Maumbirwo eMutauro · Shona Grammar & Structure

Noun Classes & Grammar (Mipanda)

Unlock the secret of how Shona sentences fit together! Explore the 18 Bantu Noun Classes (Mipanda yeMazita), Subject & Possessive Concords (Sungawirirano), Verb Tenses, and Pronouns with spoken audio examples.

📘 18 Noun Classes (Mipanda) 🔗 Subject & Possessive Concords ⏳ 6 Core Verb Tenses 🔊 Spoken Examples on Tap

← Culture Hub 💬 Everyday Dialogues (Hurukuro) → 📖 Shona Dictionary →

💡 The Golden Rule of Shona: Sungawirirano (Alliterative Concord)

In Shona, the prefix at the start of a noun echoes across the entire sentence! Look at how changing the noun class changes the possessive ("my") and the verb ("is..."):

Class 1 (mu-)
Mukomana wangu anoimba.
My boy sings.

Class 7 (chi-)
Chigaro changu chiri pano.
My chair is here.

Class 8 (zvi-)
Zvigaro zvangu zviri pano.
My chairs are here.

Mipanda yeMazita 1–18

1. Shona Noun Classes & Concords

🧑🏾‍🤝‍🧑🏾

Mupanda 1 / 2

Class 1 & 2 · People & Human Beings (Vanhu)

mu- / va- Mwana → Vana Tap to view concords & examples

Form	Noun Prefix	Subject Concord	Possessive ("of")	Model Noun
Singular	`mu-`	`a- (ano-)`	`wa-`
Plural	`va-`	`va- (vano-)`	`va-`

Singular Mwana wangu anoverenga bhuku.

My child reads a book.

Plural Vana vangu vanoverenga mabhuku.

My children read books.

More nouns in this class: munhu / vanhu (person/people), mukadzi / vakadzi (woman/women), murume / varume (man/men), mudzidzisi / vadzidzisi (teacher/teachers)

👵🏾

Mupanda 1a / 2a

Class 1a & 2a · Kinship Titles, Proper Names & Dignitaries

Ø- (no prefix) / va- / madzi- Sekuru → Vasekuru Tap to view concords & examples

Form	Noun Prefix	Subject Concord	Possessive ("of")	Model Noun
Singular	`Ø- (no prefix)`	`a- / va- (honorific)`	`wa- / va-`
Plural	`va- / madzi-`	`va- (vano-)`	`va-`

Singular Amai vangu vanobika sadza rinonaka.

My mother cooks delicious sadza (using honorific plural concord va-).

Plural Vasekuru vedu vanogara kumusha.

Our grandfathers live at the rural home.

More nouns in this class: baba / vababa (father), amai / vadzimai (mother), tete / vatete (aunt), mambo / madzimambo (king/chief)

🌳

Mupanda 3 / 4

Class 3 & 4 · Trees, Plants, Body Parts & Natural Phenomena

mu- / mi- Muti → Miti Tap to view concords & examples

Form	Noun Prefix	Subject Concord	Possessive ("of")	Model Noun
Singular	`mu-`	`u- (uno-)`	`wa-`
Plural	`mi-`	`i- (ino-)`	`ya-`

Singular Muti mukuru unopa mumvuri unotonhorera.

The tall tree gives cool shade.

Plural Miti mikuru inopa michero yakawanda.

The tall trees bear abundant fruit.

More nouns in this class: musha / misha (home/homes), musoro / misoro (head/heads), munda / minda (field/fields), mwedzi / mwedzi (month/months)

⛰️

Mupanda 5 / 6

Class 5 & 6 · Fruits, Paired Things, Landscapes & Liquids (in Class 6)

(ri-) / voiced consonant / ma- Gomo → Makomo Tap to view concords & examples

Form	Noun Prefix	Subject Concord	Possessive ("of")	Model Noun
Singular	`(ri-) / voiced consonant`	`ri- (rino-)`	`ra-`
Plural	`ma-`	`a- (ano-)`	`a- (ema-)`

Singular Ziso rangu rinoona zviri kure.

My eye sees far into the distance.

Plural Maziso angu anoona makomo marefu.

My eyes see the tall mountains.

