Convenience Store

1. Molo!

   MOH-loh

   Hello!

   Usage

   The greeting to use on walking in. In South Africa, launching straight into your request without greeting reads as rude — even at a spaza shop you exchange a word first. To several people, say "Molweni"

   Grammar Note

   Xhosa greetings inflect for the number of people addressed: "Molo" to one, "Molweni" to several. There is no morning/afternoon distinction — the same form serves all day

2. Ikhona ivenkile ekufuphi?

   ee-KOH-nah ee-ven-KEE-leh eh-koo-FOO-pee

   Is there a shop nearby?

   Usage

   South Africa has few Japanese-style convenience stores; daily needs are met by the township "spaza shop" — often a converted room of a house selling bread, milk, sugar, soap and airtime in small quantities. Bigger shops mean Shoprite, Spar or Pick n Pay

   Grammar Note

   Xhosa nouns are grouped into classes marked by prefixes; "ivenkile" is class 9 (i-). Verbs and modifiers take agreement prefixes matching that class

3. Yimalini le?

   yee-mah-LEE-nee leh

   How much is this?

   Usage

   Spaza shops often display no prices, so you ask. The currency is the rand (ZAR). Because spazas sell in small units, the unit price runs higher than at a supermarket

   Grammar Note

   "Malini" is "imali" (money) plus the interrogative suffix "-ni". The copular prefix "yi-" turns it into a complete one-word question

4. Ndicela le nto

   ndee-CEH-lah leh ntoh ("c" is a dental click, like a "tsk")

   I'd like this one, please

   Usage

   Say this while pointing. Spaza shops usually serve through a barred window with the stock out of reach, so pointing is how the transaction works

   Grammar Note

   The "c" in "Ndicela" is a dental click — the tongue tip pulled from behind the upper teeth, like a "tsk" of mild disapproval. Xhosa has three clicks: c (dental), x (lateral) and q (postalveolar)

5. Ndicela amanzi abandayo

   ndee-CEH-lah ah-MAHN-zee ah-bahn-DAH-yoh

   Cold water, please

   Usage

   Load shedding is a fact of life in South Africa and the spaza fridge is often off, so specifying "abandayo" (cold) is a practical move

   Grammar Note

   "Amanzi" is a class 6 noun and grammatically always plural, so its modifier agrees with an "a-" prefix ("abandayo"). Xhosa groups liquids in this class

6. Ungayifudumeza kwi-microwave?

   oo-ngah-yee-foo-doo-MEH-zah kwee-microwave

   Could you warm it in the microwave?

   Usage

   Spaza shops have no microwave and do not reheat food. For something hot, look to a neighbouring stall selling "kota" (a hollowed-out quarter loaf stuffed with fillings), a shisanyama grill, or a supermarket deli counter

   Grammar Note

   u- (you) + -nga- (potential) + -yi- (object "it") + fudumeza (warm) packs subject, modality and object into a single word — the agglutinating verb structure typical of Bantu languages

7. Ufuna iplastiki?

   oo-FOO-nah ee-plah-STEE-kee

   Do you want a plastic bag?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Bags are charged for in South Africa, and in local English they are called "packets" rather than bags. Many spazas have none at all and simply hand goods over

   Grammar Note

   Xhosa yes-no questions keep statement order and rely on intonation. Loanwords take the class prefix "i-" and are absorbed into the grammar

8. Ndicela iplastiki

   ndee-CEH-lah ee-plah-STEE-kee

   A bag, please

   Usage

   How to say yes to a bag. To decline, say "Hayi, enkosi" (no, thank you) — plenty of people do, since bags cost money

   Grammar Note

   "Ndicela + noun" is the all-purpose request, usable in shops, restaurants and offices alike. It literally means "I ask for"

9. Ufuna irisithi?

   oo-FOO-nah ee-ree-SEE-tee

   Do you want the slip (receipt)?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Keep it if you shop at a supermarket — returns and exchanges require it. In colloquial South African speech you will also hear the English word "slip"

   Grammar Note

   English, Afrikaans and Xhosa mix constantly in South Africa, and borrowings slot straight into the noun-class system (i- / ii-) — "irisithi" is a textbook case.

