Uyu ni umugore wanjye.

(The introduction, "This is my wife.")

My chief reason for writing this blog is having a happy home life. One way to achieve this is with words of love. What better way than by speaking my wife's native language? There are several phrases that are important, & several others that are completely useless. Let me give you an example:

Yego (or yee) - yes - essential knowledge - especially when not listening.
Oya - no - completely useless, as wives simply cannot hear the word.
Nyabuneka - please
Urakoze - thank you
Mbabarire - excuse me
Nda gukunda - I love you

If you over-use these, you can't go wrong. They come up so often that it sounds like you're mastering the language with very little effort, & it's probably important to concentrate on pronunciation with a smaller vocabulary anyway.

Speaking of pronunciation ...
http://kinyarwanda.net/page.php?name=pronunciation-letters is one of the better explanations. I often find that the guide is incomplete or inconsistent. Knowing that there are regional differences is a start, but it doesn't help me in my quest for conversation.

A Heart in Africa

My wife is Rwandese, & I just haven't made enough effort to learn Kinyarwanda. In fact, I wish that someone else would teach me, as learning from her sounds frustrating & likely to lead to all sorts of domestic issues. So, in lieu of someone teaching me, I will teach ... myself, & anyone else interested. At the least, I will learn something from what I write for a blog that I wish that I could have read.

Let's start at the beginning.
One of the most useful words/phrases I know is "sinumva" - essentially, "I don't understand". I first used this when shopping with my wife when she was so engrossed in looking at clothes that she forgot she had me with her & started talking in Kinyarwanda. When I made the utterance (poorly), it took her several seconds to realise what I said, that I had said it in context, & that it was something I had not picked up from her. Then she broke out laughing. It's a story she tells to every Rwandese who asks if I speak any Kinyarwanda.

So, as I go through some gordanondera (key phrases), I will try to relate similar (potentially confusing) phrases, attempt pronunciation, & maybe give some background & insights - a little at a time.
The title of the blog is now blindingly obvious - I don't understand (sinumva ikinyarwanda). I intend to understand more.

Pronunciation

European pronunciation is usual - breaking this up into syllables, sin-um-va. Always pronounce "u" as "oo" (like "put" for English speakers - not too long).

Similar Words

K(w)umva - kind of like "to grok" - to understand/feel/hear/sense(not "to see")

Umva! - listen!

Ndumva - I feel

Urumva - you feel

Urumva? - do you understand? (literally, "do you feel this?")

Arumva - S/he feels

Turumva - we feel

Murumva - you (plural) feel

Barumva - they feel

Don't worry overly about regular verbs, but as an introduction, be aware that prefixes are used to show the actor to go with the action.