More nouns in this class: dombo / matombo (stone/stones), zai / mazai (egg/eggs), zuva / mazuva (day/days), shizha / mashizha (leaf/leaves)

🪑

Mupanda 7 / 8

Class 7 & 8 · Tools, Artifacts, Languages, Foods & Tangible Objects

chi- / zvi- Chigaro → Zvigaro Tap to view concords & examples

Form	Noun Prefix	Subject Concord	Possessive ("of")	Model Noun
Singular	`chi-`	`chi- (chino-)`	`cha-`
Plural	`zvi-`	`zvi- (zvino-)`	`zva-`

Singular Chikafu chedu chinonaka kwazvo.

Our food tastes very delicious.

Plural Zvidzidzo zvedu zvinovaka ruzivo.

Our lessons build knowledge.

More nouns in this class: chikoro / zvikoro (school/schools), chibage / zvibage (maize), chinhu / zvinhu (thing/things), ChiShona (the Shona language)

🦁

Mupanda 9 / 10

Class 9 & 10 · Animals, Birds, Household Vessels & Everyday Nouns

N- (nasal) / N- / dzi- Mombe → Mombe Tap to view concords & examples

Form	Noun Prefix	Subject Concord	Possessive ("of")	Model Noun
Singular	`N- (nasal)`	`i- (ino-)`	`ya-`
Plural	`N- / dzi-`	`dzi- (dzino-)`	`dza-`

Singular Mombe yangu inofura huswa pamupata.

My cow grazes grass in the valley.

Plural Mombe dzangu dzinofura huswa pamupata.

My cattle graze grass in the valley.

More nouns in this class: shumba (lion/lions), imbwa (dog/dogs), huku (chicken/chickens), imba / dzimba (house/houses), nyeredzi (star/stars)

🌊

Mupanda 11 / 10

Class 11 & 10 · Long/Slender Things, Body Parts & Abstract Qualities

ru- / N- / dzi- (or ma-) Rwizi → Nzizi Tap to view concords & examples

Form	Noun Prefix	Subject Concord	Possessive ("of")	Model Noun
Singular	`ru-`	`rwu- (runo-)`	`rwa-`
Plural	`N- / dzi- (or ma-)`	`dzi- (dzino-)`	`dza-`

Singular Rwizi rukuru runoyerera kuenda kugungwa.

The great river flows toward the ocean.

Plural Nzizi huru dzinoyerera muchirimo nemuzhizha.

The great rivers flow in spring and rainy season.

More nouns in this class: rwiyo / nziyo (song/songs), rurimi / ndimi (tongue/languages), ruoko / maoko (hand/hands), rudo (love), rugare (peace)

🐦

Mupanda 12 / 13

Class 12 & 13 · Diminutives (Small, Cute, or Little Things)

ka- / tu- / twu- Kamwana → Tuvana Tap to view concords & examples

Form	Noun Prefix	Subject Concord	Possessive ("of")	Model Noun
Singular	`ka-`	`ka- (kano-)`	`ka-`
Plural	`tu- / twu-`	`tu- (tuno-)`	`twa-`

Singular Kashiri kadiki kanoimba pamusoro pemuti.

The tiny little bird sings atop the tree.

Plural Tushiri tudiki tunobhururuka mudenga.

The tiny little birds flutter across the sky.

More nouns in this class: kambwa / tumbwa (little puppy/puppies), kamba / tumba (tiny hut/huts), kakomana / tukomana (little boy/boys)

💡

Mupanda 14

Class 14 · Abstract Concepts, Virtues, States of Being & Mass Nouns

u- / hu- / (uncountable) Uchenjeri → Upfu / Uchi Tap to view concords & examples

Form	Noun Prefix	Subject Concord	Possessive ("of")	Model Noun
Singular	`u- / hu-`	`hu- (huno-)`	`hwa-`
Plural	`(uncountable)`	`hu- (huno-)`	`hwa-`

Singular Uchenjeri hwaSekuru hunovaka musha.

Grandfather's wisdom builds the home.

Plural Ushamwari hwedu hwakasimba kwazvo.

Our friendship is very strong.

More nouns in this class: unhu / hunhu (moral character/Ubuntu), upenyu (life), usiku (night), huswa (grass), urombo (poverty)

🏃🏾

Mupanda 15

Class 15 · Verbal Infinitives & Gerunds ("To do / Doing")

ku- / (infinitive) Kudzidza → Kuimba Tap to view concords & examples

Form	Noun Prefix	Subject Concord	Possessive ("of")	Model Noun
Singular	`ku-`	`ku- (kuno-)`	`kwa-`
Plural	`(infinitive)`	`ku- (kuno-)`	`kwa-`

Singular Kuverenga mabhuku kunowedzera ruzivo.

