Umndeni Owandisiwe, Umlando, Nomphakathi
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Name and describe extended family members, using class 1a/2a kinship terms alongside the terms already active from Volume I.
- Distinguish, in simple terms, between events that feel recently relevant and events located further in the past, and choose the correct past-tense form for each.
- Introduce a short personal or family history using recent past and remote past narration together.
- Use the connector ukuthi to report what someone said, knows, or believes, in a short complement clause.
- Describe a community, neighbourhood, or hometown using vocabulary from familiar noun classes.
- Read and listen to a short biography and identify its sequence of events.
- Write a short, organized biography of a real or invented family member.
- Continue applying the concord audit habit from Chapter 1 to a wider range of nouns and a wider range of verb forms.
Communication Scenario
A week after her visit to Nomvula's new homestead, Zanele invites Nomvula to a small family gathering. Over tea, Zanele's grandmother, uGogo, begins telling Nomvula about the family, and about the neighbourhood the family has lived in for many years. Nomvula listens carefully, then shares a little of her own family background in return. As the two families get to know each other more deeply, the conversation naturally moves from the present into the past, and from individual people into the wider community around them.
- Before you begin, list, in English, the members of your own extended family that you would want to mention first in a conversation like this.
- Think of one event from your family's past that you consider recent, and one that you consider more distant. You will return to this distinction later in the chapter.
Where This Chapter Fits
Chapter 1 reactivated and widened the noun classes, subject concords, and present, past, and future patterns consolidated in Volume I. This chapter keeps that foundation fully in place and adds two new, carefully controlled tools: a second past-tense form for narrating events further back in time, and a simple way to report what someone has said or knows. Nothing from Chapter 1 is replaced. Everything here is added alongside it.
From Chapter 1
Concord audit, class 1/2, 3/4, 7/8, and 9/10 vocabulary, and the present, past, and future patterns from Volume I.
New in This Chapter
Class 1a/2a extended family terms, recent past versus remote past narration, and reported speech with ukuthi.
Looking Forward
Object concords, in Chapter 7, will let you refer back to people and things already mentioned, without repeating the noun.
Vocabulary: Extended Family and Community
This chapter widens your kinship vocabulary within class 1a/2a, the class already used for family terms such as ubaba and umama in Volume I. It also adds a small set of community words drawn from noun classes already active. No new noun class is introduced here.
Umndeni owandisiwe — Extended family (class 1a/2a)
| isiZulu | English | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| ugogo | grandmother | ogogo |
| umkhulu | grandfather | omkhulu |
| umalume | maternal uncle | omalume |
| ubabekazi | paternal aunt | obabekazi |
| umzala | cousin | omzala |
| udadewethu | my sister | odadewethu |
Umphakathi — Community (familiar classes, widened)
| isiZulu | English | Class |
|---|---|---|
| umphakathi | community | class 3/4, new item, familiar class |
| idolobha | town | class 5/6, new item, familiar class |
| isakhamuzi | resident | class 7/8, new item, familiar class |
| indawo | place | class 9/10, reviewed from Volume I |
Every class shown above was already active by the end of Volume I. Continue auditing each new word's class before choosing its concords.
Pronunciation and Click Review
This chapter's vocabulary includes several words without clicks, alongside a few click-bearing words from earlier chapters that will reappear in the reading and listening passages. Keep your click production steady as sentences grow longer.
Practise the penultimate lengthening in umkhulu, umalume, and ubabekazi. Longer kinship words can tempt learners to stress the wrong syllable. Say each word slowly, then say it inside a full sentence, keeping the lengthening on the second-to-last syllable of the whole phrase, not just the word in isolation.
Grammar: Two Ways of Narrating the Past
2.1 Recent past and remote past
Purpose: choose between two past-tense forms, depending on whether an event feels closely connected to the present or belongs to a more distant stretch of time.
Volume I introduced a single past-tense pattern for talking about things that already happened. This chapter introduces a second past-tense form and teaches you, for the first time, when isiZulu speakers generally choose one over the other.
The recent past, sometimes called the perfect, is built with the subject concord plus the verb stem plus the suffix -ile. It is generally used for events that feel close to now, or whose result is still relevant.
The remote past is built with the subject concord plus -a- plus the verb stem plus the final vowel -a. It is generally used for events set further back in time, or for narrating a connected sequence of past events, such as in a story or biography.
