Language/Zulu/Vocabulary/Days,-Months,-and-Seasons
Days, Months, and Seasons in Zulu
In this lesson, you will learn about the days of the week, months of the year, and seasons in Zulu. Additionally, you will learn how Zulu people talk about the date and time.
Days of the Week
The days of the week in Zulu are derived primarily from Western culture. The Zulu language uses the same seven-day week as English and many other languages. However, the Zulu language does not use the names of the seven days that are based on the names of English or western gods.
Here are the names of the days of the week in Zulu, along with their pronunciations and English translations:
| Zulu | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Umsombuluko | uhm-sohm-boo-luh-koh | Monday |
| Isizabalazwe | ih-see-zuh-buh-luh-zweh | Tuesday |
| Inyanga | ih-nyuh-nguh | Wednesday |
| Indvodza | ihn-dvoh-dzuh | Thursday |
| Isibini | ih-see-bee-nee | Friday |
| Umsombuluko | oh-luh-hlah-nee | Saturday |
| Isonto | ih-sohn-toh | Sunday |
A few things to note here:
- Zulu uses the prefix "i-" to indicate that it is referring to a day of the week (in the case of Tuesday and Thursday, the prefix "isi-" is used). - The pronunciation guide includes IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) symbols in addition to the Latin script, to help you understand how to pronounce the words correctly.
Months of the Year
The months of the year in Zulu are also derived from Western culture, but again the Zulu language does not use the same names as English or western languages.
Here are the names of the months of the year in Zulu, along with their pronunciations and English translations:
| Zulu | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| uMasingana | ooh-mah-see-ngah-nah | January |
| uNhlolanja | ooh-nhloh-lahn-yah | February |
| uNdasa | ooh-ndah-sah | March |
| uMbelu | ooh-mbeh-loo | April |
| uNtulikazi | ooh-n-too-lee-kah-zee | May |
| uNcwaba | ooh-nch-wah-bah | June |
| uNtulikazi | ooh-n-too-lee-kah-zee | July |
| uMandulo | ooh-mahn-doo-loh | August |
| uNcwaba | ooh-nch-wah-bah | September |
| uMfumfu | ooh-mfoo-mfoo | October |
| uLwezi | ooh-lweh-zee | November |
| uMpalakazi | ooh-m-pah-lah-kah-zee | December |
A few things to note here:
- Zulu uses the prefix "u-" to indicate that it is referring to a month (in the case of November, the prefix "lu-" is used). - The pronunciation guide includes IPA symbols in addition to the Latin script, to help you understand how to pronounce the words correctly.
Seasons
Zulu has two seasons, each six months long (beginning with isiKathi-sishiyagalombili, which refers to the first month of the year). Seasons are established based on whether there is enough rainfall (these seasons do not correspond to the astronomical seasons).
Here are the names of the seasons in Zulu, along with their translations:
- Indlovana - the season of the small (or early) rains, which begins in September and ends in December.
- EyeThandayo - the season of the heavy (or late) rains, which begins in January and ends in April.
Dates and Time
The Zulu people have their own way of expressing dates and time. In English, it is common to say "on Monday, January 1st", but in Zulu, the order is different.
Here is an example of how to express a date in Zulu:
uMasingana (January) 1, 2023 - ku-1 ka-Masingana 2023
In this example, "ku-" is used to indicate "on" or "at". The number 1 is followed by the prefix "ka-", which is used to indicate a specific day of the month. "Masingana" is the name of the month in Zulu, and "2023" is the year.
When it comes to talking about time, Zulu uses the 24-hour clock format. However, it is important to note that there are some variations in the way time is expressed, depending on the region and the speaker.
Here are some examples of how to express time in Zulu:
- 5:00 AM - ku-5 ebusuku / ku-5 ebusuku yakusasa
- 11:00 AM - ku-11 ebusuku / ku-11 ebusuku namhlanje
- 2:30 PM - ku-2 ebusuku nesikhombisa esincane / ku-2 ebusuku (ne)minothi evela emazweni mabili
A few things to note here:
- The prefix "ku-" is used to indicate "at" or "on" in Zulu. - The word "ebusuku" means "at night", and "kusasa" means "tomorrow". - The word "namhlanje" means "today". - In the last example, "nesikhombisa esincane" means "with a small indication", and "minothi" means "minutes". "Evela" means "from" and "emazweni mabili" means "two places".
By learning the days of the week, months of the year, and seasons in Zulu, as well as how to express dates and time, you will be better equipped to communicate with Zulu speakers and understand their cultural practices.