Easy ways to use ‘fananidzo’ and ‘enzaniso’ – from Imbwa Nyoro
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
Language
Why Shona learning matters, and how to make it easy
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
101 English verbs — and their rich nyaudzosingwi
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
These 28 madimikira make Tambaoga Mwanangu a great read
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
Tsumo| 20 Shona proverbs to inspire good work habits
Tsumo on work tell a story of a hard-working society, and give the picture that agriculture was the mainstay of the economy of the Shona … Read more
Nyaudzosingwi| Breaking down 70 ideophones of breaking
In lay terms, ideophones are words that stand out (are ‘marked’) and whose form betrays something of (is depictive of) their meaning. The following 70 … Read more
My 5 Shona learning ingredients
This post was last updated on 28 August 2025. Culture and language are inextricably intertwined. Over the past few years, I’ve spent considerable time researching … Read more
63 Shona words you didn’t know were borrowed from Afrikaans
It is common knowledge that a few Shona words have an Afrikaans influence. I recently came across one that I found surprising, leading me to … Read more
Tsumo| 6 things I have learned through analysing over 200 Shona proverbs
Over the past few months, I have taken time to analyse over 200 Shona proverbs, just out of interest. Some of them have motivated me … Read more
Tsumo| 25 Shona proverbs inspired by children
Shona proverbs that relate to children help portray what the Shona understand about children and childhood. Below are 25 such proverbs. 1. Chikomo shata divi, … Read more