Health & Hospital

1. Ndarwaye, ndakeneye umuganga

   I am sick, I need a doctor

   Usage

   When you are ill and want to see a doctor

   Grammar Note

   ndarwaye is the perfect of kurwara (to be ill), "I am sick"; ndakeneye is "I need"

2. Ndameneka umutwe

   I have a headache

   Usage

   Telling someone you have a headache

   Grammar Note

   kumeneka umutwe, literally "to break the head", is the idiom for having a headache; ndameneka is "I break"

3. Mfise inyonko

   I have a fever

   Usage

   Telling someone you have a fever

   Grammar Note

   mfise is "I have", using the Kirundi -fise form; inyonko means "fever", and the same word can also mean malaria

4. Mfise marariya

   I have malaria

   Usage

   Telling a doctor you have malaria

   Grammar Note

   mfise is "I have"; marariya is the loanword for malaria

5. Mfise inda

   I am pregnant

   Usage

   Telling a doctor or pharmacist that you are pregnant

   Grammar Note

   kugira inda, literally "to have a belly", is the way to say "to be pregnant"; inda means both "stomach" and "pregnancy"

6. Mfise asima

   I have asthma

   Usage

   Telling someone about your asthma

   Grammar Note

   mfise is "I have"; asima is the loanword for asthma

7. Sinshobora guhema

   I can't breathe

   Usage

   When breathing is hard and you need help right away

   Grammar Note

   sinshobora is "I cannot"; guhema is "to breathe"

8. Ndava amaraso

   I am bleeding

   Usage

   When you are bleeding from an injury

   Grammar Note

   n- (I) + -da- (present) + -va (come out) + amaraso (blood); built like Umwana ava amaraso mu zuru. (the child's nose is bleeding)

9. Igikomere

   Wound

   Usage

   Pointing to a wound to show a doctor

   Grammar Note

   igikomere is "wound"; the plural is ibikomere

10. Mfise inkorora

    I have a cough

    Usage

    Telling someone you have a cough

    Grammar Note

    mfise is "I have"; inkorora is "cough"

11. Mfise uguhitwa

    I have diarrhoea

    Usage

    Telling a pharmacist or doctor about diarrhoea

    Grammar Note

    mfise is "I have"; uguhitwa is the noun form of guhitwa (to have diarrhoea)

12. Mfise ibicurane

    I have a cold

    Usage

    Telling someone you have a cold

    Grammar Note

    mfise is "I have"; ibicurane means "common cold, flu"

13. Hamagara umuganga

    Please call a doctor

    Usage

    When someone is ill or injured

    Grammar Note

    hamagara is the imperative of guhamagara (to call); umuganga is "doctor"

14. Uguhitwa

    Diarrhea

    Usage

    The word for diarrhea, used to name the symptom to a doctor or pharmacist. As a sentence, see another card "Mfise uguhitwa"

    Grammar Note

    uguhitwa is the noun form of guhitwa (to have diarrhea), listed under diarrhea in the Matana dictionary

15. Amavyi

    Poop

    Usage

    The word for poop (stool). Matana lists it as "excrement, dung", a general term used for people and animals. Matana also lists umusarani for human feces, but that mainly means "toilet", so this word was chosen

    Grammar Note

    amavyi is a class 5 plural (ama-) and is always used in the plural. Do not confuse it with umusarani (toilet)

16. Amasoba

    Pee

    Usage

    The word for pee (urine). Matana lists it as "urine (of humans)"; the verb is gusoba (to urinate). Also usable when telling a doctor about the color or frequency of urine

    Grammar Note

    amasoba is a class 5 plural (ama-) and is always used in the plural. Animal urine is amagānga, a different word

17. Ndashaka gusoba

    I need to pee

    Usage

    Tells a companion or a child that you need to pee. gusoba is listed in Matana as the neutral verb "to urinate"; neither overly polite nor rough

    Grammar Note

    n- (I) + -da- (present) + -shak- (want) + gusoba (infinitive). The same "Ndashaka + infinitive" frame as Tatoeba's "Ndashaka kurira" (I want to cry). Composed from dictionary words; not checked with a native speaker

18. Ndashaka kunya

    I need to poop

    Usage

    Tells a companion or a child that you need to poop. kunya is listed in Matana as "defecate"; it is a direct verb, not a euphemism. No euphemism could be verified in the dictionary, so none is given

    Grammar Note

    The same "Ndashaka + infinitive" frame as another card. Composed from dictionary words; not checked with a native speaker. How polite it sounds (whether it suits anyone beyond a child or companion) could not be confirmed

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