Ngiyakukhumbula
In Zulu, 'I miss you' is expressed as Ngiyakukhumbula.
Meaning: I miss you (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The word Ngiyakukhumbula breaks down into the prefix Ngi- (I), the present tense marker -ya-, the object concord -ku- (you) and the verb stem -khumbula (remember/miss).
Which one should you use?
Ngiyakukhumbula is the standard form, while Ngikukhumbula is an informal variation. If you wish to express that you have missed someone over a period of time, you can use Ngikukhumbulile (I have missed you).
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the object concord -ku- to refer to a singular 'you'. If you are addressing more than one person, you should change the object concord from -ku- to -ni- to say Ngiyanikhumbula.
Did you know?
- The structure of Ngiyakukhumbula is agglutinative, meaning it glues several distinct pieces of information into one single word that functions as a whole sentence.
- Zulu is a tonal language, meaning the pitch used to say Ngiyakukhumbula can change the nuance of the emotion behind the statement, even if the spelling remains the same.
- The prefix Ngi- is part of a complex system of noun classes. While it means 'I' here, the entire structure of Ngiyakukhumbula is built on a system where every person and object is categorized into a specific grammatical class.
Examples in context
- Ngiyakukhumbula, sthandwa samiI miss you, my love
- Ngiyakukhumbula kakhulu.I miss you very much.
- Sthandwa sami, ngiyakukhumbula.My darling, I miss you.
- Ngiyakukhumbula njengamanje.I miss you right now.
Example conversation
Nomusa is talking to Mlungisi over a phone call.
- NomusaSawubona Mlungisi, ngiyakukhumbula.Hello Mlungisi, I miss you.
- MlungisiNgiyabonga Nomusa, nami ngiyakukhumbula.Thank you Nomusa, I miss you too.
- NomusaSizobonana nini?When will we see each other?
- MlungisiSizobonana maduze.We will see each other soon.
