Language/Shona/Grammar/Common-Prepositions
| ◀️ Ordering at a Restaurant — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Connecting Sentences ▶️ |
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn about prepositions in Shona, how to use them correctly in sentences, and common Shona prepositions used in everyday conversation. After mastering this lesson, you can also explore other related topics such as Shona descriptive adjectives, dive into the conditional mood in Shona grammar, or learn how to say hello and greetings in Shona. Happy learning! 😊
What are Prepositions?
Prepositions are words that show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence. They usually indicate the position, location, direction, or time of the noun or pronoun they modify.
Common Shona Prepositions
Here are some of the most common prepositions in Shona:
| Shona | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Pamaronga | In front of |
| Pachena | Next to, near |
| Panyika | Behind |
| Kudhara | Far from |
| Mumusoro | On top of, above |
| Pamusoro | On top of, upon |
| Muhwandara | Inside, within |
| Pakadoma | Outside, outside of |
| Muchinjiko | Among, in-between |
| Pamusoromwe | Aside, aside from, apart from |
Examples of Prepositions in Sentences
Prepositions are used to describe the relationship between two words in a sentence. Here are some examples of prepositions in use:
- Paive pachena pevanhu. (He was next to the people.)
- Dzimba dzekuHondoma dzinopera paMudzi mukuru. (The houses in Kundoma end on the big Mudzi road.)
- Pane huni rakasiya pasipo pamusoromwe nekukura kwemakomo. (There is a hole left aside apart from the rest by the size of the feet.)
- Vamwe vanhu vachingowanikwa pakadoma pavo. (Some people are given outside themselves.)
- Hapana zvangu munhamo pachena padambudziko renyika. (I had no money close to the time of the country's crisis.)
- Mwari ndiye anotipa zvokururama kubva mumusoro wedenga. (God is the one who gives us blessings from the top of the heaven.)
- Hasina kushanda uye ane rubatsiro muchinjiko chipatara chehuroyi. (He is lazy, and he has a helper in between the leaves of the pumpkin.)
- Vakadzi vanongorota kumashure pakadoma pezvipambi. (Women dance at clubs outside in the open air.)
- Humambo huno nomusi wechiShona neshona raCakaudze. (This book contains a Shona-English dictionary by Cakaudze.)
- Muriyu yanga yapfuura kudhara kwandiri pamusoromwe nevapositori venyika. (Your village was far from mine aside from the Apostles of the country.)
Conclusion
Prepositions in Shona are essential in building sentences and creating meaning between relationships of objects and places. Use the most common prepositions above to improve your speaking and understanding of Shona. As you continue to learn and master Shona grammar, don't forget to explore other related topics such as Shona Grammar - Connecting Sentences, Learn about Gender in Shona Grammar, and Shona Grammar: Nouns and Pronouns - Personal Pronouns. Keep up the great work, and happy learning! 📚🌟
Other Lessons
- Pronouns
- Descriptive Adjectives
- Questions
- Present Tense
- Gender
- Give your Opinion
- Conditional Mood
- Basic Sentence Structure
- Plurals
Sources
| ◀️ Ordering at a Restaurant — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Connecting Sentences ▶️ |