LESSONS

IN
NDEBELE

James
and
Pamela Felling
...... .....................................lili 441 |||1Т1Ш1|
Lessons in
NDEBELE
JAMES and PAMELA FELLING

Published in association with

The Literature Bureau

Longman Zimbabwe ™
Longman Zimbabwe (Pvt) Limited
Tourle Road, Ardbennie, Harare

Associated companies, branches and representatives

throughout the world

© J. Felling and P. Felling 1974

All rights reserved. No part of this publication

may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form ot by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photo-copying, recording
or otherwise, without prior permission of the
Copyright owner

First published 1974

Revised Edition 1987

ISBN O 582 61436 8

Printed by Mambo Press

Gweru
Contents

page
Introduction V
1 Pronunciation I
2 The verb 6
3 The noun: UM/ABA class 8
4 The noun: U /0 class 10
5 The object of the verb 12
6 Requests and commands; the imperative verb 14
7 Interjections and the question 16
8 The greetings 18
9 Interrogative adverbs 20
10 Present tense: use of the short and long forms 22
11 The negative verb: present tense 24
12 The noun: UM/IMI class 25
13 The noun: I LI/AMA class 27
14 The noun: ISl/IZI class 29
15 The noun: IN/IZIN class 31
16 The noun: ULU/IZIN class 33
17 The noun: UBU class 35
18 The noun: UKU class 36
19 Nouns of foreign origin 37
20 The locative demonstrative (here is) 40
21 Adverbs and relative stems 42
22 The verb: past tense 45
23 The verb: perfect tense 47
24 Different forms of the perfect tense 49
25 Stative verbs 51
26 The verb: future tense 54
27 Introducing vowel verbs 56
28 Introducing the subjunctive mood 59
29 Use of -BO (‘must’); the imperative with object concords;
the negative infinitive 63
30 Introducing the potential mood 65
31 The absolute pronoun 67
32 The stem -NKE (‘all’) 69
33 Verbs with two objects 70
34 The connective: LA- (and/with) 71
35 The instrumental NGA- 75
36 The locatives KU-, KO-, E- 77
37 The locative form of the noun 79
38 The possessive with nouns: 1 83
39 The possessive with nouns: II 85
40 Possessive pronouns 87
41 Adverbs with nouns and pronouns 90
42 The demonstrative pronoun 93
43 Adjective stems: I 96
44 Adjective steins: II 100
45 The relative concord 103
46 Relative clauses 107
47 The participial mood of the verb 113
48 Conjunctions with the participial mood 117
49 Conjunctions with the subjunctive mood 119
50 Reported speech and use of ‘ukuthi’ 122
51 The copulative with nouns and pronouns 125
52 The passive form of the verb 129
53 Monosyllabic verbs 132
54 Vowel verbs (continued) 136
55 SA(stiU) 138
56 KA (not yet) 140
57 SE (now, then, already) 141
58 The future continuous tense and the future perfect tense 146
59 The past continuous tense (recent) 148
60 The past continuous tense (remote) 152
61 The past perfect tense (recent and remote) 155
62 The conditional verb and the use of ‘ngabe’ 159
63 The potential mood (continued) and other ways of expressing
ability 162
64 Different forms of the verb stem 164
65 -DWA (alone), -PHI (which?) and the possessive pronoun 169
66 Comparison 173
67 Numbers and adverbs 176
68 The copulatives NGU- and YI- (continued) 181
69 The verb ‘ukuba’ (to be) 185
70 Expressions relating to time 188
71 Auxiliary verbs 192
72 Deficient verbs 194
73 ‘SE’ with the past continuous and past perfect tenses 200
74 Ideophones 204
75 Denoting sex and diminutives 205
General index 208
Introduction

This is not a book for linguists; it is for ordinary people. Its purpose is to
provide a series of lessons for English speaking people who have little
grammatical knowledge, but wish to learn the Ndebele language. I have
tried to make the lessons as clear and easy to read as possible, to build up
step by step an understanding of the structure of the language, and to
give students what they need to begin using it. Several years experience
of teaching Ndebele to English speaking students has helped me to
understand some of the needs and difficulties people experience.
For my husband’s part, many years of study and experience in trans­
lation work with African colleagues have given him a thorough and
detailed knowledge and appreciation of the language, thus providing
the material for these lessons. Someone who is studying the language for
the first time can be sure of learning true Ndebele, and a person who
already has some knowledge of the language will also find something
of interest here.
It is not possible to list our many Ndebele friends who have helped
indirectly with this book by discussing their language with us, but we
are very grateful to them. Special thanks go to Mr P. Mpofu of the
Rhodesia Literature Bureau, for his painstaking checking of every word in
this manuscript, and helpful comments. We would also like to thank the
members of the Ndebele Language Committee for their encouragement
and support.

Pamela Pelling
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Lesson 1
Pronunciation

This lesson does not contain a study of the phonetics of the Ndebele
language; it is designed to help the student with pronunciation. Since
the language is written phonetically, once the vowel and consonant
sounds have been learnt, any word can be read.
Equivalents of sounds in Ndebele and English are often given to help
the beginner, but this practice can be misleading, as the way people
articulate English sounds varies greatly. It is essential for the student
to spend time with a Ndebele person, practising the speech sounds, and
imitating intonations of words and sentences.
In this lesson lists of words are given which the student should read
through with his African helper.There are also explanations of the use of
the speech organs (tongue, lips, and so on) for articulating the more
difficult Ndebele sounds.

I THE VOWELS

All the vowels in Ndebele are articulated as one pure sound; there are no
diphthongs as in English.
mama (mother) e : ye (yes)
mfana (boy) ehe (yes, with
hamba (go) approval)
sala (stay) wena (you)
melela (wait for)
yiiu? (what?) 0 : woza (come)
imizi (villages) isigodo (pole)
imini (midday) ogogo (grandmothers)
ilizwi (word) inyoni (bird)
umuntu (person)
umumbu (maize)
umZulu (a Zulu)
uflidu (tortoise)

II THE CONSONANTS

There is little difficulty in using the consonants found in the words listed
above, but some explanation is needed for other consonants.

1 Aspiration
An aspirated consonant is one which is followed by a rush of air. More
air is expelled than is usual when articulating English consonants, other-

1
wise the sound is similar. (You can test whether you are saying the as­
pirated consonants properly, by holding your hand in front of your
mouth to feel the air on it.)
Aspirated consonants are written with an ‘h’, to distinguish them from
non-aspirated consonants, which are not followed by this rush of air.
Aspirated Non-aspirated
ph phapha (fly) P impala (impala buck)
phepha! (sorry!) impela (indeed)
phila (live) impilo (life)
th uthango (fence) t intango (fences)
thenga (buy) intengo (price)
ulutho (thing) izinto (things)
kh ikhabe (water melon) k inkabi (ox)
ukhezo (spoon) inkezo (spoons)
ukhuni (piece of inkuni (firewood)
firewood)

2 Voiced consonants
The term ‘voiced’ means that the consonant is articulated with a vibration
of the vocal chords. You will understand what is meant by this if you
compare the following:
Unvoiced: p Voiced: b
t d
k g
f V
Voiced 'k': As used in the examples above, ‘kh’ and ‘k’ are unvoiced.
There is a third way of pronouncing ‘k’, a little farther back in the mouth,
and with a slight voicing, so that it approaches the sound of ‘g’. This is
when ‘k’ is the initial vowel of the word, or comes between two vowels,
kade (long ago)
pheka (cook)
ukufa (to die)

3 Explosive and implosive ‘b’

Explosive: bh : This is written with an ‘h’ to distinguish it from the
implosive ‘b’, but it is not aspirated. It is pronounced like the English ‘b’,
but more sharply,
bhala (write)
bhema (smoke)
ibhiza (horse)
Implosive: b : This is a very difficult sound to articulate: place
the lips together, and lower the larynx. Then when the lips are opened to
make the ‘b’, there should be a momentary intake of air, which gives the
‘b’ its distinctive character. Many people think it sounds slightly like V .
bala (read)
beka (put)
ibizo (name)
4 Combinations of consonants
a) tsh : Compare with ‘ch’ as in ‘church’:
isitsha (container)
tshetsha (walk quickly)
tshiya (leave)
b) ng : This is a nasal sound; there are two ways of saying it,
according to the word in which it is found.
Compare with ‘ng’ in ‘singing’: Compare with ‘ng’ in ‘finger’:
ngaphi? (where?) amanga Oies)
thenga (buy) ngaki? (how many?)
ngejubane (speedily) ngena (enter)
indingindi (measles) ingubo (blanket)
c) ny : inyama (meat)
omunye (another person)
nyikinyeka (move)
d ) hi : To make this sound, press the tip of the tongue on the front
ridge of the palate as when articulating T. Expel air, allowing it to escape
round the sides of the tongue, with friction.
isihlahla (tree)
kuhle (well)
mhlophe (white)
buhlungu (painful)
e ) dl : Make this sound using the same method as for ‘hi’, but use
the voice (as when articulating ‘d’).
ukudla (food)
indlela (path)
indlovu (elephant)
indlu (hut)
f ) kl : This sound is made in a similar way to ‘hi’, but with the
tongue in a different position, as if articulating ‘g’.
klabalala (shriek)
klekla (pierce the ear)
kloloda (mock)

III THE CLICK SOUNDS

Three consonants are known as ‘clicks’, because of the sharp sound

produced by the suction as the tongue is withdrawn from the position
in which it has been pressed. The tongue must be positioned correctly for
all three, with the back of it pressed against the back of the soft palate,
the front of it pressed against the front ridge of the palate, and a depression
in between.
a) The dental click: written as ‘c’
Place the tongue in the position described above, with the tip of the
tongue against the teeth; release the tongue tip to make the click sound,
icansi (mat)
cela (ask for)
cina (end)
 cotsha (peck)
isicucu (piece)
b) The palatal click: written as ‘q’
Place the tongue in the position described for all three clicks, with the tip
of the tongue pressed hard on the front ridge of the palate; release the
tongue tip to make the click sound,
qaphela! (look out!)
qeda (finish)
iqiniso (truth)
qoqa (collect)
quma (cut through)
c) The lateral click: written a s ‘x’
Place the tongue in the position described for the palatal click; one side
of the tongue, which is pressed against the upper teeth, is released to
make the click sound,
xabana (quarrel)
xexebula (peel off)
uxolo (pardon)
ixuku (crowd)
xwayisa (caution)
d) Aspirated, voiced and nasal forms o f the clicks
Each of the clicks may be pronounced aspirated (followed by a rush of
air), or voiced (with vibration of the vocal chords), or nasal (the air
passing out through the nose).

Aspirated Voiced
uchago (milk) gcina (keep)
ichibi (pool) amagcobo (ointment)
chola (grind finely) kugcwele (it is full)
qha (expresses umgqala (crossbar)
dryness) isigqili (slave)
iqhiye (headscarf) isigqoko (dress)
isiqhotho (hail)
xhawula (shake hands) isigxingi (calabash)
ixhegu (old man) gxoza (dribble)
xhuma (graft) gxumeka (transplant)

Nasal
ncinyane (small)
uNcube (a clan name)
ingcebethu (small basket)
ngcono (better)
ilinqe (vulture)
inqola (cart)
ingqamu (knife)
ingqina (hoof)
nxa (when)
inxeba (wound)
ingxabano (quarrel)
ingxenye (part)
IV STRESS

The main stress in the word falls on the next to last syllable, the penul­
timate syllable, which is lengthened. If more syllables are added to the
word, the stress will move forward so that it remains on the penultimate
syllable.
e.g. /tomba; haml>ani; hambamni
There are very few exceptions to this rule, and these will be pointed out
as they occur in the lessons.
In a group of words, the stress on individual words is secondary to the
main stress of the whole group,
e.g. Ngiya/ima (I want)
Ngifuna ukuÄomba (I want to go)
Ngifuna ukuhamba /awe (I want to go with you)

V INTONATION

Intonation refers to the way the syllables of the words are spoken: with a
high tone of voice or a low tone of voice. In the main, this has to be
learnt by imitation, but it is important. In some instances the whole
meaning of words may change with a change of tone,
e.g. imizi — kraals (high tone)
imizi — reeds (low tone)
uyafuna — he/she wants (high tone for first two syllables)
uyafuna — you want (low tone for first two syllables)
There are various shades of tone, but it is sufficient to note whether
the tone is high or low.

VI PRONUNCIATION PRACTICE

Impondo zebhalabhala ezitshileneyo

(The twisted horns of the kudu)

Ngihlangane logogo egaxe iqhele

(I met grandmother wearing a band)

Ngisendleleni ngihlangane lexhegu ligaxe iqhele

(On the way I met an old man wearing a band)

Ixhegu laxoxomela laxamalaza

(The old man stood on tiptoe and with feet astride)

Ngubani owaqaga iqanda eguqile emgwaqweni wakoSikume?

(Who caught the egg when kneeling on the road to Sikume?)

Iqaqa lalizigiqagiqa engqoqwaneni laze laqethuka

(The polecat was rolling in the frost, then fell over backwards)

Iqaqa lalizigiqagiqa laze laqamula umqala

(The polecate was rolling along until it broke its neck)
Lesson 2
The verb

I THE INFINITIVE

In Ndebele the verb consists of a basic stem, to which various prefixes and
suffixes are attached.
e.g. ‘-sebenza’ is the stem of the verb meaning ‘to work’,
‘-hamba’ is the stem of the verb meaning ‘to go’.
To make the infinitive, that is 'to work’, 'to go’, and so on, the prefix
‘uku-’ is attached to the stem:
ukusebenza — to work
ukuhamba — to go, go away
ukufuna — to want
Note: verbs in a Ndebele/English dictionary are listed under the initial
letter of their stem, e.g. ‘ukusebenza’ under ‘s’; ‘ukuhamba’ under ‘h’.
The verb stem can be used on its own in one instance only, and that is in
the imperative, when making a command to one person. For example
Hamba! — Go away! This will be dealt with fully in a later lesson.
Apart from this, the verb stem is always used with a prefix of some kind.

II THE PRESENT TENSE

The present tense of the verb, for example, ‘I am going’, ‘I want’, is made by
prefixing a subject concord to a verb stem. For example, the subject
concord ‘Ngi-’ means ‘I’.
Ngifuna — I want
Ngifuna ukuhamba — I want to go

1 Subject concords
1st person singular: ngi- I
2nd person singular: u- you
3rd person singular: u- he/she
1st person plural: si- we
2nd person plural: li- you (more than one person)
3rd person plural: ba- they

2 Short present tense ,

This is subject concord + verb stem. This short present tense is used only
when something follows the verb stem.
e.g. Ngifuna ukuhamba I want to go
Ufuna ukuhamba You want to go
Ufuna ukuhamba He/She wants to go
Sifuna ukuhamba We want to go
Lifuna ukuhamba You want to go
Bafuna ukuhamba They want to go
Note: intonation in speech distinguishes between ‘u’ — meaning ‘you’
and ‘u-’ meaning ‘he/she’. The first (you) has a low intonation; the second
(he/she) has a higher intonation, and is slightly longer.

3 Long present tense

If nothing follows the verb, a longer form of the present tense must be
used.
To form this, place '-ya- between the subject concord and verb stem.
e.g. ngiyafuna — I want
uyafuna — you want
uyafuna — he/she wants
siyafuna — we want
liyafuna — you want
bayafuna — they want
Ufuna ukuhamba? Yebo, ngiyafuna.
Do you want to go? Yes, I want to.
The use of the short and long forms of the present tense will be studied
fully in a later lesson.

Vocabulary

ukubona to see ukukhangela to look at

ukubuya to come back ukukhuluma to speak
ukucela to request ukuUma to plough
ukudinga to seek ukunatha to drink
ukudla to eat ukungena to go in/come in
ukudlala to play ukupheka to cook
ukufuna to want ukuphuma to go out/come out
ukufunda to learn ukusebenza to work
ukufundisa to teach ukusiza to help
ukugeza to wash (oneself) ukuthanda to like, love
ukugezisa to wash ukuthanyela to sweep
(something) ukuthatha to take
ukugijima to run ukuthenga to buy
ukugula to be ill ukuthengisa to sell
ukuhamba to go (away) ukuthula to be quiet
ukuhlala to stay; sit down ukuthunga to sew
ukuhleka to laugh ukutshaya to hit, beat
ukukhala to cry
Lesson 3
The noun: UM/ABA class

1 Introduction
In Ndebele the noun has two parts: a stem, and a prefix.
e.g. The word meaning ‘boy’ : umfana;
the stem is ‘-fana’ : the prefix is ‘um-’.
The prefix of the noun changes according to whether it is singular or
plural, but the stem remains the same,
e.g. Singular : «/nfana — boy
Plural : abafana — boys
There are a number of different prefixes for the noun stems:
e.g. stone : ilitshe (iVi-tshe)
stones : amatshe (ama-tshe)
dog : inja (««-ja)
dogs : inzinja (/r/n-ja)
Each of these nouns belongs to a different noun class, and you will learn
the eight different noun classes one by one.
It is essential to learn the noun prefixes thoroughly, for it is on them
that the whole structure of the language depends. The following illustration
will help you to see this:
The little boy who is running is thin.
C/wfana o/micinyane agijimayo ucakile.
The little dog which is running is thin.
/nja encinyane egijimayo /cakile.

2 The article
In English nouns are usually preceded by an article, ‘a’ or ‘the’. There
is no article in Ndebele; the noun stands alone,
e.g. ‘umfana’ means ‘a boy’ or ‘the boy’.
‘abafana’ means ‘boys’ or ‘the boys’.

3 The noon: UM/ABA class

The singular noun has prefix UM- or UMU-. The plural noun has prefix
ABA-.
e.g. «mfana — boy «¿ofana — boys
M/wntwana — child ahantwana — children
The longer prefix UMU- is used before a noun stem of only one syllable:
e.g. ttwantu — person aftantu — people
If the noun stem begins with a vowel, the plural prefix wUl be just AB-.
e.g. Mwakhi — builder aAakhi — builders
Mwelusi — herdsman alielusi — herdsmen
Note: in the dictionary nouns are listed under the initial letter of their
stem. For example, ‘umfana’ under ‘f’, ‘umuntu’ under ‘n’, ‘umakhi’
under ‘a’.

8
4 Subject concords
The noun may be the subject of the verb, for example: 'The boy wants to
work.’ In Ndebele the verb stem needs a subject concord prefixed to it
always, even when there is a noun subject.
e.g. Umfana «fuña ukusebenza — The boy wants to work
The subject concord comes from the noun prefix:
Prefix UM-/UMU- gives concord U-:
e.g. £/mfana «fuña ukusebenza — The boy wants to work
Umuntu. «yasebenza — The person is working
Prefix ABA- gives concord BA-;
e.g. .diáfana iafuna ukusebenza — The boys want to work
AbaxAxx iayasebenza — The people are working

VOCABULARY

All the nouns in this class are persons.

umakhi builder abakhi builders
umbazi carpenter ababazi carpenters
umelusi herdsman, herd abelusi herdsmen, herd
boy boys
umfana boy abafana boys
umfazi* wife abafazi wives
umfundisi teacher, minister abafundisi teachers, ministers
umlimi farmer abalimi farmers
umuntu person aban tu persons, people
umntwana child abantwana children
umpheki cOok abapheki cooks
umtshayeli driver abatshayeli drivers
umzali parent abazali parents
* Only use ‘umfazi’ if you really mean ‘wife’; it is not good to use
this noun as a general term for ‘woman’.
Lesson 4
The noun: U/O class

1 Prefixes
The singular noun has prefix U-.
The plural noun has prefix 0-.
e.g. «baba — my/our father obaba our fathers
umama — my/our mother omama our mothers

2 Subject concords
This class of noun is closely related to the UM/ABA class, being also a
class of personal nouns, and it has the same concords.
Singular: U- : Umama uyapheka — Mother is cooking
Plural: B A -: Omama iayapheka — Our mothers are cooking

3 Nouns for family relationships

Most of the nouns in this class are in this category, and there are three
nouns each for mother, father, and grandfather, according to the relation­
ship.
ubaba — my/our father obaba — our fathers
uyihlo — your father oyihlo — your fathers
uyise — his/her/their father oyise — their fathers
ubabamkhulu — my/our obabamkhulu — our grand­
grandfather fathers
uyihlomkhulu — your grand­ oyihlomkhulu — your grand­
father fathers
uyisemkhulu — his/her/their oyisemkhulu — their
grandfather grandfathers
umama — my/our mother omama — our mothers
unyoko — your mother onyoko — your mothers
unina — his/her/their onina — their mothers
mother
For grandmother, one can proceed in1 the same way as for grandfather.
using ‘umama’ and adding ‘mkhulu’ (big), for example, ‘umamamkhulu’,
shortened to ‘umakhulu’. However, in Ndebele the more common word
for grandmother is ‘ugogo/ogogo’ just the one noun.
There are a few nouns for animals and insects in this class:
e.g. ubabhemi — — donkey
donkey obabhemi — donkeys
umangoye — cat omangoye — cats
Umangoye «yahamba — The cat is going
Omangoye hnyahamba — The cats are going
¡Vote: ‘umama’ and ‘ubaba’ may be used to mean ‘a mother’ and ‘a
father’ in a general sense, and also ‘a woman’ or ‘a man’,
e.g. Omama bafuna ukupheka — The women (ladies) want to cook
Obaba bafuna ukuphumula— The men (gentlemen) want to rest

10
4 Names
Names of people belong in this class, and must have the prefixes U- or 0-.
a) The first name (ibizo), given to a child after birth:
e.g. t/Sipho uyadlala — Sipho is playing
Ngifuna «Sipho — I want Sipho.
Traditionally, the first name is not used after childhood when addressing a
person, but only for identification purposes.
b) The clan name or surname (isibongo), which all children take from
the father.
e.g. i/Khumalo uyahamba — Khumalo is going away
Ngifuna «Khumalo — I want Khu
OKhumalo bayahamba — The Khumalos are going away
Ngithanda oKhumalo — I like the Khumalos
A person will normally be addressed by his clan name. Women also are
addressed by their clan name, that is, the clan name of their father, which
they retain even when married, usually with the prefix ‘Ma-’ (from'umama’).
e.g. t/MaKhumalo uyahamba — MaKhumalo is going away
Ngifuna «MaKhumalo — I want MaKhumalo
c) Use of an ancestral name (isitemo). This is usually the grandfather's
first name, which may be taken and used by the grandson as another
surname, although he still retains his ‘isibongo’ as well.
Through experience you will learn which are the clan names, as they
are limited in number.

11
Lesson 5
The object of the verb

1 The object concord

a) You have learnt the concords for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd persons as
subject of the verb:
e.g. /z^/yathanda — /like
When used as the object of the verb, the concord is placed immediately
before the verb stem; this rule for the position of the object concord never
changes.
e.g. Uya/z^/'thanda — He likes me
Uyay/thanda — He likes us
The object concord is the same as the subject concord, except where it is a
single vowel:
2nd person singular (you) : u becomes ku
3rd person singular (he/she) : u becomes m
Subject Concord Object concord
ngi- -ngi- e.g. Uyaw^ithanda — He likes me
u- -ku- UyaAuthanda — He likes you
u- -m- Ngiyamthanda — I like him
si- -si- Uyas/thanda — He likes us
li- -li- Ngiya/ithanda — I like you
ba- -ba- Ngiyaiathanda — I like them
The object concord may also be put with an infinitive:
e.g. Ngifuna ukuAabona — I want to see them
Ngithanda ukuA:«siza — I like to help you
Ufuna uku«?/tshaya — You want to hit me
b) Concords for nouns
Each noun has its object concord in the same way as it has its subject
concord. For the UM/ABA, U/O nouns, the concords are the same as for
the third person,
e.g. Ngiyasiza umama Ngiya/Msiza
I am helping my mother I am helping her
Ngjyatshaya umangoye Ngiyamtshaya
I am hitting a cat I am hitting it
Bayatshaya abantwana Bayaifltshaya
They are hitting some children They are hitting them
Bayatshaya obabhemi Baya/zatshaya
They are hitting some donkeys They are hitting them

2 Noun object of tbe verb

The object of the verb may be a noun:
e.g. Ubaba uyatshaya umfana — Father is hitting a boy
The object concord may be used together with the noun: i

12
 e.g. Ubaba uyamtshaya umfana — Father is hitting the boy
Bayaftatshaya abantwana — They are hitting the children
In these last two examples you are talking about a particular boy (and
particular children) to whom you have previously referred, and therefore
the object concord is used.
You may make a general statement:
e.g. Ugogo uthanda ukukhangela abantwana — Grandmother likes to
watch the children
But if you have referred to particular children and you mean those, you
will use the object concord:
e.g. Ugogo uthanda uku^ukhangela abantwana
Similarly compare;
Ngifuna ukubona umama — I want to see my mother
Ngifuna ukuwbona umama — I want to see the woman
Note that the noun object may be placed before the subject sometimes, and
it will then be used with the object concord,
e.g. Ugogo ngiyawbona — I see the grandmother
Umfana ubaba uyamtshaya — Father is beating the boy

13
Lesson 6
Requests and commands; the imperative verb

1 The imperative verb

This form of the verb is used for requests or commands;
e.g. ‘Look!’
‘Come here!’
Singular: when speaking to one person, use the stem of the verb only,
e.g. Khangela! — Look!
Sebenza! — Work!
Plural: when speaking to more than one person, add ‘-ni’ to the
verb stem.
e.g. Khangelan/! — Look!
Sebenzan;! — Work!
This is the form most common these days. There is another form of the
plural imperative, where ‘-nini’ is added to the verb stem,
e.g. Fundan/w! — Learn!
Dingan/w! — Search!
When this is used it seems to be extra polite, and may also be used for
extra politeness when addressing only one person.
Learn the imperative form of the verb ‘ukuza’, to come — which is
irregular:
Singular: W oza!— Come!
Plural: Wozani!
Do not at this stage try to use object concords in front of imperative
verbs, as the form of the verb changes when one does this.
The exception to this is ‘ngi’, which you can easily use with a singular
imperative:
e.g. Ngikhangela! — Look at me!
Ngisiza! — Help me!
Learn how to use these three verbs: ukunika — to give (to)
ukulethela — to bring to
ukuyekela — to leave off, stop
doing
e.g. Nginika! — Give (to) me!
Ngilethela! — Bring (to) me!
Yekela! — Stop it!
Yekela ukukhala! — Stop crying!

