Dietary & Allergies

1. Tandilyi nyama.

   I do not eat meat.

   Usage

   To tell a restaurant or host that you do not eat meat

   Grammar Note

   "Ta-ndi-lyi" is the negative present. The negative of "-lya" (eat) ends in "-lyi", as in "tabalyi" (they do not eat). "Nyama" means meat and can also mean animal. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

2. Nyama yangulube

   Pork

   Usage

   Pork; for checking whether a dish contains it

   Grammar Note

   The pattern "nyama ya + animal" means "meat of that animal". Ya and ngulube (pig) are written together as "yangulube". Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

3. Nyama yang'ombe

   Beef

   Usage

   Beef; for asking about or ordering a kind of meat

   Grammar Note

   The pattern "nyama ya + animal". Ya and ng'ombe (cattle) are written together as "yang'ombe". "Kulya nyama yang'ombe" means to eat beef

4. Tandilyi nyama yangulube.

   I do not eat pork.

   Usage

   To tell a restaurant that you avoid pork, for faith or taste

   Grammar Note

   This is "Tandilyi nyama." (I do not eat meat) with "nyama" replaced by "nyama yangulube". Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

5. Tandilyi nswi.

   I do not eat fish.

   Usage

   To say that you do not eat fish

   Grammar Note

   "Nswi" is fish; the dictionary headword is "inswi". In a sentence the initial i- is usually dropped. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

6. Ndiyanda cakulya kakunyina nyama.

   I want food without meat.

   Usage

   To ask for a meatless meal

   Grammar Note

   "Kakunyina" means "without", as in "kakunyina cakulya" (without food). Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

7. Sena cakulya eeci cijisi nyama?

   Does this food have meat in it?

   Usage

   To check whether a dish contains meat, before ordering or when it is served

   Grammar Note

   "Sena" marks a question. "Ci-jisi" means "has", with ci- agreeing with the class 7 noun "cakulya". Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

8. Iji

   Egg

   Usage

   An egg; for ordering egg dishes or avoiding them

   Grammar Note

   A class 5 noun. The dictionary also lists "ii", but that is the same as "yes", so use "iji" for an egg. Source is a dictionary only; native review recommended

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