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◊ᴺᵉˣᵃˡ ◊ᴸᵃᵗⁱⁿᵘᵐ ◊ᶻᵘˡᵘ ◊ᴸᵉˢˢᵒⁿ⁶² ◊ⁱⁿᵈˡᵉˡᵃ
Welcome to Lesson 62 of the Latinum Institute isiZulu course. This lesson focuses on the English noun “way” and its isiZulu equivalent indlela.
What does “way” mean in isiZulu?
English “way” means a road, a direction, and a method, and so does indlela. For once the two languages divide the ground identically, and the learner has only one word to acquire.
Indlela is a class 9 noun, plural izindlela in class 10. It is the ordinary word for a road or path — the physical thing one walks along — and equally the ordinary word for a method or manner: indlela yokusebenzisa, the way of using something, which is to say the instructions.
Two related expressions are worth having at once. Endleleni, the locative, means “on the way, en route”. And ngayiphi indlela? asks “by which way?”, both of a route and of a method.
For a modern tarred road isiZulu has umgwaqo, a separate word, while indlela covers paths, routes and ways in general.
Course Index:
https://latinum.substack.com/p/index
Key Takeaways:
Indlela (class 9) is road, path, way and method; plural izindlela
Endleleni is the locative, “on the way”
Indlela ye- expresses the way of something: indlela yokusebenzisa
Umgwaqo is a made road; indlela is the general word
Ngale ndlela means “in this way”
-landela indlela is to follow the road or the method
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indlela [inˈɮeː.la] — “road, way”. The dl is the voiced lateral fricative /ɮ/, the partner of the /ɬ/ of Lesson 61.
izindlela [i.zinˈɮeː.la] — plural, class 10.
endleleni [ɛn.ɮɛˈleː.ni] — “on the way”, locative with e- ... -ini.
umgwaqo [um.ˈɡwaː.ǃɔ] — “road”. Contains the postalveolar click q /ǃ/.
ngale ndlela [ˈŋaː.lɛ nˈɮeː.la] — “in this way”.
ukulandela [u.ku.lanˈdeː.la] — “to follow”.
Note on hl and dl: The two lateral fricatives differ only in voicing. Kahle has /ɬ/, indlela has /ɮ/. Practise them as a pair, since no English sound corresponds to either.
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62.1 Indlela (inˈɮeː.la) the-road inde (ˈiːn.dɛ) is-long
62.2 Ngayiphi (ŋaˈjiː.pʰi) by-which indlela (inˈɮeː.la) way
62.3 Endleleni (ɛn.ɮɛˈleː.ni) on-the-way ngabona (ŋaˈɓɔː.na) I-saw umngani (umˈŋaː.ni) a-friend
62.4 Izindlela (i.zinˈɮeː.la) the-roads ezimbili (ɛ.zimˈbiː.li) two
62.5 Ngitshele (ŋiˈtʃeː.lɛ) tell-me indlela (inˈɮeː.la) the-way
62.6 Le (leː) this ndlela (nˈɮeː.la) way inhle (ˈiːn.ɬɛ) is-good
62.7 Indlela (inˈɮeː.la) the-way yokusebenzisa (jɔ.ku.sɛ.ɓɛnˈziː.sa) of-using lokhu (ˈlɔː.kʰu) this
62.8 Balandela (ɓa.lanˈdeː.la) they-follow indlela (inˈɮeː.la) the-road
62.9 Ngale (ˈŋaː.lɛ) in-this ndlela (nˈɮeː.la) way kulula (kuˈluː.la) it-is-easy
62.10 Nami (ˈnaː.mi) I-also ngihamba (ŋiˈhaː.mɓa) I-go ngaleyo (ŋaˈleː.jɔ) by-that ndlela (nˈɮeː.la) way
62.11 Ngicabanga (ŋi.ǀaˈɓaːŋa) I-think ukuthi (u.kuˈtʰi) that silahlekile (si.ɬɛˈkiː.lɛ) we-are-lost endleleni (ɛn.ɮɛˈleː.ni) on-the-way
62.12 Ubaba (uˈɓaː.ɓa) father wangibonisa (wa.ŋi.ɓɔˈniː.sa) showed-me indlela (inˈɮeː.la) the-way
62.13 Emva (ˈɛːm.va) after kwendlela (kwɛnˈɮeː.la) of-the-road kunomfula (ku.nɔmˈfuː.la) there-is-a-river
62.14 Ihamba (iˈhaː.mɓa) it-goes kanjani (ka.nˈdʒaː.ni) how le (leː) this ndlela (nˈɮeː.la) road
62.15 Sebenzisa (sɛ.ɓɛnˈziː.sa) use indlela (inˈɮeː.la) the-way enhle (ˈeːn.ɬɛ) good
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62.1 Indlela inde. → “The road is long.”