2 How to address people

When addressing someone, always drop the initial vowel of the noun used,
e.g. umama becomes mama! Khangela, mama!—Look, mother!
uThandiwe becomes Thandiwe! Ngisiza, Thandiwe!—^Help me,
Thandiwe!
umfana becomes mfana! Woza, mfana!—Come, boy!
abafana becomes bafana! Wozani, bafana!—Come, boys!

14
Exception: When using a plural noun with prefix 0-, for example
omama, the initial vowel is not dropped, as this would cause confusion
with the singular form. Instead, the letter ‘b’ is prefixed to the noun:
e.g. Khangelani, fiomama! — Look, mothers!
Wozani, fiobaba ! — Come, fathers !
All other nouns in the language drop the initial vowel when used as a form
of address.
Note: the polite way of addressing adults is to use ‘mama/bomama’ for
women, and ‘baba/bobaba’ for men.
e.g. Ngena baba! Ngenani bobaba!
Woza mama! Wozani bomama!

15
Lesson 7
Interjections and the question

1 Interjections
These are the common ones :
Yebo/Ye — Yes
Yebo-ke — Certainly (‘ke’ is attached to words to give added
emphasis)
Ehe — Yes (with approval) Yes, that’s it
Ayi/Atshi — No (occasionally ‘hayi/hatshi’)
Atshi bo —■Certainly not
A’a — No (with disapproval)
Various exclamations of surprise, disapproving or not, depending on
the tone of voice:
A’!
Hawu!
Bakithi!
Bantu!
Dadewethu!
X! — Expresses annoyance.
C! — Expresses pity, sympathy, scorn, disgust, or disapproval.
Mayel/Mamo! — Expresses pain, dismay, grief, on behalf of oneself or
someone else.
Phepha!— Usually translated ‘Sorry!’, but it is not an apology.
It would be used, for example, if the other person tripped, or knocked
himself. (It comes from the verb ‘ukuphepha’ meaning ‘to escape from
danger.’)
Uxplo! — This is a noun meaning ‘pardon’, and is used to excuse
oneself: ‘Excuse me!’ (The verb ‘ukuxolisa’ may also be used, e.g.
ngiyaxolisa — I apologise.)
Thanking: It would be appropriate to mention this here.
The verb ‘ukubonga’ (to thank, be thankful) may be used with or without
an object concord. For example: Ngiyabonga/Ngiyakubonga mama —
Thank you, mother. If you are giving thanks for something past, for
example at the end of a meeting, for a gift or service previously received,
and so on, use the form: Ngibongile/Sibongile.
The traditional form of thanking is to use the clan name of the person
being thanked, with the prefix ‘e-’:
e.g. ENdlovu! — Thank you, Ndlovu!
EKhumalo! — Thank you, Khumalo!

2 The question
a) NA? To make a question, simply place ‘na’ at the end of the sentence,
e.g. Umama uyahamba — Mother is going away
Umama uyahamba na? — Is mother going away?
Abafana bathanda ukugijima kakhulu — Boys like to run fast

16
 Abafana bathanda ukugijima kakhulu na ? — Do boys like to run
fast?
b) YINI? This really means, ‘What is it?’, and may be used on its own,
signifying: ‘What do you want ?’ or ‘What’s the matter?’
It may also be used to make a question in the same way as ‘na’, but it may
be a little more emphatic,
e.g. Uyamthanda — You love him
Uyamthanda yini? — Do you love him?/Do you really love him?
c) ANGITHl? This means literally, ‘Do I not say?’, and is used when
seeking the agreement of the person addressed.
e.g. Abafana bayasebenza kuhle, angithi! — The boys are working well,
aren’t they?
Ufuna ukufunda, angithi ? — You want to learn, don’t you ?
Angithi, ufuna ukufunda? — You want to learn, don’t you?
When answering in agreement, ‘sibili’ is often used, and it means ‘indeed’,
e.g. Abantwana bathanda ukudla — Ye, sibili!
Children like eating — Yes, indeed!

17
Lesson 8
The greetings

1 Traditionally, when a person visits a village, he stands at the gate

and calls out ‘Ekuhle’. When someone answers ‘Yebo’, he then approaches
the dwellings, sits right down on the ground, and waits to be greeted
by those in the village.

2 This is the basic form of greeting, used when addressing more than one
person, or sometimes only one person. The Ndebele is partly corrupt,
but a rough translation is given:
A : SaUbonani — We see you
B: Yebo, salibonani — Yes, we see you
A : Linjani ? — How are you ?
B: Sikhona, singabuza lina? — We are present, may we ask you?
OR Sikhona, singatsho lina?
A: Sikhona — We are present
Note: in the old days the plural form of the greeting, given above, was
used only when addressing more than one person. However, the Shona
custom of using a plural form when addressing one person, to show
respect, has influenced the Ndebele people. Some people now use the
plural form when addressing one person.

3 The singular form of the greeting, used when addressing one person:
A : Sakubona
B: Yebo, sakubona
A: Kunjani?
B: Sikhona, singabuza lina? OR Sikhona, singatsho lina?
A: Sikhona
When addressing a child or a young person, an older person will contract
‘Sakubona’ and say: ‘Sabona mntanami’ (my child).

4 The morning greeting, used to greet someone you have seen the day
before, or whom you see often. The verb ‘ukuvuka’ (to wake up, get up) is
used:
A: Livukile? — Have you woken?
B : Sivukile, singatsho lina/singabuza lina ? — We have woken, and you ?
A : Sivukile — We have woken
Singular form: Uvukile?Ngivukile
Alternative form: Uvuke/Livuke njani ?—How did you wake ?

5 The evening greeting, used to greet someone you have already greeted
that day or whom you see often. The verb ‘ukutshona’ (to go down,
set — of the sun) is used:
A: Litshonile?
B: Sitshonile, singatsho lina/singabuza lina?
A: Sitshonile

18
Singular form: Utshonile ? Ngitshonile
Alternative form: Utshone/Litshone njani?

6 Goodbye. One says either ‘stay well’ or ‘go well’, whichever is appro­
priate, using the verbs ‘ukusala’ (to remain) and ‘ukuhamba’ (to go):
Singular: Hamba kuhle — Go well
Sala kuhle — Stay well
Plural: Hambani kuhle — Go well
Salani kuhle — Stay well
Alternative form: Singular: Uhambe kuhle OR Usale kuhle
Plural: Lihambe kuhle OR Lisale kuhle
Someone leaving at midday may say: Kusemini — It is midday

7 Goodnight. Use the verb ‘ukulala’ (to go to sleep):

If the person is already in the place where he will sleep, say:
Singular: Lala kuhle — Sleep well
OR Ulale
Plural: Lalani kuhle
OR Lilale
If he has to go off to his home, say:
Singular: Uyelala — Go and sleep
Plural: Liyelala
Someone leaving in the evening may say: Kuhlwile — It is dark

8 Asking after one’s health. Use the adverb ‘njani’, meaning ‘how’, and
put the appropriate subject concord before it:
e.g. Plural: ¿/njani? How are you
Singular: i/njani? How are you? OR Kunjani? (as in the
, greeting)
Unjani umntwana? — How is the child?
Banjani abantwana? — How are the children?
Banjani ekhaya? — How are they at home?
In answer, one may either use the adverb ‘khona’ (present):
e.g. 5/khona — We are present
i7khona — He/She is present
Bakhona — They are present
OR one may use a verb, ‘ukuphila’, meaning ‘to live, be well’:
e.g. Siyaphila — We are well
Uyaphila — He/She is well
Bayaphila — They are well
Note: umkami — my wife OR my husband
umkakho — your wife/husband
umkakhe — his wife/her husband
e.g. Unjani umkakho? — How is your wife/husband?

9 One may send greetings to others in this way:

e.g. Ubabone ekhaya — Greet the people at home (See them at home)
Ubabone abantwana — Greet the children
OR use the verb ‘ukubingelela’ (to greet),
e.g. Ubabingelele abantwana — Greet the children
Note that the basic greeting is usually accompanied by a hand shake.

19
Lesson 9
Interrogative adverbs

1 Learn these; ngaphi? — where?

nini? — when?
njani? — how?
-ni? — what?

2 Use of short present tense

These adverbs may be used with any verb, and the verb will be in the
short form, without 'ya'. The interrogative adverb is normally placed
immediately after the verb.
e.g. Abantu basebenza ngaphi? — Where do the people work?
Basebenza ngaphi khathesi? — Where are they working now?
Unyoko upheka nini? •— When does your mother cook?
Uthunga njani ? — How do you sew ?
‘What ?’ is translated by the suffix ‘-ni’, which is attached to the verb stem,
e.g. Ufuna umama — You want mother
Ufunani? — What do you want?
Bayafunda — They are learning
Bafundani ? — What are they learning ?
Bafuna ukudla — They want to eat
Bafuna ukudlani? — What do they want to eat?
Note that in speech the stress moves so that it will still be on the penulti­
mate syllable: u/«na .. .ufunani?

3 a) Use of the verb ‘ukuya’ (to go to. . .)

This verb is commonly used with ‘ngaphi’.
e.g. Uya ngaphi ? — Where are you going ?
Baya ngaphi ? — Where are they going ?
‘Ukuya’ means ‘to go t o .. . ’ somewhere, and as such is never used without
either ‘ngaphi ?’ or a stated destination,
e.g. Ngiya ekhaya — I am going (to) home
Ngiya koBulawayo — la m going to Bulawayo
Present tense: ngiya siya
uya liya
uya baya
The verb ‘ukuhamba’ does not convey the idea of a destination, but
merely movement itself, and may be translated ‘go away", or ‘move along’,
or ‘walk’.
e.g. Abantwana bayahamba — The children are going away/walking
along
h) Another interrogative is ‘bani?’, meaning ‘whom?’
e.g. Udinga bani ? — Whom do you want ? (Whom are you looking for ?)
Abantwana bathanda bani? —^ Whom do the children love?
This actually comes from a noun, ‘ubani’, plural ‘obani’, meaning ‘who?’
which you will meet again later.

20
4 Use of adverbs without a verb
In English we may use the verb ‘to be' and say for example: ‘Where is
mother ?’, ‘How are the children ?'
In such instances there is no verb used in Ndebele; the required concord
is merely placed before the adverb,
e.g. Umama «ngaphi OR Ungaphi «mama ? — Where is mother ?
/46antwana Zxinjani? OR innjani oftantwana? — How are the
children ?

21
Lesson 10
Present tense: use of the short and long forms

One needs to use both the short and long forms of the present tense in
Ndebele, and there are some guidelines to be laid down as to when each
form may be used. It would be difficult to work out strict rules to cover
every use of the present tense in everyday spoken Ndebele, but you will
not go far wrong if you follow these guidelines.

1 The long form of the present tense

This form uses ‘ya’ e.g. Ngiyafuna — I want
a) The long form is used when nothing else follows the verb in the
clause or sentence.
e.g. Uthanda ukudlala na? Ye, ngiyathanda
Do you like playing? Yes, I like to
Ufuna ukunatha itiye na? Ye, ngiyafuna
Do you want to drink some tea? Yes, I do
Abantwana bayohamba — The children are going
Note: the interrogative ‘na?' is not counted as an extension of the verb;
the long form must be used in such sentences as this:
e.g. Abantwana bayahamba na? — Are the children going?
Uyafuna na? — Do you want to?
b) The long form is used when an object concord is used with the verb,
e.g. Uyambona umntwana na? — Do you see the child?
Uyabafuna abantwana na? — Do you want the children?
Abantwana bayabathanda omangoye — The children love the cats
c) The tong form is used for a verb of action, when the action is going
on at the present time.
e.g. Umntwana uyadlala lapha — The child is playing here
Ubaba uyatshaya umfana — Father is hitting a boy
Abantu bayanatha itiye — The people are drinking tea

2 The short form of the present tense

This form does not have ‘ya’.
a) The short form is used before an infinitive
e.g. Ngifuna ukuhamba — I want to go
Ngithanda ukupheka — I like cooking
Ngifunda ukupheka -— I am learning to cook
Ngizama ukufunda — I am trying to learn
But if one is referring to something actually going on at the present
time, the long form will be used,
e.g. Ngiyafunda ukupheka — I am learning to cook (right now)
Siyathaba ukulibona — We are happy to see you
b) The short form is used with an interrogative adverb.

22
 e.g. Uhlala ngaphi? — Where do you live?
Umama upheka nini? — When does mother cook?
Upheka lokhu njani ? — How do you cook this ?
Umfana usebenza ngaphi khathesi ? — Where is the boy working
now?
c) The short form is used for a verb which does not involve action
(provided something follows the verb and there is no object concord).
e.g. Ngibona umntwana — I see a child
Ngifuna itiye — I want some tea
Ngicela imali — I request some money
Ngidinga uDube — I want (am looking for) Dube
d) The short form is used for a verb of action when there is no present
action, that is, for a statement of fact, or a general question.
e.g. Abantwana banatha itiye na ? Ye, abantwana banatha itiye
Do children drink tea? Yes, children drink tea
Lidíala lapha na? Ye, sidlala lapha
Do you play here? Yes, we play here

23
Lesson 11
The negative verb; present tense

Formation
There is only one form of the negative present tense, based on the subject
concord and the verb stem; for example, ngibona (I see).
Place the negative KA- before the subject concord, and change the
final vowel of the verb stem to ‘-i’: for example, Arnngibon; — I don’t see.
Negative present tense of ukupheka — to cook:
Kangipheki I don’t cook/I am not cooking
Kawupheki You don’t cook/You are not cooking
Umama kapheki Mother doesn’t cook/Mother isn’t cooking
Kasipheki We don’t cook/We are not cooking
Kalipheki You don’t cook/You are not cooking
Omama kabapheki Our mothers don’t cook/Our mothers are not
cooking
Note:
a) If two vowels come next to each other in Ndebele, one of them may
be dropped, or they may be spoken with a semivowel, ‘w’ or ‘y’, in be­
tween.
Second person singular: pronounce a ‘w’ between ‘ka’ and ‘u’, for
example, kawupheki.
Third person singular: the negative form is just ‘ka-’, for example,
umama kapheki.
b) The negative KA-may be shortened to A -: for example, Angipheki,
Awupheki, and so on.
c) Learn these two negative verbs which are different:
Angazi — I don’t know; Angizwa — I don’t hear, I don’t understand
d) Indefinite object
If there is an indefinite noun object, and no object concord is used, the
initial vowel of the noun object may be dropped:
e.g. Kangiboni muntu (umuntu) — I don’t see anyone
Kangifuni mali (imali) — I don’t want any money

24
Lesson 12
The noun: UM/IMI class

1 Prefixes
The singular noun has prefix UM- or UMU-.
The plural noun has prefix IMI-.
e.g. «wfula — river /m/fula — rivers
ttwlilo — fire //M/Ulo — fires
The longer prefix UMU- is used before a noun stem of only one syllable,
e.g. umuzi — kraal imiz\ — kraals
Note that all the nouns of this class are impersonal; so in this way the
singular nouns can be distinguished from the singular nouns of the
UM/ABA class, which are personal.
In speech, when the plural prefix IMI- comes before noun stems of more
than one syllable, the second ‘i’ is hardly pronounced, so that ‘imifula’
sounds like ‘imfula’ ‘imililo’ like ‘imlilo’, and so on.

2 Concords
a) Subject concords: prefix UM/UMU- gives concord U-
e.g. Umfula Myageleza — The river is flowing
t/yageleza — It is flowing
Umlilo «yavutha — The fire is burning
i/yavutha — It is burning
Prefix IMI- gives concord 1-
e.g. Imifula /yageleza — The rivers are flowing
/yageleza —■ They are flowing
Imililo /yavutha — The fires are burning
/yavutha —■ They are burning
b) Object concords: These are the same as the subject concords, but
as they are vowels, it is necessary to put a semivowel between them and the
preceding vowel ‘a’; so put ‘w’ with ‘u’, ‘y’ with ‘i’.
Singular: -WU-
e.g. Ngiyawttbona umfula — I see the river
Ngiyawabona — I see it
Ngiyawttbona umlilo — I see the fire
Ngiyawnbona — I see it
Plural: -YI-
e.g. Ngiyay/bona imifula — I see the rivers
Ngiyay/bona — I see them
Ngiyay/bona imililo — I see the fires
Ngiyay/bona — I see them

3 The negative
When putting the negative ‘ka’ before the subject concords, it is necessary
once again to keep the vowel apart with ‘w’ and ‘y’-
e.g. Umfula kanoigelezi — The river is not flowing

25
 Umlilo kavvuvuthi — The fire is not burning
Imifula kajdgelezi — The rivers are not flowing
Imililo kaj'ivuthi — The fires are not burning

VOCABULARY

Prefix UM- Prefix IM l-

umbhida vegetable imibhida vegetables
umfanekiso picture imifanekiso pictures
umfula river imifula rivers
umganu plate; dish imiganu plates; dishes
umgwaqo road imigwaqo roads
umlilo fire imililo fires
umlomo mouth imilomo mouths
umsebenzi work; job imisebenzi jobs
umthanyelo broom, brush imithanyelo , brooms
umoya (stem: wind, spirit imimoya winds, spirits
-moya)
umzimba body imizimba bodies
Prefix UMU-
umunwe finger iminwe fingers
umuthi medicine imithi medicines
umuzi kraal, village imizi kraals, villages
umumbu maize; mealie; some mealies (has no plural)

26
Lesson 13
The noun: ILI/AMA class

1 Prefixes
The singular noun has prefix ILI- or I-.
The plural noun has prefix AMA-.
The prefix ILl- is used before noun stems of one syllable,
e.g. iV/tshe — stone amatshe — stones
///zwe — country amazwe — countries
The shorter prefix 1- is used before noun stems of more than one syllable
(these constitute the majority),
e.g. /hloka — axe amahloka — axes
ijaha — youth awajaha — youths

2 Concords
a) Subject concords Prefix ILI- gives concord LI-.
e.g. Ilitshe//ngaphi? — Where is the stone?
¿ingaphi? — Where is it?
Ijaha //yasebenza — The youth is working
L/yasebenza — He is working
Prefix AM A- gives concord A-.
Amatshe nngaphi ? - Where are the stones ?
.4ngaphi? - Where are they?
Amajaha ayasebenza - The youths are working
y4yasebenza ~ They are working
b) Object concords
These are the same as the subject concords, but concord A-, being a
vowel, is used with *w’.
Singular; -LI-
e.g. Ngiya/ibona ilitshe — I see the stone
Ngiya/Zbona — I see it
Ngiya/ibona ijaha — I see the youth
Ngiya/ibona — I see him
Plural: -WA-
e.g. Ngiyawabona amatshe — I see the stones
Ngiyatvabona — I see them
Ngiyawabona amajaha — I see the youths
Ngiyatvabona — I see them

3 The negative
e.g. Ijaha kalisebenzi -—The youth is not working
Ilitshe kaliboni — A stone doesn’t see
When placing ‘ka’ before concord A-, insert ‘w’ to keep the vowels apart,
e.g. Amajaha katvasebenzi — The youths are not working
Amatshe kawaboni — Stones don't see
But note that in speech one may combine these two ‘a’s’, and the concord
will be a lengthened ‘ka’. For example, Amajaha Arasebenzi.

27
VOCABULARY

Prefix ILI- Prefix AMA-

ilitshe stone amatshe
ilizwe country amazwe
ilizwi word; message; voice amazwi
ilihlo eye Irregular form. amehio
Prefix /-
igwayi tobacco, cigarettes
ihloka axe amaliloka
ijaha youth; unmarried man amajaha
ikhabe water melon amakhabe
ikhanda head amakhanda
ikhaya home amakhaya
ikhuba plough; hoe amakhuba
ilambazi soft mealie porridge
ilanga sun; day amalanga
ilembu cloth, material amalembu
iqanda egg amaqanda
ithanga pumpkin amathanga
itshwayi salt
ixhegu old man amaxhegu
izulu rain; sky amazulu
amakhaza (no singular)
cold weather
ainanga (no singular) —
lie, lies
amanzi (no singular) —
water
Irregular form ameva (sing, rarely used)
thom/thoms
The weather llanga liyatshisa — It is hot (The sun is hot)
OR Kuyatshisa — It is hot
Kuyaqanda— It is cold
Ngiyagodola — I am cold
Izulu liyana — It is raining

28
Lesson 14
The noun: ISI/IZI class

1 Prefixes
The singular noun has prefix ISI-.
The plural noun has prefix IZI-.
e.g. wmkwa — loaf of bread iz/nkwa loaves
»/hlahla — tree /zihlahla trees
If the noun stem begins with a vowel, the second ‘i’ of the prefix is dropped,
e.g. isalukazi — old woman /zalukazi — old women
/joni — evil doer izoni — evil doers

2 Concords
a) Subject concords: Prefix ISI- gives concord SI-.
e.g. Isinkwa j/ngaphi? — Where is the loaf?
5/ngaphi? — Where is it?
Isalukazi s/yagula — The old woman is ill
5iyagula — She is ill
Prefix IZI- gives concord ZI-.
e.g. Izinkwa z/ngaphi? — Where are the loaves?
Z/ngaphi? — Where are they?
Izalukazi z/yagula — The old women are ill
Z/yagula — They are ill

b) Object concords
Singul^ -SI"
e.g. Ngiyaribona isinkwa — I see the loaf
Ngiyaribona — I see it
Ngiyastbona isalukazi — I see the old woman
Ngiyaj/bona — I see her
Plural: -ZI-
e.g. Ngiyazibona izinkwa — I see the loaves
Ngiyaz/bona — I see them
Ngiyaz/bona izalukazi — I see the old women
Ngiyaz/bona — I see them

The Negative
e.g. Isinkwa kasitshisi — The loaf is not hot
Isalukazi kasiguli — The old woman is not ill
Izinkwa kazitshisi — The loaves are not hot
Izalukazi kaziguli — The old women are not ill

29
VOCABULARY

Prefix ISI- Prefix IZl-

isalukazi old woman izalukazi
isandia hand izandta
isanuse witch doctor izanuse
isicathulo shoe izicathulo
isigqoko dress, garment izigqoko
isigelo pair of scissors izigelo
isigulane patient (medical) izigulane
isihambi traveller izihambi
isihlahla tree izihlahia
isihlalo seat, chair izihlalo
isikhathi time izikhathi
isikhwama purse, handbag; pocket izikhwama
isinkwa loaf of bread izinkwa
isipho gift izipho
isiphofu blind person iziphofu
isisebenzi worker izisebenzi
isisu stomach izisu
isitsha vessel, container (basket, bowl) izitsha
isitshebo relish
isitshwala stiff porridge
isivalo door izivalo
To open or close the door, use umnyango (um/imi) ■ the doorway.
e.g. Vala umnyango — Close the door
Vula umnyango — Open the door
The time: Yisikhathi bani? — What is the time?

30
Lesson 15
The noun: IN/IZEM class

1 Prefixes
The singular noun has prefix IN- or IM-.
The plural noun has prefix IZIN- or IZIM-.
e.g. /nja — dog tz/>/ja — dogs
wduna — chief ?z/«duna — chiefs
i/nvu — sheep izinmx — sheep
iwbuzi — goat /z/mbuzi — goats
The prefix IM/IZIM is used with noun stems begitming with consonants
b,p,f,v.
e.g. imhuzi
impuphu (mealie meal)
im/e (sweet cane)
imvu
Before all other consonants, the prefix IN/IZIN is used.

