Nĩ mũvea
The English phrase "thank you" is expressed in Kamba as Nĩ mũvea.
Nĩ mũvea is the standard way to express gratitude in Kamba.
Meaning: an expression of gratitude (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase means "It is good" or "It is kind". The word nĩ means "it is" and mũvea relates to goodness or kindness.
How does it change in a sentence?
Nĩ mũvea is a fixed expression of gratitude and does not change its form based on whether you are thanking one person or many people.
Did you know?
- In some Kamba-speaking communities, a person might respond to Nĩ mũvea by saying 'Karibu', which is a borrowed term from Swahili meaning 'welcome'.
- Kamba is a Bantu language, meaning the root of mũvea shares a distant linguistic ancestor with words for 'goodness' in languages spoken thousands of miles away in Central Africa.
- Because Nĩ mũvea translates to 'It is good', it can also be used as a general exclamation of satisfaction when tasting food or experiencing something pleasant, much like saying 'That's great!' in English.
Examples in context
- Nĩ mũvea mũno.Thank you very much.
- Nĩ mũvea kwa kũũthĩĩa.Thank you for helping.
- Nĩ mũvea kwa kũndasya.Thank you for teaching me.
Example conversation
Mutua gives Mutheu a gift.
- MutheuNĩ mũvea, Mutua!Thank you, Mutua!
- MutuaTĩ ĩũ, Mutheu.You are welcome, Mutheu.
- MutheuNĩ mũvea mũno kwa kĩndũ kĩĩ.Thank you so much for this thing.
- MutuaNĩ kĩndũ kĩnini.It is a small thing.
