Time vocabulary in Luchazi

Time vocabulary in Lucazi

Here are the words and phrases that we use to talk about time in Luchazi language and their meanings in English:

1. Ntsimbu = time.
2. Ntsimbu ya mu civali = second time.
3. Lua mu civali = second time.
4. Ntsimbu yose = all the time.
5. Laza = long ago.
6. Matangua a laza = old days.
7. Ntsenkulu = ancient times.
8. Nstenkuluila = very ancient times.
9. Miaka ya kuntsenkulu = ancient times.
10. Ntunda = length of time or period or duration or long time.
11. Ntunda ya kama = long period or duration.
12. Lelo = today.
13. Litangua lia lelo = this day.
14. Mene = tomorrow.
15. Meneavuze = day after tomorrow.
16. Halakaca = next day.
17. Litangua lieka = another day.
18. Litangua limosi = one day.
19. Tangua = someday.
20. Litangua lia ngongo = daily.
21. Ku litangua ku litangua = every day or day after day.
22. Hatangua hatangua = every day or day by day.
23. Litangua liose = all day, all day long.
24. Litangua lia mutuntu = whole day.
25. Matangua ose = all the days.
26. Ku cimene ku cimene = every morning or morning after morning.
27. Litangua olio = that day.
28. Na ka lelo = to this day or until today.
29. Zau = yesterday.
30. Zaualize = day before yesterday.
31. Zuzualize = three days ago.
32. Zuzualizelize = four days ago.
33. Halakaca = the next day.

Luchazi proverb: Litangua kati li tu tokele mu ku sinda nguna cipue ndulo, vunoni li tu tokele mu ku olovela (the day should not be spent digging earthworms, but it should be spent fishing). ~ Time management.

Unit of time in Luchazi

We measure time mainly with seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years. Below is a table with Luchazi words or phrases and their meanings in English:

Unit of time in Luchazi language

Every fourth year, the month of February has 29 days instead of 28. This year is called a "leap year" and the 29th day of February is a "leap day". A leap year has 366 days instead of the usual 365.

1. Kandzingili = interval; intermission; short time.
2. Kantsimbu or Kantsimbu ka kandende = minute. (In Luchazi, there is no single word that means “minute” or “second” or “millisecond”. Therefore, the phrase Kantsimbu ka kandende is used instead.
3. Ola = hour.
4. Ola ya mu civali = second hour.
5. Ola ya mu citatu = third hour.
6. Ola ya mu ciuana = fourth hour.
7. Ola ya mu citanu = fifth hour.
8. Ola ya mu citanu na imo = sixth hour.
9. Ola ya mu citanu na zivali = seventh hour.
10. Ola ya mu citanu na zitatu = eighth hour.
11. Ola ya mu citanu na ziuana = ninth hour.
12. Ola ya mu likumi = tenth hour.
13. Ola ya mu likumi na imo = eleventh hour.
14. Ola ya mu likumi na zivali = twelfth hour.
15. Litangua = day.
16. Matangua = days.
17. Litangua lia ku livanga = first day.
18. Litangua lia mu civali = second day.
19. Nkutica or nkutitia = third day or third day from now.
20. Kalenge = fourth day or fourth day from now.
21. Kalengeca = fifth day.
22. Kalenguluila = sixth day.
23. Ngonde = month.
24. Ngonde imo = one month.
25. Zingonde = months.
26. Zingonde zivali = two months.
27. Zingonde zitatu = three months.
28. Zingonde ziuana = four months.
29. Zingonde zitanu = five months.
30. Zingonde zitanu na imo = six months.
31. Zingonde zitanu na zivali = seven months.
32. Zingonde zitanu na ziuana = eight months.
33. Zingonde zitanu na ziuana na imo = nine months.
34. Zingonde likumi = ten months.
35. Zingonde likumi na imo = eleven months.
36. Zingonde likumi na zivali = twelve months.
37. Muaka = year.
38. Muaka umo = one year.
39. Muaka umo lika = one year only.
40. Miaka = years.
41. Miaka ivali = two years.
42. Miaka itatu = three years.
43. Miaka iuana = four years.
44. Miaka itanu = five years.
45. Miaka itanu na umo = six years.
46. Miaka itanu na ivali = seven years.
47. Miaka itanu na itatu = eight years.
48. Miaka itanu na iuana = nine years.
49. Miaka likumi = ten years.
50. Miaka likumi na umo = eleven years.
51. Miaka likumi na ivali = twelve years.

