Greetings

1. Mwabuka buti

   Good morning

   Usage

   A morning greeting, polite enough for elders

   Grammar Note

   mwabuka is mu-a-buka (you woke up), literally "how did you wake?"; morning, daytime and evening each have their own greeting. Found only in the Peace Corps Zambia teaching material (Harris 2013), not in the Bible translations; native review recommended

2. Mwalibizya buti

   Good day

   Usage

   A daytime greeting, polite enough for elders

   Grammar Note

   A daytime greeting whose final buti (how) makes it mean "how is it going"; the morning one is mwabuka buti and the evening one kwasiya buti. Found only in the Peace Corps Zambia teaching material (Harris 2013), not in the Bible translations; native review recommended

3. Kwasiya buti

   Good evening

   Usage

   An evening greeting

   Grammar Note

   An evening greeting whose final buti (how) means "how is it"; the bedtime farewell is moone kabotu. Found only in the Peace Corps Zambia teaching material (Harris 2013), not in the Bible translations; native review recommended

4. Moone kabotu

   Good night

   Usage

   A farewell said before going to bed

   Grammar Note

   moone is the polite imperative of koona (sleep) and kabotu means well, so it reads "sleep well". Found only in the Peace Corps Zambia teaching material (Harris 2013), not in the Bible translations; native review recommended

5. Muli buti?

   How are you?

   Usage

   To ask a stranger or an elder how they are

   Grammar Note

   mu-li (you are) + buti (how); mu- is the polite second person, the form to use with elders and strangers. Found only in the Peace Corps Zambia teaching material (Harris 2013), not in the Bible translations; native review recommended

6. Ndili kabotu

   I am fine

   Usage

   The usual reply to "how are you"

   Grammar Note

   ndi-li (I am) + kabotu (well); kabotu is very common in the Bible. Found only in the Peace Corps Zambia teaching material (Harris 2013), not in the Bible translations; native review recommended

7. Mwabonwa

   Welcome

   Usage

   To welcome a guest or a visitor

   Grammar Note

   A polite welcome for a guest or visitor; a more casual form is watambulwa. Found only in the Peace Corps Zambia teaching material (Harris 2013), not in the Bible translations; native review recommended

8. Watambulwa!

   Welcome!

   Usage

   To welcome a friend or a child

   Grammar Note

   w-a-tambul-wa: the passive of tambula (receive, welcome), literally "you have been received"

9. Ndalumba

   Thank you

   Usage

   To say thanks; a fixed phrase of thanks like Twalumba

   Grammar Note

   nda-lumba (I thank); the "I" version of Twalumba, which is "we". Found only in the Peace Corps Zambia teaching material (Harris 2013), not in the Bible translations; native review recommended

10. Nduwe ni zina?

    What is your name?

    Usage

    To ask someone's name; fits a friend or a child

    Grammar Note

    Literally "what name are you"

11. Zina lyangu ndime ___.

    My name is ___.

    Usage

    For introducing yourself; put your name in the blank

    Grammar Note

    zina lyangu is "my name"; ndime is the emphatic "I", used to introduce oneself, as in ndime Makamu (I am Legion). Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

12. Ino mwazwa kuli?

    Where are you from?

    Usage

    To politely ask where someone is from or has come from

    Grammar Note

    mwazwa is mu-a-zwa (you came from); it is used as in ino mwazwa kuli? (where did you come from?)

13. Ndazwa ku ___.

    I am from ___.

    Usage

    To answer where you are from; put a country or town in the blank

    Grammar Note

    ndazwa is ndi-a-zwa (I came from), the same pattern as twazwa ku Harani (we are from Haran). Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

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