2 Concords
fl) Subject concords: Prefix IN-/IM- gives concord I-.
e.g. Ipja lyadla — The dog is eating
/yadla — It is eating
Imbuzi /yadla — The goat is eating
/yadla — It is eating
Prefix IZIN-/IZIM-• gives concord ZI-.
e.g. Izinja z/yadla — The dogs are eating
Z/yadla — They are eating
Izimbuzi z/yadla — The goats are eating
Z/yadla — They are eating
Note: the plural prefix IZIN-/IZIM- is very often shortened to IN-/IM-
provided the plural concord ZI- (or some other part of speech, like an
adjective) is used, and shows that the noun is plural,
e.g. Imbvtii ziyadla — The goats are eating
7/iduna z/yafika — The chiefs are arriving
In speech the vowel sound will be longer in the plural IN-/IM- than it is
in the singular. Do not shorten the plural prefix of nouns with one syllable
steins.
e.g. Always: /zi//ja ziyadla
/zi/nvu ziyadla
b) Object concords: The vowel I- is used with a “y’.
Singular: -YI-
e.g. Ngiyay/bona inja — I see the dog
Ngiyay/bona — I see it
Ngiyay/bona imbuzi — I see the goat
Ngiyay/bona — I see it
Plural: -ZI-
e.g. Ngiyaz/bona izinja — I see the dogs

31
 Ngiyazibona — I see them
Ngiyaz/bona (iz)imbuzi — I see the goats
Ngiyaz/bona — I see them

3 The negative
Again, use ‘y’ with concord I-.
e.g. Inja kayidli — The dog is not eating
Imbuzi kayidli — The goat is not eating
Izinja kazidli — The dogs are not eating
(Iz)imbuzi kazidli T
“ he goats are not eating

VOCABULARY

Prefix IN-
indlu hut, house; room izindlu
inja dog izinja
indawo place (iz)indawo
indlebe ear (iz)indlebe
indlela path, way (iz)indlela
induku club (knobkerrie) (iz)induku
induna chief (iz)induna
ingalo arm (iz)ingalo
ingqamu knife (iz)ingqamu
ingubo blanket (iz)ingubo
inkomo one of the cattle (iz)inkomo
inkukhu domestic fowl (iz)inkukhu
intaba hill, mountain (iz)intaba
intombi girl (teenage); spinster (iz)intombi
inyama meat
inyanga moon, month; doctor (herbalist) (iz)inyanga
inyoka snake (iz)inyoka
inyoni bird (iz)inyoni
Prefix IM-
imfe sweet cane
imvu sheep izimVu
imbiza pot, pan (iz)imbiza
imbuzi goat (iz)imbuzi
impahla goods, possessions, luggage (iz)impahla
impuphu mealie meal
Note: there are some nouns which have a singular form with prefi
(concord I-), and a plural form with prefix AMA- (concord A-).
e.g. indoda — man, married man
amadoda — men
inkazana — girl (not yet marriageable)
amankazana — girls
intombazana — girl (not yet marriageable)
amantombazana — girls
insimu — field
amasimu — fields

32
Lesson 16
The noun: ULU/IZIN class

1 Prefixes
The singular noun has prefix ULU- or U-.
The plural noun has prefix IZIN- or IZIM-.
The prefix ULU- is used before noun stems of one syllable.
e.g. u/«thi — stick izinii — sticks
u/wtho — thing izinXo — things
The shorter prefix U- is used before noun stems of more than one syllable
(these constitute the majority).
e.g. ugwalo — book, letter (iz)ingwalo — letters, books
«phondo — horn (/z)i>wpondo — horns
Plural:
a) Note that the plural prefix IZIN-/IZIM- is usually shortened to
IN-/IM- before noun stems of more than one syllable, as there is no
possibility of confusion with the singular prefix ULU-/U-; noun stems of
one syllable have the full prefix 1Z1N-/1Z1M-.
e.g. /ngwalo
impondo
But: izinti
izinto
b) The plural prefix (IZ)IM- is used before noun stems beginning with
consonants b,p,f,v.
e.g. ubhalu — cave (/z)//nbalu — caves
uphondo — horn (iz)/»ipondo — horns
ufudu — tortoise (/z)//wfudu — tortoises
Mvava — splinter (iz)//wvava — splinters
Before all other consonants the plural prefix is (IZ)IN-.
c) After the ‘n’ or ‘m’ of this prefix consonants are not pronounced with
aspiration (see Lesson 1) and are therefore written without the ‘h’.
e.g. uA:Mini — piece of firewood inAmni — firewood
urAango — fence intango — fences
upAondo — horn uppondo — horns
and explosive ‘bh’ becomes implosive ‘b’:
uAAalu — cave imAalu — caves
Note that all the nouns of this class are impersonal (except for ‘usane —
baby’), so that in this way the singular nouns can be distinguished from the
singular nouns of the U/O class which are personal.

2 Concords
a) Subject concords Prefix ULU-gives concord LU-.
e.g. Uluthi /ungaphi? — Where is the stick?
Lungaphi? — Where is it?
Usane /uyakhala — The baby is crying
¿^Hyakhala — He/She is crying

33
Prefix IZIN-/IZIM- gives concord ZI-.
e.g. Izinti zi'ngaphi ? Where are the sticks?
Z/ngaphi? Where are they?
Imbalu z/ngaphi? Where are the caves?
Z/ngaphi? Where are they?
Insane z/yakhala The babies are crying
Z/yakhaia They are crying
b) Object concords
Singular: -LU-
e.g. Ngiya///bona uluthi — I see the stick
Ngiya/i/bona — I see it
Ngiya///bona usane — I see the baby
Ngiya///bona — I see him/her
Plural: -ZI-
e.g. Ngiyaz/bona izinti — I see the sticks
Ngiyaz/bona — I see them
Ngiyaz/bona insane — I see the babies
Ngiyaz/bona — I see them

3 The negative
e.g. Usane kalukhali — The baby is not crying
Ufudu kaludli — The tortoise is not eating
Insane kazikhali - The babies are not crying
Imfudu kazidli — The tortoises are not eating

VOCABULARY

Prefix ULU- Prefix IZIN-

uluthi stick izinti
ulutho thing izinto
Prefix U-
uchago milk
ucingo wire (iz)incingo
ugwalo book, letter (iz)ingwalo
ukhezo spoon (iz)inkezo
ukhuni piece of firewood (iz)inkuni
usane baby (at helpless stage) (iz)insane
usuku day (iz)insuku
uthango fence (iz)intango
unwabu chameleon (iz)inwabu
unyawo foot (iz)inyawo
unwele hair of head (one strand) (iz)inwele
Prefix IZIM-
ubhalu cave (iz)imbalu
ufudu tortoise (iz)imfudu
uphahla roof (iz)impahla
uphondo horn (iz)impondo

34
Lesson 17
The noun: UBU class

1 Prefix
There is only one prefix for this class of noun: UBU-.
Thus, ‘ubuchakide’ means either one weasel, or more than one;
‘ubunyonyo’ means either one ant, or more than one.
Most of the npuns in this class are abstract in meaning,
e.g. ubukhulu — greatness (from -khulu — great)
ubuhle — beauty (from -hie — beautiful)
Note: there are two nouns in this class which appear to have a prefix U-:
utshani — grass
utshwala — beer
In fact these nouns have developed from ‘ubu-ani’ and ‘ubu-ala’ by a
process called palatalisation, which will be explained later,

2 Concords
Subject concord: BU-.
Object concord: -BU-.
e.g. Ubunyonyo ¿«yaphuma — The ants are coming out
Ngiyaftttbona — I see them
Utshani ¿«ngaphi? — Where is the grass ?
Ngiyaittfuna — I want it

3 Negative
e.g. Ubunyonyo kabuphumi — The ants are not coming out
Utshani kabukhuli kuhle — The grass is not growing well

VOCABULARY

ubuchakide weasel/s
ubunyonyo ant/s (small black variety)
ubuhlungu pain/s; venom, poison/s
ubuthongo sleep
ubusuku night/s
ubuso face/s
utshani grass
utshwala beer

35
Lesson 18
The noun: UKU class

1 Prefix
In this class are found verb infinitives used as nouns; therefore the prefix
is UKU-.
e.g. ukudla — food; eating; to eat
ukuphela — the end; to end
ukuthula — peace; quietness; to be quiet
ukulwa — fighting; to fight

2 Concords
Subject concord: KU-.
Object concord: -KU-.
e.g. Ukudla A:«ngaphi? — Where’s the food?
Ngiya/rttfuna — I want it
Ukulwa A:«yaphela — The fighting is ending
AsiA:«thandi ukulwa — We don’t like fighting
Note: the concord KU- may be used in a general way for the pronoun
‘it’, when it does not refer to any particular noun.
e.g. Kuyini? — What is it?
Kuyaqanda — It is cold
Kuyatshisa — It is hot
Kuhle — It is good/It is nice
Kulungile — It’s all right
It may even sometimes be used when there is a noun subject, instead of that
noun concord.
e.g. Kufika umuntu — There’s someone coming
Kukhala inyoni — There’s a bird crying

3 Negative
e.g. Ukulwa kakupheli — The fighting is not ending
Ukuthula kakufiki — Peace does not come

36
Lesson 19
Nouns of foreign origin

There are some nouns which have been taken into the language from
Enghsh and Afrikaans, their pronunciation adapted to the Ndebele
speech sounds and a prefix attached. This is a process which is going on all
the time, but it will be helpful to sort out some of the well established
nouns of this type.

1 Nouns with singular prefix I-, plural prefix AMA-

Most foreign nouns are given these prefixes, which put them into the
ILI/AMA class, with concords LI- and A-.
e.g. /pholisa /»yafika — The policeman is coming
/4/Twpholisa oyafika — The police are coming
L/ngaphi ibhasikili? — Where’s the bicycle?
Ngiya/Zfuna — I want it
Siyawafuna a/nabhasikili — We want the cycles
However, you will find that in speech people are not very careful about
the way they use these nouns with prefix I- (the singular). Often they will
use the concord I- (from prefix IN-):
e.g. Ijesi mgaphi? — Where is the jersey?
Ngiyay/funa — I want it
In some instances either concord may be used. Where a noun has been
definitely accepted into one or other class, this is indicated in the
vocabulary.

2 Nouns in the IN/IZIN class

Some of the foreign nouns put into this class begin with ‘m’ or ‘n’.
e.g. -moto — car; -mali — money;
Imali mgaphi? Ngiyay/dinga — Where’s the money? I’m looking
for it
Izimota z/yahamba — The cars are going
Injini /hamba kuhle — The engine goes well

3 Nouns in the ISI/IZI class

An initial ‘s’ in the foreign noun usually means it will be put in this class,
e.g. Isikolo s/ngaphi? Ngiyafidinga? — Where’s the school? I’m
looking for it
Ngiyasifuna isitulo — I want the chair/stool

4 Nouns in the U/O class

These will be mostly people
e.g. Udokotela ungaphi? — Where is the doctor?
Ngiyamdinga — I’m looking for him
Otitshala hayafiindisa — The teachers are teaching

37
But note that in the plural these nouns are sometimes given prefix AMA-
e.g. /Imatitshala ayafundisa — The teachers are teaching
Ngiyatvflbona a/nadokotela — I see the doctors

S Other noon classes

Odd nouns may be put into other classes,
e.g. t/AMtshina «hamba kuhle — The machine goes well
//n/tshina /hamba kuhle — The machines go well

VOCABULARY

Concord LI- Concord A-

ibhasikili bicycle amabhasikili
ibhatshi jacket amabhatshi
ibhulugwe pair of trousers amabhulugwe
idamu dam amadamu
idolobho town amadolobho
fat amafutha (no singular)
igabha tin amagabha
iphephandaba newspaper amaphephandaba
ipholisa policeman amapholisa
ipulazi farm amapulazi
itshukela sugar
ivili wheel amavili
iwindi window amawindi
Concord I- Concord A-
ibhasi bus amabhasi
ifasikoti apron amafasikoti
ifotsholo shovel, spade amafotsholo
ifulawa flour
ijesi jersey amajesi
ikhiye key, lock amakhiye
inkomitsho/inkomitshi cup amankomitsho/
amankomitshi
isepa soap
itafula table amatafula
itiye tea
iyembe shirt amayembe
Concord I- Concord Z l-
inditshi dish, bowl izinditshi
injini engine izinjini
imali money izimali
imota motor car izimota
impompi pump, tap, water pipe izimpompi
Concord SI- Concord Z l-
isando hammer izando
isibhedlela hospital izibhedlela

38
isikolo school izikolo
isitimela train, steam engine izitimela
isitolo shop, store izitolo
isitulo stool, chair izitulo
Concord U- Concord BA- Concord A-
udokotela doctor odokotela amadokotela
unesi nurse onesi amanesi
utitshala schoolteacher otitshala amatitshala
Concord U- Concord I-
umtshina machine imitshina
umbheda bed

TABLE OF NOUN PREFIXES AND CONCORDS

Subject concord Object concord

UMfana; UMUntu; UMelusi U M
ABAfana; ABAntu; ABelusi BA BA
Ubaba U M
Obaba BA BA
UMfula; UMUthi U WU
IMIfula; IMIthi I YI
ILItshe; Ijaha LI LI
AMAtshe; AMAjaha A WA
ISItsha; ISalukazi SI SI
IZItsha; IZalukazi ZI ZI
INja; IMvu I YI
IZINja; IZIMvu ZI ZI
ULUthi; Ukhezo; Ubhalu LU LU
IZINti; INkezo; IMbalu ZI ZI
UBUnyonyo BU BU
UKUdla KU KU

39
Lesson 20
The locative demonstrative (here is)

The locative demonstrative is the term used to designate the part of

speech which is used when one indicates the person or object. In English
we say, ‘Here is the child’, ‘Here are the books’, and so on.
In Ndebele the locative demonstrative is one word, beginning NAN- or
NAM-, but with a different ending to agree with each different noun
prefix:
e.g. Umama nangu OR Nangu umama — Here is mother
Izinja nanzi OR Nanzi izinja — Here are the dogs
There are three positions in Ndebele.
1 ‘Here is’ poses no special problems.
2 ‘There is’ - There are two positions in Ndebele indicated by two
different forms.
a) If you wish to point out to a person an object, and that person is
close to the object, but you are not, you use the form ‘nango’.
b) If you wish to point out to a person an object, and that person is next
to you, you use the form ‘nanguya’ or ‘nanguyana’.

First position: The final vowel will be the same as the vowel of the noun
concord, and the preceding consonant changes according to which class of
noun is used:
e.g. Nangu umntwana — Here’s the child
Nanz/ izinja — Here are the dogs
Nanka amaqanda — Here are the eggs

Second position: This is formed by changing the final vowel of the

locative demonstrative to ‘o’:
e.g. Nangu umntwana — Here’s the child
Nango umntwana — There’s the child
Nanzi izinja — Here are the dogs
Nanzo izinja — There are the dogs
Nanka amaqanda — Here are the eggs
Nanko amaqanda — There are the eggs

Third position: This is formed by adding the suffix ‘-ya’ or ‘-yana’ to the
first position:
e.g. Nangu umntwana
Nanguya umntwana/Nanguyaaa umntwana — There’s the child
(over there)
Nanzi izinja
Nanziya/Nanziyawafizinja — There are the dogs (over there)
Nanka amaqanda
Nankaya/Nankayana amaqanda — There are the eggs (over there)

40
Note: if the shorter form, ending in ‘-ya’, is used, the stress in speech
falls on the final syllable, an exception to the rule,
e.g. Nanka;»'aaniaqanda; Izinjananziyo
Any of the locative demonstratives may be placed either before or after
their noun, and they may also be used on their own.
e.g. Ungaphi umganu ? Nanku — Where is the plate? Here it is

TABLE OF LOCATIVE DEMONSTRATIVES

Noun prefix First position Second position Third position

UM- nangu umntwana nango nanguya/na
ABA- nampa abantwana nampo nampaya/na
U- nangu ubaba nango nanguya/na
O- nampa obaba nampo nampaya/na
UM- nanku umganu nanko nanlmya/na
IMI- nansi imiganu nanso nansiya/na
ILI- nanti iqanda nanto nantiya/na
AMA- папка amaqanda nanko nankaya/na
ISI- nansi isitsha nanso nansiya/na
IZI- nanzi izitsha nanzo nanziya/na
IN/IM- nansi inja nanso nansiya/na
IZIN/IZIM- nanzi izipja nanzo nanziya/na
ULU- nantu ukhezo nanto nantuya/na
IZIN- nanzi inkezo nanzo nanziya/na
UBU- nampu ubunyonyo nampo nampuya/na
UKU- nanku ukudla nanko nankuya/na

41
Lesson 21
Adverbs and relative stems

I ADVERBS OF PLACE

Learn these: phambili in front phezulu — up

emuva behind phansi — down;
on the ground
phakathi — inside eduze — near
phandle — outside khatshana — far
phetsheya — on the other side; overseas
lapha — here khona — present
lapho — there khonapha — here
khonapho — there
laphaya/laphayana — over there
ngale — used when indicating the direction: that way; over
there

1 With verbs
Adverbs may be used after verbs, just as in English:
e.g. Angifuni ukuhlala lapha •— 1 don’t want to stay here
Omama bahamba phambili — The women go in front
Khangela phezulu, mntwana — Look up, child
Abantu bavela phetsheya — The people come from overseas

2 With no verb
Adverbs may be used without a verb, that is, where in English we use the
verb ‘to be’ (e.g. Mother is inside).
In Ndebele, although there is a verb ‘to be’ (ukuba), it is not used in
this construction. Merely place the required concord before the adverb,
e.g. Umama «phakathi — Mother is inside
Abantwana ¿»aphandle — The children are outside
Imbiza /phansi — The pot is on the ground
Ag/lapha — la m here
Note: if the adverb begins with a vowel, insert ‘s’ between concord and
adverb, to separate the vowels.
e.g. Umuzi useduze — The village is near
Inja ijemuva — The dog is behind
♦
Negative: use the negative KA* (or A-) with the concord:
e.g. Umama Araphakathi — Mother is not inside
Abantwana A:aZ>aphandle — The children are not outside
Imbiza /tay/phansi — The pot is not on the ground
Umuzi /raw«seduze — The village is not near
Inja A:ay/semuva — The dog is not behind

3 Khona
a) The adverb ‘khona’ means ‘present’. It does not in itself have any

42
sense of position or distance, as do ‘lapha’ and ‘lapho’, and so on. It may
be used to translate the English ‘here’ or ‘there’, if this only means presence
in a certain place.
e.g. Unyokoukhonana? — Is your mother here?/Isyour mother in?
Uyayazi iGwelo na? Ubaba uhlala khona
Do you know Gwelo? My father lives there
Ngifuna ukuya khona — I want to go there
‘Khona’ is commonly used in the following way:
Amanzi akhona na? — Is there any water?
Impuphu ikhona n a? — Is there any mealie meal?
Izintaba zikhona — There are some mountains
UNkulunkulu ukhona — God exists/God is present
Note: the indefinite ‘ku’ may be used as concord:
e.g. Kukhona amanzi na? — Is there any water?

b) ‘Khona’ may be used in addition to another adverb:

e.g. Unyoko ukhona na? Ye, ukhona phakathi
Is your mother here? Yes, she is (present) inside
Ubaba ukhona laphayana — Father is over there
Izintaba zikhona lapho — There are mountains there
Or it may be used with a noun expressing location:
e.g. Umama ukhona ekhaya — Mother is at home
Amabhasi akhona koBulawayo — There are buses in Bulawayo

c) Negative: use the negative KA- with the concord, but note that
‘khona’ is shortened to ‘kho’ in the negative.
e.g. Umama kakho — My mother is not present
Ugogo kakho ekhaya — Grandmother is not at home
Izintaba kazikho lapho — There are no mountains there
Amanzi kawakho — There is no water
Impuphu kayikho — There is no mealie meal

II RELATIVE STEMS

‘Relative stems’ is the name given to certain words which translate some
of the English adjectives,
e.g. -buhlungu — painful
-nmandi — nice
-lula — light
-nzima — heavy
Relative stems may be used in the same way as we have just described
for adverbs, that is, with the required subject concord in front, instead of
the verb ‘to be’.
e.g. Umunwe «buhlungu — The finger is painful
Uraunwe katvttbuhlungu — The finger is not painful
Ukudla kumnandi — The food is nice
Ukudla kakumnandi — The food is not nice
Inkuni zinzima — The firewood is heavy
Inkuni kazinzima — The firewood is not heavy

43
Relative stems will be studied again in a later lesson, and also adjective
stems (Lessons 43-45).

VOCABULARY

Some relative stems Some adverbs, conjunctions, and so on

-buhlungu painful futhi again
-bukhali sharp kakhulu very much
-buthakathaka weak, soft kancinyane a little
-buthundu blunt khathesi now
-lukhuni hard, stiff kodwa but
-lula light, easy kubi badly
-manzi wet kuhle well
-mhlophe white kumbe or
-mnandi sweet, nice kuphela only
-mnyama black masinyane soon
-ngcono better ngakho therefore
-nzima heavy, difficult njalo also
izolo yesterday
kusasa tomorrow
lamuhla today
ekuseni in the morning
emini in the day, midday
ntambama in the evening
ebusuku at night

44
Lesson 22
The verb: past tense

There are two verb forms used for actions which took place in the past
(completed actions):
a) The perfect tense: this refers to recent time, something which has
happened within the last few days. (It is not possible to give an exact
number of days for this.)
b) The past tense: this refers to more remote time. We shall study the
past tense in this lesson.

1 Formation of the past tense

To form this tense,' prefix to the vwb stem a form of the subject concord
which is combined with ‘a’.
e.g. ngi- becomes nga- : Ngabona — I saw
si- becomes sa- : Sabona — We saw
zi- becomes za- : Izinja zabona — The dogs saw
Note: u- becomes wa- Wabona — You/Hesaw
lu- becomes Iwa- : Ufudu Iwabona — The tortoise saw
ku- becomes kwa- : Ukudla kwaphela — The food came
to an end
i- becomes ya- : Ipja yabona
‘a’ combines with ‘a’: Amajaha abona — The youths saw

2 Table of past tense

Ngabona ___ I saw
Wabona — You saw
Sabona — We saw
Labona — You saw
Babona — They saw
Umfana wabona — The boy saw
Umlilo watshisa — The fire burned
Imililo yatshisa — The fires burned
Ijaha labona — The youth saw
Amajaha abona — The youths saw
Isihambi sabona — The traveller saw
Izihambi zabona — The travellers saw
Inja yabona — The dog saw
Izinja zabona — The dogs saw
Ufudu Iwabona The tortoise saw
Imfudu zabona — The tortoises saw
Ubunyonyo babona — The ants saw
Ukudla kwaphela — The food came to an end
Note intonation; Differences in meaning where spelling is the same, will

45
be brought out in speech by intonation. For example, compare the follow­
ing:
He/She saw — Wabona wa- is high
You saw — Wabona wa- is low
They see — Babona ba- is high
They saw — Babona ba- is low
see — Amadoda abona a- is high
saw — Amadoda abona a- is low

3 Narration
Note how this tense is used when narrating a series of events in past time,
e.g. Ngafika ekhaya, ngayibona inyoka lapho, ngayitshaya, yafa
I came home and saw the snake there, I hit it and it died

4 Negative of the past tense

The negative is based on the subject concord (as for the present tense)
and the verb stem: for example, ngibona.
Place the negative KA- (or A-) before the concord, and add the suffix
NGA to the verb stem:
e.g. Kan^honunga — I did not see
Kangimbonanga — I did not see him

TABLE OF NEGATIVE PAST TENSE

Kangibonanga I did not see

Kawubonanga You did not see
Umfana kabonanga The boy did not see
Kasibonanga We did not see
Kalibonanga You did not see
Kababonanga They did not see
Umlilo kawutshisanga The fire did not burn
Imililo kayitshisanga The fires did not burn
Ijaha kalibonanga The youth did not see
Amajaha kawabonanga The youths did not see
Isihambi kasibonanga The traveller did not see ,
Izihambi kazibonanga The travellers did not see
Inja kayibonanga The dog did not see
Izinja kazibonanga The dogs did not see
Ufudu kalubonanga The tortoise did not see
Imfudu kazibonanga The tortoises did not see
Ubunyonyo kabubonanga The ants did not see
Ukudla kakuphelanga The food did not come to an end

46
Lesson 23
The verb: perfect tense

The perfect tense is also used for completed actions in past time, but
only if they have happened recently. This tense is sometimes translated
by the English ‘have’, for example: ‘I have seen him this morning,’ or,
‘I saw him this morning.’
Like the present tense, the perfect tense has a long form and a short
form.

1 The long form of the perfect tense

To form this tense, use the subject concords (as for the present tense)
before the verb stem, but change the final ‘a’ of the verb stem to ‘-ile’.
e.g. ngihamba . Ngihamb/7c I have gone
Uhambile You have gone
Umfana uhambile The boy has gone
Sihambile We have gone
Lihambile You have gone
Bahambile They have gone
Ijaha lihambile The youth has gone
Indoda ihambile The man has gone
Izinkomo zihambile The cattle have gone
and so on.

2 The short form of the perfect tense

To make the short form, the ending ‘ile’ is contracted to ‘-e’:
e.g. ngibon/fe . . . Ngibonc inyoka — I saw/have seen a snake
Ubone inyoka — You saw/have seen a snake
Abantwana babone inyoka — The children saw a snake
and so on.
Note stress: an exception to the rule occurs in speech where the final
vowel ‘e’ is stressed, with high intonation: Ngibone inyoka.

3 Use of the short and long forms

a) The long form: The long form may be used in any sentence where the
perfect tense is required, except with interrogative adverbs (see below),
but in the following instances it must be used:
(i) If nothing follows the verb in its own clause:
e.g. Ubaba ubuyile, ngimbonile — Father has come back, I have seen
him
Umbonile na ? — Have you seen him ?
Inkazana ingitshayile — The girl hit me
(ii) If there is a definite noun object, i.e., an object concord and a noun:
e.g. Ngimbonile umfana — I have seen the boy
Ngiyitshayile inyoka — I hit the snake

47
6) The short form : The short form of the perfect tense is more common
than the long form if something follows the verb:
e.g. Ubaba ubuye ekuseni — Father came back this morning
Ngimbone khathesi — I saw him just now
Ubone uMpofu na? — Have you seen Mpofu?
The short form is always used in the following instances:
(i) With interrogative adverbs:
e.g. Ubeke ngaphi impahla? — Where did you put the goods?
Baqede nini ? — When did they finish ?
Ufundeni lamuhla ? — What have you learnt today ?
(ii) The perfect tense of the verb ‘ukuya’ (go to):
e.g. Ubaba uye ngaphi? — Where has father gone?
UyekoBulawayo — He has gone to Bulawayo

4 Sequence of tenses
In a sequence of verbs in recent past time, verbs which have the same
subject, the pwfect tense is used for the first verb, the past tense for
those which follow:
e.g. Ubaba ufikilena? — Has father come?
Ye, ufike ngo-5 — Yes, he came at 5
Wangena wacela ukudla, wadla — He came in, asked for food,
and ate

5 Negative of the perfect tense

The negative form of this tense, long and short forms, is the same as for
the past tense:
e.g. Kangibonanga — I haven’t seen/I didn’t see
Kangimbonanga — I haven’t seen him/I didn’t see him
Kawumbonanga — You haven’t seen him/You didn’t
see him
Umama kambonanga — Mother hasn’t seen him/(iidn’t
see him
and so on.
Turn back to the previous lesson and look at the table on page 46.

48
 Lesson 24
Different forms of the perfect tense

There are a number of verbs which form their perfect tense with a different
ending from ‘-ile’.

