You ask where someone or something is with the interrogative
formative -phi (or in the case of places
kuphi) which is added to a subject concord or verb
See also interrogatives, is it here?
-
Uphi uDavide? Where's David?
-
Likuphi iposihhovisi? Where is the post
office?
-
Luphi ubisi? Where is the milk?
-
Baphi abatwana? Where are the children?
-
Uyaphi? Where are you going?
-
Uhlalaphi? Where do you stay?
-
Lisukaphi ibhasi? Where does the bus
depart from?
You may reply if a person or object is within sight -
the reply depending on the noun class.
To say here it is:
-
Nangu - um, u eg
umfana, ubaba (1, 1a sing.)
-
Nanti or nali
- i(li) eg igama, ibhotela
-
Nanka - ama eg
amantombazana
-
Nasi - isi eg isitolo
-
Nansi - in, im eg imoto
-
Nantu or nalu
- u(lu) eg ubizi (6 sing.)
To say there he, she, it (they) is (are) simply replace the final
vowel with an o:
-
Uphi uJohn? Where is John? Nango He's there
-
Likuphi iposihhovisi? Where's the
post office? Nanto It's there
-
Nanto ibhasi manje! The bus is there
now!
Uyaphi manje? Where are you going now?
Angiyi ndawo I'm going nowhere
This page- www.newt.clara.co.uk/isizulu/kuphi.htm
5 September 2002