- Ugogo wazalwa eMgungundlovu. Grandmother was born in Pietermaritzburg. remote past, distant biographical fact
- Umzala wami ufikile izolo. My cousin arrived yesterday. recent past, still relevant now
Note on scope: This chapter activates the recent past and remote past for simple, single-clause statements only. Negative past forms, and past-tense relative clauses, remain outside this chapter's scope.
2.2 Reporting with ukuthi
Purpose: introduce a short, connected way to report what someone said, knows, thinks, or believes.
The word ukuthi (that) connects a main clause, such as I know or Grandmother says, to a second clause that reports the content. The second clause keeps its own ordinary subject concord and tense, exactly as it would as an independent sentence.
- Ugogo uthi umkhulu wafunda eThekwini. Grandmother says that grandfather studied in Durban.
- Ngiyazi ukuthi umzala wami usebenza edolobheni. I know that my cousin works in town.
A reported clause is simply an ordinary sentence placed after ukuthi. You do not need a new verb form to report speech. You only need a clause that is already correct on its own, joined to the main clause by ukuthi. This keeps reported speech well within the systems this volume has activated so far.
Model Dialogue
Isimo: Ekuseni, ekhaya kaZanele, uNomvula ubingelela uGogo.
Setting: In the morning, at Zanele's home, Nomvula greets Grandmother.
This dialogue uses the recent past, the remote past, and one reported clause with ukuthi. Every noun class and subject concord was already active by the end of Chapter 1.
Imibuzo yokuqonda — Comprehension questions:
- Ugogo wazalwa kuphi? (Where was Grandmother born?)
- Umkhulu wafundaphi? (Where did Grandfather study?)
- Ubabekazi kaNomvula ufike nini? (When did Nomvula's aunt arrive?)
- Umzala kaNomvula usebenza kuphi manje? (Where does Nomvula's cousin work now?)
Listening
Ask your instructor, a study partner, or a qualified isiZulu speaker to read the following short passages aloud at a natural, measured pace. Listen twice for each item. On the first listen, identify whether the passage is about a recent event or a more distant one. On the second listen, write down the key detail requested.
If no speaker is available, this is a Listening Script for Independent Use. Read each passage aloud yourself at a measured pace, pausing naturally between sentences. All audio models must be verified by a qualified isiZulu speaker before being treated as a pronunciation model.
1. Umkhulu kaZanele — Zanele's grandfather:
"Umkhulu wazalwa eMgungundlovu, futhi wafunda edolobheni eliseduze. Wasebenza kulo mphakathi iminyaka eminingi."
2. Ubabekazi kaNomvula — Nomvula's aunt:
"Ubabekazi ufikile izolo, evela edolobheni. Uzohlala nomndeni kaNomvula isonto lonke."
Umsebenzi wokulalela — Listening task:
Complete the table with the details you hear.
| Isiqephu (Passage) | Isikhathi (Recent or remote) | Okubalulekile okushiwo (Key detail) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ______ | ______ |
| 2 | ______ | ______ |
Reading
Read the following short biography, which combines recent past, remote past, and one reported clause with ukuthi. Read it aloud twice before answering the comprehension questions.
Umlando kagogo — Grandmother's story
Ugogo wami wazalwa eMgungundlovu, iminyaka eminingi edlule. Wafunda esikoleni esiseduze, wabe eseya edolobheni ukuyosebenza. Umkhulu wazalwa kulo mphakathi futhi, futhi bafunda esikoleni esifanayo. Ugogo uthi bathandana beselula, futhi bashada ngemva kweminyaka embalwa. Manje bahlala kule ndawo, futhi umndeni wabo mkhulu kakhulu. Izolo, umzala wami ufikile ukuzobona ugogo nomkhulu. Ngiyajabula ukuzwa umlando womndeni wami.
This passage narrates a connected sequence in the remote past, alongside one recent-past event and one clause reported with ukuthi. No item requires unscheduled grammar.
Imibuzo yokuqonda — Comprehension questions:
- Ugogo wazalwa kuphi? (Where was Grandmother born?)
- Ugogo nomkhulu bafunda kuphi? (Where did Grandmother and Grandfather study?)
