You’ve signed up for the Assignments and Assessments package with uMabhengwane! Welcome to the Assignments / imiSebenzi section.
One of the best ways to learn a language, especially to move your knowledge of that language beyond the safety of a page, is to practice the various aspects of that language. The assignments you find here will help you to do that, and will also improve your understanding and give you practical tools for using what you’ve learned in the real world.
These assignments link to the other parts of the online uMabhengwane offering: to the Grammar, the Vocabulary and the Phrasebook materials that you can find elsewhere on the site.
Grammar Assignments
Everything here (24 individual assignments) has been organised into sections and sub-sections, and you will also find the level of the assignments you’re doing. I will also make sure that there are links to other pieces of knowledge that will help you understand things.
There are five sections to these Grammar Assignments: Concords (if you are wanting to practice how someone knows whom or what you are talking about in any sentence); Verbs (if you are wanting to practice talking about things happening); Copulatives (if you find yourself wanting an equivalent for the English ‘is’ in any sentence), Descriptives (if you want to practice how you talk about the way things are) and Adverbs (how, when, where and with what you do something).
Don’t let the complex names get you down – the practice itself is far more important!
| Sections | Sub-Sections | Levels: Novice Beginner Intermediate Advanced Seasoned Expert |
| 1. concords help to show who, whom and what are the things involved in a sentence | they are also related by sound, and they show agreement |  |
| Explainer Link Here | ||
| Concords | Subjects | Novice |
| Concords | Objects | Intermediate |
| Concords | Adjectives | Beginner |
| Concords | Relatives | Beginner |
| Concords | Possessives | Novice |
| 2. verbs are all about what is happening, and in isiZulu a single word shows when and if the action happens too! | all verbs can be either positive or negative in isiZulu, and it is quite a big adjustment for people who speak English |  |
| Explainer Link Here | ||
| Verbs | Simple Present Tense [Positive] | Novice |
| Verbs | Simple Present Tense [Negative] | Beginner |
| Verbs | Simple Past Tense [Positive] | Novice |
| Verbs | Simple Past Tense [Negative] | Beginner |
| Verbs | Simple Future Tense [Positive] | Novice |
| Verbs | Simple Future Tense [Negative] | Beginner |
| 3. copulatives are the things that isiZulu does when English uses verbs like ‘is’, ‘am’ or ‘are’. | unlike English, instead of a separate word, the beginning of the original word is altered slightly ngesiZulu |  |
| Explainer Link Here | ||
| Copulatives | with nouns | Novice |
| Copulatives | with na- | Beginner |
| Copulatives | with adjectives | Intermediate |
| Copulatives | with locatives | Intermediate |
| 4. descriptives are all about how things look, what size or shape they are, and to whom they belong | there are 3 commonly-used groups of descriptives ngesiZulu |  |
| Explainer Link Here | ||
| Descriptives | Adjectives | Beginner |
| Descriptives | Relatives | Intermediate |
| Descriptives | Possessives | Intermediate |
| 5. adverbs are all about describing the way in which things happen… | … what you use to do them, where you do them and when you do them |  |
| Adverbs | Manner (ka-) | Beginner |
| Adverbs | Instrument | Intermediate |
| Adverbs | Manner (nga-) | Intermediate |
| Adverbs | Place | Intermediate |
| Adverbs | Time | Intermediate |
Coming soon:
| Verbs | Past Imperfect / Continuous | Advanced |
| Verbs | Verbal Extensions / izimpambosi | Seasoned |
| Verbs | Participial | Advanced |
If you have any special requests for assignments, please let us know!
Vocabulary Assignments
Each of these vocabulary assignments is linked to a specific set of words, and the links to those are included.
| Set | Link to words | Link to assignment |
| Body Parts | go here to see the words | practice words about the Body |
| Transport | go here to see the words | practice words about Transport |
| Food & Cooking | go here to see the words | Practice words about Food & Cooking |
| Assorted Humans | go here to see the words | Practice words about Assorted Humans |
| Assorted Animals | go here to see the words | Practice words about Assorted Animals |
| Amabizomuntu & amabizonto | go here to see the words | Practice amabizomuntu & amabizonto |
| Family | go here to see the words | Practice words about Family |
Phrasebook Assignments
These assignments will need you to go out and practice things in the real world! We welcome feedback, and we hope that you are brave and able to make mistakes with flair and passion!
Just remember: when amaZulu laugh, it is usually just ‘smiling loudly’ – it’s hardly ever ridicule.
The assignments here have links to the other sections on offer here.
| Section | Assignment | Level |
| Phonecalls | [coming soon] | Intermediate |
| Introductions | [coming soon] | Beginner |
| Reception-Desks | [coming soon] | Beginner |
| Asking Questions | [coming soon] | Beginner |
Stay tuned for more assignments!