Let’s visit our toy hospital
🇿🇼💞💞It’s Saturday at our Zimbabwean hospital.
Welcome to our hospital pretend play – or maybe it is mahumbwe pachipatara?
Mahumbwe is any kind of pretend play and fun play in which kids pretend to be grownups.
This video below is made exclusively with Playmobil toys and is in the Shona language of Zimbabwe. We love pretend play! And our characters today have an adventure when they come to visit the hospital.
There is just much to see and experience as we play using just the Shona language today. But don’t worry, we have put handy tools into the video.
This video has a list of words written in Shona at the relevant points. Grab the list below and say them along with us as we go – if you can read.
So now you will also know what we are saying, and more importantly how it can be used when spoken in normal speed Shona.
Have you heard the word?”
🇿🇼Mai May – first patient on speed boat
💞Chiremba – a doctor
🇿🇼Mukoti – a nurse
💞Chikepe – a boat
🇿🇼Mutsetse – queue
💞Lake Chivero – a large lake behind a 400m long dam to the West of Harare Zimbabwe. It is located within a game reserve which has rhinos and giraffes
🇿🇼Mwanasikana – a daughter
💞Mwanakomana – a son
🇿🇼makore mangani? – how many years?
💞makore mashanu – five years
🇿🇼kumuka kana kufenda – waking up or fainting/unconscious
💞sikero – scale
🇿🇼tiwongorore – investigate
💞hanzvadzi – a sibling of the opposite sex
🇿🇼bhudhi – elder brother (usually heard when speaking to an older male not recognised as a father figure)
💞sisi – usually refers to one’s sister. In this video it is used in its other form. It refers to a female not necessarily recognised as a mother figure
🇿🇼maviri – two
💞muchitendei – no thanks needed
🇿🇼tinotenda – we are thankful
💞musa netsekana – do not be troubled
🇿🇼hongu – yes
💞mapurisa – police officers
🇿🇼Jameson – one of the police officer’s names
💞Tindo – nickname commonly for the name Tendai
🇿🇼Spencer – one of the police officer’s names
💞Susan – the female police officer’s name
🇿🇼mudhudhudhu – motorbike
💞Segway – a personal transporter. It was once popular with police officers and tourists before its popularity waned. Production ceased in July 2020
🇿🇼mugomo – mountain
💞dambudziko – problem
🇿🇼nzara – hunger
💞kumba – home
🇿🇼maguru – tripe
💞mazondo – cowfoot
🇿🇼sadza ne lacto – sadza and lacto(fermented milk popular in Zimbabwe)
💞maita basa – (literal you have done a good job) thank you
🇿🇼Benson Taylor – patient number two in the hospital
💞musoro – head
🇿🇼tsono – needle
💞mubhedha – bed
🇿🇼fema – breathe
💞gumi – ten
🇿🇼pfumbamwe – nine
💞sere – eight
🇿🇼nomwe – seven
💞nhanhatu – six
🇿🇼shanu – five
💞ina – four
🇿🇼nhatu – three
💞mbiri – two
🇿🇼motsi – one
💞chikafu – food
🇿🇼sadza ne muriwo – sadza and green vegetables
💞Mugovera – Saturday
🇿🇼hazvina mhaka – no bother
💞imbwa – dog
🇿🇼zvipuka – animals
💞mishonga yangu – my medicines
🇿🇼Muvhuro – Monday
💞makumbo angu – my legs
Now say it with us…”
