Ukuchaza Abantu Nezindawo
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Recognize the basic relative concord for common noun classes, including Class 1, 1a, 2, 7, and 9.
- Form simple relative descriptions that identify a person, object, or place, such as "the woman who works at the clinic."
- Attach a relative concord to a verb to create a descriptive clause, in the classes this chapter activates.
- Use a small set of formulaic relative expressions for classes not yet formally taught, without analyzing their internal structure.
- Read and listen to short passages that use relative description to identify people, objects, and places.
- Write short sentences that use a relative clause to identify someone or something already mentioned.
- Distinguish, in your own production, between the relative concords this chapter has activated and the ones you are only expected to recognize.
Communication Scenario
A few days after her errands, Thandeka wants to introduce Nomvula to a new neighbor, but she cannot remember his name. Instead, she describes him by what he does and where he is, the way people naturally do when a name has slipped their mind. Nomvula, in turn, describes a shop assistant and a nearby house the same way, so the two of them can identify exactly who and what they mean.
- Before you begin, think, in English, about how you identify someone whose name you do not know. Notice that you usually describe them by what they do, where they are, or what they look like, rather than by name.
- Look back briefly at the noun-class and concord tables from earlier chapters. This chapter asks you to extend concord agreement into a new function: identifying people, objects, and places through a descriptive clause.
Where This Chapter Fits
Chapter 11 opens Unit 3 of Volume II. It introduces the first new grammatical system since Chapter 7, building formally on a relative clause you already met, for recognition only, in the Chapter 9 reading passage. This chapter activates basic relative concords for productive use in a controlled set of classes, and keeps a wider range of relative patterns at a formulaic or recognition-only level, to be developed further in later chapters.
From Unit 2
Noun-class control, subject and object concords, tense and locative description, all consolidated in Chapter 10's integrated performance task.
New in This Chapter
Basic relative concords, introduced for identifying people, objects, and places in Classes 1, 1a, 2, 7, and 9.
Looking Forward
Later chapters in this unit expand relative concords to more classes and introduce the applicative extension, building on the description skills started here.
Core Vocabulary
This chapter introduces a small set of words for describing people by role, together with a few object and place nouns useful for practicing relative description. Most of the nouns below were already active in earlier chapters, or belong to noun classes you already control.
| isiZulu | English | Class |
|---|---|---|
| umakhelwane, abamakhelwane | neighbor, neighbors | 1/2 |
| umsizi, abasizi | assistant, assistants | 1/2 |
| umqashi, abaqashi | employer, employers | 1/2 |
| isitolo, izitolo | shop, shops | 7/8 |
| indlu, izindlu | house, houses | 9/10 |
| incwadi, izincwadi | book, letter, books, letters | 9/10 |
| sebenza, hlala, thenga, phatha | to work, to live/sit, to buy, to manage/hold | verb roots |
These verb roots are already familiar from earlier chapters. This chapter's new work is not the vocabulary itself, but attaching relative concords to verbs you already know.
Pronunciation and Click Review
No new click series is introduced in this chapter. This chapter reactivates the nasalized click series, nc, nq, and nx, inside longer descriptive sentences, where clicks can be harder to keep clear as sentence length grows.
Read the model dialogue below aloud slowly, then at natural speed. Keep the click in umakhelwane and any nasalized clicks you meet in this chapter's practice items clear and separate from the surrounding vowels, even as the relative clause extends the sentence.
Grammar: Relative Concords
11.1 What a relative concord does
Purpose: identify a person, object, or place by describing what they do, where they are, or what is true about them, instead of, or in addition to, naming them.
In English, a relative clause is introduced by a word such as "who," "which," or "that," for example "the woman who works at the clinic." In isiZulu, there is no separate word like this. Instead, a relative concord, a short prefix that agrees with the noun class of the person, object, or place being described, attaches directly to the verb. The relative concord replaces the ordinary subject concord in the clause it introduces.
The relative concord is not a separate word. Where English adds "who" or "which" before a verb, isiZulu changes the beginning of the verb itself. This is why relative description depends on the noun-class and concord control you have already built. A relative clause is, at its core, a verb wearing a different prefix.
