Common adverbs and conversational phrases: Luchazi to English

An adverb is a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb or a word group. Adverbs are word that provide context and tells you how something happens.

The Adverb Proper: Luchazi to English

Adverbs express a relation of place, time, circumstance, manner, cause, degree, etc. (e.g., gently, quiet, then, there).

Adverbs of Place

Adverbs of place tell us where an action happens. Here is the list of categorize list of adverbs of place in Luchazi and their meanings in English:

1. Vertical Position (Up / Down)

1. Helu – above; over; aloft; overhead; at the top; on top; at a higher level or layer
2. Kuilu – upward; toward a higher point or level
3. Muilu – in heaven
4. Kuintsi – below; beneath; under; underneath; at a lower level or layer
5. Muintsi – under; underneath; beneath; situated directly below something

2. Front / Back (Direction & Orientation)

1. Halutue – ahead; further forward; in the line of one’s forward motion
2. Kulutue – in front; just further forward
3. Ha‑nima – behind; at the rear
4. Ku‑nima – behind; afterward; later; subsequently; after a while; by and by

3. Inside / Outside / Between

1. Mu‑ntima – inside
2. Mu-kati – inside; within; into the interior
3. Hambandza – outside
4. Ha‑kati – between; in the middle

4. Near / Far

1. Ha hiehi – nearby
2. Ku hiehi – nearby
3. Mu hiehi – nearby
4. Ha laako – far; far away
5. Ku laako – far; far away

5. Side / Edge / Surface

1. Ku ntsina – on top of
2. Mu vuhati – at the side

6. Here / There / Elsewhere

1. Kuno – here
2. Kuze – there
3. Heka – elsewhere
4. Kueka – elsewhere
5. Mueka – elsewhere

7. Everywhere / Nowhere

1. Hose – everywhere
2. Kuose – everywhere; anywhere
3. Muose – everywhere; anywhere
4. Na kumo kuahi – nowhere

8. This Side / Other Side

1. Ha sinia – the other side
2. Ku sinia – this side
3. Mu sinia – this side

9. Specific Locations

1. Ha tsimba – on the porch 
2. Ku tsimba – on the porch
3. Mu tsimba – on the porch

10. Together / Collective Location

1. Hamo – together
2. Kumo – together
3. Mumo – together

11. Existential / Locative Clauses

1. Ku a li – they are there
2. Mu va li – they are there
3. Ha ca li – it is there

Adverbs of Manner, Degree, and State

Adverbs of manner describe how an action is performed, answering the question "How?". Adverbs of degree explain to what extent or how much an action, adjective, or other adverb applies, answering the question "To what extent?".

1. Movement & Direction (Manner of Action)

1. Fuma – out; go out; come out
2. Ca fumu – it has come out
3. Ingila – go in
4. Kovela – enter
5. Tuhuka – go out
6. Tuntuka – come out of water
7. Kanduka – go up
8. Ua kandukile – he went up
9. Sikumuka – come down
10. Na sikumuka – he has come down

4. Speed & Gentleness

1. Ka vundende – slowly; gently
2. Ka vundende ka vundende – slowly; gently (emphatic)
3. Kavundendendende – very slowly; very gently
4. Lusi – quickly
5. Vuasi – quickly

5. Degree / Extent

1. Cikuma – greatly
2. Cikumakuma – very greatly; very much
3. Handende – nearly; almost
4. Handendendende – nearly; almost (emphatic)
5. Vutuntu – wholly; entirely; fully

6. Moderation

1. Vupuakama – moderately; tolerably  
2. Cipuakama – moderately; tolerably
3. Lipuakama – moderately; tolerably  
4. Naho ngano – moderately; tolerably

7. Time & Immediacy

1. Ntsimbu ya indende – shortly; in a little while
2. Kantsimbu kandende – not long after

8. Manner / Quality

1. Vuino – well; skilfully
2. Mpundu – rightly; truly
3. Mavokovoko – empty‑handed
4. Mupulungua – empty; devoid
5. Mutuntu – whole; entire

9. Visibility & Openness

1. Ku meso – openly; plainly; in front of someone’s eyes

10. Limitation & Exclusivity

1. Lika – only; alone
2. Tsita – simply; just; merely

11. Comparison & Manner

1. Ngue – like; as; so; just as

12. Demonstrative / Discourse Adverbs

1. Ngeci – thus
2. Ngecize – thus
3. Ngoco – thus; poorly; to no purpose; without sense or sound judgment

13. Inquiry & Response

1. Vati – how
2. Mukemuo – even so; alright; okay

Adverbs of Time

Adverbs of time indicate when, for how long, or how often an action occurs, providing crucial context to verbs. Here is the list of categorized common adverbs of time in Luchazi and their meanings in English:

1. General / Indefinite Time (not tied to a specific day)

1. A ya ye – forever; eternally
2. Aha – at the time
3. Haze – at the time
4. Oho – at the time
5. Hano ha li li – at this time
6. Ha lia pua – at this time
7. Na hamo hahi – at no time
8. Tangua – someday; same day (context-dependent)

2. Present Time

1. Vuovuno – now
2. Lelo – today
3. Litangua lia lelo – this day
4. Na ka lelo – to this day; until today

3. Future Time (Days Ahead)

1. Mene – tomorrow
2. Halakaca – next day
3. Meneavuze – day after tomorrow
4. Nkutica / Nkutitia – third day; third day from now
5. Kalenge – fourth day; fourth day from now
6. Kalengeca – fifth day
7. Kalenguluila – sixth day
8. Litangua lieka – another day
9. Litangua limosi – one day

