Talk, Taura
Based on Joseph Musiiwa's bilingual reader Talk, Taura: English, Shona readers — built to teach in both directions, the same way the book does.
Flashcards
Practice
Test yourself on the category you're studying.
What does this mean?
Word building
Most Shona words are a small prefix joined to a root. The prefix tells you the noun class — is it a person, a thing, a place, a big version, a small version?
| Prefix | Example | Meaning |
|---|
Which prefix completes this word?
Endings like -angu (mine), -ako (yours), and -edu (ours) attach to a concord that matches the noun's class — that's why the ending changes shape depending on the word.
| Form | Example | Meaning |
|---|
In sentences:
Which form matches this meaning?
Word building
Some noun classes change shape for "more than one." Others — mostly class 9/10, and many borrowed words — stay exactly the same; you can only tell the number from the rest of the sentence, the same way imbwa yangu vs. imbwa dzangu worked above.
| One | Meaning | Many | Meaning |
|---|
| Word | Meaning |
|---|
Word building
Shona has a built-in way to show respect: swap the informal "u-" for "mu-"/"ma-" when speaking to an elder, a stranger, or someone you want to honor — the same shift you'd make between "you" (casual) and a more formal address.
| Informal / casual | Respectful / elder | Meaning |
|---|
Put it together
Fill the blank using words you've already learned.