Ukuthatha — to take
Ukuphatha — to hold, carry (in hands)
These two verbs have the perfect form ‘-thethe’ and ‘-phethe’.
e.g. Umfana uthethe imali na? — Has the boy taken some money ?
Ycbo uyithethe — Yes, he has taken some
Umfana uphethe ugwalo — The boy is holding a book

2 Verbs ending in ‘-ana’

The ending ‘-ana’ becomes ‘-ene’ in the perfect,
e.g. ukufumana — to find; Ngifumene — I have found
ukuhlangana — to meet; Omama bahlangcwc — The women have
met together

3 Verbs ending in ‘-ela’

The ending ‘-ela’ becomes ‘-ele’ in the perfect,
e.g. ukuthanyela — to sweep; Amankazana athanye/e — The girls
have swept
ukuhlabela — to sing; Abantwana bahlabe/e — The children
have sung
Exception: verb stems of only two syllables from the perfect with the
e n d i^ ‘-ile’.
e.g. ukucela — to request; Abantu bacelile — The people have asked
ukuphela — to end; Ukulwa kuphelile — The fighting has ended
ukutshela — to tell; Ngimtshelile — I have told him

4 Verbs ending in ‘-ala’

The ending ‘-ala’ becomes ‘ele’ in the perfect for the following verbs:
a) Verbs stems of more than two syllables ending in ‘-ala’.
e.g. ukubulala — to kill; Umfana ubulele — The boy has killed
ukulimala — to get injured; Umfana ulimele — The boy got injured
b) The following two-syllable verb stems ending in ‘-ala’:
ukugcwala — to become full; Idamu ligcwele — The dam has
become full
ukulala — to lie down, to go to sleep; Unmtwana ulele — The child
has gone to sleep
ukusala — to remain; Iiya isele — The dog has stayed behind
ukuthwala — to bear, carry; Umama uthwele — Mother is carrying
c) The ending ‘-ile’ is used for other two syllable verb stems ending in
‘-ala’.

49
 e.g. ukuvala;Ngivalile — I have shut
ukukhala; Umntwanaukhalile — The child cried
ukudlala; Umnt wana udlalile — The child played

5 Irregular forms
These verbs have an irregular perfect form:
e.g. ukuhlala — to sit; Ubaba uhlezi — Father has sat down
ukusutha — to become satisfied (with food)
Ubaba usuthi — Father is satisfied (‘-suthile’ is sometimes used)

6 The short perfect form of these verbs

The forms of the verbs set out are the long forms. Where it is desired
to use the short perfect tense, it is formed regularly by changing the final
‘a’ of the verb stem to ‘e’. (Stress is on the final ‘e’ of the verb.)
e.g. Ngifumane imali — I found some money
Amankazana athanyele lapha — The girls have swept here
Umfana ucele imali — The boy has asked for some money
Exception: The verbs ‘-thatha’ and ‘-lala’ always use the forms ‘-thethe’
and ‘-lele’ respectively,
e.g. Ulelenjani? — How did you sleep?

7 The negative of these verbs

The negative is formed according to rule also. Remember that the negative
form is also based on the verb stem.
e.g. -thatha: Umfana kathathanga imali — The boy didn’t take
any money
-fumana: Kangifumananga imali — I didn’t find any money
-thanyela: Amankazana kawathanyelanga — The girls have not
swept
-lala: Umntwana kalalanga — The child has not gone to sleep
-hlala: Ubaba kahlalanga — Father has not sat down

50
Lesson 25
Stative verbs

1 ‘Stative’ is the name given to the perfect form of a verb >vhen this is
used to describe a present state.
e.g. Abantwana balele The children have gone to sleep/
The children are asleep (stative)
Inyoka ifile — The snake has died/
The snake is dead (stative)
Ukulwa kuphelile — The fighting has ended/
The fighting isfinished (stative)
Ubaba uhlezi lapho — Father has sat down there/
Father is sitting there (stative)
Ukudla kusele na? Is there any food left 7 (stative)
Note the stative use of the verbs meaning ‘carry’:
ukuphatha — to hold, carry in hands
ukuthwala — to bear, carry
e.g. Umfana uphethe ugwalo — Theboy/j/io/i///i^abook
Omama bathwele impahla — The mothers are carrying luggage
(on their heads)
The present tense of these verbs may be used if they are not expressing
a present state;
e.g. Omama bathwala impahla, obaba kabathwali lutho
The women carry the luggage, the men don’t carry anything
(The form ‘-zithwele’ is used as a polite way of referring to pregnancy:
e.g. Uzithwele — She is pregnant)

2 Some verbs have the meaning ‘to become’,

e.g. ukulamba — to become hungry
Emini ngiyalamba — At midday I get hungry
Stative: Ngilambile — I am hungry (I have become hungry)
e.g. ukulunga — to become good, right
Kulungile — It is all right
c.g. ukugcwala — to become full
Umfula ugcwele amanzi — The river is full of water

3 Some verbs may be used either in the present tense or in the stative.
e.g. Ngiyaphila — I am well
Stative: Ngiphilile — I am well
Ngibongile — I am thankful
Ngithabile — la m happy

4 Sometimes the short perfect form is preferred for the stative.

e.g. ukugqoka — to put on clothes
Ubaba ugqoke ibhatshi — Father is wearing a jacket
But: Uyigqokile- — He is wearing it (because nothing follows the verb)

51
 e.g. ukugada — to ride
Ugade ibhasikili — He is riding a bicycle
But: Uligadile — He is riding it

5 Ukufanela
Meaning: to be necessary, to be right.
This verb is used in stative form ‘-fanele’ to mean ‘must’, ‘should’, ‘ought’.
It is followed by an infinitive,
e.g. Ngifaneleukusebenza — I must work
Ufanele ukusiza — You ought to help
Bafanele ukufunda — They must learn
Note: another verb used similarly is ‘ukumela’.
e.g. Bamele ukulalela — They must obey

6 The negative
The stative verbs may be used in the negative.
e.g. Balele — They are asleep; Kabalalanga — They are not asleep
Ulungile — You are good; Kawulunganga — You are not good/
You are naughty
Inyokaifile — The snake is dead ;Inyokakayifanga — The snake
is not dead
Ubaba uhlezi lapho — Father is sitting there; Ubaba kahlalanga
lapho — Father is not sitting there
Umfula ugcwele — The river is full
Umfula kawugcwalanga — The river is not full
Note: the stative stem ‘-fanele’ is often left unchanged in the negative,
e.g. Kawufanele ukusiza — You must not help
Kabafanele ukusiza — They must not help

VOCABULARY

Verb stem Stative perfect

-bambeka Ngibambekile I am busy
-сака Ngicakile I am thin
-caphuka Ngicaphukile I am annoyed
-catsha Ngicatshile I am hiding
-gada Ngigade ubabhemi I am riding a donkey
-gcwala Umfula ugcwele The river is full
-gqoka Ngigqoke isigqoko I am wearing a dress
-guga Isigqoko sigugile The dress is worn out
-hlakanipha Ngihlakaniphile [ am clever
-hlanzeka Umganu uhlanzekile The plate is clean
-hlupheka Ngihluphekile I am troubled, worried
-lahleka Ngilahlekile 1 am lost
-lamba Ngilambile I am hungry
-limala Ngilimele I am wounded
-linda Ngilindile I am waiting
-lunga Ngilungile I am all right, I am good
-ngcola Umganu ungcolile The plate is dirty

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-nona Inkomo zinonile The cattle are fat (used of animals)
-notha Nginothile I am rich
-phatha Ngiphethe ugwalo I am holding a book
-phela Ukudla kuphelile The food is finished
-phuza Ngiphuzile I am late
-qakatheka Lol±u kuqakathekile This is important
-sutha Ngisuthi I am satisfied (with food)
-thukuthela Ngithukuthele I am angry
-thwala Ngithwele uiimtwana I am carrying a child
-zimuka Ngizimukile I am fat (used of people)
Note also: Ngidiniwe I am tired
Ngomile I am thirsty
Ngifanele I must

53
Lesson 26
The verb: future tense

The future tense is used for what will happen in the future,
e.g. I shall see him tomorrow; I’m going to see him tomorrow

1 Formation
To form the future tense, another verb, *-za’ (come) is used, with the
infinitive, but there is always a contraction.
e.g. Ngiza ukudXa. becomes Ngizu/cudla
Therefore, to make this tense, use subject concord + ZAKU + verb stem:
e.g. Ngiza^udla I shall eat
Uzakudia You will eat
Umfana uzakudia The boy will eat
Sizakudia We shall eat
Lizakudia You will eat
Bazakudla They will eat
and so on.
Note: this form may undergo a further contraction, -ZAKU- shortened
*o -ZA-, and in fact this is the most common form:
e.g. Ngizahamba — I shall go
Uzahamba — You will go
Umfana uzahamba — The boy will go
and so on.
The long form may be preferred for verbs with stems of one syllable,
like ‘ukudla’ above, but either form is correct.
Object concord: If an object concord is used, it will come immediately
before the verb stem, according to rule:
e.g. Ngiza/nbona kusasa — I shall see him tomorrow
NgizaAatshaya — I shall hit them

2 The negative
There are two alternative forms of the future tense negative.
a) The form in which -ZAKU- changes to -ZUKU- (-ZUKU- is not
contracted): use the negative KA- before the subject concord:
e.g. Kangizu^udla I shall not eat
Kawuzukudla You will not eat
Umfana kazukudia The boy will not eat
Kasizukuhamba We shan’t go
Kalizukuhamba You won’t go
Kabazukuhamba They won’t go
and so on.
b) The form which uses -YIKU- instead of -ZUKU-; -YIKU- is not
contracted.

54
e.g. Кап^у1киЛ\л I shall not eat
Kawuyíkudla You will noteat
Umfana kayikudla The boy will not eat
Kasiyikuhamba We shan't go
Kaliyikuhamba You won’t go
Kabayikuhamba They won’t go

55
Lesson 27
Introducing vowel verbs

‘Vowel verbs’ is the name given to verbs whose stem begins with a vowel,
for example, ‘-enza’ (do, make).
Some of these verbs are so common that you need to begin using them
now, and the purpose of this lesson is to enable you to do this, although the
verbs will be studied in greater detail later on.

1 Some common vowel verbs

-akha build
-ala refuse
-azi know
-eba steal
-ehluleka fail
-enza do, make
-esaba fear
-esula wipe, rub
-oma get dry, get thirsty

2 Verb forms
The tenses of the verb are formed quite regularly. However, when the
verbal prefixes are placed before the stem, two vowel sounds are brought
next to each other, for example, Ngiya-enza — Ido.
This problem is solved in one of the following ways:
a) Elision o f a vowel
This is the general rule: the vowel which immediately precedes the verb
stem is elided (is dropped),
e.g . Ngiya-enza becomes: Ngiyenza — I do
Uya-enza becomes: Uyenza — He does
Kangi-enzi becomes: Kangenzi — I am not doing
Ka-enzi becomes: Kenzi — He is not
doing
Nga-enza becomes: Ngenza — I did
Wa-enza becomes: Wenza — He did
Kangi-enzanga becomes: Kangenzanga — I did not do
Ka-enzanga becomes: Kenzanga — He did not do
Object concords:
e.g. Ngiyasi-enza isipho becomes: Ngiyasenza isipho—I am making the
gift
Ngiyazi-enza izipho becomes: Ngiyazenza izipho—I am making the
gifts
b) Changing of'u' to ‘h»'
e.g. Infinitive: Uku-enza becomes: Ukwenza — to do
Uku-akha becomes: Ukwakha — to build

56
 Future: Ngizaku-enza becomes: Ngjzakwenza — I shall do
Kangiyiku-enza becomes: Kangiyikwenza — I
shall not do
Concords: Ngifuna ukuku-enza becomes: Ngifuna ukukwenza
—I want to do it
Ngizalu-enza uphabla becomes: Ngjzalwenza uphahla
— I shall make the roof
Exceptions: (i) No ‘w’ after ‘b’:
e.g. Ngiyabu-esaba ubuchakide becomes: Ngiya-
besaba ubuchakide — I fear the weasel
(ii) N o ‘w’ before‘o’:
e.g. Uku-oma becomes: Ukoma — to get dry

c) Single vowel concords

u becomes: w
e.g. U-enzile becomes: wenzile — he has done
’ U-enzani? becomes: Wenzani? — What is he doing?
i becomes: у
Inkazana i-enzile becomes: yenzile — the girl has done
Inkazana i-enzani ? becomes; yenzani ? — What is the girl doing ?
a is elided
Amadoda a-enzile becomes: enzile — the men have done
Amadoda a-enza becomes: enza — the men did
Amadoda a-enzani? becomes: enzani? — What are the men
doing?

d) Imperative
Prefix Y to the verb stem:
e.g. Yenza Шуе, Sihle — Make some tea, Sihle
Yenzani itiye, mankazana — Make some tea, girls
Note: before an infinitive, the vowel verb is used in the long form, with
‘ya’:
e.g. ukwala — to refuse: Ngiyala ukukwenza — I refuse to do it
Ubaba uyala ukukwenza — Father
refuses to do it

3 Notes on ‘ukwazi’ and ‘ukoma’

a) 'Ukwazi’, meaning ‘to know’, is a verb stem which always ends in
‘-i’, except in the past negative.
Note that when ‘ukwazi’ is followed by an infinitive, the concord ‘ku-’
is used.
Present tense: Ngiyazi — I know
Ngiyak>vazi — I know it
Ngiyak)vazi ukuthunga — I know how to sew
Angazi — 1 don’t know
Angikwazi — I don’t know it
Angikwazi ukuthunga — I don’t know how to sew
Past tense: Ngakwazi — I knew it
Angikwazanga — I didn’t know it
Imperative: Yazi/Yazini! — Know!

57
b) ‘икота' means ‘to get dry/thirsty’, and therefore has a stative perfect,
e.g. Ngomile — la m thirsty
Ubaba womile — Father is thirsty
Inja yomile — The dog is thirsty
Umfula womile — The river is dry
Izigqoko zomile — The clothes are dry
Lokhu komile — This is dry
Kangomanga — la m not thirsty
Ubaba komanga — Father is not thirsty
Inja kayomanga — The dog is not thirsty
Izigqoko kazomanga — The clothes are not dry
and so on.

58
Lesson 28
Introducing the subjunctive mood

This verb form is called a mood, not a tense, because the emphasis is not on
the time of the verb, but on the mood expressed; for example, some form of
desire: ‘Let me help you’; ‘Please help me’, ‘So that I may help you’; ‘I
want you to help me’.
The subjunctive mood is used in present or future time.

1 Formation ofthe subjunctive mood

The final ‘a’ of the verb stem changes to ‘e’.
The subject concords are as for the present tense, with the exception of the
concord U- (third person singular; concord for ‘umfana’, “ubaba’, and so
on) which changes to A-.
e.g. ngisize sisize
usize lisize
asize basize
ijaha lisize
indoda isize
and so on.
One cannot give one meaning for the subjunctive as this depends on the
way it is used in the sentence, as you can see from the examples above.
Pronunciation: Although this verb stem is written the same as the short
perfect form of the verb stem, it is easily distinguished in speech, because
in the subjunctive the stress is on the penultimate syllable, as is normal,
e.g. ngir/ze

2 Let me; may I?

This is one use of the subjunctive,
e.g. Ngikusize — Let me help you/May I help you?
Ngithathe lokhu? — M ay ltak etiiis?
Ngivale? — Should I close?
Ngidlule — Let me pass
Sihambe — Let’s go
Singene — Let’s go in
Sibone — Let’s see
Simsize — Let’s help him
Note:
a) A- or KA- is often prefixed to the subjunctive when used like this;
but here it is not a negative prefix,
e.g. JSTangikusize — Let me help you
Kangibone — Let me see
y4sihambe — Let’s go
Asingene — Let’s go in
Asibone — Let’s see

59
h) The first person plural (‘let us’) often has a suffix ‘-ni’, especially
when it stands on its own.
e.g. Asihambe/ii — Let’s go
Asingeneni — Let’s go in
Asiboneni — Let’s see

3 Please!
To express a wish very politely one may use ‘Ake’ in front of a subjunctive
verb; this will be equivalent to the English ‘please’,
e.g. Ake ngidlule — Please may 1 pass
Ake sihambe — Please let’s go
‘Ake’ may be shortened to ‘Ke’:
e.g. (Cengidlule — Please may 1 pass
Kesihambe — Please let’s go
A polite request to another person:
e.g. Ake uthathe lokhu, mama — Please take this, mother
Ake ungisize, mama — Please help me, mother
Ake uthanyele lapha — Please sweep here
But more commonly this is contracted:
e.g. /iA:«thathe lokhu — Please take this
Akungmze, —• Please help me
/l^:«thanyele — Please sweep
In the plural:
e.g. Ake lithathe lokhu, bomama — Please take this, mothers
Ake lingisize, mankazana — Please help me, girls
■\ke lithanyele lapha, mankazana — Please sweep here, girls
OR Relithathe lokhu

4 A series of requests
Sometimes one makes more than one request at a time, for example,
‘Go in and sit down’.
The imperative mood, which you learnt in Lesson 6, will be used for the
first request, but it will not be repeated; for the second and any subsequent
requests, use the subjunctive.
e.g. Mama, ngena uhlale phansi — Mother, go in and sit down
Bomama, ngenani lihlale phansi — Mothers, go in and sit down
Mfana, buya ungisize — Boy, come back and help me
Bafana, buyani lingisize — Boys, come back and help me
Nkazana, hluba amagwili uwagezise uwasike uwafake lapha
Girl, peel some potatoes, wash them, cut them up and put them
in here
You may start with the polite request if you wish:
e.g. Akubuye ungisize — Please come back and help me
Akuhlube amagwili uwagezise uwasike
Please peel some potatoes, wash them and cut them up
Bomama, ake lingene lihlale phansi — Mothers, please go in and
sit down
Note: use of'-hamba'and'-ya'together This is common when you say
‘Go and d o ...’. Use ‘hamba’ in the imperative and -‘ya’ in the subjunctive,
followed by an infinitive.

60
 e.g. Mfana, hamba uye ukuthatha. . . — Boy, go and get. . . (literally:
‘take’)
But this is contracted to :
Mfana, hamba uyethatha — Boy, go and g et.. . (literally: ‘take’)
Hamba uyethatha umganu — Go and get a plate
Hamba uyedinga uSipho — Go and look for Sipho
Hamba uye/ndinga — Go and look for him
Plural: Bafana, hambani liyethatha imiganu — Boys, go and get
some plates
Hambani liyedinga uSipho — Go and look for Sipho
Hambani liyemdinga — Go and look for him

5 The negative of the subjunctive mood

You have learnt to form the negative of verb tenses in the indicative
mood (present, perfect, past, future) by using the negative KA- (A-) before
the subject concord, and making a change in the verb stem.
For verb moods, such as this subjunctive, the negative -NGA- is used.
-NGA- is placed after the subject concord; the verb stem also changes.
Formation o f the negative subjunctive
Place the negative -NGA- after the subject concord, and change the
final ‘-a’ of the verb stem to ‘-i’
e.g. ngin^flhambi singahambi
ungahambi lingahambi
umfana angahambi bangahambi
ijaha lingahambi
indoda ingahambi
and so on.
Uses
a) Negative commands or requests use the negative subjunctive of the
second person.
e.g. Singular: Mntwana, u/j^ahamb/ — Child, don’t go
Ungathathi lokho — Don’t take that
Ungathanyeli lapho — Don’t sweep there
Plural: Bantwana, Wngahzmbi — Children, don’t go
Lingathathi lokho — Don’t take that
Ungathanyeli lapho — Don’t sweep there
Thatha lokhu ukugezise kodwa ungagezisi lokho
Take this and wash it but don’t wash that
Gezisa lokhu kodwa ngiyacela, ungagezisi lokho
Wash this but please don’t wash that (literally: ‘I am
asking’)
b) Asingahambi — Let us not go
Asingasebenzi — Let us not work
Asingathengi — Let us not buy
c) Object concords: Where an object concord is required, it will be
placed immediately before the verb stem, according to rule.
e.g. Ungamsizi — Don’t help him
Ungahfltshayi — Don’t hit them
AsingaZ>asizi — Let us not help them

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The subjunctive mood has many other uses; but these will be discussed
in a later lesson.

62
Lesson 29
Use of ‘-BO’ (must); the imperative with object concords; the negative
infinitive

I USE O F ‘-BO’ (MUST)

a) '-BO' is used to make an emphatic verb form which is translated

‘must’;
e.g. Uftosebenza — You must work
Like the future tense (Lesson 26), this verb form is a combination of
two verbs (a form of the verb ‘-ba’ (be) with an infinitive), contracted
thus:
e.g. Ngihosebenza — 1 must work
Ubosebenza You must work
Umfana abosebenza The boy must work
Sibosebenza We must work
Libosebenza You must work
Babosebenza They must work
Note: the third person singular concord is ‘a-’: umfana abosebenza.
Verb stems of one syllable, or beginning with a vowel, keep the ‘-ku’ of the
infinitive prefix.
e.g. With ‘ukudla’:
Ngibo^wdla I must eat
Ubokudla You must eat
Umfana abokudla The boy must eat
With ‘ukwenza’:
NgiboA:H>enza I must make
Ubokwenza You must make
Abokwenza He must make
b) Negative with '-BO'
Use the negative -NG A- after the subject concord:
e.g. Ngiw^abosebenza I must not work
Ungabosebenza You must not work
Umfana angabosebenza The boy must not work
Ngingabokudla I must not eat
Ungabokudla You must not eat
Ngingabokwenza I must not make
Ungabokwenza You must not make

n THE IMPERATIVE WITH OBJECT CONCORDS

In Lesson 5 you learnt the imperative mood;

e.g. Mntwana, siza! — Child, help!
Sizani, bantwana! — Help, children!

63
When you wish to use an object concord with an imperative verb, the
final ‘-a’ of the verb stem must change to ‘-e‘:
e.g. Siza, mntwana — Help, child
Msize, mntwana — Help him, child
Basize — Help them
Ngisize — Help me
Nanku umumbu; upheke — Here is a mealie; cook it
Nanti igwili; lipheke — Here is a potato; cook it
Plural: Sizani, bantwana — Help, children
Msizeni, bantwana — Help him, children
Basizeni — Help them
Ngisizeni — Help me
Nansi imibhida; iphekeni — Here are some vegetables; cook
them
Nanka amagwili; aphekeni — Here are some potatoes; cook
them
Note: the object concords for first person singular and plural, NGI- and
SI-, may be used before a singular imperative, without change:
e.g. Ngisiza! — Help me! Sisiza! — Help us!
Intonation will distinguish between this and the present tense:
e.g. Ngisiza umama kanengi (I often help mother): NGI- is low tone;
Ngisiza! (Help me!): NGI-is high tone.

Ill THE NEGATIVE INFINITIVE

The negative of the infinitive verb is made by using the negative -NGA-,
placed after the prefix UKU-, and changing the final ‘-a’ of the verb to ‘-i’:
e.g. ukuthanda: ukuw^athandi — not to like
ukusebenza: uku^gasebenzi — not working
Ukungasebenzi kuyamhlupha — Not working troubles him
Ukungathandi umsebenzi kakulunganga — Not to like the job
is not good

64
Lesson 30
Introducing the potential mood

The potential mood expresses ability, for example, I can cook.

1 Formation of the potential mood

To form the potential mood, place -NGA- after the subject concord
(NOA is not a negative here); the verb stem does not change.
There is one subject concord change, the same as for the subjunctive
mood: third person singular concord U- becomes A-.
e.g. Ngin^apheka I can cook
Ungapheka You cancook
Umfana angapheka The boy can cook
Singapheka We can cook
Lingapheka You can cook
Bangapheka They can cook
Ijaha lingapheka The youth can cook
Intombi ingapheka The girl can cook
and so on.

2 Uses
The potential mood expresses ability, either physical ability, or knowledge,
or being given permission; or it may express possibility,
e.g. Physical: Ngingathwala lokho — I can carry that
Knowledge: Ngingapheka — I can cook
Permission: Ungahamba — You may go
Possibility: Inyoka ingaluma — The snake may bite
The potential may be used for future as well as present time:
e.g. Ungangisiza kusasa na? — Can you help me tomorrow? (Will
you be able?)
Singahamba kusasa — We can go tomorrow
There is a form of this mood used for past time (‘could’), but this will
be studied in a later lesson.

3 Negative: ‘cannot’
There is a negative form of the potential mood, but, as it is not the common
way of saying ‘cannot’, we shall leave it until a later lesson.
One way of saying ‘cannot’ is to use the verb ‘-ehluleka’ meaning
‘fail’. Note that because the verb stem begins with a vowel, the ‘a’ of ‘ya’
is dropped.
e.g. Ngiya-ehluleka becomes; Ngiyehluleka — 1 am failing/I cannot
Ngiyehluleka ukupheka — I am failing to cook/I
cannot cook
Uyehluleka ukupheka — You cannot cook
Umfana uyehluleka ukupheka — The boy cannot cook
Siyehluleka ukupheka — We cannot cook

63
 Liyehluleka ukupheka You cannot cook
Bayehlukeka ukupheka They cannot cook
Ijaha liyehluleka ukupheka The youth cannot cook
Intombi iyehlukeka ukupheka The girl cannot cook
Note: another form of this verb stem is ‘-ahluleka’; for example, Ngiy-
ahluleka.

66
Lesson 31
The absolute pronoun

Absolute pronouns may stand on their own, in contrast to subject and

object concords, which are always attached to a verb,
e.g. To«! Come here! — W?na! Woza lapha!
There is an absolute pronoun which corresponds to each concord.

1 First, second and third persons

Subject concord Absolute pronoun
ngi- mina — I/me
u- wena — you
u- (umuntu) yena — he/him; she/her
si- thina — we/us
li- lina — you
ba- (abantu) bona — they/them
e.g. Mina? Angifuni! — Me? I don’t want to!
Wena, buya lapha! — You, come back here!
Yena? NguMoyo — Him? He’s Moyo
Thina? Asifuni! — Us? We don’t want to!
Lina? Kalisebenzi kuhle — Oh you? You don’t work well
Bona? NgoKhumalo — Them? They’re Khumalos

2 Noun class
All the absolute pronouns for the noun classes (except ‘yena’) end in ‘-ona’,
with the first letter of the concord to begin with, for example, BA-. . .bona.
Concords U- and A- give ‘wona’; concord I- gives ‘yona’.
Noun Concord Absolute pronoun
umfana U- yena
abafana BA- bona
umfula U- wona
imifula I- yona
ilitshe LI- Iona
amatshe A- wona
isiphofu SI- sona
iziphofu ZI- zona
inja I- yona
izinja ZI- zona
ufudu LU- Iona
imfudu ZI- zona
ubunyonyo BU- bona
ukudia KU- khona
The absolute pronoun emphasizes the subject or object of the verb, and
must be used in addition to the concord,
e.g. Mina n^/thanda ukusebenza kodwa wena «thanda ukudlala
I like to work but you like to play

67
 OR ^j^ithanda ukusebenza mina, kodwa «thanda ukudlala wena
Angibaboni abafana kodwa amankazana ngiyawabona wona
I don’t see the boys but I see the girls
Angizifuni izicathulo kodwa ilembu ngiya/ifuna Iona
I don’t want the shoes but I do want the material
Learn these pronouns thoroughly, because as you progress with the
language you will need to use them frequently in ways other than those
shown here.

