MaritoEveryday phrases
Greetings carry rules machine translation flattens: Avuxeni belongs to the morning, Riperile to the evening, and the warm reply to a greeting is Ahee. Awaiting community verification
Who are you speaking to?
Xitsonga changes shape depending on who you address. Getting this wrong is the difference between polite and rude, and it is exactly what machine translation throws away.
- One person you know well: the subject marker is u- and the object is ku-. So U njhani? and Ndza ku rhandza.
- An elder, a stranger, or several people: both become mi-. So Mi njhani? and Ndza mi rhandza. Using u- to an elder is the kind of mistake people remember.
- Commands take -ni: Famba kahle to a friend, Fambani kahle to an elder or a group. The greetings Avuxeni and Inhlikanhi already carry that -ni, which is why they are safe with anyone.
Where a phrase below changes, both forms are given. Awaiting community verification
The phrasebook
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