11.2 Relative concords activated in this chapter
This chapter activates the relative concord for five common classes only. Other classes remain receptive until later chapters formally introduce them.
| Class | Example noun | Relative concord | Example relative form |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | umuntu (person) | o- | umuntu osebenzayo (the person who works) |
| 1a | uThandeka (name) | o- | uThandeka ohlala eduze (Thandeka, who lives nearby) |
| 2 | abantu (people) | aba- | abantu abasebenzayo (the people who work) |
| 7 | isitolo (shop) | esi- | isitolo esisha (the shop that is new) |
| 9 | indlu (house) | e- | indlu ehle (the house that is nice) |
Notice that in the affirmative present, the relative concord often adds the suffix -yo to a verb that would otherwise end plainly, when the verb stands at the end of the clause. You will see this pattern in the examples below, and it will be developed further in later chapters. For now, focus on recognizing and reproducing the whole relative form, rather than analyzing every part of it.
11.3 Formulaic relative expressions for other classes
You will meet a small number of useful relative expressions in classes this chapter does not yet activate for full analysis, such as into edingekayo (the thing that is needed) or indawo ekhona (the place that is there). Use these as fixed expressions for now. Do not attempt to build new relative forms in classes beyond the five listed above until a later chapter authorizes them.
- Ngazi umuntu osebenza emtholampilo. I know a person who works at the clinic. Class 1 relative concord o-, verb sebenza + -yo
- Sikhuluma ngesitolo esiseduze nesitobhi. We are talking about the shop that is near the transport rank. Class 7 relative concord esi-, locative-based description
- Yile ndlu ehle engiyithandayo. This is the nice house that I like. Class 9 relative concord e-, demonstrative from Chapter 3, object concord -yi- from Chapter 7
Every relative form above uses a noun class, a concord, or a verb root you have already met. The only new element is the relative concord itself, and only for the five classes listed in the table above.
Model Dialogue
Isimo: Ekuseni, uThandeka nomakhelwane wakhe omusha, uNomvula, bahamba endleleni. UThandeka ubona indoda angayazi igama layo.
Setting: In the morning, Thandeka and her new neighbor, Nomvula, are walking together. Thandeka sees a man whose name she does not know.
Nomvula smiles, now knowing who Thandeka's new neighbor is.
This dialogue introduces the Class 1, Class 7, and Class 9 relative concords activated in this chapter, alongside object concords, locative nouns, and demonstratives already familiar from earlier chapters.
Imibuzo yokuqonda — Comprehension questions:
- Umuntu uThandeka ambonayo, wenzani? (What does the person Thandeka points out do?)
- Umakhelwane omusha kaThandeka uhlala kuphi? (Where does Thandeka's new neighbor live?)
- Kungani uThandeka ethanda ukuthenga esitolo leso? (Why does Thandeka like shopping at that shop?)
Listening
Ask your instructor, a study partner, or a qualified isiZulu speaker to read the following short passage aloud at a natural, measured pace. Listen twice. On the first listen, note who is being described. On the second listen, note the relative clause used to describe each one.
If no speaker is available, this is a Listening Script for Independent Use. Read the 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.
Umakhelwane omusha — The new neighbor:
"Umakhelwane omusha kaThandeka usebenza esitolo esisha, esiseduze nesitobhi. Uhlala endlini ehle, eduze nomtholampilo. Umsizi wakhe osebenza naye unesineke, futhi uyasiza abantu ngokushesha."
Umsebenzi wokulalela — Listening task:
Complete the table with the details you hear.
| Umuntu noma indawo (Person or place) | Umusho wokuchaza (Relative clause used) |
|---|---|
| Umakhelwane | ______ |
| Isitolo | ______ |
| Indlu | ______ |
Reading
Read the following short passage, which uses relative description to identify a person, a shop, and a house. Read it aloud twice before answering the comprehension questions.
Umuntu engimaziyo — A person I know
Ngineminyaka eminingana ngazi umakhelwane othize, osebenza esitolo esiseduze nesitobhi sethu. Uhlala endlini enkulu, ehle, eseceleni komtholampilo. Umsebenzi wakhe uwukusiza abantu abathenga izinto ezincane nezinkulu. Abantu abaningi abamaziyo bathi ungumsizi onesineke, futhi lowo umsizi uhlale ekhona uma udinga usizo. Ngithanda ukuya esitolo sakhe, ngoba isitolo leso siyingcono kunezinye ezikude nekhaya.
