THIS sentence is wrong: Kanti ubaba ubehlutshwe kuyini aze akhalale ukudla?
What is wrong? It is wrong to say ubehlutshwe yini. We say ubehlutshwa yini?
The ku- is not needed. There is no grammatical explanation for it. Yes, we say: Kuyini okumhluphayo? Kuyini akudingayo?
These are correct Ndebele sentences, but to say: Ubebulawa kuyini is wrong. Rather, ubebulawa yini. It is correct to say: Kuyini akudingayo? These are correct Ndebele sentences, but to say: Ubebulawa kuyini is wrong. Rather, ubebulawa yini. It is correct to say: Kuyini okumhlanyisayo ngejaha lelo or Uhlanyiswa yini ngesilima sakho leso?
Some speakers go so far as to add yikuyini and say: Ukhathazwa yikuyini ngento le engaqondananga lawe? instead of correctly saying, Ukhathazwa yini? The following sentences are correct and should be copied in speech:
- Kangikhethi loba yini angipha yona.
- Kuyini lokho amtshele khona?
- Uhwaywe yini ebusweni, Ntombi?
Here is another wrong sentence: Wahlala wazinza eseyakhe eMalungwane.
This is a wrong use of the vowel verb stem –akha. The different tenses are: wakha , wakhile, wakha , uzakwakha. As this is not a grammar series we will only show the correct forms. UNtonga wakhela phetsheya koMzingwane < wa + –akha > waakha = wakha by dropping (elision) the –a of wa-. Thus we have this form waye+ akhele > wayeakhale> wayakhele. So, ese+ akhele > esakhele rather than separate the vowels with the semi-vowel –y-.
Therefore, Wahlala wazinza esakhele eMalungwane. We say, Umalumami usakhele eSilobela. Kuqala wayakhele (hatshi wayeyakhele) eDimpamiwa. Kuyakhiwa lapha, kwakhiwa izindlu ezinengi. Kuthiwa njalo kuzakwakhiwa idamu. It is wrong to say: AbakoNdlovu sebeyakhele ngaphi? The correct form is sebakhele ngaphi?
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Ngizaphela ngimtshele ngoba kakusela ngenye indlela. This kind of mistake is becoming very common. Actually there are two mistakes here, kakusela and ngenye indlela. People will say, Waqamba amanga ngoba kungasela ayengakutsho .
They should say kungasekho ayengakutsho or kungasela lutho ayengalutsho. Kungasela never stands alone. We say: Wabeka isitsha emsamo ngoba kungasela lutho oluseleyo. If you say kungasela okuseleyo you are wrong. Ngathi kabahambe ngoba kungasela okungakhulunywanga is wrong.
It should be ngoba kungasekho or kungasela lutho. The response: Kulani lapho embizeni? Akusela is wrong. The correct response is Akusela lutho. Never ever let akusela stand alone. Akusela engimbonayo becomes Kasekho or kakuselamuntu . Ufunani futhi? Akusela.
This is very wrong.
Kakusekho is more correct. Uselawo yini amanye amaphepha? Kangisela how wrong! Kangiselawo is the right response.
Ngenye indlela is not wrong in itself, but the context may make it terrible. It is correct to say: Into leyana ngisuke ngasengiyenza ngenye indlela, or Inkulumo yakho mina ngiyizwe ngenye indlela. But such expressions as bamkhanda entshontsha wathula zwi ngoba kungasela ngenye indlela is wrong.
There are many other better ways of saying it, such as kungasela ndlela yokuzivikela or eseswele indlela yokuzivikela. In fact, the expression ngeny’indlela is idiomatically good Ndebele when used in the right context.
- Lokhu ungakulungisa ngeny’indlela.
- asivumi ngoba thina sikubona ngeny’ indlela.
- Kayisekho enye indlela yokumeluleka.
