Tsonga as a Foreign Language: Prefixes, Suffixes, Articles, Singular, Plural, Pronouns

Some Tsonga basics I think would help to know:

Prefixes (Swirhangi)
Xi- = Language of; Culture of. e.g. Xitsonga = Tsonga language or culture.
xi- = Small. e.g. xifanyetana = small boy.
ti- = Doing it to yourself. e.g. titwa = feeling yourself too much.
vu- = Of being. e.g. vukhongeri = religion (of praying).
e- = At; In. e.g. eAfrika-Dzonga = In South Africa.
a- = at. akaya = at home. Also ee 'e-'.
mu- = Person of. e.g. murimi = farmer (a person of farming).

Suffixes (Swilandzi)
-nyana = Small. e.g. nkarhinyana = shaort while.
-ile = Past tense. e.g. bile = have beat.
-nkulu = Big. e.g. Gazankulu = Greater Gaza.

Articles (Switwari)
ku = to. e.g. ku dya = to eat.
ta = of. e.g. ta mina = mine.
i = it's. sometimes used for giving like "here" and "take". i xiphato = it's a praise poem. i, teka = here, take.
hi = with. by. e.g. hi movha = by car.
na = with. also. as well. too. e.g. na hina = us too.
swa = of; it's. e.g. swa vona = theirs. swa tsandza = it's difficult.
eka = at. in. e.g. Eka Malamulele = In Malamulele.
ka = at. possibly derived from eka. ka Malamulele.

Singular (Vun'we) to Plural (Vunyingi)
xi- = swi-. e.g. xitulu (chair) -> switulu (chairs).
? = ti-. e.g. mbita (pot) -> timbita (pots).
? = ma-. e.g. lamula (orange, as fruit) = malamula (oranges).

Pronouns (Masivi)
hina = us.
vona = them.
mina = me.
wena = you.
n'wina = you guys.

More pronouns
swona = for nouns starting with "sw".
xona = for nouns starting with "x".
rona = for nouns starting with "r".
tona = for nouns starting with "t".
byona = for nouns starting with "by".
dyona = for nouns starting with "dy".

The prefixes and suffixes are not always definite but it helps to think along those lines.

M.K. Baloyi