Language/Tswana/Vocabulary/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.