Health & Hospital

1. Ndi mulwele.

   I am sick.

   Usage

   A first sentence for saying you are unwell

   Grammar Note

   The pattern "Ndi + noun" means "I am ...". Mulwele means "a sick person", so the literal sense is "I am a patient". Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

2. Nshileumfwa bwino.

   I do not feel well.

   Usage

   For when you cannot say what is wrong, only that you feel unwell

   Grammar Note

   Ndeumfwa bwino means "I feel well", and the negative uses nshile-. For someone else it is taleumfwa bwino ("he or she feels unwell"). Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

3. Ndeumfwa ubukali mu mutwe.

   I have a headache.

   Usage

   Say you have a headache, for instance before asking for medicine

   Grammar Note

   The pattern "Ndeumfwa ubukali + mu + body part" means "my ... hurts". Ubukali means "pain" and also "anger". Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

4. Ndeumfwa ubukali mu mala.

   I have a stomach ache.

   Usage

   Say you have a stomach ache

   Grammar Note

   Mala means "stomach" or "belly". It follows the same pattern as Ndeumfwa ubukali mu mutwe (headache), with only the body part changed. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

5. Ndeumfwa ubukali pa cifuba.

   I feel pain in my chest.

   Usage

   Say you have chest pain; see a doctor promptly

   Grammar Note

   For the outer surface of the body (chest, shoulder and so on) it uses pa ("on") rather than mu ("in"). Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

6. Ndilwele impepo.

   I have a fever (the chills).

   Usage

   Say you have a fever or the chills

   Grammar Note

   Impepo covers both "fever" and "cold, chill", so in talk about health it describes feeling feverish and chilled. "Being ill with ..." is "-lwele + illness". Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

7. Ndefwaya ukuya ku cipatala.

   I want to go to the hospital.

   Usage

   Ask to be taken to a hospital, including when asking a driver or a bystander for help

   Grammar Note

   Cipatala is a loanword. The form without the initial i- is used more often than icipatala. Loanword. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

8. Bushe kuli shing'anga pano?

   Is there a doctor here?

   Usage

   Ask whether a doctor is nearby

   Grammar Note

   The apostrophe in shing'anga is an ASCII apostrophe marking a single back-of-the-throat "ng" sound; the plural is bashing'anga. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

9. Ndefwaya ukumona shing'anga.

   I want to see a doctor.

   Usage

   Say that you want to be examined by a doctor

   Grammar Note

   The pattern "Ndefwaya + ukumona + person" means "I want to see ...". Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

10. Shing'anga

    Doctor

    Usage

    The word for a doctor who works in a hospital

    Grammar Note

    The plural is bashing'anga. Another word, kondapa, also means "physician"

11. Cipatala

    Hospital

    Usage

    The word for a hospital or clinic

    Grammar Note

    A loanword; native review recommended. The form icipatala also occurs, but the form without i- is the majority

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