68
Lesson 32
The stem -NKE (all)

-NKE is a stem which combines with the concords to make a pronoun

meaning ‘all’; ‘the whole’; compare it with the absolute pronoun;
Noun Absolute pronoun -NKE
umuntu (yena) wonke: umuntu wonke the whole
person
abantu bona bonke: abantu bonke all the people
omama bonke all the women
umuzi wona wonke: umuzi wonke the whole
village
imizi yona yonke: imizi yonke all the villages
iqanda Iona lonke: iqanda lonke all the egg
amaqanda wona wonke: amaqanda wonke all the eggs
isihlahla sona sonke: isihlahla sonke the whole tree
izihlahla zona zonke: izihlahla zonke all the trees
impuphu yona yonke: impuphu yonke all the mealie
meal
izindlu zona zonke: izindlu zonke all the huts
usuku Iona lonke: usuku lonke all the day
insuku zona zonke: insuku zonke every day
ubunyonyo bona bonke: ubunyonyo bonke all the ants
ukudla khona konke: ukudla konke all the food
konke everything

First, second and third persons

Subject concord
si- thina sonke — all of us
li- lina lonke — all of you
ba- bona bonke — all of them
Note:
a) The subject concord may be prefixed thus:
e.g. sisonke — we altogether
b) The singular form may be used to mean ‘every’ (without exception);
e.g. wonkeumuntu — every person
yonke indoda — every man

69
Lesson 33
Verbs with two objects

Some verbs, like ‘nika’ (give), may have two objects:

e.g. mother a book — umama ugwalo

1 Two objects, one noun and one pronoun

The object concord comes before the verb stem, the noun follows,
e.g. I shall give her the book — Ngizawnika ugwalo
I shall give it to mother — Ngiza/wnika umama
I shall give them some bread — NgizaAanika isinkwa
I shall give it to the children — Ngizai/nika abantwana

2 Two objects, both nouns

It is usual to put the recipient first,
e.g. I shall give mother a book — Ngizanika umama ugwalo
I shall give the woman a book — Ngizamnika umama ugwalo
I shall give the children some bread — Ngizabanika abantwana
isinkwa

3 Two objects, both pronouns

It is usual to put the recipient first, as an object concord before the verb
stem; the second will be in absolute pronoun form,
e.g. I shall give it (book) to her — Ngizamnika Iona (ugwalo)
I shall give/ / (bread) to them — Ngizabanika (isinkwa)

4 Emphasis
For the sake of greater emphasis, it is possible to reverse the usual order,
e.g. I shall give it to her, not you — Ngizalunika yena, atshi wena
I shall give it to them, not you — Ngizasinika bona, atshi lina
Note:
a) When the object concord ‘m’ is used before a monosyllabic verb stem,
it is better to make it ‘mu’;
e.g. ukupha — to give
Ngizamivpha ugwalo — I shall give her a book
b) The verb ‘ukutshaya’ is sometimes used with two objects, thus:
e.g. Wangitshaya ilihlo — He hit me in the eye (He hit me the eye)
Wamtshaya umfana ilihlo — He hit the boy in the eye

70
Lesson 34
The connective: LA- (and/with)

LA- connects nouns and pronouns; it means ‘and’ or ‘with’ (in the sense
of ‘together with’) or ‘also’.
e.g. Umama/abantwana — Mother and the children
Umama uyahamba /obantwana — Mother is walking with the
children
LA- is prefixed to the noun or pronoun.

1 LA- with pronouns

Use the absolute pronoun, of which the last syllable, ‘-na’, is elided.
Pronoun
/nma lam/ — and/with me
wena lawe — and/with you
yena laye — and/with him
thina lathi — and/with us
lina lani — and/with you
bona labo — and/with them
e.g. Umama lami siyasebenza — Mother and I are working
Wena lami sithanda ukudlala — You and I like to play
UDube usebenza lami — Dube works with me
Lami ngifuna ukuhamba — I also want to go
Ungaphi uSipho? Ulathi — Where is Sipho? He is with us
Use the pronouns for the noun classes in the same way:
e.g. umthanyelo: tvona: Buya l&wo kusasa — Bring it tomorrow
(Come with it)
imithanyelo: yona: Buya layo kusasa — Bring them tomorrow
ilembu: Iona: Buya 1alo kusasa — Bring it tomorrow
amalembu: wona: Buya lawo kusasa — Bring them tomorrow
isitsha: sona: Buya laso — Bring it
izitsha: zona: Buya lazo — Bring them
ingqamu: yona: Buya layo — Bring it
ukhezo: Iona: Buyalalo — Bring it
and so on.

2 LA- with nouns

When LA- is prefixed to a noun, the ‘a’ combines with the initial vowel
of the noun to make a different vowel sound. This process is called
‘coalescence’.
The ruleo f coalescence
a -t- u becomes o la + umfana . . . /omfana
a + i becomes e la -t- inja . . . fenja
a -t- a remains a la + abantu . . . /abantu
Exception: LA- before nouns with prefix 0-, for example, omama:

71
To distinguish the plural from the singular, a ‘b’ is inserted between LA-
and the prefix:
e.g. la om am a. .. laAomama — and/with the mothers
labomangoye — and/with the cats
Examples of use;
Ngifuna ukhezo lomganu — 1 want a spoon and a plate
Umfana uyasebenza loyise — The boy is working with his father
Mina lomama siyasebenza — I and mother are working
Ngizabuya lomntWana kusasa — I shall bring the child tomorrow
Ngithanda ukupheka lokuthunga — I like cooking and sewing
Omama labobaba bayasebenza — Our mothers and fathers are working
Ungaphi umama? Ulobaba — Where is mother ? She is with father
Note:
a) Subject concords for nouns of different classes joined by LA-:
If they are personal nouns, use concord BA-:
e.g. Ijaha lezintombi bayahleka — The youth and the girls are laughing
If they are impersonal nouns, either use concord KU-:
e.g. Inja lomangoye kuyanatha — The dog and the cat are drinking
Kungaphi isigelo lelembu? — Where are the scissors and the
material?
OR use the concord agreeing with the noun next to the verb;
e.g. Inja lomangoye uyanatha — The dog and the cat are drinking
Singaphi isigelo lelembu? — Where are the scissors and the
material ?
Avoid having personal and non-personal nouns together as subject;
e.g. The boy and the dog are running
Umfana uyagijima lenja (The boy is running, and the dog/with the
dog)
b) LA- is not used to join verbs: ‘and’ in such instances is not translated
at all, although ‘njalo’ (also) may sometimes be used.
e.g. Abantwana bathanda ukudlala, njalo bathanda ukuhlabela
Children like to play and they also like to sing
Hamba uyedinga uSipho umtshele
Go and took for Siptio and tell him
Ngangena esitolo ngathenga ukudla
I went into the store and bought some food

3 LA- meaning ‘have’

There is no verb meaning ‘to have’ in Ndebele; instead, LA- is used.
e.g. UMaDube u/obantwana — MaDube has some children (i.e. she
with children)
Abafana ba/enja — The boys have a dog
Mntwana, u/ani? — Child, what have you got? (i.e. you with
what ?)
U/okhezo na? Ye, ngi/alo — Have you a spoon? Yes, 1 have one
Ba/czicathulo na? Ye, ba/uzo — Have they any shoes? Yes,
they have some
Note:
a) Nouns which translate some English adjectives:

72
 e.g. For ‘strong’ use the noun ‘strength’: amandla
Balamandla — They are strong (i.e. they with strength; they
have strength)
Umfana ulamandla — The boy is strong
Here are some nouns used this way:
amandla (ama) — strength; Balamandla — They are strong
umusa (umu) — kindness: Balomusa — They are kind
ulunya (ulu) — cruelty: Balolunya — They are cruel
uzwelo (ulu) — sympathy: Balozwelo — They are sympathetic
usizi(ulu) — sorrow: Silosizi — We are sorry (expressing sympathy)
isizungu (isi) — loneliness: Silesizungu — We are lonely
isibindi (isi)—courage: Balesibindi — They are brave
b) Use ofthe subject concord KU-:
e.g. A'i/lezintaba lapho — There are hills there (i.e. it with hills)
Kulomsebenzi — There is work
Kulengozi — There is danger/It is dangerous
Kulomoya — It is windy

4 Negative of ‘have’
Use the negative KA-/A- before the subject concord.
a) Pronouns:
e.g. Ulomthanyelo na? Ngilawo — Have you the broom? I have it
ATangilawo — I haven’t got it
Balezicathulo na? ATabalazo — Have they any shoes? They haven’t
any
Umfana ulemali na? Ka\ayo — Has the boy any money? He
hasn’t any
b) Nouns:
Coalescence is not used in the negative: keep LA- unchanged, and drop
the initial vowel of the noun:
e.g. Ulomntwanana?Kangilamntwana — Have you a child? I haven’t
a child
Ulemali na? Kangi/amali — Have you any money? I haven’t
any money
Kulomsebenzi na ? Kakulnmsebenzi — Is there any work ? There
is no work
c) Noun and pronoun together: noun and pronoun are both used if
referring to some particular person or thing:
e.g. Kangilamali — I haven’t any money
Kangilayo imali — I haven’t got the money
Kasilangwalo — We haven’t any books
Kasilazo ingwalo — We haven’t got the books

5 Verbs followed by LA-

It is necessary to use LA- with a noun following certain verbs:
e.g. ukukhuluma — to speak (with/to)
Ngifuna ukukhuluma /oMhlanga — 1want to speak to Mhlanga
Ngifuna ukukhuluma /aye — I want to speak to him
All verbs ending in ‘-ana’:

73
 e.g. ukuhlangana — to meet
Ngahlangana loMhlanga — I met Mhlanga
Ngahlangana laye — I met him
ukufanana — to resemble
Umfana ufanana loyise — The boy looks like his father

6 Adverbs followed by LA-

Three of the adverbs of place are followed by LA- when used with nouns
or pronouns:
eduze — near: eduze /endlu — near the hut
eduze layo — near it
khatshana — far: khatshana lomuzi — far from the village
khatshana lathi — far from us
maqondana — opposite: maqondana lesikolo — opposite the school
maqondana lawe — opposite you

74
Lesson 35
The instramental NGA-

NGA- is prefixed to nouns and pronouns in the same way as LA-. It has
many uses, but it is called ‘instrumental’ because it is used for the instru­
ment.with which something is done, or the manner in which something is
done.:
e.g. He hit me with a stone; We went by train
When NGA- is prefixed to a noun, the rule of coalescence is applied, as
for LA-.

1 NGA- indicating the instrument, or manner

e.g. Wangitshaya ngelitshe — He hit me with a stone
Wangitshaya ngalo — He hit me with it
Sizahamba ngesitimela — We shall go by train
Sizahamba ngaso — We shall go by it
Sikhuluma ngomlomo — We speak with the mouth
Sikhuluma ngawo — We speak with it
Siphila ngani? — What do we live by? (How do we live?)
Siphila ngokulima — We live by farming
Utitshala ufundisa ngomusa — The teacher teaches with kindness
Bantwana, ngenani ngokuthula — Children, go in quietly
Bambulala ngokuzonda — They killed him out of hatred
Gcwalisa igabha ngamanzi — Fill the tin with water
Funda ngekhanda — Learn by heart (i.e. with the head)
Ngani? — By what means? How?
Kungani? — For what reason ? Why ?

2 NGA- meaning ‘about’

e.g. Khuluma laye ngomsebenzi — Speak to him about the work
Khuluma laye ngawo — Speak to him about it
Ngiyaxolisa ngalokho — I apologise about that
Ngiyaxolisa ngakho — I apologise about it
Siyakubonga ngesipho — We thank you for the gift

3 NGA- indicating time

e.g. Ngizambona ngeNsonto — I shall see him on Sunday (iNsonto —
Sunday)
Ngizambona ngo-3 — I shall see him at 3 (Use any English time)
Ngizambona ngeviki elizayo — I shall see him next week (iviki
elizayo — next week)
Note: this use, with singular and plural nouns;
e.g. usuku ngosuku OR insuku ngensuku — day by day
umnyaka ngomnyaka OR iminyaka ngeminyaka — year by year

4 NGA- marking a position

When used with an adverb, NGA- marks the position more definitely.

75
 e.g. Века lokho phansi — Put that down
Века lokho H^ophansi — Put that underneath
Ngibona inyoni phezulu — I see a bird up above
Fnyoni iyaphapha n^aphezulu — The bird is flying directly above
Kulezihlahla phandle — There are trees outside
Kulesihlahla rt^aphandle — There is a tree just outside

VOCABULARY

Days of the week;

iNsonto (in) Sunday (also means church building)
ISonto (ili) Sunday (also means church building)
uMvulo (um) Monday
oLwesibili (ulu) T uesday
oLwesithathu (ulu) Wednesday
oLwesine (ulu) Thursday
oLwesihlanu (ulu) Friday
uMgqibelo (urn) Saturday
iviki (ili/ama) week
inyanga (in/izin) month
umnyaka (um/imi) year

76
Lesson 36
The locatives KU-, KO-, E-

These three prefixes are used with nouns and pronouns to indicate location,
often after verbs of motion,
e.g. Ngiya kumama — la m going to mother
Ngiya koDube — I am going to Dube's home
Ngiya eGwelo — I am going to Gwelo

[ KU- or KI­

KU-, or Kl-, is a prefix used to indicate location, in or on, and motion,

to, from, into, onto, out of, and so on.
It is not used with place names.

1 KU- with nouns

KU- is the form which may be prefixed to nouns; the initial vowel of the
noun is dropped.
a) Nouns o f the UjO class: to express motion to, or from, one of the
nouns of the U/O class, KU- must always be used.
e.g. Ngiya kumama — I am going to mother
Ngivela kumama — I come from mother
Ngizacela imali kumama — I shall ask money from mother
(I shall ask mother for money)
In the plural, insert letter ‘b’:
e.g. Ngiya kubomama — I am going to the women
Ngivela kubomama — I come from the women
Ngizacela imali kubomama — I shall ask the women for money
b) Nouns o f the UMjABA class: KU- may also be used with nouns of
the UM/ABA class.
e.g. Ngiya A:«mfundisi — la m going to the minister
Ngizacela imali kumfundisi — I shall ask the minister for money
Ngivela /cwbafundisi — I come from the ministers
Ngizacela imali kubafundisi — I shall ask the ministers for money
There is also a locative form of the noun which applies to all nouns
except nouns of the U/O class, and this is an alternative to the use of KU-
with the UM/ABA class of nouns (see Lesson 37).
c) Nouns o f other classes: One can use KU- with nouns of other
classes.
e.g. kumadoda — to the men
kusalukazi — to the old woman
However, it is more common, and better style, to use the locative form
of the noun (see Lesson 37).

77
2 KU- or KI- with pronouns
To express motion, or location, with pronouns, K.U- or KI- must be used.
a) With pronouns for all noun classes, except for ‘yena’, either KU- or
KI- may be prefixed to the pronoun.
e.g. abafundisi: Ngivela kubo/kibo — I come from them
umlilo; Faka ukhuni kuwo/kiwo — Put a piece of wooa on it
imibhida: Thela amanzi kuyo/kiyo — Pour water on them
itafula: Imiganu ikhona kulo/kilo — The plates are on it
amatshe: Ngihlezi kuwo/kiwo — I am sitting on them
isalukazi: Cela ukudla kuso/kiso — Ask her for food
izitsha: Faka impuphu kuzo/kizo — Put mealie meal in them
imbiza: Khupha inyama kuyo/kiyo — Take the meat out of it
uchago: Impukane ikhona kulo/kilo — A fly is in it
ubuso: Faka umuthi kubo/kibo — Put medicine on it
ukudla: Faka itshwayi kukho/kikho — Put salt in it
b) With personal pronouns:
‘wena’ and ‘yena’ use KU-;
‘mina’, ‘thina’ and ‘lina’ use KI-.
kimi — to/from me kithi — to/from us
kuwe — to/from you kini — to/from you
kuye — to/from him kibo/kubo — to/from them

II КО­

КО- is prefixed only to a person’s name, and it indicates motion to, or

from, or location in or at, that person’s home,
e.g. NgiyakoDube — I am going to Dube's kraal
Abantwana bavela koKhumalo — The children come from
Khumalo’s place
Sihlala koMhlanga — We are staying at the Mhlangas’

III E-

E- is prefixed to names of places: countries, towns, streets, buildings,

e.g. Ngiya eZambia — la m going to Zambia
Ngivela eMtali — I come from Umtali
Ngambona eSozibele — I saw him in Salisbury
Ngisebenza ePosi Wovisi — I work at the Post Office
Ibhasi idlula eNkai — The bus passes Nkai
Exception: Bulawayo, since it was originally the name of Lobhengula’s
kraal, retains KO- as its locative prefix; for example, Ngiya koBulawayo —
I am going to Bulawayo.

78
 Lesson 37
The locative form of the noun

There is a special form of the noun which expresses location, in, on, or at,
and motion to, from, into, onto, out of, and so on. This particular form
applies to all nouns except those of the U/O Class (see previous lesson).

1 Formation of the locative

To make the locative form of the noun, two changes are made to the noun:
the initial vowel of the noun is changed to ‘e’; the suffix '-ini’ is added to the
noun stem.
e.g. amanzi — water
emaxaJni — in the water, to the water, out of the water.
The final vowel of the noun stem combines with ‘-ini’ in this way:
a ini ent e.g. intaba. . entabeni
to the mountain
izintaba . . ezintabeni
to the mountains
mi . eni ilizwe. . elizweni
in the land
amazwe. . emazweni
in the lands
i + ini ini inkosi. . enkosini
— from the king
amakhosi. . . emakhosini
— from the kings
+ in i, went umlilo . . . emlilweni
— into the fire
imililo . . . emililweni
— into the fires
m i. wmi induku . . . endukwini
— on the knobkerry
izinduku . . . ezindukwini
— on the knobkerries
Note:
a) Nouns ending in ‘-wo’ or ‘-wu’: drop one ‘w’ when adding ‘-weni/
-wini’;
e.g. indawo . . . endaweni — to the place
inyawo . . . enyaweni — on the feet
b) Impersonal nouns with prefix U-: one may sometimes find the initial
vowel changed to ‘o’ instead of ‘e’:
e.g. ttdaka (ULU Class). . . odakeni — in the mud
«tshani (UBU Class). . . otshanini — in the grass
However, the form ‘edakeni’, ‘etshanini’ is also common.
2 Short form of the locative
Some nouns have a short form of the locative, with no suffix; the initial
vowel is changed to ‘e’.

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 a) Points of the compass, and a few other place nouns:
e.g. impumalanga — east empumalanga — in/to the east
intshonalanga — west entshonalanga — in/to the west
ikhaya - home ekhaya -- at home
iziko — hearth eziko — in the hearth
umnyango — doorway emnyango — in the doorway
ulwandle — sea olwandle OR elwandle — in
the sea
Certain nouns of time:
ubusuku — night ebusuku — at night
imini — daytime; midday emini — in the daytime; at
midday
intambama ~ evening ntambama (‘e’ dropped’) — in the
evening
u t: ukusa — morning: has the
full form: ekuseni -- in the morning
c) Certain parts of the body:
ikhanda — head ekhanda — on the head
ihlombe — shoulder ehlombe — on the shoulder
umhlana — back emhlana — on the back
ukunene — right side ekunene — on the right
ikhohlo — left side ekhohlo — on the left
d) Nouns of foreign origin: Whether the short or long form of the
locative is preferred for these nouns depends entirely on usage: there is no
rule.
e.g. esibhedlela — to the hospital
esitolo/esitolweni — to the store
esikolo/esikolweni — to the school
esitimeleni — to the train
edolobheni — to town
emoteni — to the car
and so on.

3 Irregular forms
Learn the locative form of these common nouns, which is slightly irregular:
umuzi: emzini — to the kraal
indlu: endlini — to the hut
insimu: ensimini —• to the field
amasimu: emasimini — to the fields
inkomo: enkomeni — to the cattle
imvu: emvini — to the sheep
izimvu: ezimvini — to the sheep (plural)

4 Use of the locative where there is no verb

(That is, where the English has the verb ‘to be’.)
a) Place the subject concord before the locative noun, and insert letter
‘s’ between the two vowels,
e.g. Umama usendlini — Mother is in the hut
Abafana baremfuleni — The boys are in the river
Inyoka Lsendleleni — The snake is on the path

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OR Utnama ukhona endlini — Mother is (present) in the hut
Inyoka ikhona endleleni — The snake is on the path
Note: ‘with’ may be translated by a locative, if it indicates position:
e.g. Udokotela ukhona ezigulaneni — The doctor is with the patients
Umelusi ukhona enkomeni — The herdbdy is with the cattle
b) The negative
The adverb 'khona' is used when making the negative of the locative noun:
e.g. Umama kakho endlini — Mother is not in the hut
Abafana kabakho emfuleni — The boys are not in the river
Inyoka kayikho endleleni — The snake is not on the path
Udokotela kakho ezigulaneni — The doctor is not with the
patients
c) Use ofNGA-
The prefix NGA- may be used with locatives, to indicate ‘in the direction
of. . .’
e.g. emfuleni — to/from/in the river
ngasemfuleni — towards/by/from the direction of the river
Woza kimi — Come to me
Woza ngakimi — Come towards me
Learn these: ngakwesokunene — to the right
Hamba uye ngakwesokunene — Go to the right
ngakwesokhohlo — to the left
Hamba uye ngakwesokhohlo — Go to the left
d) With LA-
When LA- (and) joins locative nouns, it is usually prefixed directly onto
the noun:
e.g. ezihlalweni/etafuleni — on the chairs and (on the) table
emachibini /emifuleni — in the pools and rivers
emini /ebusuku — in the day and in the night
But sometimes letter ‘s’ is placed between LA- and the locative:
e.g. ezihlalweni la^etafuleni — on the chairs and on the table
emachibini lasemifuleni — in the pools and rivers

5 Palatalisation in the locative

Palatalisation is a term which refers to the process by which a bi-labial
consonant, articulated with the lips (p, b, m), changes to a sound articul­
ated with the tongue and the palate (tsh, j, ny).
In the locative, palatalisation occurs in the final syllable of the noun,
where a bi-labial consonant is followed by ‘o’ or ‘u’.
e.g. inguftn; \mp\xphu; umlowo; ilemZ>u
The rule o f palatalisation
p/ph becomes tsh: ubuchopho — brain;
ebuchotsheni — in the brain
impuphu — mealie meal;
emputshini — in the mealie meal
becomes tsh: ingubo — blanket;
engutsheni — in the blanket
isikhwebu — head of com;
esikhwetshini — on the head of com

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 bh becomes j umbhobho — gun;
embhojeni — on the gun
isigubhu —- drum;
esigujini — on the drum
m becomes ny umlomo — mouth;
emlonyeni ■— in the mouth
ingqamu —- knife;
engqanyini — on the knife
mb becomes nj: umthombo — well;
emthonjeni — in the well
ilembu — cloth;
eleiyini — in the cloth

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Lesson 38
The possessive with nouns: I

In Ndebele the construction which indicates possession always follows

this order: the possession first, and then the possessor. The two are linked
by a possessive concord which agrees with the preceding noun (the
possession).
e.g. Possession Possessor
The houses of the people
Izindlu zabantu
The parents of the girls
Abazali ¿omankazana

1 The possessive concords

To make the possessive concord, the possessive particle ‘a’ combines
with the subject concord; the result is exactly the same as the subject
concords for the past tense. This form of possessive concord is used
prefixed to all noun classes, except singular personal nouns with prefix U-,
for example, umama, uDube, and so on. (For this, see Lesson 39.)
Table o f possessive concords
Poss.
Noun cone.
umfana wa e.g. umfana Wabapheki — the cooks’boy
umangoye wa umangoye wabapheki — the cooks’ cat
abafana ba abafana babapheki — the cooks’ boys
omangoye ba omangoye babapheki — the cooks’ cats
umthanyelo wa umthanyelo wabapheki — the cooks’ broom
imithanyelo ya imithanyelo yabapheki — the cooks’ brooms
ithanga la ithanga labapheki — the cooks’ pumpkin
amathanga a amathanga abapheki — the cooks’ pumpkins
isinkwa sa isinkwa sabapheki — the cooks’ bread
izinkwa za izinkwa zabapheki — the cooks’ loaves
imbiza ya imbiza yabapheki — the cooks’ pot
izimbiza za izimbiza zabapheki — the cooks’ pots
uchago Iwa uchago Iwabapheki — the cooks’ milk
inkuni za inkuni zabapheki — the cooks’ firewood
utshwala ba utshwala babapheki — the cooks’ beer
ukudla kwa ukudla kwabapheki — the cooks’ food

2 Coalescence
Coalescence takes place between the vowel of the possessive concord
and the initial vowel of the noun;
e.g. umangoye ivabapheki — the cooks’ cat
umangoye wompheki — the cooks’ cat
umangoye wenkazana — the girl’s cat

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 imbiza >'flbapheki the cooks’ pot
imbiza :>'ompheki the cook's pot
imbiza yenkazana the girl’s pot
inkuni zflbapheki the cooks’ firewood
inkuni zompheki the cook’s firewood
inkuni zenkazana the girl’s firewood
a) Exception: Coalescence does not take place when the possessive
concord is prefixed to plural personal nouns with prefix 0 -; instead,
insert letter ‘b’ between concord and noun.
e.g. inkomo zaftobaba — our fathers’ cattle
umhlangano waAomama — the women’s meeting
b) The ‘w’ of 'kwa' and 'Iwa' is not spoken before an ‘o’,
e.g. uchago Iwabapheki — the cooks’ milk
uchago Zompheki — the cook’s milk
ukudla Zrompheki — the cook’s food

3 Uses
a) To translate 'belong'
e.g. inkomo zabobaba — the cattle belonging to our fathers
indlu yomfundisi — the house belonging to the minister
b) Used descriptively
e.g. abantwana besikolo — school children
ukhezo Iwesihlahla — a wooden spoon
impahla zesivande — gardening tools
imali yokudla — money for food
c) With adverbs and locative nouns
e.g. abantu balapha - - the people of this place (here)
abantu bakhona — the people of the place (previously designated)
ukudla kwemini — midday meal
ukudla kwantambama — evening meal
abantu bakoBulawayo — the people of Bulawayo
abantu beAfrika — the people of Africa
OR abantu baseAfrika — the people of Africa
This ‘s’ is inserted when the full form of the locative noun is used:
e.g. ukudla kwa^ekuseni morning meal
abantu basentabeni the people of the mountain

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Lesson 39
The possessive with nouns: II

1 The possessive ‘ka-’

In a possessive construction when the possessor is a singular personal
noun with prefix U- (for example: umama, uDube), the possession and
possessor are not linked with the same possessive concords as described
in the last lesson.
Instead, the possessive ‘ka-’ is prefixed to the noun stem:
e.g. umthanyelo Aamama — my mother’s broom
inja A:aDube — Dube’s dog
The subject concord of the preceding noun, the possession, is prefixed to
‘ka’, if it is a two-letter concord:
e.g. abantwanaAakabani? — whose children?
abantwana bakaDube — Dube’s children
igwayi likababa — father’s tobacco
isikhwama sikaMaNcube — MaNcube’s bag
izinkomo zikayise — his father’s cattle
uchago lukamangoye — the cat’s milk
utshwala bukababamkhulu — grandfather’s beer
ukudla kukaSithembile — Sithembile’s food
But if the subject concord is a single vowel (U-, 1-, A-) it is not used
before ‘ka’:
e.g. umthanyelo kamama — mother’s broom
umfana katitshala — the teacher’s boy
imithi kadokotela — the doctor’s medicines
inja kaLinda — Linda’s dog
amanzi kaMaNyoni — MaNyoni’s water
imali kabani? — whose money?

