Dietary & Allergies

1. Nkhurya nyama yayi

   I don't eat meat

   Usage

   Tells hosts or cooks that you do not eat meat

   Grammar Note

   "yayi" at the end of the sentence negates the verb; "nyama" means both "animal" and "meat". Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

2. Nyama ya nkhumba

   Pork

   Usage

   Name the food you want to avoid or ask about when checking a dish

   Grammar Note

   "nyama ya + animal" means the meat of that animal; "ya" is the "of" that agrees with "nyama". Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

3. Nyama ya ng'ombe

   Beef

   Usage

   Name the food you want to avoid or ask about when checking a dish

   Grammar Note

   "ng'" is a single nasal sound; the pattern is "nyama ya + animal". Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

4. Mchere

   Salt

   Usage

   Salt; use it to talk about seasoning or to ask for less salt

   Grammar Note

   "mchere" is the noun for salt; "nyanja ya mchere" is a salt sea or lake

5. Mphangwe

   Vegetables

   Usage

   Vegetables; use it when you want vegetables instead of meat

   Grammar Note

   "mphangwe" names vegetables as a group; "nyama panji mphangwe" is "meat or vegetables"

6. Kasi chakurya ichi chili na nyama?

   Does this food contain meat?

   Usage

   Checks before ordering whether a dish has meat in it

   Grammar Note

   "Kasi" at the start makes a question; "chili na" ("has") agrees with "chakurya". Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

7. Kasi chakurya ichi chili na masumbi?

   Does this food contain eggs?

   Usage

   Checks whether a dish has eggs in it when you cannot eat them

   Grammar Note

   In "chili na ...", any ingredient name can be swapped in (nyama meat, masumbi eggs). Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

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