncing, look online for a recording of a native speaker saying the word slowly. Practice saying the word, gradually speeding up your speech until you can pronounce it correctly. Forvo (https://forvo. com/languages/sn/) is a good place to find native speaker pronunciations of words.
For example, the word “vakadzi” means “women” in Shona. You can break this word down into 3 syllables: va-ka-dzi. All syllables carry the same stress in a Shona word, and the vowels always sound the same. Therefore, a word such as “vakadzi” would be pronounced “vah-kah-dzee. "
For example, the word “hama,” spoken with two high tones, means “relative. " However, if you use a high tone with the first syllable and a low tone with the second syllable, the word means “hammer. " In longer words with 4 or more syllables, tones have less significance. While tones may be used with longer words, getting the tones wrong will seldom change the meaning of the word.
With people your age or younger, especially friends, you can also use “hesi,” which is a more casual way of saying “hi. “[10] X Research source
Mangwanani: Good morning (reply: Mangwanani, marara sei?) Masikati: Good afternoon (reply: Masikati, master sei?) Manheru: Good evening (reply: Maswera sei?)
The standard response to this question is “ndakasimba, waita hako,” which means “I’m good, thanks. " If you were the first person to ask, the person might also add “ko iwe?” which means “And you?” For example, if you’re walking up to a counter at a restaurant to order food, you might say “Mhoro, wakadini?”
After you introduce yourself, add “Unozani?” to ask them their name. When they tell you their name, you might say “ndafara kukuziva,” which means “pleased to meet you. "
Une makore mangani? (How old are you?) Unobva kupi? (Where are you from?) Unogara kupi? (Where do you live?) Unoitei chinokuraramisa? (What do you do for a living?) Note that Zimbabweans consider it a point of pride to talk about their education and occupation, as these things are seen as a way to earn your respect. [15] X Research source
Ndinokumbirawo (please) Waita zvako (thank you) Zvakanaka (reply to “thank you”) Ndineurombo (sorry) Pamusoro (excuse me)
With this method, you’ll come to think of the labeled items by their Shona word after a while. Once you’ve committed one group of items to memory, move on to another group.
On YouTube and music streaming services, you can also access current popular music in the Shona language.
For example, if you speak English and Spanish, you might search for Shona speakers who want to learn either of those languages. Some platforms charge a subscription fee. However, most of them are free. Those which charge a subscription may offer additional options that aren’t offered on free websites, such as the ability to have group chats or converse for longer periods of time.
Because you can listen to news, you may be able to pick up on what some of the words mean based on the context — particularly if they’re discussing international events that you are already familiar with.
Voice of America offers news stories written in Shona on https://www. voashona. com/z/3259. You can also stream Voice of America radio broadcasts in Shona at https://www. voazimbabwe. com/z/4020. If you can find news videos with accompanying transcripts, you can use them to practice both your reading and your listening comprehension.