62.2 Ngayiphi indlela? → “Which way?”
62.3 Endleleni ngabona umngani. → “On the way I saw a friend.”
62.4 Izindlela ezimbili. → “Two roads.”
62.5 Ngitshele indlela. → “Tell me the way.”
62.6 Le ndlela inhle. → “This road is a good one.”
62.7 Indlela yokusebenzisa lokhu. → “The way to use this.”
62.8 Balandela indlela. → “They follow the road.”
62.9 Ngale ndlela kulula. → “This way it's easy.”
62.10 Nami ngihamba ngaleyo ndlela. → “I go that way too.”
62.11 Ngicabanga ukuthi silahlekile endleleni. → “I think we've got lost on the way.”
62.12 Ubaba wangibonisa indlela. → “My father showed me the way.”
62.13 Emva kwendlela kunomfula. → “Beyond the road there's a river.”
62.14 Ihamba kanjani le ndlela? → “Where does this road go?”
62.15 Sebenzisa indlela enhle. → “Take the good road.”
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62.1 Indlela inde.
62.2 Ngayiphi indlela?
62.3 Endleleni ngabona umngani.
62.4 Izindlela ezimbili.
62.5 Ngitshele indlela.
62.6 Le ndlela inhle.
62.7 Indlela yokusebenzisa lokhu.
62.8 Balandela indlela.
62.9 Ngale ndlela kulula.
62.10 Nami ngihamba ngaleyo ndlela.
62.11 Ngicabanga ukuthi silahlekile endleleni.
62.12 Ubaba wangibonisa indlela.
62.13 Emva kwendlela kunomfula.
62.14 Ihamba kanjani le ndlela?
62.15 Sebenzisa indlela enhle.
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Grammar Rules for indlela in isiZulu:
1. The Noun and its Class
Indlela is class 9, plural izindlela in class 10. Its concords are those met in Lesson 58 and 59:
Subject: indlela ihamba (the road goes), izindlela zihamba
Adjective: indlela enhle, izindlela ezinhle
Numeral: izindlela ezimbili
Demonstrative: le ndlela (this road), leyo ndlela (that road)
Note that after a demonstrative the noun's initial vowel drops: le ndlela, not ✗ le indlela. This was met in Lesson 53's citation with lezo zinsongo.
2. The Locative Endleleni
Formed with the circumfix e- ... -ini, with the expected sound change:
indlela → endleleni (on the way)
The locative answers “where”, and endleleni is extremely common in narrative, meaning en route, along the way.
3. Indlela Ye- — the Method
To express the way of doing something, indlela takes the possessive concord ya- (class 9), which fuses:
indlela yokusebenzisa (the way of using — ya- + ukusebenzisa)
indlela yokupheka (the way of cooking)
indlela yokwenza (the way of doing, the method)
The fusion ya- + uku- gives yoku-, the same process as kwa- + uku- giving koku- in Lesson 56.
Indlela yokusebenzisa is the standard heading for instructions, and connects this lesson directly to Lesson 57.
4. Ngale Ndlela — Manner
With the instrumental nga- the noun expresses manner:
ngale ndlela (in this way)
ngaleyo ndlela (in that way)
ngayiphi indlela? (in which way? by which road?)
The question ngayiphi indlela? is ambiguous between route and method in exactly the way English “which way?” is.
5. Indlela and Umgwaqo
Umgwaqo is a made or tarred road, class 3, and belongs to the vocabulary of towns and traffic. Indlela is the general word and the only one used for a footpath or for a method. A learner should use indlela unless a modern roadway is specifically meant.
