Chapter 2: People and Numbers
Dholuo Nouns and Plurals (-nde)
No gender and no articles: learn how Dholuo nouns work, and how nouns ending in n and l form their plurals with -nde.
📚 Nouns
The good news about nouns in Dholuo: there is no gender (like la mesa and el dia in Spanish), and there are no articles (like ‘the’, ‘a’, ‘an’); the noun stands alone. But nouns can be tricky for a couple of reasons: the formation of the plural is very irregular, and a special noun construct form must be used in some cases. For now, let’s look at some nouns and their plurals.
📚 Nouns and Their Plurals
Nouns ending in ‘n’ or ‘n’ followed by a vowel, form their plurals using ‘nde’:
| Dholuo (Singular) | English (Singular) | Dholuo (Plural) | English (Plural) |
|---|---|---|---|
| San | dish | Sende | dishes |
| Gweno | chicken | Gwende | Chickens |
| Rabuon | Sweet potato | Rabuonde | Sweet potatoes |
| Pien | Skin (or Hide) | Piende | Hides |
| Pino | Wasp | Pinde | Wasps |
| Sigana | Story | Sigende | Stories |
| Kuon | Ugali (an African dish) | Kuonde | Ugali (plural) |
| Thuon | Cock/Rooster | Thuonde | Cocks/Roosters |
📚 Nouns and Their Plurals
Nouns ending in ‘l’ or ‘l’ followed by a vowel, also form their plurals using ‘nde’
| Dholuo (Singular) | English (Singular) | Dholuo (Plural) | English (Plural) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tielo | Leg | Tiende | Legs |
| Del | Body | Dende | Bodies |
| Dwol | Voice | Dwonde | Voices |
| Tol | Rope | Tonde | Ropes |
✍️ Practise Luo Nouns
We’ve covered how to form plurals for nouns ending in ‘l’ and ‘n’. Pick one noun from each category and use it to form a simple sentence for both its singular and plural form. Include the English translations for each sentence. Then say it out loud on Echo and get feedback from a native speaker.
Example: An gi gweno achiel/An gi gwende ariyo – I have one chicken/I have two chicken
- Visit previous lessons for help with forming your sentences eg. using numbers or adding adjectives to nouns
Suggested length: up to 100 words.
🎯 Practice Exercises
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