Day and Night vocabulary in Luchazi

There are 24 hours in a day, and every day starts precisely at midnight. The word day has two meanings (the 24 hours between one midnight and the next, and the time between sunrise and sunset) and it is divided into day and night. Daytime is from sunrise to sunset. Night-time is from sunset to sunrise.

1. Litangua = day; the part of a day when it is light; the time between sunrise and sunset; each of the twenty-four-hour periods, reckoned from one midnight to the next, into which a week, month, or year is divided, and corresponding to a rotation of the earth on its axis.
2. Mutana na Vutsiki = day and night; it can refer to the 24-hour cycle of a day, which is divided into daytime and night; it can also be used to describe something that happens continually, nonstop, without stopping or all time; You may be wandering why the day here is referred to as “mutana”, the explanation is that traditionally the Luchazi people begin counting their day when the sunlight is visible during sunrise and sunset.
3. Ha vandemba = at cockcrow or the time in the morning when light begins to appear and the cock (= a male chicken) crows (= makes a sound).
4. Ku vandemba = at cockcrow.
5. Ku-ca = dawn or sunrise.
6. Ha ku-ca = at dawn.
7. Ku ku-ca = at dawn.
8. Ha mancanca ku ca = at dawn.
9. Ceke = light; the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible; something that makes vision possible.
10. Mintsa = sun’s rays.
11. Cimene = morning; the period of time between midnight and noon, especially from sunrise to noon.
12. Ha kati ka Litangua = midday; noon; the middle of the day; it refers to twelve o’clock in the middle of the day; during the day.
13. Ha kati-kati ka litangua = midday; noon; it refers to the time when the sun is at its highest point in the sky.
14. Mutana ua ha kati-kati ka litangua = noon or noonday.
15. Mutana = afternoon; the part of day between noon and sunset; the time from noon or lunchtime to evening; it is also used to refer to the sun.
16. Cinguezi = evening; the latter part of the day, especially from late afternoon until nightfall.
17. Ku-lahuka ca litangua = sunset; the time in the evening when the sun disappears or daylight fades.
18. Litangua lia pongoloka = the sun has gone down.
19. Ku toka ca litangua = sunset; the apparent descent of the sun below the horizon.
20. Vuelesi = twilight; the soft glowing light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon, caused by the reflection of the sun's rays from the atmosphere; the light from the sky at the end of the day when night is just beginning; the light from the sky between full night and sunrise or between sunset and full night produced by diffusion of sunlight through the atmosphere and its dust
21. Vutsiki = night; the period from sunset to sunrise in each twenty-four hours.
22. Milima = darkness; the partial or total absence of light.
23. Miziviliko = total absence of light; thick darkness.
24. Muntima-citsiki = midnight; the middle of the night specifically 12 o'clock at night.
25. Ha kati ka vutsiki = midnight; the middle of the night.
26. Ha kati-kati ka vutsiki = midnight; twelve o'clock at night.

This diagram shows the cycle of a 24-hour day and the words we use to describe its parts. The day starts at midnight (at the bottom of the diagram).

Day and Night in Luchazi language

1. Cimenemene = early in the morning.
2. Mene cimene = tomorrow morning.
3. Cimene ca mene = tomorrow morning.
4. Lelo cimene = this morning.
5. Cimene ca lelo = this morning.
6. Zau cimene = yesterday morning.
7. Cimene ca zau = yesterday morning.