Common Errors to Avoid:
Keeping the initial vowel after a demonstrative: ✗ le indlela → ✓ le ndlela
Wrong possessive fusion: ✗ indlela yaukusebenzisa → ✓ indlela yokusebenzisa
Using umgwaqo for a method: ✗ umgwaqo wokupheka → ✓ indlela yokupheka
Confusing hl and dl: kahle has /ɬ/, indlela has /ɮ/
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The Path and the Traveller
Before roads, the indlela was a footpath between homesteads, and the etiquette of the path is old. A traveller greets everyone met on it; passing in silence is a discourtesy. The greeting sequence of Lessons 54 and 59 belongs as much to the path as to the doorway.
Indlela as Life
The metaphor of life as a road is as available in isiZulu as in English, and funeral and church language uses it constantly — uhambe indlela ende, he has travelled a long road. The phrase indlela enhle, a good way, does double duty between route and conduct.
Two Roads
The citation below records a real tactic. Faced with a creature that took children from the path, a man devised the plan of having two roads rather than one, so that a captive asked which way to go could name the wrong one. Callaway's informants preserve it as a story about ingenuity, and it turns entirely on the noun of this lesson.
Indlela Yokusebenzisa
In modern isiZulu the phrase heads every set of instructions, on packaging, in manuals and on public notices. A learner who has Lesson 57's -sebenzisa and this lesson's indlela can read the top line of most instruction sheets in the language.
Idiomatic Expressions:
Ngayiphi indlela? — which way?
Endleleni — on the way
Indlela yokusebenzisa — instructions for use
Ngale ndlela — in this way
Hamba ngendlela — go by the road, keep to the path
Ukulahleka endleleni — to get lost on the way
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From Henry Callaway, Nursery Tales, Traditions, and Histories of the Zulus (1868). The Isitwalangcengce is a creature that carried children off in a basket. Callaway's informant explains how one community defeated it: by building a second path, so that a captured child could send it the wrong way.
Part F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
Lowo 'muntu (ˈlɔː.wɔ ˈmuːn.tu) that-man wa veza (waˈveː.za) produced ikcebo (iˈǀeː.ɓɔ) a-plan lokuba (lɔˈkuː.ɓa) that izindlela (i.zinˈɮeː.la) the-roads a zi be mbili (a.zi.ɓɛmˈbiː.li) they-should-be two a i nga bi nye (a.i.ŋa.ɓiˈɲeː) not-being one
Part F-B: The Text with Translation
Lowo 'muntu wa veza ikcebo lokuba izindlela a zi be mbili; a i nga bi nye.
→ Callaway's own translation: “That man devised the plan of having two ways, and not one only.”
Part F-C: Original isiZulu Text
Lowo 'muntu wa veza ikcebo lokuba izindlela a zi be mbili; a i nga bi nye.
Part F-D: Grammar Commentary
Izindlela is the class 10 plural of indlela, and it takes the class 10 numeral concord: a zi be mbili, “that they should be two”. The numeral of Lesson 58 appears here in a subjunctive clause, with the concord zi- agreeing with izindlela.
A zi be is a subjunctive of purpose after lokuba, “that”: the plan was that the roads should be two. The final -e on be marks the subjunctive, as in si cabange in Lesson 60's citation.
A i nga bi nye is the negative counterpart — “not being one” — with the negative -nga- and the final -i on bi. Note the concord shift from zi- (plural, two roads) to i- (singular, one road), agreeing with the singular that is being denied.
Ikcebo is modern icebo, a plan or stratagem, with Callaway's kc for the dental click c. The related verb -ceba means to devise or plot, and the noun recurs throughout the trickster tales.
Immediately after this passage the same informant supplies the phrase indlela enhle eyehlanze, “the good path, the one through the bush” — the adjective of Lesson 61 attached to the noun of this one.
Part F-E: Literary Commentary
What makes the passage striking is that it records not a marvel but a piece of infrastructure. The community's answer to a child-stealing monster is to build a second road, and the story is told as a practical success: lelo 'cebo la siza kakulu leso 'sizwe, that plan was of great assistance to that tribe. Callaway's collection is full of the fantastic, but its logic is frequently this sober, and the noun indlela here means at once a path through the bush and a way out of a difficulty.
