"Mti upo kati ya nyumba na choo"

Translation:The tree is between the house and the toilet

February 24, 2017

12 Comments
This discussion is locked.


https://www.duolingo.com/profile/juryrigging

Awkward if it's the middle of the night and you've had too much to drink…


https://www.duolingo.com/profile/Flickter44

Men could use the tree! Women have no option...


https://www.duolingo.com/profile/Ivoryblossum

I know women who could use the tree. My one regret from Zambia was not learning how to pee standing up like the women in my village could do.


https://www.duolingo.com/profile/Gogozed

@Ivoryblossum, which part of Zambia was that? I'm Zambian, 50+ years old and learning of this practice now.


https://www.duolingo.com/profile/Ivoryblossum

I lived in a village in the plateau Tonga region in Southern Province. So this could be either a regional thing or a village thing, or even a personal thing. I just know I remain envious of their ability.


https://www.duolingo.com/profile/RinnyJ

Would "choo" also translate as "outhouse" in this case? I'm assuming "bafu" refers to indoor plumbing, I just wondered if this would be the most natural way of referring to outdoor plumbing.


https://www.duolingo.com/profile/Flickter44

'Choo' = lavatory or latrine, so I'm not sure that outhouse would be strictly correct - outhouse could mean any building or construction (with a roof) outside of the main dwelling and may not even have any plumbing! A latrine is normally a hole in the ground (deep or shallow) which may be surrounded by a screen (no roof) of some sort for privacy... I think this is a good sentence because it has been 'localized' - there is often a tree between the house and the latrine!. 'bafu' could also mean a tin bath - no plumbing - filled up with debes of hot water!


https://www.duolingo.com/profile/RinnyJ

I suppose bathrooms are subject to a lot of colloquialisms across cultures. It occurred to me after I wrote the above comment, that some regions do refer to an "outhouse" as the "toilet" while my region usually reserves "the toilet" for the commode itself.


https://www.duolingo.com/profile/DeborahvBeek

I think the same, but it is considered wrong


https://www.duolingo.com/profile/Frank529236

Why the ya? Shouldn't there be na after nyumba?


https://www.duolingo.com/profile/hixibitsi

Kati ya = between or in the middle of

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