###
◊ᴺᵉˣᵃˡ ◊ᴸᵃᵗⁱⁿᵘᵐ ◊ᶻᵘˡᵘ ◊ᴸᵉˢˢᵒⁿ⁶³ ◊ⁿᵃ
Welcome to Lesson 63 of the Latinum Institute isiZulu course. This lesson focuses on the English adverb “even” and the isiZulu means of expressing it.
What does “even” mean in isiZulu?
English “even” is a scalar additive. It adds something to a set, and marks it as the least expected member: “even the children knew”. The addition is the same operation as “also”; what “even” contributes is surprise.
IsiZulu makes this explicit. The word for “even” is the same na- taught in Lesson 54 as “also”. Nami is “I too”, and in the right context “even I”. Nabantwana is “and the children”, and equally “even the children”. The language does not distinguish them, and only context and emphasis decide.
Beyond the bare prefix, two constructions extend the sense:
Nokuba and noma introduce concessive clauses — “even if, even though”. Grout's grammar of 1859, cited below, translates nokuba precisely so.
Ngisho, a modern word absent from the nineteenth-century sources, is the ordinary free-standing “even” in present-day isiZulu, and combines as ngisho noma, “even if”.
Course Index:
https://latinum.substack.com/p/index
Key Takeaways:
The prefix na- carries both “also” and “even”, as in Lesson 54
Nokuba and noma mean “even if, even though”, governing a clause
Ngisho is the modern free-standing “even”
Ngisho noma is “even if”, the commonest modern form
Nakanye means “not even once, not at all”
Grout records nangu as “even he, here he is” — na- plus a pronoun
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
na- [na] — the additive prefix, fusing with what follows.
nokuba [nɔˈkuː.ɓa] — “even if, even though”. From na- + ukuba, with the fusion na- + u- giving no-.
noma [ˈnɔː.ma] — “or; even if”. Also from na-, with uma.
ngisho [ˈŋiː.ʃɔ] — “even”. Literally “I say”, grammaticalised as a particle.
nakanye [na.kaˈɲeː] — “not even once”.
nangu [ˈnaː.ŋu] — “even he; here he is”, recorded by Grout.
Note on fusion: na- + u- gives no-, na- + i- gives ne-, na- + a- gives na-. These are the rules of Lesson 54, and nokuba and noma are both products of them.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
63.1 Nabantwana (na.ɓanˈtwaː.na) even-the-children bayazi (ɓaˈjaː.zi) they-know
63.2 Nami (ˈnaː.mi) even-I angazi (a.ˈŋaː.zi) I-do-not-know
63.3 Nokuba (nɔˈkuː.ɓa) even-if kunzima (kunˈziː.ma) it-is-hard ngizosebenza (ŋi.zɔ.sɛˈɓɛːn.za) I-will-work
63.4 Ngisho (ˈŋiː.ʃɔ) even umphathi (umˈpʰaː.tʰi) the-manager wafika (waˈfiː.ka) arrived
63.5 Noma (ˈnɔː.ma) even-if lina (ˈliː.na) it-rains sizohamba (si.zɔˈhaː.mɓa) we-will-go
63.6 Akakhulumanga (a.ka.kʰu.luˈmaː.ŋa) he-did-not-speak nakanye (na.kaˈɲeː) not-even-once
63.7 Nezinkomo (nɛ.zinˈkʰɔː.mɔ) even-the-cattle zalamba (zaˈlaː.mɓa) grew-hungry
63.8 Ngisho (ˈŋiː.ʃɔ) even noma (ˈnɔː.ma) if ubuya (uˈɓuː.ja) you-return kamuva (kaˈmuː.va) later
63.9 Nabo (ˈnaː.ɓɔ) even-they bayasebenza (ɓa.ja.sɛˈɓɛːn.za) they-work
63.10 Ngicabanga (ŋi.ǀaˈɓaːŋa) I-think ukuthi (u.kuˈtʰi) that ngisho (ˈŋiː.ʃɔ) even yena (ˈjeː.na) he uyazi (uˈjaː.zi) knows