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Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
62.16 KwaZulu-Natal (kwa.zu.lu.naˈtaː.li) in-KwaZulu-Natal kunezindlela (ku.nɛ.zinˈɮeː.la) there-are-roads eziningi (ɛ.ziˈniː.ŋi) many
62.17 Eminye (ɛˈmiː.ɲɛ) some imide (iˈmiː.dɛ) are-long eminye (ɛˈmiː.ɲɛ) others mifushane (mi.fuˈʃaː.nɛ) are-short
62.18 Indlela (inˈɮeː.la) the-road eya (ˈeː.ja) going eThekwini (ɛ.tʰɛˈkwiː.ni) to-Durban inde (ˈiːn.dɛ) is-long
62.19 Abantu (aˈɓaːn.tu) people bahamba (ɓaˈhaː.mɓa) travel ngayo (ˈŋaː.jɔ) by-it nsuku (nˈsuː.ku) days zonke (ˈzɔːn.kɛ) all
62.20 Endleleni (ɛn.ɮɛˈleː.ni) on-the-way kunemithi (ku.nɛ.miˈtʰiː) there-are-trees emikhulu (ɛ.miˈkʰuː.lu) large
62.21 Izindlela (i.zinˈɮeː.la) the-paths zasemakhaya (za.sɛ.maˈkʰaː.ja) of-the-countryside zincane (ziˈnǀaː.nɛ) are-small
62.22 Abantu (aˈɓaːn.tu) people bahamba (ɓaˈhaː.mɓa) walk ngezinyawo (ŋɛ.ziˈɲaː.wɔ) on-foot
62.23 Uma (ˈuː.ma) if uhlangana (u.ɬaˈŋaː.na) you-meet nomuntu (nɔˈmuːn.tu) with-a-person endleleni (ɛn.ɮɛˈleː.ni) on-the-way uyabingelela (u.ja.ɓi.ŋɛˈleː.la) you-greet
62.24 Lokho (ˈlɔː.kʰɔ) that kuyindlela (ku.jinˈɮeː.la) is-the-way enhle (ˈeːn.ɬɛ) good
62.25 Emva (ˈɛːm.va) after kwemvula (kwɛmˈvuː.la) of-rain izindlela (i.zinˈɮeː.la) the-roads zinzima (zinˈziː.ma) are-difficult
62.26 Kufanele (ku.faˈneː.lɛ) one-must uhambe (uˈhaː.mɓɛ) go kahle (ˈkaː.ɬɛ) carefully
62.27 Ngicabanga (ŋi.ǀaˈɓaːŋa) I-think ukuthi (u.kuˈtʰi) that izindlela (i.zinˈɮeː.la) the-roads ziyalungiswa (zi.ja.lu.ŋiˈswaː) are-being-repaired
62.28 Nami (ˈnaː.mi) I-also ngiyazazi (ŋi.jaˈzaː.zi) I-know-them izindlela (i.zinˈɮeː.la) the-roads zonke (ˈzɔːn.kɛ) all
62.29 Ubaba (uˈɓaː.ɓa) father wangibonisa (wa.ŋi.ɓɔˈniː.sa) showed-me indlela (inˈɮeː.la) the-way ngesikhathi (ŋɛ.si.ˈkʰaː.tʰi) when ngisemncane (ŋi.sɛmˈǀaː.nɛ) I-was-small
