Language/Tswana/Vocabulary/Counting-1-10

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Tswana → Vocabulary → 0 to A1 Course → Numbers → Counting 1-10

In this lesson, you will learn how to count from 1 to 10 in Tswana. Counting in Tswana is an important aspect of the language as it forms the basis of numeracy and fluency in communication. Apart from learning how to count, you will also practice your Tswana pronunciation. Let's get started!

Tswana Numbers 1 - 10

The numbers in Tswana have different prefixes depending on the number being referred to.

Tswana	Pronunciation	English	Comment
Pedi	peh-DEE	one
Robedi	roh-peh-DEE	two
Pedi	peh-DEE	three
Nná	en-en-ah	four
Tlhano	tale-HAH-no	five
Tlhano ya robêdi	tale-HAH-noh yah roh-beh-DEE	six	The prefix "ya" means "of" or "belonging to", so "tlhano ya robêdi" literally means "five 'of' two".
Tlhano ya pedi	tale-HAH-noh yah peh-DEE	seven	The prefix "ya" means "of" or "belonging to", so "ntlha ya nná" literally means "four 'of' four".
Ntlha ya nná	en-tla yah en-en-ah	eight
Ntlha ya thari	en-tla yah tha-ree	nine	The prefix "ya" means "of" or "belonging to", so "ntlha ya thari" literally means "four 'of' five".
Lesome	leh-SOH-meh	ten

Practice Exercises

1. How do you say "two" in Tswana?

2. What is the Tswana word for "five"?

3. How do you say "nine" in Tswana?

4. What is the Tswana word for "three"?

5. What is the Tswana word for "one"?

Answers:

1. "Robedi". 2. "Tlhano". 3. "Ntlha ya thari". 4. "Pedi". 5. "Pedi".

Well done! You've completed the counting lesson. In the next lesson, we will cover ordinal numbers in Tswana, such as "first", "second", and "third". Keep practicing your Tswana pronunciation and stay tuned for more lessons.

Table of Contents - Tswana Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Basic Greetings

• Greetings and Introductions
• Polite Expressions

  ---

Sentence Structure

• Subject Pronouns
• Verb Conjugation

  ---

Numbers

• Counting 1-10
• Ordinal Numbers

  ---

Days of the Week and Months

• Days of the Week
• Months of the Year

  ---

Nouns and Articles

• Definite and Indefinite Articles
• Plural Nouns

  ---

Common Objects and Places

• Household Items
• Places in Town

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Descriptive Adjectives
• Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
• Adverbs

  ---

Food and Drink

• Fruits and Vegetables
• Meals and Dining

  ---

Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Prepositions of Place
• Prepositions of Time
• Conjunctions

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Describing Relationships

  ---

Possessives and Demonstratives

• Possessive Pronouns and Adjectives
• Demonstrative Pronouns and Adjectives

  ---

Tswana Traditions and Customs

• Traditional Clothing
• Tswana Cuisine

  ---

Tswana Holidays and Celebrations

• National Holidays
• Traditional Celebrations

Other Lessons

• Family
• Fruits
• Drinks
• Clothes
• Geography
• Places in Town
• Feelings and Emotions
• Describing Relationships
• Meals and Dining

Sources

• An Introduction to Spoken Setswana.
• Peace Corps/ Botswana - An Introduction to the Setswana Language
• Tswana numbers — Of Languages and Numbers

◀️ Verb Conjugation — Previous Lesson

Next Lesson — Ordinal Numbers ▶️