Language/Zulu/Grammar/Gender

Zulu Grammar - Gender

Hi Zulu learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about the gender rules in Zulu. We will look at how to identify the gender of nouns and how to use them correctly in sentences. Let's get started!

Gender is an important part of Zulu grammar. It affects the way words are used in a sentence. In Zulu, nouns are either masculine or feminine. This means that they must agree with the gender of the subject in the sentence.

For example, if the subject of the sentence is a man, then the noun must be masculine. If the subject of the sentence is a woman, then the noun must be feminine.

It can be difficult to identify the gender of a noun, as there are no clear rules. However, there are some patterns that can help you identify the gender of a noun.

Masculine Nouns

Masculine nouns usually end in the letter 'a'. For example:

Zulu	Pronunciation	English Translation
umfana	uhm-fah-nah	boy
umuntu	ooh-muhn-too	person
umqhudu	ooh-muh-koo-doo	teacher

Masculine nouns can also end in the letters 'e' or 'i'. For example:

Zulu	Pronunciation	English Translation
umsebenzi	ooh-muh-seh-behn-zee	worker
umkhuleko	ooh-muh-koo-leh-koh	freedom
umthetho	ooh-muh-theh-thoh	law

Feminine Nouns

Feminine nouns usually end in the letter 'i'. For example:

Zulu	Pronunciation	English Translation
umfazi	ooh-muh-fah-zee	woman
umhlaba	ooh-muh-hlah-bah	land
umthethisi	ooh-muh-theh-thee-see	judge

Feminine nouns can also end in the letters 'a' or 'e'. For example:

Zulu	Pronunciation	English Translation
umntwana	ooh-muhn-twah-nah	child
umthengisi	ooh-muh-theh-ngi-see	seller
umfundisi	ooh-muh-fuhn-dee-see	pastor

Quiz

Test your knowledge of Zulu gender rules with the following quiz questions:

1. What letter do most masculine nouns end in?
2. What letter do most feminine nouns end in?
3. How do you identify the gender of a noun?

Answers

1. Most masculine nouns end in the letter 'a'.
2. Most feminine nouns end in the letter 'i'.
3. You can identify the gender of a noun by looking for patterns in the ending of the word.

That's it for this lesson on Zulu gender rules. To improve your Zulu Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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Related Lessons

• Adverbs of time
• Adverbs of manner
• Plural
• Adjectives
• Negation
• Pronouns
• Plurals
• Verbs
• Adverbs of frequency
• Adverbs of place
• Questions
• Feminine
• Conditional Mood