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The Ndebele Beginner Course 1 is a 20-lesson series that introduces the basics of the Ndebele language. If you are a complete beginner, this course is for you. In this series, you will learn common words used for everyday items in Ndebele. You will learn their plurals, and find out how we describe these items as either big or small. You will also be introduced to simple sentences that describe common actions during this course. Ndebele doing words (verbs) are an important part of conversation. You will be taught these in the course as well. The last lesson introduces the much talked-about Ndebele clicks. After going through it, you should have a vivid idea of what these clicks sound like (It's important to note that they are not as difficult as people say they are). Considering that every lesson builds upon previous lessons, you must take the lessons in order. Use the Powerpoint slides to revise the content on your own or with the help of a friend, this will help you recall the concepts learnt and keep the vocabulary fresh in your mind. Also, I encourage you to say all the words and sentences out loud as you go through the lectures to get your pronunciation right from the word go. The Ndebele beginner course is given in simple English, so it should be fairly simple to follow. I hope you enjoy and understand the content.
In this introductory lesson, you will learn how to greet people in Ndebele. There is a greeting we use when addressing one person and another we use for many people. Also, you need to know how to greet a person you respect, in Ndebele. Find out how to use all these different greetings in the lesson!
Next, you want to introduce yourself like, "Hi, my name is Bongiwe" and also how to introduce other people, for example, "This is my father...this is a boy...this is my friend" Watch the video to learn how to say all this.
This lesson will teach you how to use the Ndebele possessive adjective 'my'. In lesson 1, you learnt the names of different people. Let's see how many of them you recall as you learn how to use them in the sentence, "This is my brother, mother, etc"
After this lesson, you'll be able to identify common animals by their Ndebele names. You will also learn how to say, "This is a --" for animals like the dog, pig, cow, etc.
Learn the Ndebele words for items found in and around the house in this lesson. By the end f the lesson you will know how to say, "I can see a bed, window, door, etc"
In today's lecture you will learn the Ndebele words that describe outdoor items such as grass, stones, the rain. Also, you will practice saying, "I can see --" while referring to the items one at a time.
You want to be able to respond to the question, "Where is the cat, donkey, bird etc" In this lesson, you'll learn how to help out when someone is looking for their pet or other animals by telling them "It's here" in Ndebele.
This lesson teaches you how to describe your household items. You may need to emphasize that "This is my bed, chair, table, etc" in case people are misusing these. Find out how to say it in Ndebele.
How can you express yourself in Zim Ndebele when you're looking for something? This is one of the most useful phrases you'll need in everyday speech. Find out how to say "I'm looking for the road, leaves, the kids etc" in today's lecture.
When learning Ndebele, you will need to know commonly-used expressions such as "I'm sorry... May I ask...What's your name" Let's see how many of these you grasp by the end of the lecture today!
Verbs (action words) are very important in any language. You need to know how to describe actions taken by people at various points, for example, "The boy is playing...mother is bathing... the child is brushing her teeth" Tune into today's lecture to learn how to describe, in Ndebele, simple actions taken by people.
Building up from lesson 10, today you get to learn how to describe actions taken by a group of people, it could be two or more girls, mothers, or grannies. Learn how to use Ndebele verbs for more than one person at a time.
The dog is barking, the lion is roaring, or the goat is eating. At the end of this lecture, you will learn how to say all these sentences and more in Ndebele.
In this lesson, you will learn how to describe actions taken by two or more dogs, cats, horses, rabbits etc. For example, you'll learn the Ndebel phrase for, "The dogs are barking."
What are the Ndebele plurals for words like bag, bedroom, and wall? Find out in today's lecture!
You already know the words describing outdoor items, like ball, stone, sun, etc. Find out what their plurals are in today's lecture. You will also learn how to point at them and say, "These are stones, balls, etc"
In Ndebele, words come in groups. Each group has similarly-structured words. This lesson covers the first group of words that are described as 'encane' or 'enkulu' for the small and big items. Find out which words belong to this group.
N.B You already know these words from previous lectures.
Today, we tackle a group of Ndebele words that are described as 'esikhulu' and 'esincane' for the big and small items. Find out which words belong to this group and practice saying "I can see a small/big --"
Discover a third group of Ndebele words and how we describe them as being either big or small in today's lesson.
The 4th group of words are described as 'elincane' and 'elikhulu' when we speak of big and small items. Let's see how many of these you can describe by the end of this lesson.
Ndebele is known for its clicks. Syllables like xa, nxa, xha, make distinct clicking sounds that some beginners find difficult to pronounce. I hope this lesson makes teaches you how to pronounce the 'xa' sound correctly. Hopefully you're convinced by the end of the lesson that Ndebele clicks are actually simple!
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Lessons build logically on previous material.
Helps beginners understand and pronounce Ndebele clicks.
Provides a strong starting point for learning Ndebele.
Course content is presented in an easy-to-understand way.
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