Lingala dictionary · browse all
zambi
ZA-mbi
because (archaic form of mpo)
French: parce que (forme archaïque)
Akei te zambi azali na maladi.
He did not go because he is sick.
Il n'est pas parti parce qu'il est malade.
Zambi — the archaic form of mpo, meaning "because." Heard from older speakers, in proverbs, and in lyrics by the elders of Congolese rumba; modern conversation has settled on mpo. When a grandparent says zambi instead of mpo, you are hearing the Lingala of an earlier generation speak through them.
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