Language/Lingala/Vocabulary/Family

Lingala Vocabulary - Family

Hi Lingala learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn all about Lingala vocabulary related to family. You will learn how to talk about your family members, and how to address people in your family. We will also cover some cultural aspects of Lingala families. If you want to improve your Lingala language skills, you can find native speakers on Polyglot Club website and ask them any questions. Don't forget to check the Vocabulary section of Lingala on our website! Let's get started! 🚀

Talking about family members

In Lingala, there are specific words for each family member. Below are some family members with their Lingala translation and pronunciation:

Lingala	Pronunciation	English
mokonzi	mok.ɔn.zi	father
mama	ma.ma	mother
moto	mɔ.tɔ	man / husband
mosi	mɔ.si	woman / wife
mosali	mɔ.sa.li	brother
mwasi	mwa.si	sister
mwana mokonzi	mwa.na mɔ.kɔn.zi	son
mwana mama	mwa.na ma.ma	daughter

Now let's see the words for extended family members:

Lingala	Pronunciation	English
moto wani	mɔ.tɔ wa.ni	uncle (father's brother)
mosi wani	mɔ.si wa.ni	aunt (father's sister)
mosali wani	mɔ.sa.li wa.ni	cousin (male)
mwasi wani	mwa.si wa.ni	cousin (female)
mwana moto wani	mwa.na mɔ.tɔ wa.ni	nephew
mwana mosi wani	mwa.na mɔ.si wa.ni	niece

It is important to know these words because they are used daily in conversations with family members.

Addressing family members

It is essential to understand how different family members are addressed in Lingala, as this reflects the culture of respect and politeness. Below are some examples of how to address family members:

• Father: baba, papa or tata
• Mother: mama or ɛyano
• Grandfather: mokonzi moko or ngufi
• Grandmother: mama moko or bayɛ-mi

Dialogue

To see these words in context, let's read a dialogue between two family members:

• Person 1: Mbote tata! (Hello dad!)
• Person 2: Mbote mwana moko! Na lingaki yo? (Hello my child! How are you?)
• Person 1: Nzoka mpɛla, naingi kotia. (I am fine, thank you.)
• Person 2: Masiya boye! (Good to hear!)
• Person 1: Tata, na lobi na mokonzi moko nani? (Dad, can I talk to grandpa please?)
• Person 2: Bomoni ngufi yo nani, azali na mboka te. (Look for your grandpa over there, he's not home.)
• Person 1: Ah boni. Tozali pona kosala te? (Oh ok. Are we going to have dinner later?)
• Person 2: Zambama tozekani naba ndako. (Let's eat together at home.)

Cultural information

Lingala culture values the extended family system, including grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and other relatives. People in Lingala culture address family members with high respect and politeness. Parents and grandparents play a crucial role in the upbringing of children. Families are also deeply religious, following Christian beliefs and practices.

Recap

In this lesson, we learned Lingala vocabulary related to family members and some cultural aspects of Lingala families. We saw how different family members are addressed and how to use this vocabulary in a conversation. To improve your Lingala vocabulary, you can also use Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions.

Sources

• Lingala language on Wikipedia
• Culture of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wikipedia
• Extended family on Wikipedia

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