ngikufisela inhlanhla
To say "good luck" in Zulu, use ngikufisela inhlanhla.
The phrase is used to wish fortune upon someone or to provide encouragement.
Meaning: used to wish fortune on someone or as encouragement (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase breaks down into the verb ngikufisela, which means "I wish you" and the noun inhlanhla, which means "luck" or "fortune". Within the verb ngikufisela, the component ngi- means "I", -ku- means "you" and -fisela means "wish for".
Which one should you use?
If you are wishing luck to more than one person, you change the object marker -ku- to -ni- to say nginifisela inhlanhla.
How does it change in a sentence?
To address a group of people instead of an individual, the marker -ku- must be replaced with -ni-, resulting in nginifisela inhlanhla.
Did you know?
- The 'clicks' found in other Zulu words are absent in ngikufisela inhlanhla, making it an easy phrase for beginners to pronounce correctly.
- In Zulu, the concept of 'luck' is often perceived as something that is bestowed by ancestors rather than a random occurrence. While inhlanhla is the standard term, many people might instead pray for 'blessings' to ensure a positive outcome.
- Because Zulu is an agglutinative language, the single word ngikufisela contains the subject, the object, and the intention all bundled into one unit. This makes the phrase much denser than its English equivalent.
Examples in context
- Ubuhle bendlela kube nawe. Hamba kahle!May your journey be beautiful. Farewell!
- Ngikufisela inhlanhla emsebenzini wakho omusha.I wish you good luck in your new job.
- Ngikufisela inhlanhla kulesi silungiselelo.I wish you good luck with this preparation.
- Ngikufisela inhlanhla esivivinya sokuqala.I wish you good luck in the first trial.
Example conversation
Sipho is seeing Nomalusa off before a job interview.
- SiphoNgikufisela inhlanhla namuhla, Nomalusa.I wish you good luck today, Nomalusa.
- NomalusaNgiyabonga kakhulu, Sipho.Thank you very much, Sipho.
- SiphoUzokwenza kahle.You will do well.
- NomalusaNgiyathemba njalo.I hope so too.
