Everything You Need To Learn Shona
Shona is the most widely spoken Bantu language in Zimbabwe, with more than 70% of the country speaking it. There, it is one of 14 official languages. Roughly 12 million people speak the language.
Shona is related to Sesotho and Tswana, as well as other Bantu languages such as Zulu. Like many Bantu languages, Shona is tonal. This means that the tone of your voice determines the meaning of a word.
There are a handful of learning materials for those hoping to learn Shona, and we’ve gathered most of them together here. Though this list is short, there should be enough to get you well on your way to Shona fluency.
Shona Language Learning Books
A self-study Shona course/study book can teach you plenty about the basics of Shona, including grammar concepts, sentence building and more. You should be able to gain a solid foundation in the language by working through these books.
You should also get yourself a concise English-Shona dictionary, as well as a Shona phrasebook. These resources will help you to understand the language, and will introduce you to the most Shona common words and phrases to use when you’re in Zimbabwe.
Shona Children’s Books
For those with a beginner’s knowledge of Shona, reading children’s books in Shona will be your best way to improve. They’re repetitive and easy to understand, meaning you’ll pick up on common words used in the language, and see how the language operates.
