Convenience Store

1. Pane tuckshop pedyo here?

   Pa-ne tuck-shop pe-dyo he-re?

   Is there a tuckshop nearby?

   Usage

   Zimbabwe has no Japanese-style convenience stores; the neighbourhood "tuckshop" fills that role — a small shop, often a converted garage or front room, selling bread, sugar, soap, cold drinks and phone airtime. In central Harare and Bulawayo you will also find OK Zimbabwe and TM Pick n Pay supermarkets

   Grammar Note

   A yes-no question in Shona is formed simply by adding "here" at the end. "Tuckshop" is an English borrowing that sits unchanged inside Shona speech

2. Ichi imarii?

   I-chi i-ma-ri-i?

   How much is this?

   Usage

   Tuckshops rarely display prices, so you ask. Zimbabwe runs a dual-currency system — US dollars alongside the local ZiG — so it is worth confirming which currency the quoted price is in

   Grammar Note

   "Imarii" combines the copular prefix "i-" with the question word "marii". Shona expresses "to be" with a prefix rather than a separate verb

3. Ndinokumbira ichi

   Ndi-no-ku-mbi-ra i-chi

   I'd like this one, please

   Usage

   Many tuckshops serve through a grille or a window with the stock behind it, so you point and say this rather than picking things up yourself

   Grammar Note

   "Ndinokumbira" is ndi- (I) + -no- (present) + kumbira (to request). It is the standard polite way to ask for something, softer than an imperative

4. Ndipeiwo mvura inotonhora

   Ndi-pe-i-wo mvu-ra i-no-to-nho-ra

   Please give me some cold water

   Usage

   Scheduled power cuts ("load shedding") are routine in Zimbabwe and shop fridges are often off, so specifying "inotonhora" (cold) is a practical precaution

   Grammar Note

   The suffix "-wo" softens an imperative, roughly "please would you". The "-i" marks a plural or respectful command

5. Munogona kuipisa here?

   Mu-no-go-na ku-i-pi-sa he-re?

   Could you heat it up?

   Usage

   Tuckshops have no microwave and do not reheat food. For something hot, look instead to a braai stand next door, a supermarket deli counter, or the pie warmer at a service station

   Grammar Note

   "Mu-" is grammatically plural "you" but is also the respectful singular used for elders and shopkeepers. "Kuipisa" = ku- (infinitive) + i- (object "it") + pisa (make hot)

6. Munoda bhegi here?

   Mu-no-da bhe-gi he-re?

   Do you want a bag?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Bags are charged for in Zimbabwe and sometimes simply run out, so most shoppers bring their own

   Grammar Note

   Shona respells English loans to fit its phonology. "Bag" becomes "bhegi": Shona orthography distinguishes the breathy "bh" from plain "b"

7. Ndinoda bhegi

   Ndi-no-da bhe-gi

   Yes, a bag please

   Usage

   How to say yes to a bag. To decline, say "Kwete, ndatenda" (no, thank you)

   Grammar Note

   ndi- (I) + -no- (present) + da (want). "Ndinoda" is the workhorse verb form for any shopping situation

8. Hatina chenji

   Ha-ti-na che-nji

   We don't have change

   Usage

   Said by staff. Zimbabwe has a chronic shortage of small notes and coins, so being told there is no change is an everyday event — you may be handed sweets or a matchbox instead, or asked to collect it next time. Carrying plenty of one-dollar notes is the real fix

   Grammar Note

   Negation uses the prefix "ha-": tina (we have) → hatina (we don't have); ndina (I have) → handina (I don't have)

9. Mune mari yakatsetseka here?

   Mu-ne ma-ri ya-ka-tse-tse-ka he-re?

   Do you have smaller money?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Hand over a twenty and you will be asked this every time. Without small notes a shop may decline the sale outright, so request small denominations when you change money

   Grammar Note

   "Mari" belongs to noun class 9, so its modifier takes the concord prefix "ya-". Shona agreement prefixes change according to the noun class

10. Munobhadhara nemari kana neEcoCash?

    Mu-no-bha-dha-ra ne-ma-ri ka-na ne-EcoCash?

    Are you paying with cash or EcoCash?

    Usage

    Said by staff. EcoCash is Econet's mobile money service and is as everyday as cash in Zimbabwe — tuckshop counters usually display their EcoCash merchant code. Visitors without a local SIM cannot use it, so the answer is normally cash

    Grammar Note

    The preposition "na" (with / by) fuses with the following noun and surfaces as "ne-" or "na-" depending on the vowel: na + mari → nemari, na + EcoCash → neEcoCash

11. Ndinoda airtime yeEconet

    Ndi-no-da air-time ye-Econet

    I'd like Econet airtime, please

    Usage

    Airtime is bought at the tuckshop. The scratch cards are known locally as "juice cards" — you scratch off the panel and dial the code to load credit. The three carriers are Econet, NetOne and Telecel

    Grammar Note

    The linker "ye-" expresses possession for class 9 nouns, equivalent to "of". Shona concord applies to borrowings such as "airtime" exactly as to native words

12. Munotambira ma-US dollar here?

    Mu-no-ta-mbi-ra ma-US dol-lar he-re?

    Do you take US dollars?

    Usage

    The US dollar circulates as Zimbabwe's de facto main currency, but torn or grubby notes are frequently refused — bring clean bills. Change may come back in local currency

    Grammar Note

    "Ma-" is the class 6 plural prefix and the default way to pluralise a borrowing. Hyphenating it onto an English phrase is common in everyday writing

13. Pane ATM pedyo here?

    Pa-ne ATM pe-dyo he-re?

    Is there an ATM nearby?

    Usage

    Zimbabwean ATMs are frequently out of cash, and machines that dispense US dollars to foreign cards are rarer still. In Harare or Victoria Falls, a bureau de change or a bank counter is more dependable

    Grammar Note

    "Pa-" is the class 16 locative prefix, so "pane" means "there is (at a place)". This pa- recurs throughout Shona locative expressions

14. Ndinokumbira risiti

    Ndi-no-ku-mbi-ra ri-si-ti

    Could I have a receipt?

    Usage

    Tuckshops generally issue no receipt at all; only supermarkets and formal shops print one. If you need documentation for expenses, shop at the larger chains

    Grammar Note

    Every Shona word ends in a vowel, so "receipt" is reshaped into "risiti" — Shona does not permit closed syllables

15. Ndingashandisa chimbuzi here?

    Ndi-nga-sha-ndi-sa chi-mbu-zi he-re?

    May I use the toilet?

    Usage

    Tuckshops almost never have a customer toilet, and water cuts are common in Zimbabwe. Service stations, shopping malls and hotel lobbies are the realistic options

    Grammar Note

    The infix "-nga-" expresses possibility or permission: ndi- + -nga- + shandisa gives "might I use". It is the standard polite way to ask permission

16. Maita basa

    Ma-i-ta ba-sa

    Thank you

    Usage

    Say this as you leave. It literally means "you have done work" — thanks framed as acknowledging someone's effort, which sits at the heart of Shona politeness

    Grammar Note

    "Ma-" is the respectful second-person perfect prefix. A shorter alternative is "Ndatenda" (I am grateful), which frames the thanks in the first person

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