Reading books increases knowledge.

Plural Kushandira pamwe kunounza budiriro.

Working together brings prosperity.

More nouns in this class: kudya (to eat/eating), kufamba (to walk/walking), kurima (to farm/farming), kuseka (to laugh/laughing)

📍

Mupanda 16 / 17 / 18

Class 16, 17 & 18 · Locatives: At (pa-), To/Toward (ku-), Inside (mu-)

pa- / ku- / mu- / (locatives) Pamusha / Kumusha → Mumba Tap to view concords & examples

Form	Noun Prefix	Subject Concord	Possessive ("of")	Model Noun
Singular	`pa- / ku- / mu-`	`pa- / ku- / mu-`	`pa- / kwa- / ma-`
Plural	`(locatives)`	`pano- / kuno- / muno-`	`pa- / kwa- / ma-`

Singular Pamusha pedu pane miti yemichero.

At our homestead there are fruit trees.

Plural Mumba medu munodziya uye makachena.

Inside our house it is warm and clean.

More nouns in this class: pasi (on the ground), pamusoro (on top), kuchikoro (at/to school), mumunda (inside the field)

Nguva dzeChiito

2. Core Shona Verb Tenses

Nguva Yazvino (Present Habitual)

-no-

Formula: Subject Concord + no + Verb Stem

"Ndinotaura ChiShona mazuva ose."

I speak Shona every day.

🗣️ ndee-noh-tah-OO-rah chee-SHOH-nah mah-ZOO-vah OH-seh

Zviri Kuitika Ikozvino (Present Continuous)

-ri ku-

Formula: Subject Concord + ri + Infinitive (ku-...)

"Vana vari kutamba pachivanze."

The children are playing in the courtyard right now.

🗣️ VAH-nah VAH-ree koo-TAH-mbah pah-chee-VAH-nzeh

Nguva Yakapfuura Nhasi (Recent / Today Past)

-a-

Formula: Subject Concord + a + Verb Stem

"Amai vabika sadza masikati ano."

Mother has cooked sadza this afternoon.

🗣️ ah-MAH-ee vah-BEE-kah SAH-dzah mah-see-KAH-tee AH-noh

Nguva Yakapfuura Kare (Yesterday / Remote Past)

-ka-

Formula: Subject Concord + a + ka + Verb Stem

"Takaenda kumusha kwaSekuru nezuro."

We went to Grandfather's rural home yesterday.

🗣️ tah-kah-EH-ndah koo-MOO-shah kwah-seh-KOO-roo neh-ZOO-roh

Nguva Ichauya (Future Tense)

-cha-

Formula: Subject Concord + cha + Verb Stem

"Mangwana tichaverenga ngano itsva."

Tomorrow we shall read a new folktale.

🗣️ mah-NGWAH-nah tee-chah-veh-REH-ngah NGAH-noh EE-tsvah

kuramba Nguva Yazvino (Present Negative)

ha-...-i

Formula: ha + Subject Concord + Verb Root + i

"Mwana uyu haachemi usiku."

This child does not cry at night.

🗣️ MWAH-nah OO-yoo hah-ah-CHEH-mee oo-SEE-koo

Zvisazitasingwi

3. Personal Pronouns & Subject Prefixes

Person	Present Prefix	Example Sentence
1st Singular (I / Me)	`Ndino-`	Ini ndinoda kudzidza ChiShona. I love learning Shona.
2nd Singular (You - informal)	`Uno-`	Iwe unogona kuimba zvakanaka. You sing very well.
3rd Singular (He / She)	`Ano-`	Iye anobatsira vabereki vake. He/She helps his/her parents.
1st Plural (We / Us)	`Tino-`	Isu tinogara muZimbabwe. We live in Zimbabwe.
2nd Plural / Respectful (You)	`Muno-`	Imi munotipa mazano akanaka. You (plural or respected elder) give us wise counsel.
3rd Plural / Respectful (They)	`Vano-`	Ivo vanorima chibage nemhunga. They cultivate maize and millet.