Heritage Month: Start Umbundu With a Free 5-Minute Lesson

Heritage is not only something you wear or cook. For many people it is a language they heard at a grandparent’s house and never quite learnt. If your family’s roots run through Angola’s central highlands, that language may well be Umbundu, and a free Umbundu lesson of five minutes is an easy way to say your first words this Heritage Month.

A big language with deep roots

Umbundu is the language of the Ovimbundu, whose homeland is the high Benguela plateau, also called the Bié Plateau, around cities such as Huambo and Kuito. The Encyclopedia of World Cultures entry on the Ovimbundu notes that it is also spoken by neighbouring groups near the highlands, on the coast and along the Benguela Railway.

It is also one of Angola’s largest languages. In the 2014 census, 23 percent of people in Angola aged two and over, about 5.4 million, said they speak Umbundu at home, making it the most widely spoken language in the country after Portuguese. People could report more than one language, so the figures for different languages overlap.

Some place names change once you know the language. In our lessons, someone who lives in Huambo says Ndi kala ko Wambu: Huambo is Wambu in Umbundu.

What you will learn in the free Umbundu lesson

Our trial lesson needs no account. In a few minutes you will be greeting people the way they do in the highlands: saying hello, answering a hello, asking whether someone slept well and replying when they ask you.

The detail worth learning first is the reply rule. Kalunga! is hello to one person at any time of day, and the answer depends on who gives it: men say Kuku, women say Kawe. That detail, different words for men and women, is exactly the kind of thing that makes a grandparent smile when you get it right.

Our full course adds a second pattern. To greet a group rather than one person, the final -a becomes -i, so Kalunga becomes Kalungi.

Words to know

The tilde in hẽ marks a vowel said through the nose. Use Ndapandula the first time someone corrects your pronunciation.

In everyday conversation

Here is how a short morning exchange runs in our lessons:

• Kalunga! Hello!
• Kawe. Walalepo? Hello. Did you sleep well?
• Nda lale, ove hẽ? I slept well, and you?
• Lamevo nda lale. I slept well too.

Why start now

September is Heritage Month in South Africa, and it closes our year of stories about the languages we teach. Other posts this month look at clothing and festivals, from Heritage Day, from Shaka Day to Braai Day to harvest traditions. There is no better moment to turn heritage into something you can say out loud. Five minutes is all it takes to begin.

Quick facts

• Umbundu is the language of the Ovimbundu, whose homeland is the Benguela or Bié Plateau around Huambo and Kuito.
• In Angola’s 2014 census, 23 percent of people aged two and over, about 5.4 million, said they speak Umbundu at home.
• That makes it the most widely spoken language in Angola after Portuguese.
• Kalunga means hello at any time of day; men reply Kuku and women reply Kawe.
• The free trial lesson takes about five minutes and needs no account.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say hello in Umbundu?

Say Kalunga! (kah-LOON-gah) to one person at any time of day, or Kalungi! to a group. A man replies Kuku and a woman replies Kawe.

How do you say thank you in Umbundu?

Thank you is Ndapandula (ndah-pahn-DOO-lah). To say thank you very much, add calua: Ndapandula calua.

How many people speak Umbundu?

In Angola’s 2014 census, 23 percent of people aged two and over, about 5.4 million, said they speak Umbundu at home. Only Portuguese was more widely reported.

Tell us

Who in your family speaks Umbundu, and what is the first thing you would like to be able to say to them? You can read the census figures yourself in INE Angola’s definitive 2014 census results.

When you are ready, start your free five-minute Umbundu lesson. Then explore more on the Umbundu hub, or keep going with the Umbundu: Starter Pack (A1), which covers greetings, family, food and everyday phrases.