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Common Afrikaans to Bemba phrases

100 practical Afrikaans to Bemba phrases for travel, study, work, and daily conversation.

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Looking for practical Afrikaans to Bemba phrases? This free guide lists 100 essential sentences for travel, study, work, and everyday conversation. Each line shows the Afrikaans phrase first, then the Bemba translation (Bemba) — so you can scan quickly before a trip, class, or video call.

The phrases are grouped into eight topics: greetings and pleasantries, useful phrases for travellers, everyday conversation, directions and getting around, shopping and dining, emergencies and health, work and business, and time, days and numbers. Use the table of contents to jump straight to greetings, directions, dining, emergencies, or numbers. You do not need perfect grammar to start — short, clear sentences often work better than silence when you are learning Bemba.

Tip: focus on one section per day (travel Monday, dining Tuesday, and so on) if you are preparing for a Bemba-speaking trip in a few weeks.

Bookmark this page for offline review, share it with a travel buddy, or open the Afrikaans to Bemba translator to paste your own messages and get an instant translation.

Greetings and pleasantries

Hello, goodbye, please, thank you, and polite introductions for meeting new people.

  1. Hallo

    Shani

  2. Dankie

    Natotela

  3. Goeie more

    Muli shani

  4. Goeie middag

    Muli shani

  5. Goeie naand

    Muli shani

  6. Goeie nag

    Shalenipo bwino

  7. Sien jou later

    Tukakutana

  8. Totsiens

    Twalumba

  9. Wat is jou naam?

    Iwe ulishani?

  10. My naam is John

    Ndefwaya John

  11. Hoe gaan dit?

    Uli bwanji?

  12. Lekker om jou te ontmoet

    Nashitasha kukumona

Useful phrases for travellers

Airport, hotel, tickets, and transport phrases for getting around on a trip.

  1. Praat jy Engels?

    Ulyashi ulukanda mu Chingereza?

  2. Ek praat nie goed Hindi nie.

    Ndefwaya ukulanda Hindi bwino

  3. Ek verstaan nie.

    Ndefwaya kumfwa

  4. Praat asseblief stadig.

    Nimwandi ulukanda buteko

  5. Kan jy dit weer sê?

    Ningaloleleko?

  6. Waar is die badkamer?

    Ili kuti ikalamba?

  7. Hoe kom ek by die stadsentrum?

    Ningalileka shani ku city center?

  8. Draai links.

    Fumya kumwendo

  9. Draai regs.

    Fumya kumwendo

  10. Gaan reguit.

    Enda pamo

  11. Hoeveel is die tarief?

    Kuli shani ifyabukata?

  12. Een kaartjie, asseblief.

    Ticket imwe, nomba

  13. Is dit ver van hier?

    Kuli lishilu ukulya?

  14. Ek is verlore.

    Ndi lost

  15. Waar kan ek 'n SIM-kaart koop?

    Ili kuti nindeke SIM card?

Everyday conversation

Small talk, feelings, opinions, and common chat phrases for daily life.

  1. Ja

    Eya

  2. Nee

    Awe

  3. Miskien

    Panga

  4. Ek stem saam

    Ndi bwino

  5. Ek stem nie saam nie

    Ndi bwino na

  6. Dit klink goed

    Ilyo lishibukile

  7. Wat dink jy?

    Uchite shani?

  8. Kan jy my help?

    Ushakufwa?

  9. Ek het hulp nodig

    Ndefwaya ifyakufwa

  10. Wag 'n oomblik

    Leka ifi

  11. Ek is jammer

    Nshakufwa

  12. Geen probleem

    Takwaba shani

  13. Geluk

    Nshakufwa bwino

  14. Gelukkige verjaarsdag

    Nashala bwino mu mwaka

  15. Veilige reis

    Ube na mulimo wabwino

Directions and getting around

Asking where something is, left and right, distances, and finding your way.

  1. Waar is die treinstasie?

    Uli kuti ikalamba ya chitima?

  2. Waar is die busstop?

    Uli kuti icikalo ca bisi?

  3. Watter platform is dit?

    Ninshi ni platform iyi?

  4. Watter tyd vertrek dit?

    Ninshi ikalamba?

  5. Is dit die regte pad?

    Ninshi iyi ni njira shabwino?

  6. Dit is naby hier.

    Ili pamo na pano.

  7. Dit is ver van hier.

    Ili lishilu na pano.

  8. Kan jy dit op die kaart wys?

    Ushibukishe pa mape?

  9. Stop hier, asseblief.

    Leka pano, chonde.

  10. Hoe lank neem dit?

    Kuli shani?

Shopping and dining

Ordering food, asking prices, paying the bill, and shopping at markets or stores.

