Congratulations

Zambia - 2012 Africa Cup of Nations champions. What a team!
Zambia Coat of Arms

Donate by PayPal



Follow on Twitter


Download Newsletter

NewsletterDownload our latest newsletter here.





Download Brochure

BrochureDownload our brochure here.

Language: Bemba


Learning BembaThere are over 70 languages spoken in Zambia. The majority of people also speak English. In the Copperbelt area (including Kitwe and Chingola), Bemba is most commonly spoken.

Below are some words and phrases translated from English to Bemba.

To help you understand the pronunciation of Bemba words, here are a few tips (ideas taken from the Bemba Pocket Dictionary by Rev. E Hoch):
  1. The letters r, q, v, x and z do not exist in the Bemba alphabet.
  2. The letters d, g and j only exist in connection with ‘n’ (eg nda, nga, njelwa).
  3. The letter ‘b’ in connection with ‘m’ is pronounced a bit like a soft ‘w’ (as in the English word ‘tumbler’).
  4. The letter ‘c’ is always pronounced as ‘ch’ as in the English word ‘church’.
  5. The letters ‘ch’ together are only maintained in proper nouns (eg ‘Chingola’).
  6. The letter ‘h’ is only used in combination with the letter ‘s’, as ‘sh’ and is pronounced as the English ‘sh’, but there is always a slight i-sound in it, eg ‘shani’ is pronounced ‘shyani’.
  7. The letter ‘ŋ’ is a letter which is unique to Bemba. It is pronounced ‘ng’ as in the English word ‘singing’.
  8. The vowels are the cardinal vowels a, e, i, o, u, and the English vowels more or less correspond to the Bemba vowels as follows:
‘a’ as in far, farther
‘e’ as in the first sound of the diphthong ‘ei’ in mate (sounds more like a long ‘a’)
‘i’ as in see (but without diphthong – sounds more like a long ‘e’)
‘o’ as in molest
‘u’ as in boot
  1. There are three diphthongs in Bemba: ai, au, ay – they are pronounced like the separate vowels (each vowel is pronounced separately, they do not make a combined sound).