The 6th lesson teaches counting in cardinal and ordinal numbers in Zulu. I also included a vocabulary list about school and finally common daily phrases. I will try to give examples using both vocabulary and grammar. That way it will be easy for you to see the words when they are separate and when they are in a sentence. Going through the whole page should take about 30 min. Make sure to read the pronunciation and hear the audio as well. If you have any question about this course, please email me directly at Zulu Classes.
Numbers
Knowing how to count in Zulu is essential and should be one of first things to learn. By simply knowing numbers from 1 to 9 you could express large numbers in a simplified way. Cardinal numbers are for counting such as "1, 2, 3 ...". Ordinal numbers represent order or rank such as "1st, 2nd, 3rd ...".
Below is a list of the first 20 cardinal and ordinal numbers that you might come across or use very often. The table contains 3 columns (English, Zulu, and Audio). Make sure you repeat each word after hearing it by either clicking on the audio button or by reading the pronunciation. That should help with memorization as well as improving your pronunciation.
Numbers in Zulu
Numbers
Zulu
Audio
One
kunye
First
okokuqala
Two
kubili
Second
umzuzwana
Three
kuthathu
Third
okwesithathu
Four
kune
Fourth
okwesine
Five
kuhlanu
Fifth
okwesihlanu
Six
isithupha
Sixth
okwesithupha
Seven
isikhombisa
Seventh
okwesikhombisa
Eight
isishiyagalombili
Eighth
okwesishiyagalombili
Nine
isishiyagalolunye
Ninth
okwesishiyagalolunye
Ten
ishumi
Tenth
okweshumi
Eleven
ishumi nanye
Eleventh
okweshumi nanye
Twelve
ishumi nambili
Twelfth
okweshumi nambili
Thirteen
ishumi nantathu
Thirteenth
okweshumi nantathu
Fourteen
ishumi nane
Fourteenth
Okweshumi nane
Fifteen
ishumi nanhlanu
Fifteenth
Okweshumi nanhlanu
Sixteen
ishumi nesithupha
Sixteenth
Okweshumi nesithupha
Seventeen
ishumi nesikhombisa
Seventeenth
Okweshumi nesikhombisa
Eighteen
ishumi nesishiyagalombili
Eighteenth
Okweshumi nesishiyagalombili
Nineteen
ishumi nesishiyagalolunye
Nineteenth
Okweshumi nesishiyagalolunye
Twenty
amashumi amabili
Twentieth
Okwamashumi amabili
Thirty three (31)
Amashumi amathathu nantathu
One hundred (100)
Ikhulu
Three hundred and sixty (360)
Amakhulu amathathu namashumi ayisithupha
One thousand (1000)
Inkulungwane
Two thousand and fourteen (2014)
Izinkulungwane ezimbili neshumi nane
One million
Isigidi
Once
kanye
Twice
kabili
Now we will try to implement some of the numbers above into full Zulu sentences. That way you will be able to use the word not only by itself but embedded in a structure.
Zulu Numbers in a Sentence
Numbers
Zulu
Audio
I'm 30 years old
Ngineminyaka engamashumi amathathu
I have 2 sisters and 1 brother
Nginosisi ababili nobhuti oyedwa
English is my first language
Isingisi ulimi lwami lokuqala
Her second language is Spanish
Ulimi lwakhe lwesibili iSpanishi
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact me using the Zulu contact form on the header above.
Vocabulary List about School
Below is a list of 26 words related to school and classrooms. If you can memorize them by heart, you will be able communicate to a teacher/students many objects in your class.
School Words in Zulu
School
Zulu
Audio
Answer
Impendulo
Book
incwadi
Books
izincwadi
Chair
isihlalo
Desk
itafula
Dictionary
isichazamazwi
Laptop
Izilimi
Library
umtapowolwazi
Notebook (paper notebook)
Inothibhukhi
Page
ikhasi
Paper
iphepha
Pen
ipeni
Pencil
ipensela
Question
umbuzo
School
Isikole
Student
umfundi
Teacher
uthisha
University
Iyunivesithi
Daily Conversation in Zulu
Finally, a couple bonus sentences that you might find useful. For a complete list of commonly used sentences, please visit our Zulu Phrases page. Enjoy!
Common Expressions in Zulu
English
Zulu
Audio
I have a question
Nginombuzo
To listen
Ukulalela
To read
Ukufunda
To speak
Ukukhuluma
To think
Ukucabanga
To understand
Ukuqonda
To write
Ukubhala
What's the name of that book?
Yini igama laleyo ncwadi?
What do you do for a living?
Uziphilisa ngani?
I'm a (teacher / artist / engineer)
Ngingu (Thisha/umculi/unjiniyela)
Oh! That's good!
Oh! Kuhle lokho!
Can I practice with you?
Ngingaprakthiza nawe?
Fun Facts
Language Quote: Approximately one new word is added to the English language every two hours and around 4,000 new words are added to the English dictionary every year.
Congratulations! You finished your 6th lesson in Zulu about numbers, and school terms. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend Zulu Lesson 7. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn Zulu homepage.