63.11 Nokuba (nɔˈkuː.ɓa) even-though indlela (inˈɮeː.la) the-road inde (ˈiːn.dɛ) is-long siyahamba (si.jaˈhaː.mɓa) we-go
63.12 Nasekhaya (na.sɛˈkʰaː.ja) even-at-home kunzima (kunˈziː.ma) it-is-hard
63.13 Wasebenza (wa.sɛˈɓɛːn.za) he-worked ngisho (ˈŋiː.ʃɔ) even ebusuku (ɛ.ɓuˈsuː.ku) at-night
63.14 Noma (ˈnɔː.ma) even-if kanjani (ka.nˈdʒaː.ni) how sizokwenza (si.zɔˈkweːn.za) we-will-do-it
63.15 Ngisho (ˈŋiː.ʃɔ) even nabangani (na.ɓaˈŋaː.ni) friends bakhe (ˈɓaː.kʰɛ) his abazi (aˈɓaː.zi) do-not-know
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
63.1 Nabantwana bayazi. → “Even the children know.”
63.2 Nami angazi. → “Even I don't know.”
63.3 Nokuba kunzima, ngizosebenza. → “Even if it's hard, I'll work.”
63.4 Ngisho umphathi wafika. → “Even the manager came.”
63.5 Noma lina, sizohamba. → “Even if it rains, we'll go.”
63.6 Akakhulumanga nakanye. → “He didn't speak even once.”
63.7 Nezinkomo zalamba. → “Even the cattle went hungry.”
63.8 Ngisho noma ubuya kamuva. → “Even if you come back later.”
63.9 Nabo bayasebenza. → “They work too.” / “Even they work.”
63.10 Ngicabanga ukuthi ngisho yena uyazi. → “I think even he knows.”
63.11 Nokuba indlela inde, siyahamba. → “Even though the road is long, we go.”
63.12 Nasekhaya kunzima. → “Even at home it's hard.”
63.13 Wasebenza ngisho ebusuku. → “He worked even at night.”
63.14 Noma kanjani, sizokwenza. → “However it may be, we'll do it.”
63.15 Ngisho nabangani bakhe abazi. → “Even his friends don't know.”
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
63.1 Nabantwana bayazi.
63.2 Nami angazi.
63.3 Nokuba kunzima, ngizosebenza.
63.4 Ngisho umphathi wafika.
63.5 Noma lina, sizohamba.
63.6 Akakhulumanga nakanye.
63.7 Nezinkomo zalamba.
63.8 Ngisho noma ubuya kamuva.
63.9 Nabo bayasebenza.
63.10 Ngicabanga ukuthi ngisho yena uyazi.
63.11 Nokuba indlela inde, siyahamba.
63.12 Nasekhaya kunzima.
63.13 Wasebenza ngisho ebusuku.
63.14 Noma kanjani, sizokwenza.
63.15 Ngisho nabangani bakhe abazi.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Grammar Rules for “even” in isiZulu:
1. Na- as “Even”
The prefix taught in Lesson 54 as “also” carries the scalar sense without any change of form:
Nabantwana bayazi. (Even the children know. / The children know too.)
Nezinkomo zalamba. (Even the cattle went hungry.)
Nami angazi. (Even I don't know.)
The fusion rules are those of Lesson 54: na- + a- gives na-, na- + i- gives ne-, na- + u- gives no-. Thus na- + izinkomo gives nezinkomo, and na- + ekhaya gives nasekhaya.
Which sense is meant — “also” or “even” — is not marked. Context supplies it, and in speech so does emphasis. This is a genuine ambiguity of the language, not a gap in the learner's knowledge.
2. Nokuba and Noma — “Even If”
Both introduce concessive clauses and both are built on na-:
nokuba = na- + ukuba
noma = na- + uma (the conditional of Lesson 57's instructions)
Nokuba kunzima, ngizosebenza. (Even if it is hard, I shall work.)
Noma lina, sizohamba. (Even if it rains, we shall go.)
Noma also means “or” in ordinary use — sizodla kuqala noma kamuva, met in Lesson 56 — and the two senses are told apart by position: initial in a clause it is concessive, between two elements it is “or”.
3. Ngisho — the Modern “Even”
Ngisho stands free before the word it marks:
Ngisho umphathi wafika. (Even the manager came.)
Wasebenza ngisho ebusuku. (He worked even at night.)
It combines with noma to give the commonest modern form of “even if”: ngisho noma. It also frequently doubles with na-, as in ngisho nabangani bakhe, where both the particle and the prefix appear — a normal reinforcement, not an error.
Ngisho is absent from the nineteenth-century sources used in this course, which is itself informative: it is a later development, and a reader of Callaway will find the work done by na-, noma and nokuba alone.