Imibuzo yokuqonda — Comprehension questions:
- Umuntu ochazwayo, usebenza kuphi? (Where does the person being described work?)
- Uhlala endlini enjani? (What kind of house does he live in?)
- Abantu abamaziyo bathini ngaye? (What do the people who know him say about him?)
- Kungani umbhali ethanda ukuya esitolo sakhe? (Why does the writer like going to his shop?)
Writing Workshop
In this chapter, you will write short sentences that identify a person, an object, or a place using a relative clause from the five classes this chapter has activated.
Umsebenzi wokubhala — Writing task: Write six to eight sentences describing three people, objects, or places you know, real or invented, each identified through a relative clause. Use at least two different relative concords from the table in this chapter, and include at least one locative or object concord from an earlier chapter inside a relative clause.
- Choose your three subjects. In English, list a person, an object or place, and a second person or place you want to describe.
- Match the class. For each one, identify its noun class and the correct relative concord from the table in this chapter.
- Build the relative clause. Attach the relative concord to a verb that tells the listener what the person, object, or place does or where it is.
- Add one supporting detail. Extend at least one sentence with a locative phrase or an object concord from an earlier chapter.
- Check class agreement. Confirm that every relative concord you used matches the noun class of what it describes.
- Audit your draft. Compare each relative form against the table in section 11.2, and make sure no relative concord outside the five activated classes has been invented.
Isikhungo sokuhlola — Editing checklist:
- Every relative concord used matches the noun class of the person, object, or place it describes.
- At least two different relative concords from this chapter's table appear in the writing.
- At least one relative clause includes a locative or object concord from an earlier chapter.
- No relative concord outside Classes 1, 1a, 2, 7, and 9 has been produced independently.
- Standard isiZulu spelling, capitalization, and punctuation are used throughout.
Speaking Practice
Ukuzilolonga — Controlled practice: describing without naming
Your partner thinks of a person, object, or place from earlier chapters without naming it. Ask questions and offer relative descriptions, such as Ingabe umuntu osebenza esitolo? (Is it a person who works at a shop?), until you identify what your partner is thinking of.
Umsebenzi wokuxhumana — Communicative task: introducing a stranger
Working with a partner, take turns playing Thandeka and Nomvula from the model dialogue. Invent a new person, shop, or house not mentioned in the dialogue, and describe it using a relative clause, before your partner guesses who or what you mean.
Useful checking expressions: Ngubani lowo? (Who is that?) | Yikuphi lokho? (Which one is that?) | Uqonde bani? (Who do you mean?)
Ukuzilolonga wedwa — Solo alternative
Record yourself describing three people or places you know, real or invented, using a relative clause for each. Listen back, and check that each relative concord matches its noun class correctly.
Culture and Communication
In many everyday conversations, it is common and entirely acceptable to identify someone by what they do or where they can be found, rather than by name, particularly when the name is unknown or momentarily forgotten. Describing someone as "the person who works at the shop near the transport rank" is a normal, respectful way to refer to them.
When describing a shop assistant, neighbor, or other person who provides a service, it is common to include a brief remark about their character, such as patience or helpfulness, as part of the description itself. This reflects a broader communicative habit of noting not just what someone does, but how they do it.
Some speakers favor brief, minimal relative descriptions, offering just enough detail for identification, while others include richer detail as a matter of conversational style. Both approaches are common, and this textbook models a moderately detailed style to give learners full practice with the concords in this chapter.
Common Mistakes
Error: Keeping the plain subject concord in a descriptive clause, for example saying umuntu usebenza esitolo when a relative clause is intended, rather than switching to the relative concord.
Correction: Replace the ordinary subject concord with the matching relative concord when the clause is identifying or describing the noun: umuntu osebenza esitolo, not a plain subject-concord clause standing in for a relative one.
Error: Applying a Class 1 relative concord to a Class 7 or Class 9 noun, or the reverse, for example saying isitolo osebenza instead of matching the concord to the shop's own class.
