Beach & Activities

1. Ndefwaya ukuya ku lulamba lwa bemba.

   I want to go to the lakeshore (the beach).

   Usage

   Say that you want to go to the shore of a lake or the sea

   Grammar Note

   The pattern "Ndefwaya + ukuya + ku + place" means "I want to go to ...". Bemba can mean either "lake" or "sea". Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

2. Ululamba

   Shore / beach

   Usage

   The word for the edge of a lake or the sea

   Grammar Note

   "The lakeshore" is ululamba lwa bemba, and with a place marker it becomes ku lulamba ("to" or "at the shore")

3. Umucanga

   Sand

   Usage

   The word for sand, for the sand on a beach

   Grammar Note

   A noun starting with umu- (class 3). The form mucanga, without the initial u-, also occurs; the plural is imicanga

4. Ndefwaya ukowa.

   I want to swim.

   Usage

   Say that you want to swim, at a lake or river

   Grammar Note

   The root -owa means "to swim"; ukusamba means "to wash or bathe" and is sometimes used for swimming too. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

5. Bushe kuti twowa pano?

   Can we swim here?

   Usage

   Ask a local before swimming whether the spot is safe

   Grammar Note

   "kuti + verb" means "can ...". Tu- is "we", and tu + owa contracts to twowa. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

6. Amabimbi

   Waves

   Usage

   The word for waves on a big lake or the sea

   Grammar Note

   A plural form starting with ama- (class 6); the singular is ibimbi. Take care where waves or currents are strong

7. Ubwato

   Boat

   Usage

   The word for a boat on a lake or river

   Grammar Note

   A noun starting with ubu- (class 14). "On a boat" is said as mu bwato

8. Bemba

   Lake / sea

   Usage

   The word for a large lake or the sea

   Grammar Note

   "By the lake" is pali bemba, and "the lakeshore" is ululamba lwa bemba

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