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Basic Shona Travel Phrases: Greetings

Writer: Roxy Fleming
Roxy Fleming
Oct 29
3 min read

Spoken in:Ā Zimbabwe; also Botswana, Mozambique, and Zambia.Ā 

Language known locally as:Ā chiShona.Ā 

Alphabet:Ā Latin alphabet.


Travelling to a Shona speaking country and don't know a word of Shona?


No problem!


Travel With Confidence has you covered!!!


I'm Roxy, a veteran solo traveler who has been on the road since 2008. Every time I visited a new country, I found I needed to know a certain set of phrases to win the smiles of the locals 😃 After a while I realised I had created a master list of travel phrases; and I knew that if I had these phrases translated before landing in my new destination, then I would leave there with more than just photos and memories, I’d leave knowing I’d connected with the people who made each place special.Ā You see I learnt that you don’t need to be fluent in a language to make a big difference; sometimes, just a few simple phrases can turn a stranger into a friend.



  • Travel With Confidence
  • Travel With Confidence
  • Travel With Confidence
  • Travel With Confidence

I began buying travel phrasebooks but soon realised they were full of unnecessary phrases which were simply added in to fill pages! All that meant was carrying around dead weight. šŸ‘ŽšŸ¼ No thank you!


That's why I decided to create my own phrasebook!


What began as a personal project, evolved into a mission to help fellow travelers worldwide. With the help of native speakers I met along my way, I began translating my list of phrases into 114 languages. Why 114 you ask? There are over 7,000 languages worldwide, but I determined that all you would need is 114 languages to communicate in every single country. 😮


I have now published my translations in a book called Travel With Confidence The World Phrasebook; which is available to download or purchase from Amazon.


In the meantime, here are my basic Shona travel phrases, for free šŸ¤‘


Basic Shona Travel Phrases

Shona Greetings


English

Shona

Pronunciation

Hello

Mhoro

mho-roh

Good morning

Mangwanani

mahn-gwa-nah-nee

Good afternoon

Masikati

mah-see-kah-tee

Good evening

Manheru

mah-neh-roo

Goodnight

Urare (inf) / Murare (form) zvakanaka

oo-rah-reh / moo-rah-reh zva-kah-nah-kah

Goodbye

Sara (inf) / Sarai (form) zvakanaka

sah-rah / sah-rai zvah-kah-nah-kah

Have a nice day

Iva nezuva rakanaka

ah-vah neh-zoo-vah rah-kah-nah-kah

How are you?

Wakadini zvako? (Inf) / Makadii? (Form)

wah-kah-dee-nee zvah-koh? / mah-kah-dee-ee?

I’m good, and you?

Ndiri bho, iwe? (Inf) / Ndiripo, makadiiwo? (Form)

ndee-ree bhoh, ee-weh? / n-dee-ree-poh, mah-kah-dee-ee-woh?

Please

Ndapota

n-dah-poh-tah

Thank you

Ndatenda

ndah-ten-dah

You’re welcome

Zvakanaka

zvah-kah-nah-kah

Enjoy your meal

Idyai makasununguka

ee-dy-eye mah-kah-soo-noo-ng-goo-kah

I love you

Ndinokuda

n-dee-noh-koo-dah

What’s your name?

Zita rako ndiani?

zee-tah rah-koh-n-dee-ah-nee?

My name is ____

Zita rangu ndi ___

zee-tah rah-n-goo n-dee ___

Nice to meet you

Ndafara kukuona

ndah-fah-rah koo-koo-oh-nah

Where are you from?

Munobva kupi?

moo-noh-bvah koo-pee?

I’m from ____

Ndinobva ku ___

n-dee-noh-bvah koo ___

I’m ____

Ndiri ____

n-dee-ree ____

Cheers!

Rufaro kwamuri!

roo-fah-roh kwah-moo-ree


Now you've got all the Shona Greetings travel phrases nailed, search through my other blogs to find:


  • Shona Travel BasicsĀ Travel Phrases

  • Shona Food & Dining Travel Phrases

  • Shona Days & Numbers Travel Phrases


I'm busy uploading my entire book onto this website, so you can have it all for free. Why? Because I know that not everyone can afford to buy everything they want. I was a poor traveler for MANY years myself, so I know the struggle!


Therefore these blogs are my gift to travelers worldwide šŸŽ


However, if you don't want to spend all day searching through blogs and want your very own copy of my book to have at hand, when and where you need it, then head over to Amazon now and grab a copy.


The best thing about having your very own copy is:


You won't ever have to rely on wifi or data to communicate what you need!


From my many years of travel, this is without a doubt THE BEST REASON TO OWN MY BOOK!


You may think that everywhere has wifi or signal these days because that's the world you are used to. But when you land in a third world country or you trek out into remote locations, you quickly realise that your phone is absolutely useless in your new environment!


So make sure you're prepared for all eventualities and don't get caught out!



Want to look inside the book?


Download a sample version here šŸ‘‡šŸ½


Travel With Confidence The World Phrasebook

The Perfect Travel Companion!


Don't shop on Amazon? Send me an email at travelwithconfidence.world@gmail.comĀ and I'll arrange a personal copy direct to you!


Stay safe and happy travels,

Roxy.

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