2 Contractions
The following contracted forms of nouns in this possessive construction
are common:
a) ‘Umntwana’ may be contracted to ‘umnta-’:
e.g. Unmtakabani ? — Whose child ?
umntakaDube — Dube’s child
umntakaMaNyoni — MaNyoni’s child
b) ‘Unina’ may be contracted to ‘una-’:
e.g. unakaSihle — Sihle’s mother
unakaSithembile — Sithembile’s mother
This is often used as a form of address to a woman, or a means of identi­
fication, using the name of her eldest child:
e.g. Salibonani, nakaSihle — Good-day, Sihle’s mother
c) ‘Uyise’ may be contracted to ‘use-’:
e.g. usekaSihle — Sihle’s father
usekaSithembile — Sithembile’s father

85
This may also be used as a form of address to a man, though it is not so
common as the form for women.
d) When speaking of somebody’s marriage partner, wife or husband, the
prefix ‘umka’ is used: this is the polite way of speaking:
e.g. umkaDube — Dube’s wife
umkaMaNyoni — MaNyoni’s husband
Plural form: omka: omkaDube — Dube’s wives

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Lesson 40
Possessive pronouns

The possessive pronouns (for example, my, your, his, and so on) are made
in Ndebele by using the possessive concord which you studied in Lesson 38,
with a possessive stem.
Possession Possessor
boy my
H/nfana waini (from ‘mina’)
boys my
abatana banú
umuthi wami — my medicine
imithi yami — my medicines
iqanda lami — my egg
amaqanda ami — my eggs
isipho sami — my gift
izipho zami — my gifts
inja yami — my dog
izinja zami — my dogs
uchago Iwami — my milk
ubuso bami — my face
ukudla kwami — my food

1 Possessive steins
d) For ‘my’ the possessive stem is taken from the absolute pronoun ‘mina’
and for ‘their’, from ‘bona’. However, special possessive stems have to
be learnt for ‘your’ (singular and plural), ‘his/her’, and ‘our’.
1st person singular: -mi e.g. abantwana bami — my children
injayami — my dog
2nd person singular: -kho abantwana bakho — your children
inja yakho — your dog
3rd person singular: -khe abantwana bakhe — his/her children
injayakhe — his/her dog
1st person plural: -ithu abantwana bethu (ba + ithu)
— our children
inja yethu (ya -t- ithu)
our dog
2nd person plural: -inu abantwana benu (ba + inu)
your children
inja yenu (ya + inu)
your dog
3rd person plural: -bo abantwana babo — their children
inja yabo — their dr >2
b) For the possessive pronoun of all other noun classes, the absolute
pronoun provides the stem.

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 e.g. Noun Pronoun Possessive
umlilo wona e.g. amandla awo — its strength
imililo yona amandla ayo — their strength
ijaha íona amandla alo — his strength
amajaha wona amandla awo — their strength
isalukazi sona amandla aso — her strength
izalukazi zona amandla azo — their strength
inja yona amandla ayo — its strength
izinja zona amandla azo — their strength
ufudu lona amandla alo — its strength
imfudu zona amandla azo — their strength
ubunyonyo bona amandla abo — their strength
ukukhanya khona amandla akho —- its strength

2 Contractions
a) Contraction of ‘umntwana’
umntwana wami becomes; umntanami — my child
umntanakho — your child
umntanakhe — his/her child
umntanethu — our child
umntanenu — your child
umntanabo — their child
Referring to ‘induna’: umntanayo — his child
b) Contraction of ‘umfana’: umfanami -— my boy
umfanakho — your boy
and so on.
c) For the marriage partner, the prefix ‘umka-’ is used before the posses­
sive stem:
e.g. umkami — my wife/husband omkanii — my wives
umkakho — your wife/husband omkakho — your wives
umkakhe — his wife/her husband omkakhe — his wives
omkethu — our wives/husbands
omkenu — your wives/husbands
omkabo — their wives/husbands

3 Family relationships
The use of the plural possessive (for example, ‘our sister’ for ‘my sister')
is common with nouns referring to family relationships, in order to show
respect. Therefore it is always used for an elder sister or brother.
a) Sister: udade- (u/o)
e.g. udadewethu my/our sister
udadewenu your sister
udadewabo his/her/their sister
odadewethu our/my sisters
and so on.
b) Elder brother: umne- (um/aba)
e.g. umnewethu — my/our brother
umnewenu — your brother

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 umncwabo — his/her/their brother
abanewethu — ray/our brothers
and so on.
c) Younger brother or sister: umna- (um/aba)
e.g. umnawami — my brother/sister
umnawakho — your brother/sister
umnawakhe — his/her brother/sister
abanawami — my brothers/sisters
and so on.
d) Brother or sister: umfo- (um/aba)
e.g. umfowethu — my/our brother/sister
umfowenu — your brother/sister
and so on.
/Vote: it is important to know that in the extended family system which
exists amongst Africans, the words for ‘mother’, ‘father’, ‘brother’ and
‘sister’ are also used for ‘aunt’, ‘uncle’ and ‘cousin’.

4 The possessive with the locative KI- and a pronoun

The possessive pronoun may be used before ‘kithi/kini/kibo’, and it then
has the special meaning of belonging to one’s own people, tribe or family,
e.g. ilizwe lakithi — our country, my country
ilizwe lakini — your country
ilizwe lakibo — their country, his/her country
abantu bakithi — my/our people
abantu bakini — your people
abantu bakibo — his/her/their people
Note:
a) One may use ‘kithi/kini/kibo’ without a noun or possessive prefix,
and this will refer to the person’s home in the country:
e.g. Ugogo uhlala kithi — Grandmother lives at our home kraal
Umuntu ufuna ukubuyela kibo — A person wants to return to
his home
Kini kungaphi ? — Where is your home kraal ?
b) The possessive concord ‘kwa’ may be used with a possessive stem:
e.g. Wabuyela kwakhe — He returned to his own home
Babuyela kwabo — They returned to their own home

89
Lesson 41
Adverbs with nouns and pronouns

Adverbs of place may be used before nouns and pronouns, for example: ‘in
front of the house; in front of it.’

1 UseofLA-
In Lesson 34 it was explained that three adverbs are linked to the following
noun or pronoun by LA-:
eduze: e.g. eduze lendlu — near the hut
eduze layo — near it
khatshana: e.g. khatshana lendlu — far from the hut
khatshana layo — far from it
maqondana: e.g. maqondana lendlu — opposite the hut
maqondana layo — opposite it
Note: eduze may also be followed by KWA- (see below).

2 UseofKWA-
Other adverbs are linked to the following noun or pronoun by KWA-,
which is actually a possessive (KU + A).
a) KWA- with nouns
The rule of coalescence must be followed when KWA- is prefixed to a noun.
Note that some of the adverbs are usually shortened when used in this
way.
phakathi — inside: phakathi kwendlu — inside the hut
phakathi kwabantu — among the people
phakathi Aromuzi — inside the kraal
(‘w’ is not pronounced before ‘o’)
phakathi kwaiomama — among the women
(insert ‘b’ with plural nouns of prefix 0-)
phandle — outside: phandle kwendlu — outside the hut
phandle kwamasimu — outside the fields
phandle komuzi — outside the kraal
phambili — in front: phambi kwendlu — in front of the hut
phambi kwabantu — in front of the people
phambi komuzi — in front of the kraal
phambi kwabomama — in front of the women
emuva — behind: emva kwendlu — behind the hut
emva kwabantu — behind the people
emva komuzi — behind the kraal
emva kwabomama — behind the women
phezulu — up: phezu kwendlu — on top of the hut
phezu kwamatafula — on top of the tables
phezu komduli — on top of the wall
phezu kwabomangoye — on top of the cats
phansi — down: phansi kwendlu — down by the hut

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 phansi kwamatafula — down by the tables
phansi komduli — next to the wall
phansi kwabomangoye — beside the cats
phetsheya — across: phetsheya kwendlela — across the way
phetsheya kwamasimu — on the other side of
the fields
phetsheya komfula — across the river
eduze — near: eduze kwendlu — near the hut
Note:
(i) Use of prefix ‘nga-’:
As explained in Lesson 35, ‘nga-’ prefixed to an adverb marks the position
more definitely.
e.g. Compare: Века lokho phansi kwetafula — Put that down by the
table
Века lokho //¿•ophansi kwetafula — Put that under­
neath the table
Intambo iphezu kwetafula — The string is on the table
Intambo iyalenga ngaphsTa kwetafula — The string is hanging
directly above the table
Kulezihlahla phandle komuzi — There are trees outside tlje
village
Kulesihlahla esikhulu «^aphandle komuzi — There is a big tree
just outside the village
(il) ‘Ngaphandle’ also means ‘except’:
e.g. ngaphandle kwabantwana — except for the children
ngaphandle kwenja yami — except for my dog
(iii) ‘Eceleni’, the locative form of ‘icele’ (side), is used to mean ‘beside’,
followed by ‘kwa-’.
e.g. eceleni kwendlela — by the side of the road
eceleni komfana — beside the boy
b) KWA- with pronouns
As KWA- is a possessive, the possessive stems must be used with it.
e.g. phambi kwami — in front of me
phambi kwakho — in front of you
phambi kwakhe — in front of him/her
phambi kwethu — in front of us
phambi kwenu — in front of you
phambi kwabo — in front of them
Ondlu) phambi kwayo — in front of it (hut)
(umuzi) phambi kwawo — in front of it (village)
(izihlahla) phambi kwazo — in front of them (trees)
and so on.

3 UseofKUKA-
The possessive KA-, with concord KU-, is used before singular personal
nouns with prefix U-.
e.g. phambi kukababa — in front of father
emva kukanina — behind his mother
phezu kukababamkhulu — on top of grandfather
phansi kukaThemba — next to Themba

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4 Ngenxa YA-
fl) The adverb ‘ngenxa’ (because of, due to) is linked to the noun or
pronoun by the possessive YA-:
e.g. ngenxa yezulu — because of the rain
ngenxa yomsebenzi — because of the work
ngenxa yakho — because of you
ngenxa yakhe — because of him
ngenxa yethu — because of us
and so on.
b) Before singular personal nouns with prefix U-, the possessive KA- is
used:
e.g. ngenxa kababa — because of father
ngenxa kaThemba — because of Themba

92
Lesson 42
The demonstrative pronoun

The demonstrative pronoun, in English ‘this/these’, or ‘that/those',

has three forms in Ndebele. (Compare this with the locative demonstrative.
Lesson 20.)

1 First position: this/these

The demonstrative pronoun is formed by combining LA- with part or all
of the noun prefix:
e.g. la + u gives lo : umfana lo — this boy
la + i gives le : inja le — this dog
la + aba gives laba : abafana laba — these boys
la + izi gives lezi : izinja lezi — these dogs

2 Second position: that/those

This ends in ‘-o’, which is added to, or replaces, the last vowel of the first
form:
e.g. lo + o gives lowo umfana lowo — that boy
le f o gives leyo inja leyo — that dog
laba + o gives labo abafana labo — those boys
lezi f- 0 gives lezo izinja lezo — those dogs

3 Third position: that/those over there

The suffix ‘-yana’ is added to the first form:
e.g. le + yana gives leyana : inja leyana —
that dog over there
laba + yana gives labayana : abafana labayana —
those boys over there
lezi + yana gives leziyana : izinja leziyana —
those dogs over there
Note: to ‘lo’ and ‘la’ add ‘-wayana’.
e.g. umfana lowayana — that boy over there
amatshe lawayana — those stones over there
These may be shortened to : lowana/loyana,
and: lawana/layana, respectively.

4 Table of demonstrative pronouns

First Second
Noun position position Thirdposition
umfana/ubaba lo lowo lowayana (lowana/loyana)
abantwana/obaba laba labo labayana
umfula lo lowo lowayana (lowana/loyana)
imifula le leyo leyana
ilitshe/iqanda leli lelo leliyana
amatshe la lawo lawayana (lawana/layana)

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isitsha lesi leso lesiyana
izitsha lezi lezo leziyana
inja/imfe le leyo leyana
izinja lezi lezo leziyana
uluthi/ufudu lolu lolo loluyana
izinti lezi lezo leziyana
ubuso lobu lobo lobuyana
ukudla lokhu lokho lokhuyana

5 Position of the demonstrative pronoun

The demonstrative pronoun, first and second positions, may be placed
either before or after the noun.
Before the noun: in speech, when the demonstrative pronoun is used
before the noun, it is combined with the noun, and one of the vowels is
elided.
a) First position: elide the final vowel of the demonstrative.
e.g. umfana lo /umfana — this boy
inja le /inja — this dog
amatshe la /amatshe — these stones
ilitshe leli /e/ilitshe — this stone
izinja lezi /ezizinja — these dogs
ukudla lokhu lokhukudla. — this food
and so on.
b) Second Position: the final ‘o’ must be retained, so the initial vowel
of the noun prefix is elided.
e.g. umfana lowo /owomfana — that boy
inja leyo leyonja. — that dog
amatshe lawo /awomatshe — those stones
ilitshe lelo /e/olitshe — that stone
izinja lezo /ezozinja — those dogs
ukudla lokho lokhokudla — that food
and so on.
Note:
(i) The demonstrative pronoun may be used on its own.
e.g. Ufuna leli na? (ilitshe) — Do you want this one?
Ngithathe lezo na? (izimbiza) — Should I take those?
(Imbiza) Le ingcolile — This one is dirty
Lokho kungcolile — That is dirty
(ii) The third position: This may mean ‘the other one’, rather than
emphasise a position.
e.g. ngosuku loluyana — the other day
ngeviki leliyana — the other week (especially ‘the week before
last’ or ‘the week after next’)
ngendaba leyana — about the other matter
(iii) The demonstrative pronoun with a locative.
Either: A locative noun with the demonstrative after it.
e.g. endawenileyo — to that place
emzini lo — in this village
OR The locative KU- with the demonstrative before the noun,
e.g. kuleyondawo — to that place

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 kulumuzi — in this village
And without a noun: kuleyo — to that one
kulo — in this one
(iv) Other prefixes before a demonstrative.
LA- e.g. leyombiza /alimiganu — that pot and these plates
lale — and these
NGA- e.g. Gamula ns-alelihloka — Chop with this axe
ngaleli — with this one
Possessives: isigqoko salinkazana — this girl’s dress
umuthi walesisigulane — this patient’s medicine
phansi kwalelilitshe — under this stone
(v) Pronunciation:
Where one of these prefixes is used before a demonstrative pronoun
of one syllable, the stress will be on the final syllable,
e.g. kulo — to this one (umuzi)
lale — and these (imiganu)

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Lesson 43
Adjective stems: I

English adjectives are translated in Ndebele either by relative stems,

of which you had examples in Lesson 21 (for example: -buhlungu —
painful), or by adjective stems, with which this lesson is concerned. The
distinction is necessary because the former use relative concords, and the
latter use adjective concords, which differ in some instances.

1 List of adjective stems

This is a complete list, and should be learnt by heart:
Monosyllabic Stems
-bi — bad, evil, ugly, nasty
-de — tall, long
-hie — beautiful, pretty,lovely, nice, good
-nye — other, another one
-tsha — new, young, fresh
-dala — old, stale
-fitshane — short
-khulu — big, large, great
-lutshwana — few, a little (in quantity)
-nengi — many, much, plenty
-ncinyane/-ncane — small, little (in size), young
-ncuncu(ncu) — tiny (the smaller it is, the more syllables)
-duna — male (of animals)
-sikazi — female (of animals)
Some numerals
-bill — two
-thathu — three
-ne — four
-hlanu — five
-ngaki? — how many?(‘ng’ asi n ‘finger’)

2 Adjective concords
When adjective stems qualify a noun (for example, an old person, pretty
dresses, and so on) they are prefixed by a concord which agrees with the
noun they are qualifying, and are placed after the noun,
e.g. abaniu abaisda. — old people
amaluba amahlc — pretty flowers
The adjective concord is formed from the whole of the noun prefix, as in
the examples above, but the initial vowels ‘u’ and ‘i’ change:
u becomes o : e.g. Mwfana o/nkhulu — a big boy
«kudla okwhle — good food
i becomes e : e.g. imizi em/khulu — big villages
inja. e«hle — a fine dog

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TABLE OF ADJECTIVE CONCORDS

Noun prefix adjective concord

um/umu om/omu e.g. umfana omkhulu — a big boy
umfana omuhle —- a pretty boy
u om/omu umama omfitshane — a short moth
umama omuhle — a pretty mother
aba aba abafana abakhulu — big boys
0 aba omama abahle — pretty mothers
um/umu om/omu umfula omkhulu -— a big river
umfula omuhle — a fine river
imi emi imifula emikhulu -— big rivers
ili/i eli ilitshe elikhulu — a big stone
ama ama amatshe amakhulu — big stones
isi esi isinkwa esihle — a nice loaf
izi ezin/ezim izinkwa ezinhle — nice loaves
izinkwa ezimbili - - two loaves
in/im en/em inja enkulu — a big dog
inja embi — a bad dog
izin/izim ezin/ezim izimvu ezinkulu —- big sheep
izimvu ezimbi — bad sheep
ulu/u olu uluthi olukhulu —- a big stick
izin/izim ezin/ezim izinti ezinkulu — big sticks
izinti ezimbili — two sticks
ubu obu ubuso obuhle — a pretty face
uku oku ukudla okuhle — good food
Note:
a) Adjective concord ‘omu-’ is used before monosyllabic adjective
stems, and concord ‘om-’ before stems of more than one syllable:
e.g. umfanao/Mude — atallboy;umfanao/Mkhulu — a big boy
umganu omutsha — a new plate; umganu o/wdala — an old
plate
b) Adjective concords 'em-’ and ‘ezim-’ are used before labial consonants;
-bi e.g. inja embi — a bad dog
-bili izimvu ezimbili — two sheep
-fitshane intombi emfitshane — a short girl
Before other consonants ‘en-’ and ‘ezin-’ are used:
e.g. inja e/ihle — a fine dog
izimvu ezinhlanu — five sheep
c) After ‘en-’ and ‘ezin-’ consonants are not aspirated:
-khulu e.g. inja e n ^ lu — a big dog
-thathu izimvu ezin/athu — three sheep
d) Adjective concords ‘ezin-’ and ‘ezim-’ are used to qualify nouns
with prefix IZI-, by false analogy with nouns of prefix IZIN-:
e.g. /z/tsha ez/r/kulu — big containers
/z/hlahla ezimbiW — two trees
e) The ‘n’ of prefix ‘en/ezin’ is elided before a stem beginning with ‘n’:
e.g. inja encinyane — a small dog
izimvu ez/nengi — many sheep

97
 3 Points on the use of some adjective stems:
a) 'Young'
Care must be taken when translating the adjective ‘young’, to qualify
personal nouns, ‘-tsha’ may be used with ‘urauntu’, otherwise use ‘-ncin-
yane’;
e.g. umuntu omutsha — a young person
abantu abatsha — young people
amankazana amancinyane — young girls
umfazi omncinyane — a young wife
utitshala omncinyane — a young teacher
Also with animals: e.g. imbuzi encinyane — a young goat
With such nouns, ‘-tsha’ means ‘new’;
e.g. umfazi omutsha — a new wife
imbuzi entsha — a new goat
Similarly, ‘younger’ and ‘older’ are translated by ‘-ncinyane’ and ‘-khulu’
respectively:
e.g. inkazana encinyane — the younger girl
amankazana amakhulu — the older girls
b) '-Nye'
When qualifying a noun, ‘-nye’ means ‘other/another/the other’. It is
normally placed before its noun:
e.g. omunye umfana — another/the other boy
esinye isigqoko — another/the other dress
enye impuphu — some more mealie meal
amanye amanzi — some more water
‘-Nye’ also translates the numeral ‘one’, but it is then used diiferently
(see Lesson 44).
c) Adjective stems on their own
Adjective stems may be used on their own, their concords agreeing with
the noun to which they refer but which is omitted,
e.g. abatsha labadala — the young and the old
Angifuni lelilembu elincane; ngifuna elikhulu
I don’t want this little cloth; I want a big one
Nanzi imbiza ezimbili; enye ingcolile, kodwa enye ilungile.
Here are two pots; one is dirty, but the other is all right.
Abanye bathanda ukusebenza; abanye kabathandi.
Some (people) like to work; others don’t.
Ufuna okunye na? — Do you want something else?
Ungafundi okubi; ufunde okuhle — Do not learn what is bad;
learn what is good.
d) KU- before adjective stems
Before an adjective concord, KU- (to/from/in) becomes KW- or K -:
e.g. Cela imali ^wabanye — Ask money from the others
Sizakuya Arwezinye indawo — We shall go to other places
Thela lokhu ¿omunye umganu — Pour this into another dish
e) 'How old?
Use the following construction for people’s ages:

98
e.g. Uleminyaka emingaki? — How old are you? (You have how
many years?)
Ngileminyaka emihlanu — la m five years old (I have five years)
Umntwana ulenyanga ezingaki? — How many months old is
the child?
Ulenyanga ezimbili — He is two months old

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Lesson 44
Adjective stems: 11

As well as qualifying the noun, adjectives may be used after the verb
‘to be’ (that is, in the predicate). For example: ‘the dress is pretty.’ ‘the
people are old,’ and so on.
When relative stems are used in this way, the subject concord for the
noun is prefixed to the relative stem:
e.g. Isigqoko i/bomvu — The dress is red (see Lesson 21)
Adjective stems also have concords prefixed to them.

1 The concords
The concords prefixed to the adjective stems are formed from the whole
of the second syllable of the noun prefix, which means that for some
noun classes the concord will have an additional ‘m’ or ‘n’.
Compare the concords used with relative stems and adjective stems in
these examples:
Relative Adjective
Imifula /banzi — The rivers are wide Iffi/fula «jikhulu — The rivers are
big
Amaluba abomvu — The flowers Awaluba /nahle — the flowers are
are red pretty
Inja /bomvu — The dog is red- /nja /«hie — The dog is beautiful
brown
Izinja zibomvu — The dogs are Iz/nja z/«hle — The dogs are
red-brown beautiful
Umuntu «buthakathaka — The Um/mtu «///hie — The person is
person is weak pretty
Umuntu «/khulu — The person is
big
Note: ‘y’ is often prefixed to ‘in-’ thus Injayinhle — the dog is beautiful

TABLE;

Noun prefix Concordfor adjective

um/umu mu/m e.g. Umfana muhle — The boy is pretty
Umfana mkhulu — The boy is big
u mu/m Umama muhle — The mother is pretty
Umama mfitshane — The mother is short
aba ba Abafana bakhulu — The boys are big
o ba Omama bahle — The mothers are pretty
um/umu mu/m Umfula muhle — The river is lovely
Umfula mkhulu — The river is big
imi mi Imifula mikhulu — The rivers are big
ili/i li Ilitshe likhulu — The stone is big

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ama ma Amatshe makhulu — The stones are big
isi si Isinkwa sihle — The loaf is good
izi zin/zim Izinkwa zinhle — The loaves are good
Izinkwa zimbili — The loaves are two
in/im in/im Inja inkulu — The dog is big
Inja imbi — The dog is bad
izin/izim zin/zim Izimvu zinkulu — The sheep are big
Izimvu zimbi — The sheep are bad
ulu/u lu Uluthi lukhulu — The stick is big
izin/izim zin/zim Izinti zinkulu — The sticks are big
Izinti zimbili — The sticks are two
ubu bu Ubuso buhle — The face is pretty
uku ku Ukudla kuhle — The food is good

2 First, second and third persons

When the personal concords (I, you, and so on) are used with adjective
stems, insert ‘m/mu’ between subject and stem in the singular, and ‘ba’
in the plural:
e.g. Ngiwkhulu I am big Ngiwutsha — I am young
Umkhulu You are big Umatsha — You are young
A/khulu He is big Mutsha — He is young
Sibakhulu We are big Sibatsha — We are young
Li^akhulu You are big Libatsha — You are young
fiakhulu They are big ¿atsha — They are young
Note: in speech, give extra length to the concord ‘ba-’, third person.

