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10 interesting pairs of tsumo that will confuse you — and how to make sense of them

October 3, 2025October 2, 2025 by ZimbOriginal

Every dilemma carries a paradox at its heart. If one option were clearly good and the other clearly bad, it wouldn’t feel like much of … Read more

Categories Language, Shona Language Leave a comment

8 things every Shona learner should know that will make learning smoother

September 18, 2025 by ZimbOriginal

Every parent wants their child to succeed when learning a new language. But here’s the thing: language learning comes with some brutal truths that most … Read more

Categories Language, Shona Language Leave a comment

How to stop these 7 mistakes slowing your child’s Shona skills

September 4, 2025August 28, 2025 by ZimbOriginal

Learning Shona — or any language — is more than memorising vocabulary and rules. It’s about building the confidence and mental habits that allow you … Read more

Categories Language, Shona Language Leave a comment

What teaching Shona to children taught me

August 28, 2025August 14, 2025 by ZimbOriginal

A simple Shona tutoring venture that wasn’t so simple When I started helping children with Shona around 2019, I have to be honest—I was anxious, … Read more

Categories Language, Shona Language Leave a comment

More easy lessons on madimikira — from ‘Imbwa Nyoro’ (Part 2)

September 5, 2025July 31, 2025 by ZimbOriginal

In a previous post, I explored the madimikira (idioms) found in the Shona novel Imbwa Nyoro by Renny M. Mumvuma. The use of idioms in … Read more

Categories Language, Shona Language Leave a comment

Understanding madimikira the easy way — from ‘Imbwa Nyoro’ (Part 1)

September 5, 2025June 22, 2025 by ZimbOriginal

In a previous post, I shared the similes (fananidzo) and metaphors (enzaniso) that I encountered while reading the Shona novel Imbwa Nyoro, a 1982 novel … Read more

Categories Language, Literature Leave a comment

Easy ways to use ‘fananidzo’ and ‘enzaniso’ – from ‘Imbwa Nyoro’

September 5, 2025June 13, 2025 by ZimbOriginal

There’s something I love about reading Shona novels from decades past — stories written before I was even born. These works offer a richer experience … Read more

Categories Language, Literature Leave a comment

Why Shona learning matters, and how to make it easy

August 28, 2025January 9, 2025 by ZimbOriginal

Ever since I took on my first learner back in 2019, Shona learning has become a subject dear to me. I believe proficiency in more … Read more

Categories Language, Shona Language Leave a comment

101 English Verbs — and their rich nyaudzosingwi

September 12, 2025March 2, 2023 by ZimbOriginal

This post was last updated on 12 January 2025. Adverbs and Nyaudzosingwi Adverbs are words that modify or describe verbs, adjectives, clauses, sentences, or even … Read more

Categories Language, Shona Language 5 Comments

These 28 madimikira make Tambaoga Mwanangu a great read

September 12, 2025February 9, 2023 by ZimbOriginal

After reading China manenji hachifambisi I wrote on idioms (madimikira) that the writer, Mordikai A. Hamutyinei, used in the story. I decided to do the … Read more

Categories Language, Literature 8 Comments
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  • 8 things every Shona learner should know that will make learning smoother
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  • The forgotten but interesting Shona housewarming ceremony October 9, 2025
  • 10 interesting pairs of tsumo that will confuse you — and how to make sense of them October 2, 2025
  • 5 interesting discoveries from 1,000+ Zimbabweans on their mutupo September 25, 2025
  • 8 things every Shona learner should know that will make learning smoother September 18, 2025
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