62.30 Kusukela (ku.suˈkeː.la) since lapho (ˈlaː.pʰɔ) then angilahleki (a.ŋi.ɬɛˈkiː) I-do-not-get-lost
Part B: Natural Sentences
62.16 KwaZulu-Natal kunezindlela eziningi. → “In KwaZulu-Natal there are many roads.”
62.17 Eminye imide, eminye mifushane. → “Some are long, some are short.”
62.18 Indlela eya eThekwini inde. → “The road to Durban is long.”
62.19 Abantu bahamba ngayo nsuku zonke. → “People travel on it every day.”
62.20 Endleleni kunemithi emikhulu. → “Along the way there are big trees.”
62.21 Izindlela zasemakhaya zincane. → “Country paths are narrow.”
62.22 Abantu bahamba ngezinyawo. → “People go on foot.”
62.23 Uma uhlangana nomuntu endleleni, uyabingelela. → “If you meet someone on the way, you greet them.”
62.24 Lokho kuyindlela enhle. → “That is the good way.”
62.25 Emva kwemvula izindlela zinzima. → “After rain the roads are difficult.”
62.26 Kufanele uhambe kahle. → “One must travel carefully.”
62.27 Ngicabanga ukuthi izindlela ziyalungiswa. → “I think the roads are being repaired.”
62.28 Nami ngiyazazi izindlela zonke. → “I know all the roads too.”
62.29 Ubaba wangibonisa indlela ngesikhathi ngisemncane. → “My father showed me the way when I was small.”
62.30 Kusukela lapho angilahleki. → “Since then I don't get lost.”
Part C: isiZulu Only
62.16 KwaZulu-Natal kunezindlela eziningi.
62.17 Eminye imide, eminye mifushane.
62.18 Indlela eya eThekwini inde.
62.19 Abantu bahamba ngayo nsuku zonke.
62.20 Endleleni kunemithi emikhulu.
62.21 Izindlela zasemakhaya zincane.
62.22 Abantu bahamba ngezinyawo.
62.23 Uma uhlangana nomuntu endleleni, uyabingelela.
62.24 Lokho kuyindlela enhle.
62.25 Emva kwemvula izindlela zinzima.
62.26 Kufanele uhambe kahle.
62.27 Ngicabanga ukuthi izindlela ziyalungiswa.
62.28 Nami ngiyazazi izindlela zonke.
62.29 Ubaba wangibonisa indlela ngesikhathi ngisemncane.
62.30 Kusukela lapho angilahleki.
Part D: Grammar Notes for Genre Section
The description exercises the noun across its senses and its concords:
Class 9 and Class 10 Together: 62.18 (indlela... inde, singular concord i-) beside 62.25 (izindlela zinzima, plural concord zi-). The concord shift is the clearest signal of number in isiZulu.
The Locative: 62.20 and 62.23 use endleleni. Note that the locative cannot take a concord as subject — in 62.20 the subject is the impersonal ku-.
Road and Method Together: 62.18 to 62.22 use indlela of physical roads; 62.24, lokho kuyindlela enhle, uses it of conduct — greeting people is “the good way”. The shift is invisible grammatically and clear from context, which is exactly the point of the lesson.
The Instrumental with the Pronoun: 62.19, bahamba ngayo, “they travel by it”, with nga- fused to the class 9 pronoun yo.
The Passive: 62.27, ziyalungiswa, from -lungisa (to repair, itself the causative of -lunga, to be right) with the passive -w-. A causative and a passive in one word.
Recycled Structures: 62.25 carries emva kwa- from Lesson 56; 62.26 carries kahle from Lesson 61; 62.24 carries enhle from Lesson 61; 62.28 carries nami from Lesson 54; 62.27 carries ngicabanga ukuthi from Lesson 53; 62.29 carries -bonisa, the causative of Lesson 57.
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The Voiced Lateral Fricative /ɮ/
Indlela, ukudla, amandla, izindlu all contain dl. Set against kahle, enhle, umhlane with hl, the pair /ɮ/ and /ɬ/ is the most distinctive contrast in Nguni phonology. Both are made with the tongue in the l position; only voicing separates them.
Vowel Elision After Demonstratives
Le ndlela, leyo ndlela, lezo zindlela. The noun's initial vowel is dropped after the demonstrative. This is regular and is reflected in the spelling.
The Click in Umgwaqo
Umgwaqo contains q, the postalveolar click met in kuqala in Lesson 56. The three clicks — c, q, x — are now all in circulation in this course.
Locative Sound Changes
indlela → endleleni. The final -a becomes -e before the locative suffix -ni. Compare isikhathi → esikhathini, umsebenzi → emsebenzini. The change is regular and worth expecting.
Callaway's Orthography
The citation writes indAlela in the original scan, where A stands for the dl digraph, and ikcebo for icebo with kc for the dental click. Both artifacts are documented in the course corpus notes, and both must be resolved before a passage can be quoted.
Recommended Audio Resources:
Traffic and travel reports on Zulu radio use izindlela constantly and in the physical sense; instructional broadcasts and packaging use indlela yokusebenzisa in the abstract sense. Hearing both registers in the same week is the quickest way to internalise the double meaning.
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◊ᴺᵉˣᵃˡ ◊ᴸᵃᵗⁱⁿᵘᵐ ◊ᶻᵘˡᵘ ◊ᴸᵉˢˢᵒⁿ⁶² ◊ⁱⁿᵈˡᵉˡᵃ ◊ᶜᵒᵐᵖˡᵉᵗᵉ
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