4. Nakanye — “Not Even Once”
With a negative verb, na- plus kanye gives emphatic denial:
Akakhulumanga nakanye. (He did not speak even once.)
Compare kanye (once) and kabili (twice) from Lesson 58. The same construction gives nakancane, “not even a little”.
5. Grout's Nangu
Lewis Grout, in his grammar of 1859, analyses nangu as na- plus a pronoun with a euphonic medial, and translates it “even he, here he is”. The form is the ordinary presentative — nangu, here he is; nanku, here it is — and Grout's gloss records that the additive sense was felt in it.
Common Errors to Avoid:
Expecting a separate word for “even”: in most cases na- alone carries it
Wrong fusion: ✗ na ekhaya → ✓ nasekhaya
Using noma concessively between two nouns: there it means “or”
Omitting the negative with nakanye: it requires a negative verb
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Concession and Courtesy
Nokuba and noma constructions are frequent in Zulu argument and negotiation, where conceding a point before making one's own is a normal courtesy. Nokuba kunjalo, “even so, granting that”, allows a speaker to acknowledge what has been said before disagreeing, and this rhetorical move is expected rather than optional in serious discussion.
The Proverb of Diligence
The citation below is a proverb recorded by Grout, and its structure is characteristic: two concessions, then the claim. Even without wealth, even without an inheriting friend, diligence is the mother of gain. The doubled nokuba builds the concession before the point lands.
Sayings of this shape are common, and the pattern — nokuba... nokuba... — is worth recognising as a signal that a maxim is arriving.
Ngisho in Modern Speech
Ngisho is very frequent in contemporary spoken isiZulu, including as a discourse particle roughly equivalent to “I mean” or “that is to say”, since it derives from ngi- plus -sho, “I say”. Learners will hear it in both functions, and context separates them.
Nakanye
The emphatic negative is strong, and nakanye is not a mild denial. It corresponds to English “not once, not at all”, and carries the weight of a flat refusal.
Idiomatic Expressions:
Ngisho noma — even if
Nokuba kunjalo — even so, granting that
Nakanye — not even once, certainly not
Noma kanjani — however it may be, at all events
Ngisho nami — even me, me included
Nangu — here he is
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
From Lewis Grout, The Isizulu: A Grammar of the Zulu Language (1859). Grout was an American missionary in Natal whose grammar was the first substantial description of isiZulu and remains a standard early source. Among his illustrations of subordinate clauses he sets down this Zulu proverb, with his own translation.
Part F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
Nokuba (nɔˈkuː.ɓa) even-if a ku nemfuyo (a.ku.nɛmˈfuː.jɔ) there-is-no-wealth nokuba (nɔˈkuː.ɓa) even-if a ku nomlobo (a.ku.nɔmˈlɔː.ɓɔ) there-is-no-friend o siye ifa (ɔ.si.jɛˈiː.fa) who-leaves-an-estate nawe (ˈnaː.wɛ) with-you ukukhuthala (u.ku.kʰuˈtʰaː.la) diligence ku ngunina (ku.ŋuˈniː.na) is-the-mother wenzuzo (wɛnˈzuː.zɔ) of-gain
Part F-B: The Text with Translation
Nokuba a ku nemfuyo, nokuba a ku nomlobo o siye ifa nawe, ukukhuthala ku ngunina wenzuzo.
→ Grout's own translation: “Even if (or though) you have no wealth, even if you have no friend who leaves his estate with you, diligence is the mother of gain.”
Part F-C: Original isiZulu Text
Nokuba a ku nemfuyo, nokuba a ku nomlobo o siye ifa nawe, ukukhuthala ku ngunina wenzuzo.
Part F-D: Grammar Commentary
Nokuba appears twice, and Grout's translation makes the sense explicit: “even if, or though”. The word is na- plus ukuba, with the regular fusion na- + u- giving no-, and it governs a full clause.
A ku nemfuyo is a negative existential — “there is not wealth” — with the negative a-, the impersonal ku-, and nemfuyo from na- + imfuyo. Note that na- appears here in its ordinary associative sense within a clause already introduced by nokuba, which is itself built on na-. The prefix is doing two different jobs in one sentence.
Nawe is na- with the second person pronoun, “with you” — the form met in Lesson 54 as “you too”. Here the associative sense is uppermost.
Ku ngunina wenzuzo is a copulative: ku- (it) plus ngu- (is) plus unina (its mother), followed by the possessive wenzuzo (of gain). The construction ngu- forms the copula before nouns and is among the commonest patterns in the language.