- Ugogo uthini ngothando lwabo? (What does Grandmother say about their courtship?)
- Kwenzekani izolo? (What happened yesterday?)
Writing Workshop
In this chapter, you will write a short biography of a real or invented family member, combining recent past, remote past, and at least one reported clause with ukuthi.
Umsebenzi wokubhala — Writing task: Write six to eight sentences describing a family member's background, including where they were born, one thing they did in the more distant past, one thing that happened recently, and one detail reported using ukuthi.
- Choose your subject. Decide which family member you will describe, and note their kinship term and noun class.
- Open with origin. State where they were born, using the remote past.
- Add distant history. Describe one thing they did or experienced further in the past.
- Add a recent event. Describe one thing that has happened recently, using the recent past.
- Report something. Add one sentence reporting what someone says or knows about this person, using ukuthi.
- Audit your draft. Check every noun's class, every concord, and every verb form before writing your final version.
Isikhungo sokuhlola — Editing checklist:
- At least one sentence uses the remote past correctly.
- At least one sentence uses the recent past correctly.
- At least one sentence includes a clause reported with ukuthi.
- Every noun's class has been identified before choosing its concords.
- No unscheduled vocabulary or grammar appears beyond Volume I and Chapters 1 and 2.
- Each sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with appropriate punctuation.
Speaking Practice
Ukuzilolonga — Controlled practice: recent or remote?
Your partner reads a short statement about a family event. Respond by identifying whether it is a recent-past or remote-past statement, then restate it in the other past tense if the meaning allows. Check each other's forms before swapping roles.
Umsebenzi wokuxhumana — Communicative task: a family history interview
Working with a partner, interview each other about a family member. Ask at least four questions covering where the person was born, something from their more distant past, something recent, and one thing you have heard someone else say about them, using ukuthi in your answer.
Useful checking expressions: Ngiyaqonda. (I understand.) | Ngicela uphinde. (Please repeat.) | Kuyathakazelisa lokho. (That is interesting.)
Ukuzilolonga wedwa — Solo alternative
Record yourself narrating the biography you wrote in the Writing Workshop as a spoken monologue. Listen back and check that your recent past, remote past, and reported clause all remain accurate.
Culture and Communication
In many isiZulu speaking families, grandparents and older relatives are commonly treated as the primary narrators of family history. Listening attentively while an elder tells a family story, without interrupting, is often considered an important sign of respect, and is a natural setting in which recent and remote past narration both appear together.
Kinship terms such as umalume and ubabekazi describe specific relationships on particular sides of the family, in ways that do not always map neatly onto single English words such as uncle or aunt. Learners should listen for how a speaker uses each term in context, rather than assuming a one-to-one translation in every family.
Some families and communities favour longer, more detailed accounts of family history, while others favour shorter, more compressed accounts. This textbook continues to model common, widely recognized standard forms. Keep asking isiZulu speaking friends, family members, or instructors how their own families typically tell these stories.
Common Mistakes
Error: Describing where a grandparent was born using the recent past, such as wazelwe treated as though it behaved exactly like ufikile, without considering how far back the event lies.
Correction: Use the remote past for distant biographical narration: Ugogo wazalwa eMgungundlovu. Reserve the recent past for events that feel closely connected to the present moment.
Error: Joining two independent statements without a connector, as though English word order alone were enough to signal that the second clause is being reported, for example placing two full sentences side by side with no linking word.
Correction: Connect the two clauses explicitly: Ugogo uthi umkhulu wafunda eThekwini. The word ukuthi or the shorter form uthi signals clearly that a report follows.
Error: Treating a new kinship term such as umalume as though it required a different subject concord from ubaba, simply because it is a newly learned word.
Correction: New class 1a/2a nouns take the same concord pattern as any other member of that class: Umalume ufikile izolo. A concord audit prevents this error before it happens.
Chapter Review
Ingxenye A — Amagama (Vocabulary)
1. Bhala incazelo yesiNgisi yalawa magama: ugogo, umkhulu, umalume, ubabekazi, umzala. (Write the English meaning of each of these words.)
Ingxenye B — Isigabisigabi (Grammar)
1. Khetha isikhathi esifanele, esiseduze noma esikude: (Choose the correct past tense, recent or remote.)
- Ugogo ______ (zalwa) eMgungundlovu, iminyaka eminingi edlule.
