LESSON 63

Some Household Terms

Vocabulary

indobo - pail imbugita (or, icyuma) - knife
ifura (or, iziko) - stove, fireplace ikanya (5th) - fork
ikiyiko - spoon akayiko - teaspoon
isukari (Jrd) - sugar imiteja - green beans
imboga - leafy vegetable urusenda - pepper
ingano - wheat gutonora (ye) - to peel, shell, husk
guhata (se) - to peel with knife gusuka (tse) - to pour, (into something)
kwatsa (akije) - to blow the fire kubaga (ze) - to butcher, dress an animal
kubiza (jije) - to boil (tr.) kubira (ze) - to boil (int.)
kuvanga (nze) - to stir, mix gukaranga (nze) - to fry
gusya (seye) - to grind gucagagura (ye) - to chop up

128. These are only a few of the terms one needs. You can easily learn many others from the Africans. Necessarily, many of these terms come from Swahili, or English, or French, because many of these things did not exist in the country until Europeans brought them.

For “to set the table” one says: Tegura ameza - prepare the table. For “to clear the table”: Kura ibintu ku meza - take the things from the table.

Note: kubira and kubiza: One would say: Biza amazi - boil the water, but Amazi arabira - the water is boiling,

Exercises:

I. Translate into English:

1. Teka imiteja n’ibirayi ku ziko. 2. Baga inkoko ebyiri, kuko abashyitsi baraza nimugoroba 3. Mena amazi mabi; shaka andi meza. 4. Karanga inyama mu mavuta menshi. 5. Ngwino gusya inanasi. Shyira isukari nke mu nanasi. 6. Abakobwa baracagagura imiteja, bayishyira mu ndobo. 7. Ndashaka ko muhata ibirayi byinshi, kandi ko mutonora ibigori bike. 8. Umuboyi (houseboy) aravanga ifu n’umunyu n’amata n’amagi. 9. Dufite abashyitsi batatu. Tegura ameza vuba. Shyira ku meza imbugita n’amakanya n’utuyiko n’amasahane n’ibikombe. 10. Kariya yagiye mu murima kuzana imboga n’inyanya.

II. Translate into Kinyarwanda:

1. Cook the sweet potatoes on the stove. 2. I boiled much clean water, but now it is dirty. 3. I want sugar and milk in my coffee. 4. He poured out the good milk but he put away the bad milk. 5. There is only a little (few) fire; put more wood in the fire; blow it (fire). 6. Did you (s.) put salt and pepper in the meat? I want to fry it. 7. Put a tablespoon of sugar in the tea; then (maze) we will pour it into the cups. 8. The wheat was in a bucket (pail), but the girls are putting it out in the sun. 9. We have finished eating (= to eat); clear the table. I will put away the food. 10. I want to grind the wheat. Where did you put it?