Language/Shona/Grammar/Plurals

Shona Grammar - Plurals

Hi Shona learners! 😊

In this lesson, we will learn how to form plurals in Shona. Like in many other languages, nouns can be singular or plural in Shona. The plural refers to more than one object or person. Having a good understanding of plurals is important to speak and write fluently in Shona. 😎

Finish this lesson and explore these related pages: Learn about Gender in Shona Grammar, Adjectives and Adverbs, How to Use Be & Give your Opinion.

Shona Plural Markers

To form the plural in Shona, we add a marker to the singular form of the noun. There are several plural markers in Shona, but we will focus on the most common ones.

| Singular Noun | Plural Noun | Example| | --- | --- | --- | | -mhene | -mheni | bird, birds = muridzi, muridzi-mheni| | -nwina | -nwinhi or -nwinwi | country, countries = nyika, nyika-nwinhi/nwinwi| | -ma or -ama | -mazu, -ama or -ema | tree, trees = muti, mitema/mamuti| | / around the stem | same stem | child, children = murungu, murungu/murungu|

Unlike in English, where we add "-s" or "-es" to form plurals, Shona plurals require a bit more memorization, but don't worry, with practice you will get used to them. 😉

Nouns with irregular plural forms

Some Shona nouns have irregular plural forms that do not follow the rules for plural markers. Here are some of them:

| Singular Noun | Plural Noun | Example | | --- | --- | --- | | huni | mvura | rain| | munhu | vanhu | person, people| | gomo | magomo | hill, hills| | rugare | varugare | peace|

Notice that there isn't a single rule that you can apply to every noun in Shona, so it's important to memorize them individually as you encounter them. 🤓

Dialogue

Let's practice forming plurals in context!

• Person 1: Ndi-mi muridzi. (I am a bird breeder.)
• Person 2: Hesi rava muridzi? (How many birds do you have?)
• Person 1: Ndava muridzi-mheni mawiri. (I have two birds.)

• Person 1: Munhu unogara kupi? (Where do you live?)
• Person 2: Ndogara muHarare. (I live in Harare.)
• Person 1: Iko kupa kunowanikwa kwakanaka ve-nwinhi? (Is life good in your country?)
• Person 2: Ndiwohwohwohwokwakawanda kunowanikwa kwakanaka. (It depends on the country.)

Summary

- To form the plural in Shona, we add a marker to the singular form of the noun. - There are several plural markers in Shona, but we focused on the most common ones. - Some Shona nouns have irregular plural forms that don't follow the rules for plural markers. - It's important to memorize them individually as you encounter them.

Remember that repetition is key to mastering any language skill. Practice forming plurals with different nouns until you feel confident using them. To improve your Shona find native speakers and ask them any questions! You can also check the Shona language grammar page in Polyglot Club for more resources.

➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Sources

• Shona language - Wikipedia
• Shona Plural | LEARN101.ORG

Other Lessons

• Pronouns
• Questions
• Conditional Mood
• Adjectives
• Negation
• How to Use Be
• Gender
• How to Use Have
• Give your Opinion