4. Past Time (Days Ago)

1. Zau – yesterday
2. Zaualize – day before yesterday
3. Zuzualize – three days ago
4. Zuzualizelize – four days ago
5. Laza – long ago

5. Relative / Sequential Time

1. Naua – again
2. Te – at that time
3. Tele – at that time
4. Te kanda – before; at that time not yet
5. Kanda – not yet

6. Continuity and Emphasis (“still / yet”)

1. Kasi – still
2. Hanga – still; yet
3. Kesi – still; yet
4. Kampe – still; yet
5. Na vuno – even yet
6. No vuno – even yet
7. Nolo – even yet

7. Frequency and Duration

1. Litangua lia ngongo – daily
2. Ku litangua ku litangua – every day; day after day
3. Ha litangua ha litangua – every day  
4. Hatangua hatangua – every day; day by day  
5. Litangua liose – all day; all day long  
6. Litangua lia mutuntu – whole day  
7. Matangua ose – all the days
8. Ku cimene ku cimene – every morning; morning after morning

8. Specific Days (Demonstratives)

1. Litangua olio – that day

9. Parts of the Day

Morning

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

Dawn / Early Morning

1. Ha ku ca / Ku ku ca – at dawn
2. Ha mancanca ku ca / Ku mancanca ku ca – at dawn
3. Ha vandemba / Ku vandemba – at cockcrow

Evening

1. Cinguezi – evening
2. Ku cinguezi – in the evening

10. Years, Seasons, and Long Time Spans

1. Muaka – year
2. Muaka ua li – last year
3. Mukolosika – next season; next year
4. Mukolosikuluila – year after next
5. Miaka na miakula – years and years
6. Miakankulu – years without number
7. Miakangoco – years without number

Notes for Readers

1. Many adverbs occur in paired constructions (e.g., ha / ku, or noun + demonstrative), which reflect grammatical agreement and emphasis rather than strict semantic difference.
2. Several terms overlap in meaning (still / yet / even yet), with nuance depending on discourse context.

Adverbs of mode

1. Ambe – nothing doing
2. Ahi – no; not so
3. Cahi – no; not so
4. Cili – certainly; verily; truly
5. Eua – yes
6. E – yes
7. Hamo – perhaps
8. Hamosi – perhaps
9. Havue – nay; I should say not
10. Haue (pl. Havueni) – nay; I should say not
11. Houe – I should say not; nay
12. Mpa – perhaps
13. Mpano – perhaps
14. Muane – yes
15. Mua vusunga – truly
16. Na – no; not so
17. Nana – no; not so

Numeral adverbs

1. Mumo – in the same way
2. Muvali – in two ways
3. Mutatu – in three ways
4. Muuana – in four ways
5. Mutanu – in five ways

Onomatopoeia and related phrases

The Luchazi language is very rich in words imitating sounds.

1. Muluzi – hiss
2. Kuta muluzi – to hiss
3. Kumba muluzi – to hiss
4. Ku-ua – to fall
5. Ku-ua vu – to fall with a whump.
6. Ku-ua lia – to fall with a crash
7. Ku-ua ndia – to fall with a thud
8. Ku-ua pakatu – to fall down flat
9. Ku-ua ndu or po – to fall with a clonk
10. Ku-ua pu – to fall with a thump
11. vuoza – to bark
12. Ndandama – pant, throb, pulsate
13. Ku-tsekengeya – rattle
14. Ntsindo ya ku-tsekengeya – rattling sound
15. Ku ndikangela – to walk heavily, clump, clump
16. Ku-tenda – rumble
17. Ku-tenda ca lizi – rumbling of the voice
18. Cililimo – rumbling sound
19. Cililimo ca zinkuakua – rumbling sound of wheels
20. Huza – blow through the mouth; hiss
21. Tambeka – crow/the cry of a cock
22. Ku tambeka – to crow
23. Ohia – roar
24. Kohia – to roar
25. Vuluma – roar

Descriptive Adverbs

1. Ku tila nge – to be bright red
2. Ku tila ngengu – to be bright red
3. Ku lava vui – to be pitch black or dark
4. Ku lava pui – to be filthy dirty
5. Ku tontola Keke – to be ice cold
6. Ku vuka to – to be snow white
7. Ku kanguka kangu – to recover completely
8. Ku vatuka vati – to snap right off
9. Pasuluka pasuluku – become all clear
10. Huvuluka Huvuluku – subside completely
11. Ku manesa ma-ma-ma – to finish completely
12. Ku tua ndu-ndu-ndu – to pound continuously
13. Ku tua ndo-ndo-ndo – to pound, thump, thump, thump

Interrogative Adverbs

1. Vika – why; wherefore
2. Vati – how; what
3. Kulihi – where
4. Mulihi – where
5. Halihi – where
6. Halihi – when
7. Na haka – how long; until when
8. Kulikuo – where to; whence; whither
9. Kuliko – where to; whence; whither
10. Cingahi – how much
11. Vingahi – how much
12. Litangua lika – what day
13. Litangua li li – what day or hour; where is the sun
14. Litangua li lihi – what hour; where is the sun
15. Ngonde ika – what month; which month
16. Muaka uka – what year; which year