ngiyakutsandza
The Swati phrase for "I love you" is ngiyakutsandza.
This phrase is used as an affirmation of romantic feeling. Because the verb stem tsandza can mean both "to love" and "to like", the specific intensity of your feeling is often understood through your tone and the context of the conversation.
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The word ngiyakutsandza is composed of several parts: the subject concord ngi- (I), the present continuous marker -ya-, the object concord -ku- (you) and the verb stem -tsandza (love/like).
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the object concord -ku- to refer to the person who is being loved.
Did you know?
- Because ngiyakutsandza uses the object concord -ku-, it is grammatically possible to use the phrase to express love for an animal or a prized possession.
- Swati is closely related to Zulu, meaning a speaker of Zulu would likely understand ngiyakutsandza even though the two languages are distinct.
- The verb stem tsandza is also used to describe a preference for a certain food or activity, making it the same word used for 'I love you' and 'I like this meal'.
Examples in context
- Ngiyakutsandza!I love you!Tatoeba #13654293 by ecorralest101, translation #2365642 by CE
- Ngiyakutsandza kakhulu.I love you very much.
- Ngifuna wati kutsi ngiyakutsandza.I want you to know that I love you.
Example conversation
Thandiswa and Musa are saying goodbye for the evening.
- ThandiswaNgiyakutsandza, Musa.I love you, Musa.
- MusaNami ngiyakutsandza, Thandiswa.I love you too, Thandiswa.
- ThandiswaLala kahle, sagi.Sleep well, darling.
- MusaLala kahle nawe.Sleep well too.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