Ukukhuthala is a class 15 infinitive used as a noun, “diligence” — literally “to be diligent”. IsiZulu forms abstract subjects this way freely, as noted in Lesson 57 with ukusebenzisa.
Grout's orthography is closer to modern usage than Callaway's, since he marks aspiration; but he too writes disjunctively, separating a ku where modern isiZulu writes akukho.
Part F-E: Literary Commentary
The saying is built to withhold its point. Two concessive clauses strip away the advantages a person might have — inherited wealth, a friend who leaves them something — and only then arrives at the claim that diligence is the mother of gain. The doubling of nokuba is the whole rhetorical structure, and it shows the concessive doing what it does in argument as well as proverb: granting first, asserting after. That Grout chose it to illustrate subordinate clauses suggests he recognised it as a model sentence, and it serves that purpose here too.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
63.16 Uzoya (u.zɔˈja) will-you-go emsebenzini (ɛ.msɛ.ɓɛnˈziː.ni) to-work namuhla (naˈmuː.ɬa) today
63.17 Yebo (ˈjɛː.ɓɔ) yes ngisho (ˈŋiː.ʃɔ) even noma (ˈnɔː.ma) if lina (ˈliː.na) it-rains
63.18 Indlela (inˈɮeː.la) the-road inzima (inˈziː.ma) is-difficult emva (ˈɛːm.va) after kwemvula (kwɛmˈvuː.la) of-rain
63.19 Ngiyazi (ŋiˈjaː.zi) I-know kodwa (ˈkɔː.dwa) but kufanele (ku.faˈneː.lɛ) I-must ngiye (ˈŋiː.jɛ) I-go
63.20 Nabanye (na.ɓaˈɲeː) even-others abasebenzi (a.ɓa.sɛˈɓɛːn.zi) workers bayeza (ɓaˈjeː.za) are-coming
63.21 Nokuba (nɔˈkuː.ɓa) even-though bekhathele (ɓɛ.kʰaˈtʰeː.lɛ) they-are-tired bayasebenza (ɓa.ja.sɛˈɓɛːn.za) they-work
63.22 Nami (ˈnaː.mi) I-also ngikhathele (ŋi.kʰaˈtʰeː.lɛ) I-am-tired
63.23 Ngicabanga (ŋi.ǀaˈɓaːŋa) I-think ukuthi (u.kuˈtʰi) that sonke (ˈsɔːn.kɛ) all-of-us sikhathele (si.kʰaˈtʰeː.lɛ) are-tired
63.24 Kodwa (ˈkɔː.dwa) but akekho (aˈkeː.kʰɔ) there-is-nobody osalile (ɔ.saˈliː.lɛ) who-stayed nakanye (na.kaˈɲeː) not-even-one
63.25 Ngisho (ˈŋiː.ʃɔ) even umphathi (umˈpʰaː.tʰi) the-manager uyasebenza (u.ja.sɛˈɓɛːn.za) works
63.26 Uhamba (uˈhaː.mɓa) you-go ngayiphi (ŋaˈjiː.pʰi) by-which indlela (inˈɮeː.la) way
63.27 Ngihamba (ŋiˈhaː.mɓa) I-go ngendlela (ŋɛnˈɮeː.la) by-the-way emfushane (ɛm.fuˈʃaː.nɛ) short
63.28 Nami (ˈnaː.mi) I-also ngizohamba (ŋi.zɔˈhaː.mɓa) I-will-go nawe (ˈnaː.wɛ) with-you
63.29 Hamba (ˈhaː.mɓa) go kahle (ˈkaː.ɬɛ) well sobonana (sɔ.ɓɔˈnaː.na) we-shall-meet kamuva (kaˈmuː.va) later
63.30 Nokuba (nɔˈkuː.ɓa) even-if kunzima (kunˈziː.ma) it-is-hard kuzolunga (ku.zɔˈluː.ŋa) it-will-be-well
Part B: Natural Sentences
63.16 “Uzoya emsebenzini namuhla?” → “‘Are you going to work today?'”
63.17 “Yebo, ngisho noma lina.” → “‘Yes, even if it rains.'”
63.18 “Indlela inzima emva kwemvula.” → “‘The road is bad after rain.'”
63.19 “Ngiyazi, kodwa kufanele ngiye.” → “‘I know, but I have to go.'”
63.20 “Nabanye abasebenzi bayeza.” → “‘The other workers are coming too.'”
