Everything below is what a beginner actually needs first: greetings, polite words, numbers, family, food, time and getting around. Each entry shows the Xhosa spelling, the English meaning, and a respelling with the stressed syllable in capitals so you can say it out loud without guessing.
Igama lam ngu-AmaraMy name is Amara/ee-GA-ma lam ngoo a-MA-ra/
Ngubani igama lakho?What is your name?/ngoo-BA-nee ee-GA-ma LA-kho/
Unjani?How are you?/oon-JA-nee/
NdiphilileI am fine/n-dee-pee-LEE-leh/
AmanziWater/a-MAN-zee/
UkutyaFood/oo-KOO-tya/
UmhloboFriend/oom-SHLO-bo/
IndluHouse/IND-loo/
Counting
Numbers one to five and market basics
InyeOne/EE-nyeh/
ZimbiniTwo/zim-BEE-nee/
ZintathuThree/zeen-TA-too/
ZineFour/ZEE-neh/
ZintlanuFive/zeen-TLA-noo/
Yimalini?How much is it?/yee-ma-LEE-nee/
ImarikeMarket/ee-ma-REE-keh/
AmanziWater/a-MAN-zee/
Ndifuna ukuthengaI want to buy/n-dee-FOO-na oo-koo-TEH-nga/
Questions people ask about Xhosa
Is Xhosa hard to learn?
Three click letters, each with plain, aspirated and nasal versions.
Mutually intelligible with Zulu in many everyday situations.
Noun classes drive agreement across the whole sentence.
Where is Xhosa spoken?
South Africa, especially the Eastern and Western Cape — around 8 million first-language speakers. Writing system: Latin alphabet with c, q and x for clicks.
Can I learn Xhosa for free?
Yes. This phrasebook is free to read, and SemaSoma gives you the first three units of the course plus 15 translations a day before anything is paid.