- Umzala wami ______ (fika) izolo.
2. Hlanganisa lawa magama abili ngo-ukuthi: (Join these two sentences using ukuthi.)
Ngiyazi. + Umalume usebenza edolobheni. → ______
Ingxenye C — Ukufunda (Reading)
1. Funda leli phuzu, uphendule imibuzo: (Read this line, and answer the questions.)
"Ugogo uthi bathandana beselula, futhi bashada ngemva kweminyaka embalwa."
- Ubani othi bathandana beselula?
- Bashadanini?
Ingxenye D — Ukubhala (Writing)
1. Bhala izinhlamvu ezimbalwa ezichaza umlando womuntu othile emndenini wakho, usebenzisa isikhathi esiseduze, esikude, kanye no-ukuthi. (Write several sentences describing a family member's history, using the recent past, the remote past, and ukuthi.)
Ingxenye E — Ukukhuluma (Speaking)
1. Xoxa nomngane wakho ngomunye wamalungu omndeni wakho, umtshela lapho azalelwa khona, kanye nokuthile okwenzeke muva nje. (Talk with your partner about one of your family members, telling them where that person was born and something that has happened recently.)
Ukubuyekezwa okuhlanganisiwe — Cumulative review from Chapter 1
Choose the correct word or form in brackets to complete this short exchange, drawing on patterns consolidated in Chapter 1 and reactivated in this chapter.
[Sawubona / Kuqala], Gogo. [Ngiyajabula / Ngicela] ukukubona lapha. [Umuzi / Umphakathi] lo mkhulu kakhulu. Ugogo uthi [umkhulu / umnyango] [wazalwa / uzalwa] lapha. [Izolo / Kusasa], umzala wami [ufikile / uzofika] evela edolobheni.
Chapter 2 Performance Task
Umsebenzi wesibili weVolumu II
Umlando womndeni — A family history
Complete a full speaking and writing task in three stages, drawing on the recent past, remote past, and reported speech developed in this chapter:
- Ukwethula (Introducing). Introduce one extended family member to your partner or instructor, naming their kinship term and one thing about where they were born.
- Ukulandisa (Narrating). Narrate two further details about that person, one from the more distant past and one recent, and report one thing someone else has said about them, using ukuthi.
- Ukubhala (Written component). Write six to eight sentences that bring together your family member's origin, one distant event, one recent event, and one reported detail, based on the speaking task above. Submit with standard isiZulu spelling, correct capitalization and punctuation, and no analytical hyphens in ordinary writing.
Answer Key
Dialogue — Comprehension
- Ugogo wazalwa eMgungundlovu.
- Umkhulu wafunda edolobheni eliseduze.
- Ubabekazi kaNomvula ufike izolo.
- Umzala kaNomvula usebenza edolobheni manje.
Listening
- Passage 1 — Grandfather: remote, born in Pietermaritzburg, studied nearby, worked in the community for many years.
- Passage 2 — Aunt: recent, arrived yesterday from town, will stay the whole week.
Reading — Comprehension
- Ugogo wazalwa eMgungundlovu.
- Bafunda esikoleni esifanayo, eseduze komphakathi.
- Ugogo uthi bathandana beselula, futhi bashada ngemva kweminyaka embalwa.
- Izolo, umzala wami ufikile ukuzobona ugogo nomkhulu.
Chapter Review — Ingxenye A
ugogo = grandmother; umkhulu = grandfather; umalume = maternal uncle; ubabekazi = paternal aunt; umzala = cousin.
Chapter Review — Ingxenye B
- (a) wazalwa (b) ufikile
- Ngiyazi ukuthi umalume usebenza edolobheni.
Chapter Review — Ingxenye C
- (a) Ugogo nomkhulu. (b) Ngemva kweminyaka embalwa.
Cumulative Review — Correct answers
Sawubona / Ngiyajabula / Umphakathi / umkhulu / wazalwa / Izolo / ufikile
Looking Ahead
Okungakwenzeka manje — What you can do now
You can now describe extended family members using class 1a/2a kinship terms, narrate a short family history using both recent and remote past tenses, and report what someone else has said using ukuthi. Together with the concord audit habit from Chapter 1, these tools let you talk about people and events with much greater depth than in Volume I.