Correction: Always match the relative concord to the class of the noun it describes: isitolo esisebenzayo for Class 7, indlu esebenzayo is incorrect for a house, but indlu ehle for Class 9 shows the correct match.
Error: Attempting to construct a relative concord for a class not yet activated, such as Class 5 or Class 11, by guessing a pattern from the five classes already learned.
Correction: Use only the fixed, formulaic expressions given for other classes until a later chapter formally activates them. Do not build new relative forms outside Classes 1, 1a, 2, 7, and 9 at this stage.
Chapter Review
Ingxenye A — Ukwakha (Building relative clauses)
1. Bhala umusho owodwa osebenzisa isabizwana sokuchaza sohlobo 1, ochaza umuntu othile: (Write one sentence using the Class 1 relative concord, describing a particular person.)
Ingxenye B — Isigabisigabi (Grammar)
1. Gcwalisa isikhala ngesabizwana esifanele sokuchaza: (Fill in the blank with the correct relative concord.)
- Isitolo ___sisha sisondele nendlu yami. (esi / o / e)
- Indlu ___hle iseduze nomtholampilo. (esi / o / e)
- Abantu ___sebenza lapho banesineke. (aba / o / esi)
2. Guqula lo musho ube umusho wokuchaza, usebenzisa isabizwana esifanele: (Transform this sentence into a relative description, using the correct concord.)
Umuntu usebenza esitolo. → Umuntu ______ esitolo.
Ingxenye C — Ukufunda (Reading)
1. Buyela ohlangothini lokufunda, uphendule: (Return to the reading section, and answer.)
- Umakhelwane othize usebenza kuphi?
- Abantu abamaziyo bathini ngaye?
Ingxenye D — Ukubhala (Writing)
1. Bhala imisho emithathu, uchaze umuntu, into, nendawo, usebenzisa isabizwana esifanele sokuchaza kunhlobo ngayinye. (Write three sentences, describing a person, an object, and a place, using the correct relative concord for each class.)
Ingxenye E — Ukukhuluma (Speaking)
1. Chaza umuntu omaziyo kumngane wakho, ungasho igama lakhe, kodwa usebenzise umusho wokuchaza ukuze amazi. (Describe someone you know to your partner, without saying their name, using a relative clause so they can identify who you mean.)
Ukubuyekezwa okuhlanganisiwe — Cumulative review from Chapters 7 through 10
Choose the correct word or form in brackets to complete this short account, drawing on object concords, locatives, and this chapter's relative concords together.
Umakhelwane [osebenza / usebenza] esitolo ___[esisha / osha] uhlala endlini [ehle / esihle], [eduze / kude] nomtholampilo. Ngithanda ukuthenga esitolo sakhe, ngoba umsizi [omusha / owmusha] osebenza naye una[sineke / kusineke].
Answer Key
Dialogue — Comprehension
- Usebenza esitolo esiphesheya.
- Uhlala endlini ehle, eduze nomtholampilo.
- Ngoba umsizi omusha osebenza lapho unesineke.
Listening
- Umakhelwane — usebenza esitolo esisha, eseduze nesitobhi.
- Isitolo — esiseduze nesitobhi.
- Indlu — ehle, eduze nomtholampilo.
Reading — Comprehension
- Usebenza esitolo esiseduze nesitobhi sabo.
- Endlini enkulu, ehle, eseceleni komtholampilo.
- Bathi ungumsizi onesineke.
- Ngoba isitolo sakhe siyingcono kunezinye ezikude nekhaya.
Chapter Review — Ingxenye B
- (a) esi (b) e (c) aba
- Umuntu osebenza esitolo.
Chapter Review — Ingxenye C
- (a) Usebenza esitolo esiseduze nesitobhi sabo. (b) Bathi ungumsizi onesineke.
Cumulative Review — Correct answers
osebenza / esisha / ehle / eduze / omusha / unesineke
Looking Ahead
Okungakwenzeka manje — What you can do now
You can now identify people, objects, and places using a relative clause in Classes 1, 1a, 2, 7, and 9, combining this new system with the noun-class, concord, and locative control built across Volume II so far. This opens Unit 3, and prepares you for reasons, explanations, and opinions in the next chapter.