3 Numbers
a) ‘Nye’ meaning ‘one’: When ‘nye-’ is used with subject concords in
the manner shown here, it means the number ‘one’:
e.g. iqanda linye — one egg (the egg is one)
isitsha sinye — one container
umfana munye — one boy
inkazana yinye — one girl
Note: with the IN- class of noun, contraction may take place:
e.g. inkazananye — one girl; injanye — one dog; imbizanye — one pot;
and so on.
b) Other numbers may be used in a similar way:
e.g. Abafana bathathu — There are three boys (The boys are three)
Amaqanda mangaki? — How many eggs are there?
Mahlanu — There are five
Also: Imiziminengi — The villages are many
Impuphu yinlutshwana — There is a little mealie meal

4 The negative
a) First and second persons: Prefix the negative KA-/A- to the positive
form:
e.g. Kangimkhulu — I am not big
Kawumkhulu — You are not big
Kangimutsha — I am not young

101
 Kawumutsha — You are not young
Kasibakhulu — We are not big
Kalibakhulu — You are not big
b) Noun classes: Use the adjective stem with its concord, and in front of
this use the negative form of the normal subject concord:
e.g. kaku + kuhle : Kakukuhle — It is not good
kawa + mahle : Kawamahle — They are not pretty
(amankazana)
kawu + muhle : Kawumuhle — It is not pretty (umganu)
kayi + mihle : Kayimihle — They are not pretty
(imiganu)
kayi 4- inhle : Kayinhle — She is not pretty
(inkazana)
and so on.
Note negative o f concord ''zin-: it is usual to drop a syllable, ‘zi-’,
and lengthen the syllable ‘zin- in speech:
e.g. kazi + zinkulu : KazinksAu — They are not big (izinja)
kazi + zinde : Kazinde — They are not tall
(izihlahla)

TABLE

Noun prefix Negative o f adjective

um/umu Umfana kamuhle — The boy is not pretty
Umfana kamkhulu — The boy is not big
u Umama kamuhle — The mother is not pretty
Umama kamfitshane — The mother is not short
aba Abafana kababakhulu — The boys are not big
o Omama kababahle — The mothers are not pretty
um/umu Umfula kawumuhle — The river is not lovely
Umfula kawumkhulu — The river is not big
imi Imifula kayimikhulu — The rivers are not big
ili/i Ilitshe kalilikhulu — The stone is not big
ama Amatshe kawamakhulu — The stones are not big
isi Isinkwa kasisihle — The loaf is not nice
izi Izinkwa kazinhle — The loaves are not nice
in/im Inja kayinkulu — The dog is not big
izin/izim Izimvu kazimbi — The sheep are not bad
ulu/u Uluthi kalulukhulu — The stick is not big
izin/izim Izinti kazinkulu — The sticks are not big
ubu Ubuso kabubuhle — The face is not pretty
uku Ukudla kakukuhle — The food is not good

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Lesson 45
The relative concord

1 The relative clause

A relative clause is one which qualifies a noun or pronoun, and is intro­
duced in English by some form of ‘who’, ‘which’ or ‘that’.
For example: ‘I who work hard,’ ‘The boy whom I love very much,’ ‘The
boy to whom I want to speak,’ ‘The dog which barks at night,’ ‘The one
that barks a lot,’ and so on.
The relative concord is the concord usedfor the subject in a relative clause.
This is the simple rule which will enable you to make any type of
relative clause in Ndebele.
e.g. Mina ngisebenza kakhulu — I work hard
Mina en^isebenza kakhulu — 1 who work hard
Ngiyamthanda umfana kakhulu — I love the boy very much
Umfana e//g/mthanda kakhulu — The boy whom 1 love very
much
Ngifuna ukukhuluma lomfana — I want to speak to the boy
Umfana en^/funa ukukhuluma laye — The boy to whom /
want to speak
Relative concords are also used with relative stems, with LA-, adverbs
and locatives:
e.g. Verb: Minaengisebenza kakhulu — I who work hard
Relative stem: Mina engibuthakathaka — I who am weak
‘La-’: Mina engilamandla — 1 who am strong
Adverb: Mina engikhona — I who am present
Locative: Mina engisendlini — I who am in the hut

2 The relative concords

The relative concord is the same as the adjective concord, except where
the adjective concord has a nasal (m or n); the relative concord does
not retain this nasal. Compare the concords in the table below.

TABLE OF RELATIVE CONCORDS

Noun Adjective Relative

prefix concord concord
um/u om/omu 0 e.g. umfana ogijima kakhulu
the boy who runs fast
aba/o aba aba abafana abagijima kakhulu
boys who run fast
um om/omu 0 umfula ogeleza kakhulu
the river which flows fast
imi emi e imifula egeleza kakhulu
rivers which flow fast

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ili eli eli ijaha eligijima kakhulu
the youth who runs fast
ama ama a amajaha agijima kakhulu
youths who run fast
isi esi esi isihambi esigijima kakhulu
the traveller who runs fast
izi ezin/ezim ezi izihambi ezigijima kakhulu
travellers who run fast
in/im cn/em e inja egijima kakhulu
a dog which runs fast
izin/izim ezin/ezim ezi izinja ezigijima kakhulu
dogs which run fast
ulu olu olu usane olukhala kakhulu
a baby which cries very much
izin/izim ezin/ezim ezi insane ezikhala kakhulu
babies which cry very much
ubu obu obu ubunyonyo obugijima kakhulu
ants which run fast
uku oku oku ukudla okutshisa kakhulu
food which is very hot

First, second and third persons

Subject cone. Rei. cone.
ngi engi e.g. mina engilamandla — I who am strong
u 0 wena olamandla — you who are strong
u o yena olamandla — he who is strong
si esi thina esilamandla —- we who are strong
li eli lina elilamandla — you who are strong
ba aba bona abalamandla —- they who are strong

First, second and third persons with adjective stems

When an adjective st;m is used in the same way as the construction
above, for example; ‘I ^ho am old’, the adjective stem must be preceded by
‘m/mu’ (in the singular) or ‘ba’ (in the plural).
e.g. mina engimdala I who am old
mina engi/wMtsha I who am young
wena omdala you who are old
wena omutsha you who are young
yena omdala he who is old
yena omutsha he who is young
thina esifeadala we who are old
thina esiftfltsha we who are young
lina elibadala you who are old
lina elibatsha you who are young
bona abadala they who are old
bona abatsha they who are young

3 The negative of relatives

a) Negative o f relative verbs
The negative of a relative verb is formed by using the negative -NGA-

104
placed after the subject concord, and making whatever change is necessary
in the form of the verb for the tense used.
Present tense: change final ‘a’ of the verb stem to ‘i’.
e.g. mina engisebenza kakhulu — 1 who work hard
minaengi/i^asebenzi kakhulu — I who do not work hard
umfana osebenza kakhulu — the boy who works hard
umfana o«j?asebenz/ kakhulu — the boy who doesn’t work hard
isisebenzi esisebenza kakhulu — the worker who works hard
isisebenzi esi«,?asebenzi kakhulu — the worker who doesn’t
work hard
Examples of negative relative verbs in other tenses will be given in the
next lesson.

b) Negative oj non- verbs with relative prefixes

Place the negative -NGA- changed to -NGE- after the subject concord,
e.g. mina engibuthakathaka — I who am weak
mina engi«^ebuthakathaka — I who am not weak
umfana olamandla — a boy who is strong
umfana on^elamandla — a boy who is not strong
izisebenzi ezilezimota — workers who have cars
izisebenzi ezi«.?elazimota — workers who have no cars
abantu abakhona — the people who are present
abantu aban^ekho — the people who are not present
inja esendlini — the dog which is in the hut
inja ew^ekho endlini — the dog which is not in the hut
Note: although the negative -NGA- always changes to -NGE- in front
of ‘khona’, it is sometimes retained as -NGA- in other instances:
e.g. Mina engin^abuthakathaka
Izisebenzi eziwgalazimota

c) Negative o f adjective stems

Make this using the negative -NGE- after the relative concord, but
keeping adjective concords next to the stem,
e.g. umfana omuhle — a handsome boy
umfana owgemuhle — a boy who is not handsome
abafana abaagebahle — boys who are not handsome
imifula e«gemikhu!u — rivers which are not big
ilitshe eli/igelikhulu — a stone which is not big
amatshe angemakhulu — stones which are not big
isisebenzi esiwgeside — a worker who is not tall
inja engenhle — a dog which is not pretty
izinja ezi/tgenhle — dogs which are not pretty
ulutho olungeluhle — a thing which is not pretty
ubuso obu/igebuhle — a face which is not pretty
ukudla okungekuhle — food which is not good
First and second persons
e.g. mina engi«gemdala - - 1 who am not old
wena owgemdala —• you who are not old

105
 thina esirt^ebadala — we who are not old
lina elirt^ebadala — you who are not old
(This negative form of adjectives is not so important as the positive,
but you should be able to recognise it.)

106
Lesson 46
Relative clauses

Now that you know the relative concords and the basic relative construc­
tion, you can learn different verb tenses and different types of relative
clauses.

1 Different tenses of relative verbs

The relative concord remains the same for present, perfect and future
tenses.

a) Present tense: as set out in the last lesson.

Note that, in the positive, ‘ya’ (for the long form of the present tense)
is always omitted.
e.g. mina engisebenza kakhulu — I who work hard
umfana osebenza kakhulu — the boy who works hard
Negative: mina engin^asebenz/ kakhulu — I who do not work hard
umfana on^asebenz/ kakhulu — the boy who does not
work hard

b) Perfect tense
Note: that the short perfect is preferred where possible,
e.g. umfana othethe imali — the boy who took some money
inja efumene ithambo — the dog which found a bone
mina engibone inyoka — I who saw a snake
abantwana abalele endlini — the children who are asleep in the hut
thina esilambe kakhulu — we who are very hungry
The long perfect, with ending ‘-ile’, is used:
i) when nothing follows the verb in its own clause.
ii) when there is an object concord.
Note also that in these instances a suffix ‘-yo’ is added to the verb. (This
suffix is explained further on page 109.)
e.g. thina esilamb/7eyo — we who are hungry
mina engiyibon;7eyo inyoka — I who saw the snake
umuntu okutshay/7eyo — the person who hit you
Negative: Use the negative -NGA- after the subject concord, and add
the suffix ‘-nga’ to the verb stem.
e.g. mina engingayihomnga inyoka — I who didn’t see the snake
umfana on^athathaw^n imali — the boy who didn’t take any money
inja ew^afumanan^a ithambo ^ the dog which didn’t find a bone
abantwana ?Cb2.nga\z.\!inga — the children who are not asleep
thina esingaX&mhdinga — we who are not hungry

c) Future tense
e.g. mina engizahamba laye — I who will go with him
umfana ozasinceda — the boy who will help us
abantwana abazakudla — the children who will eat

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Negative: Use -NGA- after the subject concord, and change ‘zaku/za’ to
‘yiku/zuku’.
e.g. mina engingayikuhamba — 1 who will not go
mina engingazukuhamba — I who will not go
umfana ongayikusinceda — the boy who will not help us
umfana ongazukusinceda — the boy who will not help us
abantwana abangayikudla — the children who will not eat
abantwana abangazukudla — the children who will not eat
d) Past tense: for remote time
The relative verb in the past tense must retain its past concord with ‘a’,
For example, vragijima — he ran.
To make the relative form, the initial vowel of the relative concord is
prefixed to the past subject concord.
e.g. Relative concord:
‘o' : umfana owagijima kakhulu — the boy who ran fast
‘oku’ ; ukudia okwatshisa kakhulu —- the food which was
very hot
'e' : injaeyagijima kakhulu — the dog which ran fast
‘ezi’ : izinja ezagijima kakhulu — dogs which ran fast
‘aba’ : abafana abagijima kakhulu —- boys who ran fast

TABLE
Past
Relative Past relative
concord concord concord
0 wa owa e.g. umfana owagijima kakhulu
the boy who ran fast
aba ba aba abafana abagijima kakhulu
0 wa owa umfula owageleza kakhulu
e ya eya imifula eyageleza kakhulu
eli la ela ijaha elagijima kakhulu
a a a amajaha agijima kakhulu
esi sa esa isihambi esagijima kakhulu
ezi za eza izihambi ezagijima kakhulu
e ya eya inja eyagijima kakhulu
ezi za eza izinja ezagijima kakhulu
olu Iwa olwa usane olwakhala kakhulu
ezi za eza insane ezakhala kakhulu
obu ba oba ubunyonyo obakhala kakhulu
oku kwa okwa ukudia okwatshisa kakhulu
First and second persons:
engi nga enga mina engagijima kakhulu
I who ran fast
0 wa owa wena owagijima kakhulu
esi sa esa thina esagijima kakhulu
eli la ela lina elagijima kakhulu
Negative: the same as the negative of the perfect tense relative verb.

108
 e.g. mina engingagijimanga — I who did not run
umfana ongagijimanga — the boy who did not run
inja engagijimanga — the dog which did not run

TABLE OF NEGATIVE RELATIVE VERBS

Present Perfect and past Future

mina engingagijimifyo) engingagij imanga engingayikugijima
wena ongagijimi(yo) ongagijimanga ongayikugijima
umfana ongagijimi(yo) ongagijimanga ongayikugijima
thina esingagijimi(yo) esingagijimanga esingayikugijima
Una elingagijimi(yo) elingagijimanga elingayikugijima
abantwana abangagijimi(yo) abangagijimanga abangayikugijima
umfula ongagelezi(yo) ongagelezanga ongayikugeleza
imifula engagelezi(yo) engagelezanga engayikugeleza
ijaha eIingagijimi(yo) elingagijimanga elingayikugijima
amajaha angagijimi(yo) angagij imanga angayikugijima
isihambi esingagijimi(yo) esingagijimanga esingayikugijima
izihambi ezingagijimi(yo) ezingagijimanga ezingayikugijima
inja engagijimi(yo) engagijimanga engayikugijima
izirya ezingagijimi(yo) ezingagijimanga ezingayikugijima
usane olungakha!i(yo) olungakhalanga olungayikukhala
insane ezingakhali(yo) ezingakhalanga ezingayikukhala
ubunyonyo obungagijimi(yo) obungagijimanga obungayikugijima
ukadia okungatshisi(yo) okungatshisanga okungayikutshisa

2 The suffix ‘-yo’

There is a suffix, ‘-yo’, which is frequently added to a relative verb.
e.g. mina engisebenzayo — I who am working
Sometimes its use is a matter of choice, but there are some definite rules
to be noted.
a) Tenses: In the positive, the suffix ‘-yo’ may be used with the relative
verb in all tenses except the short perfect and the future.
e.g. umfana osebenzayo — the boy who is working
umfana osebenzileyo — the boy who has worked
umfana owasebenzayo — the boy who worked
But umfana osebenze kuhle — the boy who has worked well
umfana ozasebenza — the boy who will work
Negatives: ‘-yo’ may be used with the negative of the present tense
relative, but not with perfect, past or future.
e.g. umfana ongasebenziyo — the boy who is not working
But umfana ongasebenzanga — the boy who didn’t work
umfana ongayikusebenza — the boy who will not work
b) The suffix ‘-yo’ must be added to a relative verb (in present, full
perfect, or past tenses):
(i) which is used adjectivally, or stands instead of a noun,
e.g. umntwana ogulayo — a sick child
amanzi atshisayo — hot water

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 abalambileyo — the hungry
abafileyo — the dead
(ii) which has nothing following it in its own clause.
e.g. Umntwana okhalayo ulambile — The child who is crying is hungry
Umntwana ongakhaliyo kalambanga — The child who is not
crying is not hungry
Umntwana oleleyo uzavuka nini? — When will the child who is
sleeping wake up?
Umuntu owafayo kabonanga abantwana bakhe — The person who
died did not see his children
(iii) which has both object concord and noun object.
e.g. umuntu o/wtshayayo umfana — the person who is beating the boy
umuntu ozithetheyo impahla — the person who took the goods
umfana oyibonileyo inyoka — the boy who saw the snake
umfana owabasizayo abantu — the boy who helped the people
Note: perfect tense will be in the long form if object concord and noun
object are both used.
(iv) In other instances the addition of ‘-yo’ is a matter of choice.
e.g. umntwana ongakhali/ongakhaliyo kakhulu — the child who is not
crying much
umntwana olele/oleleyo endlini — the child who is sleeping in the
hut
umntwana owathatha/owathathayo imali — the child who took
some money

3 Different types of relative clause

So far we have been using only one type of relative clause, where the
English ‘who/which’ is the subject of the clause,
e.g. umfana osebenzayo — the boy who is working
inja ekhonkothayo — the dog which is barking
Here are other types:
the boy whom I love
the boy with whom I am speaking
the stick with which he beat the boy
the place to which we go
the boy whose dog is sick
When translating these into Ndebele follow the basic rule; the subject
concord o f the verb in the relative clause becomes a relative concord.
Note: the relative concords for the different types of relative clause
are the same as those already listed, with two exceptions:
The third person singular concord ‘o’ and ‘owa’ are used only in clauses
where the English ‘who/which’ is subject of the verb:
e.g. umfana osebenzayo — the boy who is working
umfana owakhulumayo — the boy who spoke
In other types of clause this ‘o’ becomes ‘a’:
e.g. inkazana umfana oyithandayo ■— the girl whom the boy loves
inkazana umfana akhuluma layo — the girl to whom the boy spoke
Study carefully the clauses set out for comparison on page 111; the subject
of the verb in the relative clause is clearly indicated.

110
a) Siyabathanda abafana — We love the boys
Abafana ewbathandayo — The boys tve love (whom we...)
Umfana uyitshayile inja - The boy hit the dog
Inja umfana ayitshayileyo - - The dog the boy hit (which the boy...)
Abantu bafuna ukuthenga inkabi le - ■The people want to buy this ox
Inkabi abantu abainna. ukuyithenga ■ - The ox the people want to buy
Amankazana kawathandi lokho — The girls don’t like that
Lokho amankazana angakuthandiyo — What the girls don’t like
(that which. . .)
Inja kayidlanga inyama — The dog did not eat the meat
Inyama inja engayidlanga — The meat the dog did not eat
Umama wathenga izicathulo — Mother bought some shoes
Izicathulo umama azithengayo — The shoes mother bought
Isigulane sizakudla lokhu — The patient will eat this
Lokhu isigulane w/zakudla — What the patient will eat (this which...)
Note: in the above type of clause, the object concord, agreeing with the
antecedent, is always used:
e.g. Abafana esiiathandayo — The boys we love

b) Ngifuna ukukhuluma laye — I want to speak to him

Umuntu engiixma ukukhuluma laye — The person 1 want to speak to
Ubaba usebenza labo — Father works with them
Abantu ubaba asebenza labo — The people with whom Father works
Abantu kababuyi kulindawo — The people don’t return to this place
Indawo abantu aiangabuyi kuyo — The place to which the people
do not return
Umama ufake imibhida kulumganu — Mother put vegetables in this
dish
Umganu umama afake kuwo imibhida — The dish in which mother
put the vegetables
Ngimtshaye ngodondolo — I hit him with a stick
Udondolo eng/mtshaye ngalo — The stick with which / hit him
Omama bagida ngalindlela — The mothers dance in this way
Indlela omama aftagida ngayo — The way the mothers dance

c) 'iVhere': ‘lapho . . . khona’.

For ‘where’ in a relative clause use ‘lapho’ in front of the verb, and
‘khona’ after it, the verb being in relative form,
e.g. lapho uKhumalo ahlala khona — where Khumalo lives
lapho engiTuna ukuya khona — where I want to go
lapho ei/thethe khona incwadi — where we got the letter
OR without a verb:
lapho uKhumalo akhona — where Khumalo is
lapho aiakhona — where they are

d) 'Whose': the possessive relative ‘whose’ is translated by using a

construction with LA-.

I ll
 e.g. The mother whose child is sick.
Say; the mother who has a child who is sick — umama olomntwana
ogulayo
abantu abalabantwana abafayo — the people whose children died
ijaha elilesandla esilimeleyo — the youth whose hand is wounded
uKhumalo olendodakazi engiyithandayo — Khumalo, whose
daughter I love
inkazana elesigqoko umama asithungayo — the girl whose dress
mother sewed
Sometimes this possessive construction can be used:
e.g. abazali babantwana esibafundisayo — the parents whose children
we teach (the parents of the children we teach)
inkosi yelizwe elikhulu kakhulu — the king whose land is very big

112
Lesson 47
The participial mood of the verb

A verb in participial mood does not make a sentence which is complete in

itself; it needs to be used with another verb in the main clause,
e.g. ms running
Having eaten, I shall go

1 Participial mood, present tense

This corresponds to the English form ending in ‘-ing’ :
e.g. He saw me running (OR He saw me run)
a) Formation
This is like the short present tense, that is, subject concord with verb
stem, but note three changes of subject concord;
U- (third personsingular) becomes E-
BA- becomes BE-
A- becomes E-
e.g. Ngabonaumfanaegijima — I saw a boy running
Ngabona abafana èegijima — I saw some boys running
Ngabona amajaha egijima — I saw some youths running
Other concords do not change:
e.g. Wangibona ngigijima — He saw me running
Ngiyakubona ugijima — I see you running
Bazasibona sigijima — They will see us running
Inja ihambile igijima kakhulu — The dog went off, running fast
b) Participial concords used with adverbs, adjectives, and so on
This is where there is no verb in Ndebele.
e.g. Umama ekhona angabasiza — Mother, being present, can help
them
Umama esemasimini . . . — Mother, being in the fields. . .
Umama ebuthakathaka. . . — Mother, being weak. . .
Umama elemali. . . — Mother, having money.. .
Umama emdala. . . — Mother, being old. . .
Note: with adjectives, the participial concord is used together with the
adjective concord. It would therefore be helpful to tabulate these:
mina ngimuhle. . . I, being pretty.. .
wena umuhle. . , — you, being pretty. . .
umntwana emuhle. — the child, being pretty. . .
thina sibahle
lina libahle
bona bebahle
umfula umuhle
imifula imihle
ijaha lilihle
amajaha emahle
isigqoko sisihle

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 izigqoko zinhle
intombi inhle
izintombi zinhle
usane luluhle
ubuso bubuhle
ukudia kukuhle

2 Participial mood, perfect tense

This corresponds to the English form; for example, Having eaten.
Formation: this is like the perfect tense in indicative mood, except for the
same three changes of subject concord shown above:
e.g. Ubaba edlile abantwana bazakudla — Father having eaten, the
children will eat
Abantwana ¿edlile baqala ukudlala — Having eaten, the children
began to play
Amajaha edlile singadla thina — The youths having eaten, we may
eat
Other concords do not change:
e.g. Sidlile siyaxoxa — Having eaten, we talk
Izinja zidlile zalala — Having eaten, the dogs went to sleep
Other perfect forms:
e.g. Umfana ethethe imali... — The boy, having taken some money...
efumene imali. . . — having found some money. . .
ethanyele. . . — having swept. . .
(Short perfect) eqede umsebenzi wakhe... — having finished his work...
(Statives) ethwele impala.. . — carrying some luggage...
ephethe incwadi.. . — holding a letter.. .
ehlezi lapho.. . — sitting there. . .

3 The negative of the participial mood

The negative is formed by using the negative -NGA- after the subject
concord. The ending of the verb will change according to tense.
a) Present tense: the verb stem ends in ‘-i’:
e.g. Ngi/;^athand/ inyama angiyikudla
Not liking meat, I shall not eat
Un^athand/ inyama kawudlanga
Not liking meat, you didn’t eat
E«gathand/ inyama umntwana uzakudlani?
Not liking meat, what will the child eat?
Singathandi. . . — We, not liking.. .
Lingathandi. . . — You, not liking. . .
Bengathandi. . . — They, not liking. . .
and so on.
b) Perfect tense: the verb stem ends i n ‘-nga’:
e.g. Ngiw^aqedaz/g-a umsebenzi wami ngasala
Not having finished my work, I remained
Ungaqcdanga umsebenzi wakho.. .
You, not having finished your w ork.. .