63.21 “Nokuba bekhathele, bayasebenza.” → “‘Even though they're tired, they work.'”
63.22 “Nami ngikhathele.” → “‘I'm tired too.'”
63.23 “Ngicabanga ukuthi sonke sikhathele.” → “‘I think we're all tired.'”
63.24 “Kodwa akekho osalile nakanye.” → “‘But not one of them stayed behind.'”
63.25 “Ngisho umphathi uyasebenza.” → “‘Even the manager works.'”
63.26 “Uhamba ngayiphi indlela?” → “‘Which way do you go?'”
63.27 “Ngihamba ngendlela emfushane.” → “‘I go by the short road.'”
63.28 “Nami ngizohamba nawe.” → “‘I'll come with you too.'”
63.29 “Hamba kahle, sobonana kamuva.” → “‘Go well, see you later.'”
63.30 “Nokuba kunzima, kuzolunga.” → “‘Even if it's hard, it'll come right.'”
Part C: isiZulu Only
63.16 Uzoya emsebenzini namuhla?
63.17 Yebo, ngisho noma lina.
63.18 Indlela inzima emva kwemvula.
63.19 Ngiyazi, kodwa kufanele ngiye.
63.20 Nabanye abasebenzi bayeza.
63.21 Nokuba bekhathele, bayasebenza.
63.22 Nami ngikhathele.
63.23 Ngicabanga ukuthi sonke sikhathele.
63.24 Kodwa akekho osalile nakanye.
63.25 Ngisho umphathi uyasebenza.
63.26 Uhamba ngayiphi indlela?
63.27 Ngihamba ngendlela emfushane.
63.28 Nami ngizohamba nawe.
63.29 Hamba kahle, sobonana kamuva.
63.30 Nokuba kunzima, kuzolunga.
Part D: Grammar Notes for Genre Section
The dialogue puts all four means of expressing “even” into ordinary exchange:
Na- as Scalar: 63.20, nabanye — “even the others” or “the others too”. The ambiguity described in Section D is live here, and either reading fits.
Nokuba Concessive: 63.21 and 63.30. Both introduce a full clause and both concede before asserting, the structure of the citation.
Ngisho Free-Standing: 63.17 and 63.25. In 63.17 it combines with noma to give “even if”; in 63.25 it stands alone before a noun.
Nakanye Emphatic: 63.24, akekho osalile nakanye. Note the negative verb akekho — “there is nobody” — which nakanye requires.
Na- as Plain Additive: 63.22 and 63.28 use nami in its Lesson 54 sense, “I too”, and 63.28 also has nawe, “with you”. Three uses of na- in two sentences, in two different senses.
Recycled Structures: 63.18 and 63.26 carry indlela from Lesson 62; 63.29 carries kahle from Lesson 61; 63.18 carries emva kwa- from Lesson 56; 63.29 carries kamuva from Lesson 56; 63.21 and 63.25 carry sebenza from Lesson 60; 63.23 carries ngicabanga ukuthi from Lesson 53.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Fusion Is the Whole Difficulty
Nokuba, noma, nasekhaya, nezinkomo, nabantwana, nabanye — every one is na- plus something, and the join is written as a single word. A learner who can see na- inside these forms has the lesson; one who cannot will meet them as six unrelated vocabulary items.
Ngisho and the Verb -sho
Ngisho is transparently ngi- plus -sho, “I say”. The same verb gives washo, “he said”, used throughout the narratives of this course. Recognising the derivation explains the particle's secondary use as a discourse marker.
The Palatal Fricative /ʃ/
Ngisho, washo, emfushane all contain sh /ʃ/, as in English “ship”. It is distinct from s and from the affricates.
Grout Compared with Callaway
Grout marks aspiration — he writes ukukhuthala with kh — where Callaway would write ukukutala. Both write disjunctively. Of the two, Grout is the easier for a modern reader, and his examples are correspondingly useful for citation.
Recommended Audio Resources:
Zulu debate and discussion programmes are the natural home of nokuba and ngisho noma, since concession before assertion is the standard move in argument. Listen for nokuba kunjalo, which signals that a speaker is about to disagree.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
◊ᴺᵉˣᵃˡ ◊ᴸᵃᵗⁱⁿᵘᵐ ◊ᶻᵘˡᵘ ◊ᴸᵉˢˢᵒⁿ⁶³ ◊ⁿᵃ ◊ᶜᵒᵐᵖˡᵉᵗᵉ
---