nuna wa mina
To say "my husband" in Tsonga, use nuna wa mina.
The phrase is used to refer to the man to whom a woman is married.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of nuna (husband), wa (of) and mina (me).
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "my husband", the possessive particle wa is used to link the noun nuna to the pronoun mina.
Did you know?
- The word wa in the phrase nuna wa mina shares an ancient linguistic root with the Proto-Bantu verb meaning 'to fall'.
- Tsonga is a tonal language, meaning the pitch used when saying nuna can change the meaning of the word entirely.
- In some contexts, the way a woman refers to her husband can change based on whether she is speaking to her in-laws or her own parents.
Examples in context
- Nuna wa mina u ya swendlweni.My husband is going to the church.
Example conversation
Ntsiki and Hlongwane are talking about her family.
- HlongwaneNtsiki, xana nuna wa wena u kona?Ntsiki, is your husband here?
- NtsikiAhi, nuna wa mina u nga le kaya.No, my husband is at home.
- HlongwaneNuna wa wena u tshama ntsosha?Does your husband live nearby?
- NtsikiEe, nuna wa mina u tshama kusuwini.Yes, my husband lives nearby.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries wa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