10. Uhlawula ngemali okanye ngekhadi?

    oo-hlah-WOO-lah nge-MAH-lee oh-KAH-nyeh nge-KAH-dee

    Are you paying by cash or card?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Card payment is deeply embedded in South Africa — even small shops often carry a portable card machine. During load shedding, though, the terminal is down, so keep cash too

    Grammar Note

    The instrumental prefix "nga-" fuses with the following noun: nga + imali → ngemali, nga + ikhadi → ngekhadi. The vowel coalescence is regular

11. Ndihlawula ngekhadi

    ndee-hlah-WOO-lah nge-KAH-dee

    I'll pay by card

    Usage

    South African terminals support tap payment and generally accept foreign cards without trouble — though spaza shops remain largely cash-only

    Grammar Note

    Swapping the subject prefix from "ndi-" (I) to "u-" (you) is all it takes to change the subject; Xhosa rarely uses standalone pronouns

12. Ndicela ushintshi wam

    ndee-CEH-lah oo-SHEEN-tshee wahm

    My change, please

    Usage

    Spaza shops often cannot break large notes — a 200 rand bill is frequently waved away, so keep 20s and 50s on you

    Grammar Note

    Possessives agree with the noun class: "ushintshi" is class 3, so "wam" (my); a class 9 noun would take "yam" instead

13. Ndicela i-airtime yeVodacom

    ndee-CEH-lah ee-airtime yeh-VOH-dah-kom

    Vodacom airtime, please

    Usage

    Prepaid dominates South African mobile use, and airtime is bought at spaza shops or supermarket tills. The carriers are Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Telkom — you name an amount and dial in the voucher code

    Grammar Note

    English words kept intact take a hyphenated class prefix ("i-airtime"). The possessive linker "ye-" is the class 9 form of "of"

14. Ingaba ikhona i-ATM apha kufuphi?

    een-GAH-bah ee-KOH-nah ee-ay-tee-em AH-pah koo-FOO-pee

    Is there an ATM near here?

    Usage

    South African supermarkets widely offer "cash back" at the till, which is safer and cheaper than hunting for an ATM. If you do use a machine, choose a busy, well-lit location

    Grammar Note

    "Ingaba" opens a sentence to flag it as a question, much like an explicit "is it the case that…". It can be dropped, leaving intonation to do the work

15. Ndingayisebenzisa indlu yangasese?

    ndee-ngah-yee-seh-behn-ZEE-sah een-dloo yah-ngah-SEH-seh

    May I use the toilet?

    Usage

    Spaza shops effectively never have a customer toilet. In South Africa you use the facilities at a shopping mall, a filling station or a restaurant — most are well kept

    Grammar Note

    The verb is ndi- (I) + -nga- (permission) + -yi- (object) + sebenzisa (use). "Indlu yangasese" combines "indlu" (house) with "yangasese" (private), a euphemism

16. Ndingayitshaja ifowuni yam apha?

    ndee-ngah-yee-TSHAH-jah ee-foh-WOO-nee yahm AH-pah

    May I charge my phone here?

    Usage

    Rolling blackouts mean South Africans charge whenever the power is on. Some spaza shops charge phones for a small fee, but it varies — always ask first

    Grammar Note

    English "charge" enters as the verb "tshaja" and inflects like any Xhosa verb, while "phone" becomes "ifowuni" with a vowel added to fit Xhosa phonology

17. Enkosi kakhulu

    en-KOH-see kah-KOO-loo

    Thank you very much

    Usage

    Say this as you leave. South Africa has eleven official languages, but in the Western and Eastern Cape a thank-you in Xhosa visibly changes the other person's face

    Grammar Note

    "Enkosi" derives from "inkosi" (chief, lord) and originally conveyed deference to a superior. "Kakhulu" is the root "-khulu" (big) with the adverbial prefix "ka-"

Browse all TravelPhrases languages