  1. Hoeveel kos dit?

    Ili shani? (Ili shani?)

  2. Dit is te duur.

    Ili lya kuli (Ili lya kuli)

  3. Het julle iets goedkoper?

    Muli na chimo chibulu? (Muli na chimo chibulu?)

  4. Kan ek met 'n kaart betaal?

    Ningakupanga na kadi? (Ningakupanga na kadi?)

  5. Ek wil 'n tafel vir twee hê.

    Ningakonda itabo lyakupanga abali babili (Ningakonda itabo lyakupanga abali babili)

  6. Die rekening, asseblief.

    Icilanga, tapali (Icilanga, tapali)

  7. Is diens ingesluit?

    Ubufyashi bwakupanga? (Ubufyashi bwakupanga?)

  8. Ek is 'n vegetariër.

    Ndi mvegetarian (Ndi mvegetarian)

  9. Geen pittige kos, asseblief.

    Nshikala na fya spicy, tapali (Nshikala na fya spicy, tapali)

  10. Dit is heerlik.

    Ili lya bwino (Ili lya bwino)

  11. Kan ek die spyskaart kry?

    Ningakonda ifyalo? (Ningakonda ifyalo?)

  12. ‘n Glas water, asseblief.

    Icupa ca mvula, tapali (Icupa ca mvula, tapali)

Emergencies and health

Help, police, doctor, pharmacy, and urgent situations when you need assistance fast.

  1. Bel die polisie

    Tuma abashitisha

  2. Bel 'n ambulans

    Tuma ambulance

  3. Ek het 'n dokter nodig

    Nshikala na doctor

  4. Ek voel siek

    Nshikala bwino

  5. Ek is allergies vir grondboontjies

    Ndi na allergy ku nsalu

  6. Waar is die naaste hospitaal?

    Ili kuti hospital ya pafupi?

  7. Dit seergemaak hier

    Kuli ububi pano

  8. Ek het my paspoort verloor

    Nashitile passport yangu

  9. Kan jy my hotel bel?

    Nawe tuma hotel yangu?

  10. Help!

    Chikondi!

Work and business

Meetings, email tone, schedules, and professional phrases for the workplace.

  1. Lekker om jou te ontmoet

    Nashamukeni (na-sha-mu-ke-ni)

  2. Kom ons skeduleer 'n vergadering

    Tulefwaya ukusanga (tu-le-fwa-ya u-ku-sanga)

  3. Watter tyd werk vir jou?

    Ninshi ifikala bwino kwa iwe? (nin-shi i-fi-ka-la bwi-no kwa i-we)

  4. Ek sal die verslag vandag stuur

    Nizakutuma ifishina lelo (ni-za-ku-tu-ma i-fi-shi-na le-lo)

  5. Kan ons môre praat?

    Twafwaya ukusambilila lero? (twa-fwa-ya u-ku-sam-bi-li-la le-ro)

  6. Asseblief vind die lêer aangeheg

    Nomba fwebo file iliko (nom-ba fwe-bo fi-le i-li-ko)

  7. Dankie vir jou tyd

    Natotela pa nshita (na-to-te-la pa nshi-ta)

  8. Ek sien uit daarna om saam met jou te werk

    Nifwaya ukushanda na iwe (ni-fwa-ya u-ku-shan-da na i-we)

  9. Kan jy daardie punt verduidelik?

    Wakosa ukufumya icikomo? (wa-ko-sa u-ku-fum-ya i-ci-ko-mo)

  10. Laat ek jou terugbel

    Nizakukumbusha (ni-za-ku-kum-bu-sha)

  11. Die sperdatum is Vrydag

    Ishina lyakupela ni Lwapula (i-shi-na lya-ku-pe-la ni Lwa-pu-la)

Time, days and numbers

Clock times, days of the week, months, quantities, and counting for appointments and plans.

  1. Hoe laat is dit?

    Ninshi ilya shani? (Ninshi ilya shani?)

  2. Dit is drie uur.

    Kuli nomba itatu. (Kuli nomba itatu.)

  3. Vandag

    Lelo. (Lelo.)

  4. Môre

    Mwaume. (Mwaume.)

  5. Gister

    Kale. (Kale.)

  6. Maandag

    Lwandi. (Lwandi.)

  7. Dinsdag

    Lwakabamba. (Lwakabamba.)

  8. Woensdag

    Lwapili. (Lwapili.)

  9. Een

    Imwe. (Imwe.)

  10. Twee

    Ibili. (Ibili.)

  11. Drie

    Itatu. (Itatu.)

  12. Tien

    Icumi. (Icumi.)

  13. Een honderd

    Cikumi. (Cikumi.)

  14. Half

    Pafya. (Pafya.)

  15. Meer

    Ilyo. (Ilyo.)

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