Days of the week in Luchazi

The days of the week and weekdays are NOT the same. The days of the week are all 7 days from Monday to Sunday. But weekdays are only the 5 days from Monday to Friday. And the weekend is Saturday and Sunday. when referring to the days of the week:

1. Litangua lia ku livanga = Monday.
2. Lia mu civali = Tuesday.
3. Lia mu citatu = Wednesday.
4. Lia mu ciuana = Thursday.
5. Lia mu citanu = Friday.
6. Sapalalo = Saturday; Sabbath.
7. Calumingu = Sunday.

The chart below shows the days of the week in Luchazi.

Days of the week in Luchazi language

Days of the months in Luchazi

Days of the month in Luchazi language

Months of the year and other related words in Luchazi

Traditionally the Luchazi people had a lunar calendar with thirteen lunar months, each of 28 days. They gave each month a name as the moon appeared known as kutentama ca ngonde in the western sky, after sunset. The Luchazi year begin in April when the harvest is ready. Today the Luchazi people have adopted the system of twelve months, and the names of the months are based on the climatic conditions or vegetation conditions and temperature cycle of the year. Therefore, the names of months may vary from one region to another.

The table below shows the months of the year used in many other parts of the world. The list shows the order of the months, starting from January (month 1). The days column shows the number of days in the month. All months have 30 or 31 days, except for February which has 28 days (29 in a leap year).

Calendar in Luchazi language 

The Luchazi people divide the calendar year into three seasons and the names of seasons in Luchazi language are based on the annual climatic conditions or vegetation conditions and temperature cycle.  These conditions may vary from one region to another (Angola which has two seasons, Namibia and Zambia which has three seasons). Here are the seasons in Luchazi language:

1. Cintondue or Ntondue (summer or hot season): it begins in September and ends in November. These are the warmest or hottest three months.
2. Lusiho or Cisika (winter or cold season): it begins in May and ends in August. Winter takes place during these coldest three months of the year, and there is limited plant growth.
3. Luindza (Rainy or wet season). It begins in December and ends in April.

Luchazi proverb: "Cintondue ka ce ku ivua mutana, ci lihovatela; ndungo ke ku ivua milongo ngueni, "Yange va ka hana-ko." (The hot season doesn't feel the heat, it just shrivels up; the slave who doesn't hear what is being discussed says, "They are going to give me away."

Vulanguluisi: Cintondue ka ce ku pinda na ntuima vunoni vantu vatsa ntuima. Livenea ndungo kesi na cisinganieka ca ku hana ndungo kuli ueka, vunoni ndungo na ci singanieka.

Ku Hetesa: Cize cintsa ka tu ci tantekeya ce ku nehesa vuoma.

Please note that in the Bible (Mbimbiliya), there are four seasons based on the conditions in Israel which is in northern hemisphere and are different from the regions occupied by the Luchazi people in Southern Africa. The seasons mentioned in the bible are:

1. Musanda = autumn. A period that starts in October.
2. Lihungulantsoke = spring. Latter rain fell in March.
3. Lusiho or Cisika = winter.
4. Ntondue = summer.

Writing the date in Luchazi

There are several different ways to write the date, and they vary from formal to informal. The following table shows some typical British format in Luchazi language.

Writing the date in Luchazi language

Generally, the longer formats, such as B or C, are more polite (since they show more respect for the reader). Shorter formats, such as D or E, are used in less formal situations, for example a memo, a letter between friends or an impersonal business letter. Format F is rather official and is typically seen on an invoice or an official or technical document. Format A is extremely formal and mainly used on printed items, for example a wedding invitation. The numerical formats may use a full stop (.) or hyphen (-) instead of a slash (/), for example: 14.3.2016 or 03-14-16.

Luchazi proverb: "Katali kua na talavalele koku; vulime vu a na limi na vuahi." (The dog worked over there; the plowing, which he plowed, was nothing).

Vulanguluisi: Katali ue ku kanduka ku mehia na kuku yeni kaha ue ku hinda oku noku kuose kua na zanga. Vunoni ke ku panga vimo via seho. Mukemo naua na vantu vamosi va tunta oku noku vunoni vi va panga viahi.

Ku Hetesa: Kati u zimbalese ngoco ntsimbu na vize ka viesi na seho. Do not waste your time on things of no value.