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 Engaqtiunga umsebenzi wakhe. . .
He, not having finished his w ork., .
Singaqedanga. . . — We, not having finished. . .
Lingaqedanga. . . — You, not having finished. . .
Bengaqedanga. . . — They, not having finished. . .
and so on.
c) Non-verbs: -NGA-, changed to -NGE-, is placed after the subject
concord:
e.g. Umama sngekho. .. Mother, not being present...
Umama engekho emasimini. . . Mother, not being in the
fields...
Umama engebuthakathaka. Mother, not being weak.. .
Umama engelamali. . . Mother, not having any
money...
Adjectives:
Mina ngingemuhle. . . I, not being pretty. . .
wena ungemuhle. . . you not being pretty.. .
Umntwana engemuhle. . . the child not being pretty...
thina singebahle
lina lingebahle
bona bengebahle
umfula ungemuhle
imifula ingemihle
ijaha lingelihle
amajaha engemahle
isigqoko singesihle
izigqoko zingenhle
intombi ingenhle
izintombi zingenhle
usane lungeluhle
ubuso bungebuhle
ukudla kungekuhle

TABLE OF THE PARTICIPIAL VERB MOOD

Present Perfect
Positive Negative Positive Negative
ngithanda ngingathandi ngiqedile ngingaqedanga
uthanda ungathandi uqedile ungaqedanga
umfana ethanda engathandi eqedile engaqcdanga
sithanda singathandi siqedile singaqedanga
lithanda lingathandi liqedile lingaqedanga
abafana bethanda bengathandi beqcdile bengaqedanga
umfula ugeleza ungagelezi ugelezile ungagelezanga
imifula igeleza ingagelezi igelezile ingagelezanga
ijaha lithanda lingathandi liqedile lingaqedanga
amajaha ethanda engathandi eqedile engaqedanga
isihambi sithanda singathandi siqedile singaqedanga
izihambi zithanda zingathandi ziqedile zingaqedanga
inja ithanda ingathandi iqcdile ingaqedanga
izinja zithanda zingathandi ziqedile zingaqedanga

115
usane luthanda iungathandi luqedile lungaqedanga
insane zithanda zingathandi ziqedile zingaqedanga
ubunyonyo buthanda bungathandi buqedile bungaqedanga
ukudia kutshisa kungatshisi kutshisile kungatshisanga

116
 Lesson 48
Conjunctions with the participial mood

The participial verb, as taught in the last lesson, is more commonly used
with a conjunction.
e.g. Eqedile, uzahamba — Having finished, he will go
is better expressed:
Nxa eqedile, uzahamba — When he has finished, he will go
Ngingathandi inyama, angiyikudla — Not liking meat, I shall
not eat
is better expressed:
Njengoba ngingathandi inyama, angiyikudla — Since I don’t like
meat, I shall not eat

1 Conjunctions used with participial mood

nxa — when (in the future), if
e.g. Nxa eqedile uzahamba — When he has finished, he will go
Nxa ehamba ngizakhala — When/If he goes away, I shall cry
uma/uba/aluba/alubana. . . if
e.g. Uba eqedile angahamba — If he has finished, he may go
Uma ehamba ngizakhala — If he goes away, I shall cry
ngoba/ngokuba — because
e.g. Ngiyakhala ngoba ehambile I am crying because he has
gone away
Ulungiie ngoba esiza abanye He is good because ho helps
others
njengoba/njengokuba — since (because)
e.g. Njengoba ehambile, biza omunye — Since he has gone, call
another
Njengoba efuna ukusiza, umbize — Since he wants to help,
call him
lanxa/loba — although
e.g. Lanxa ehambile, ngiyamthanda — Although he has gone away,
I love him
Loba ethanda ukusiza, uhambile — Although he likes to help,
he has gone
kungani? — why?
e.g. Kungani ehambile — Why has he gone away?
Kungani efuna ukuhamba ? — Why does he want to go ?
Note:
a) When: ‘lapho/lapha’, is sometimes used instead of ‘nxa’:
e.g. lapho eqedile — when he has finished
For past time, the conjunction ‘when’ is better expressed using the au­
xiliary verb ‘ukuthi’ which will be taught in Lesson 71:
e.g. Wathi eqedile wahamba — When he had finished, he went
b) If: ‘nxa’ used for ‘if’ is more definite than ‘uba’:

117
 e.g. nxangimbona — ifl see him (probable)
ubangimbona — ifl see him (uncertain)
c) Where: ‘lapho . . . khona’: this construction is sometimes used
with a participial verb instead of a relative (Lesson 46):
e.g. lapho ngihlala khona — where I live
lapho abantwana bekhona — where the children are
A past tense may also be used:
lapho ngaya khona — where I went
But note that ‘a-’ is preferred for the third person:
lapho ubaba asebenza khona — where father works

2 Tenses used
a) The participial form of the present tense is used for simultaneous
action of a present state:
e.g. Nxa ngimbona ngiyabaleka — When I see him I run away
Nxa esibona uzakhala — When he sees us he will cry
Ngoba umntwana egula kadli — Because the child is ill he does
not eat
Note: the present tense indicative may sometimes be used after ‘ngoba’
if there is emphasis on present action :
e.g. Ungamhluphi ngoba uyasebenza — Don’t worry him, because
he is working
b) The participial form of the perfect tense is used for completed action:
e.g. Nxa ngimbonile ngingahamba na? — When I have seen him,
may I go ?
Nxa ubaba ebuyile sizakudla — When father has come back, we
shall eat
Remember that with certain verbs the perfect expresses a state:
e.g. Lanxa umntwana elambile kadli — Although the child is
hungry, he doesn’t eat
Note: with a perfect participial verb, the use of ‘se’ (now) is preferred,
e.g. nxa iengimbonile — when I have seen him
nxa ubaba esebuyile — when father has come back
The use of ‘se’ will be taught in Lesson 57.
c) The participial form of the future tense is sometimes used:
e.g. lanxa uyise ezabatshaya — although their father will beat them
lanxa bezafika ebusuku — although they will arrive at night

118
Lesson 49
Conjunctions with the subjunctive mood

Certain uses of the subjunctive mood are set out in Lesson 28; revise
that lesson before continuing.
In this lesson we shall deal with clauses introduced by conjunctions
which are followed by a verb in the subjunctive mood.
All the clauses express some form of desire.
Conjunctions used with subjunctive mood
ukuze — so that, in order that
ukuba/ukuthi — that
funa — lest
anduba/andubana — before

1 So that.. in order that.. .

Use the conjunction ‘ukuze’ to introduce a clause which expresses a
desired end or result.
e.g. Hlala phansi ukuze umntwana abone
Sit down so that the child can see
Umfana ucela imali ukuze athenge ukudla
The boy is asking for money so that he may buy food
Thenga ukudla ukuze abantwana badle
Buy food so that the children may eat
Nika umntwana lokho ukuze angakhali
Give the child that so that he doesn’t cry
Asibambe lapha ukuze singawi
Let’s hold on here so that we don’t fall
Izinja zavimbela umntwana ukuze angangeni
The dogs prevented the child from going in (they blocked the way
so that he couldn’t go in: ‘ukuvimbela’ — to block the way)

2 After verbs expressing a wish or command

An example of this type of verb is ‘ukufuna’ (to want).
You already know how to say, for example, I want to go — Ngifuna
ukuhamba (using an infinitive).
But the wish may be on behalf of another person:
e.g. I want her to go
In this instance, the wish must be expressed by a subjunctive verb in
a clause introduced by a conjunction, ‘ukuba’ or ukuthi’.
e.g. Ngifuna ukuba/ukuthi ahambe — I want her to go (I want that
she goes)
Ufuna ukuba/ukuthi ngihambe — She wants me to go (She
wants that I go)
Asifuni ukuba/ukuthi abantwana bahambe — We don’t want
the children to go

119
('Ukuba' will be used from now on, but remember that ‘ukuthi’ is an
alternative.)
Any verb expressing a desire may be used in such a construction.
a) Ukuthanda (to love, like);
Asithandi ukuba bahambe — We don’t like them to go
Ukulaya (to command, warn);
Ngamlaya umfana ukuba angahambi — I ordered the boy not
to go
Ngamlaya utitshala ukuba abantwana bathule
I warned the teacher that the children should keep quiet
Ukuxwayisa (to caution, warn):
Xwayisa abantwana ukuba bangadli lokho
Warn the children not to eat that
Ukuvuma (to agree):
Utitshala kavumi ukuba abafana bafunde ukupheka
The teacher does not agree that boys should learn to cook
Ukuvumela (to permit, allow, give consent to):
Utitshala kavumeli abantwana ukuba bangene lapho
The teacher does not allow children to go in there
Umama wamvumela umntwana ukuba adíale lapho
Mother allowed the child to play there
Ukuwalela (to forbid):
Ubaba ungalela ukuba ngisebenzise imota yakhe
Father forbids me to use his car
Walela uSihle ukuba aye edolobheni
He forbade Sihle to go to town
Ukuyekela (to leave, leave off, leave alone, let go):
Yekela umpheki ukuba asebenze — Let the cook work
Myekele ukuba adlule — Let him pass
Yekela amanzi ukuba abile — Leave the water to boil
Note: the conjunction is sometimes omitted;
e.g. Myekele adlule — Let him pass
Yekela amanzi abile — Leave the water to boil
Ukucela (to request):
Ngizacela umfundisi ukuba akufundise
I shall ask the minister to teach you
Bacele ukuba bangangeni lapho
Request them not to go in there
Mcele ukuba uSipho ahambe lathi
Ask him if Sipho may go with us
Ngizamcela ukuba sidlale lapha
f shall ask her if we may play here
Note: one may also use a construction with an infinitive after ‘-cela’ in
sentences where one is asking a person to do something himself,
e.g. Mcele ukuhamba lathi — Ask him to go with us
b) Where the indefinite concord ‘ku’ is used in the main clause:

120
 e.g. Kufanele ukuba abantwana banathe uchago
It is necessary for children to drink milk
ICakufanelanga/Kakufanele ukuba uphumule khathesi
It is not necessary for you to rest now
ICumele ukuba silaleie imithetho
It is necessary for us to obey the laws
Kuqakathekile ukuba umtshele lokho
It is important that you tell him that
Kunzima ukuba siye khona
It is difficult for us to go there
Kuhle ukuba abantu basize abanye
It is good that people help others
Note: one may also use ‘-fanele' thus:
e.g. Sifanele ukuhamba/Sifanele sihambe — We must go

3 Conjunctions ‘funa’, ‘andubana’/ ‘nnduba’

These introduce a clause with a subjunctive verb:
e.g. Ungakhweli lapho funa uwe — Don’t climb there lest you fall
Asingamceli funa angavumi — Don’t let’s ask him in case he
doesn’t agree
Hambani liyegeza andubana lidie — Go and wash before you eat

4 Sequence of verbs
It is necessary to include in this lesson a final point about the use of the
subjunctive mood, although it does not involve conjunctions.
You have already learnt that the subjunctive mood is used for repetition
of commands, instead of repeating the imperative verb (see Lesson 28).
e.g. Ngena uhlale phansi udie — Go in and sit down and eat
In fact, the subjunctive is used in any sequence of verbs which are in
present or future time, and which have the same subject. In such instances
the second and any subsequent verbs are in the subjunctive mood,
e.g. NgoMgqibelo umama uya edolobheni athenge ukudla akhangele
izitolo ezinkulu
On Saturday mother goes to town and buys food and looks at the
big stores
Ngizakuya khona ngikhulume laye ngimcele ukukhuluma lawe
I shall go there and talk to him and ask him to talk to you
Umntwana angabala agwale
The child can read and write

121
Lesson 50
Reported speech and use of ‘ukuthi’

1 Use of the verb ‘ukuthi’

a) The verb ‘ukuthi’, meaning ‘to say’, is peculiar in that its stem ends
in ‘-i’, but it is not difficult to use. This verb will be dealt with in full in
Lesson 53, but for the moment merely note that in the present tense it
always has the short form (without ‘-ya’).
e.g. umamauthi — mother says
induna ithi — the chief says
b) The verb ‘ukuthi’ introduces direct speech:
e.g. Ubaba wathi, ‘Sipho, uthethe ingqamu yami na?’
Father said, ‘Sipho, have you taken my knife?’
Induna yathi, ‘Ngikhulume labo’
The chief said, ‘I have spoken to them’
‘Ukuthi’ must be used even if another verb of speech is used first:
e.g. Induna yakhuluma yathi, ‘Ngikhulume labo’
The chief spoke and said, ‘I have spoken to them’
Ubaba wabuza wathi, ‘Sipho, uthethe ingqamu yami na?’
Father asked, ‘Sipho, have you taken my knife?’
USipho waphendula wathi, ‘Atshi baba, angiyithathanga’
Sipho replied, ‘No, father, I haven’t taken it’
c) The verb ‘ukuthi’ introduces reported speech:
e.g. Induna ithi ikhulume labo
The chief says he has spoken to them
Ubaba wathi uSipho ufanele ukudinga ingqamu yakhe
Father said Sipho must look for his knife
Utheni? Ngithe ngizabuya kusasa
What did you say? I said I shall come back tomorrow

2 Use of ‘ukuthi’ as a conjunction

a) In the last lesson you were introduced to ‘ukuthi’ as a conjunction
meaning ‘that’, used to introduce a clause which expresses a wish, and
therefore used with a verb in the subjunctive mood,
e.g. Ngifuna ukuthi umntwana ahambe lathi
I want the child to go with us
‘Ukuthi’ is also used as a conjunction to introduce reported speech, or
a question, thought, or opinion. In a clause of this type the verb is in the
indicative mood, in whatever tense is appropriate,
e.g. Umntwana uyabatshela ukuthi ufuna ukuhamba labo
The child is telling them that he wants to go with them
Umntwana uzabatshela ukuthi wababona khona
The child will tell them that he saw them there

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 U m n t w a n a u n g its h e le u k u th i u z a h a m b a la b o
T h e c h ild h a s t o ld m e th a t h e w ill g o w ith th e m
Umntwana wangitshela ukuthi uzahamba labo
The child told me he would go with them

b) The conjunction ‘ukuthi’ is used in this way after verbs like the
following:
ukwazi to know e.g. Uyazi yini ukuthi umntwana uyagula ?
Do you know that the child is ill ?
ukubika to announce Wabika ukuthi omama bazahlangana
ngoLwesine
He announced that the women would
meet on Thursday
ukubuza to ask Wangibuza ukuthi ngaya ngaphi
He asked me where I went
ukucabanga to think Ngiyacabanga ukuthi izulu lizakuna
I think it will rain
ukukhumbula to remember Khumbula ukuthi bacele ukuhamba
lawe
Remember that they asked to go
with you
ukukhumbuza to remind Bakhumbuze ukuthi bafanele uku-
bhadala imali
Remind them that they must pay
some money
ukuphendula to reply Waphendula ukuthi abantu kaba-
lamali
He replied that the people haven’t
any money
ukuthemba to trust, hope Ngiyathemba ukuthi Uzahamba kuhle
I hope you will have a good journey
ukutshela to tell Batshele ukuthi ngiyehluleka ukuya
emhlanganweni
Tell them I can’t go to the meeting
ukutsho to say Watsho ukuthi wakubona khona
He said that he saw you there
Note: the verb ‘ukutsho’ is peculiar in that its stem ends in ‘-o’, but
otherwise it is not difficult to use; it will be dealt with fully in Lesson 53.

c) Use o f tenses
It is not normally difficult to see which tense should follow the conjunction,
but if in doubt, it helps to think what the direct statement or question
would be, and use the same tense in your indirect clause,
e.g. ‘Umama uyagula’ — ‘Mother is ill’
Watsho ukuthi umama uyagula — He said mother was ill
‘Umfundisi ufikile’ — ‘The minister has arrived’
Wabatshela ukuthi umfundisi ufikile — He told them the minister
had arrived
Note: the English conjunction may be ‘when/where/if/whether’, and so
on, but the same construction, using ‘ukuthi’, is used in Ndebele.

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 e.g. ‘Uzafika nitti? — ‘When will he arrive?'
Wangitshela ukuthi uzafika nini — He told me when he would arrive
‘Wenzani?’ — ‘What are you doing?'
Wangibuza ukuthi ngenzani — He asked me what I was doing
‘Uzabuya lamuhla’ — ‘He will come back today’
Uyazi yini ukuthi uzabuya lamuhla? — Do you know whether he
will come back today ?
‘Waya khona’ — ‘He went there’
Angazi ukuthi waya khona — I don’t know if he went there
Note these phrases:
Lokhu kuthini? Lokhu kuthi. . .
What does this mean? This means. . .
OR Lokhu kutsho ukuthini? Kutsho ukuthi. . .
What does this mean? It means. . .

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Lesson 51
The copulative with nouns and pronouns

The copulative is a part of speech used in Ndebele to join the subject

concord to a noun or pronoun, where in English the verb ‘to be’ is used,
e.g. ‘I am a teacher.’ In such a sentence in Ndebele no verb is used.

I THE COPULATIVE WITH NOUNS

1 There are basically two copulatives which are prefixed to nouns:

NGU-andYI-.
a) NGU- goes before u, a, o. The vowel of ‘ngu-’ is dropped before the
vowel of the noun prefix: ‘ng-’.
e.g. Wjfubani? Who is it? {It is who?)
Vjfumfana —■ It is a boyIHe is a boy
iVifobani? — Who are they? {They are who?)
Wj^abafana - - They are boys
Ngomama —■ They are mothers
Ngumfula — It is a river
Ngamaqanda — They are eggs
Exceptions: nouns with prefix ULU-, UBU, UKU- do not use copulative
NGU- (see c below).
b) YI- goes before i. The vowel of ‘yi-’ is dropped before the vowel
of the noun prefix: ‘y-’.
e.^. nmifula — They are rivers
Yilitshe — It is a stone
Yisalukazi — It is an old woman/She is an old woman
Yizinkwa — They are loaves
Yinduna — It is the chief/He is the chief
Yizinja — They are dogs
Exceptions: (see rf below).
c) YI- is also used before nouns with prefix ULU-, UBU-, UKU-, and in
these instances the initial vowel of the noun is dropped.
e.g. Y/luthi — It is a stick
Yibunyonyo — They are ants
Yikudla — It is food
d) A different copulative is used for nouns which have a short form of the
noun prefix.
(i) L- is used with nouns with prefix 1-, from ILI-:
e.g. iqanda — egg
Liqanda — It is an egg
ijaha — youth
Lijaha — He is a youth
L- is also used with prefix U-, from ULU-:

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 e.g. ugwalo — book
¿ugwalo — It is a book
ukhezo — spoon
Lukhezo — It is a spoon
(ii) B- or NG- is used with nouns with prefix U-, from UBU-:
e.g. «tshani — grass
fiutshani — It is grass
Ai^utshani — It is grass
(iii) Z- is used with nouns with plural prefix IN/IM, the short form
of IZIN/IZIM;
e.g. Zintombi — They are girls (OR yizintombi)
Zimbuzi — They are goats (OR yizimbuzi)
Zingwalo — They are books (OR yizingwalo)

1 A concord may be placed before the copulative, where it is needed:

e.g. A/^/ngumfana — / am a boy
Singabafana — We are boys
Ulijaha — You are a youth
Lingamajaha — You are youths
Induna ingumlimi olungileyo — The chief is a good farmer
Izinyamazana lezi ziyimivundla — These animals are hares
In some instances subject concords may be omitted:
e.g. UKhumalo (u)yinduna — Khumalo is the chief
USihle loThemba (ba)ngabantwana — Sihle and Themba are
children
Ixhegu leli (li)ngumbazi — This old man is a carpenter

3 The negative
For the negative, it is common to use pronoun + noun.

e.g. Kangisuye utitshala I am not a teacher

Kasuye utitshala He is not a teacher
Kasisibo otitshala We are not teachers
Kabasibo otitshala They are not teachers
Kakusilo ihloka It is not an axe
Kakusizo izihlahla They are not trees
Kalisiwo amajaha You are not youths

4 Nouns used descriptively

As jmu know, English adjectives do not always have a corresponding
adjective or relative in Ndebele; nouns are sometimes used:
e.g. With LA-: Ulomusa — You are kind
umuntu olomusa — a kind person

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a) Nouns with a copulative are also used descriptively:
e.g. ivila (ili) — a lazy person
Inkazana i/ivila — The girl is lazy (. . . is a lazy person)
inkazana elivila — a lazy girl (. . . who is a lazy person)
Abafana baw^amavila — The boys are lazy ( ... are lazy people)
abafana abangamavila — lazy boys ( . . . who are lazy people)
isiphofu — blind person
umfana oyisiphofu — a blind boy
abantwana abayiziphofu — blind children
b) Numbers: You have learnt the numbers which are adjectival stems:
-nye (1), -bill (2), -thathu (3), -ne (4), -hlanu (5).
Some numbers are nouns, used in the same way as shown above:
ten . . . itshumi (ili)
e.g. abantu aba/itshumi - - ten people
amatshe alitshumi — ten stones
iminwe elitshumi — ten fingers
izinja ezilitshumi — ten dogs
six . . . isithupha (the thumb)
seven . . . isikhombisa (the index finger)
e.g. abantu abayisithupha — six people
amatshe ayisikhombisa — seven stones
iminwe eyisithupha — six fingers
izinja eziyisikhombisa — seven dogs
Note: eig h t. . . isificaminwembili
nine . . . isificamunwemunye
These two are used without their prefix (isi-) as relative stems:
e.g. abantu abaficaminwembili — eight people
amatshe aficamunwemunye — nine stones
iminwe eficaminwembili — eight fingers
izinja ezificamunwemunye — nine dogs
It is possible to count up to any number in Ndebele (see Lesson 67),
but English numerals are commonly used, especially for large numbers.
When using English numbers, prefix to them the copulative NGU-;
e.g. amankazana angu -12 — twelve girls
inkomo ezingu -30 — thirty cattle
abantu abangu -110 — one hundred and ten people

II THE COPULATIVE WITH PRONOUNS

1 The copulative YI- is used with all pronouns except ‘wena’ and ‘yena’,
which have N G U -:
e.g. Nguwe — It’s you; you are the one
Nguye — It’s him; he is the one
Yimi — It’s me; I am the one
Yithi — It’s us; we are the ones
Yini — It’s you, you are the ones
Yibo — It’s them; they are the ones
Yilo (ikhuba) — It’s the one

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 Yiwo (amaqanda) — They are the ones
Yiso (isitsha) — It’s the one
Yizo (izinkomo) - They are the ones
and so on.

2 The negative: Change the copulative to SU- or SI-, and use the
negative KA- in front:
e.g. Kasimi — I am not the one
Kasuwe - You are not the one
Kasuye — He is not the one
Kasithi — We are not the ones
Kasini — You are not the ones
Kasibo — They are not the ones
Kangisuye — la m not he
Kawusimi — You are not me
and so on.

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Lesson 52
The passive form of the verb

So far you have only used verbs which are in active form, that is, the
subject of the verb is itself performing the action of the verb:
e.g. His father is beating the boy
The passive form of the verb is used for an action which is being done to
the subject e f the verb by another agent:
e.g. The boy is being beaten by his father

1 Formation
To make the passive form of a verb, insert 'w' before the final vowel
of the verb stem:
e.g. ukutshaya — to beat; — ukutshaywa — to be beaten
ukuthanda — to love; — ukuthandwa — to be loved
ukunceda — to help; — ukuncedwa — to be helped

2 Verb tenses
a) Present tense:
e.g. Umfana uyatshayiva — The boy is being beaten
Umfana utshayvra kanengi — The boy is often beaten
Negative: note that the final ‘a’ of the verb stem remains as ‘a’ in the
passive:
e.g. Umfana katshaywa — The boy is not being beaten
Kasincedn^ — We are not helped
b) Future tense:
e.g. Umfana uzatshaytva — The boy will be beaten
Sizancedn^ — We shall be helped
Negative:
Kayikutshaywa — He will not be beaten
Kasizukuncedwa — We shall not be helped
c) Past tense:
e.g. Umfana watshaya^ — The boy was beaten
Sancedtva — We were helped
Negative:
ICatshayH^ga — He was not beaten
Kasincedwanga — We were not helped
d) Perfect tense: note that in the full form of the perfect, the ending
‘-ile’ becomes ‘-iwe’ in the passive:
Full form:
e.g. Umfana utshayiwe — The boy has been beaten
Sincedin« — We have been helped
Short form:
Umfana utshaywe kakhulu — The boy has been beaten hard
Other perfect forms:
e.g. Imali ithethjve — The money has been taken

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 Indlu ithanyeltve — The hut has been swept
Impahla zithwelwe — The goods are being carried
Note: the verb ‘-búlala’ (to kill): in the passive form, the second ‘1’ of
the verb stem is replaced by the ‘w’ of the passive:
e.g. Uyabulawa — He is being killed
Uzabulawa — He will be killed
Wabulawa — He was killed
Ubulewe — He has been killed

3 Verbs which have only a passive form

The following are examples of verbs which are found only in passive
form:
ukukholwa — to believe
e.g. Ngiyakholwa — I believe
ukukhohlwa — to forget
e.g. Ngikhohliwe imali yami — I have forgotten my money
Stative verbs:
ukubhajwa — to get stuck (of a vehicle)
e.g. Imota ibhajiwe odakeni — The car is stuck in the mud
ukudakwa — to get drunk
e.g. Umuntu lo udakiwe — This person is drunk
ukudinwa — to get tired
e.g. Ngidiniwe — I am tired
ukuvuthwa — to get ripe, to get cooked
e.g. Ithanga leli livuthiwe — This pumpkin is ripe
Inyama ivuthiwe — The meat is cooked

4 Palatalisation in the passive

You have already met the process called palatalisation of bi-labial con­
sonants when dealing with locative nouns in Lesson 37.
Where there is a ‘p’, ‘b’, or ‘m’ in a verb stem, palatalisation occurs
before the ‘w’ of the passive.
a) Rule for palatalisation
ph becomes: tsh
e.g. ukubopha to tie; ukubotshwa to be tied
b becomes: tsh
e.g. ukuhlaba - to pierce; ukuhlatshwa — to be pierced
bh becomes: j
e.g. ukudobha to pick up; ukudojwa — to be picked up
mb becomes: nj
e.g. ukubamba — to seize; ukubanjwa — to be seized
m becomes: ny
e.g. ukuluma - to bite; ukulunywa — to be bitten
b) Position o f labial consonant: palatalisation takes place in the passive
verb whatever the position in the stem of the labial consonant (with
the exception of the initial consonant of the verb stem),
e.g. ukubop/zela — to tie u p : ukubotsAelwa — to be tied up to
ukuhlahela — tosing: ukuhlaii/zelwa — to be sung
ukubhuhAisa — to destroy: ukubhu;iswa — to be destroyed

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 ukuthewAisa — to promise: ukuthe«/iswa — to be promised
ukuga/nula — to chop down: ukugan^'ulwa — to be chopped
down
c) Tense o f the verb: palatalisation takes place in all tenses:
e.g. Inja iyabotshwa — The dog is being tied up
Inja izabotshwa — The dog will be tied up
Inja ibotshiwe — The dog has been tied up
Inja yabotshwa — The dog was tied up
Note: the verbs ‘ukubopha’ and ‘ukubamba’ may also mean ‘to arrest’;
e.g. Umuntu ubotshiwe/Umuntu ubanjiwe — The person has been
arrested/is under arrest

5 The agent of the passive verb

The agent of the passive is the term describing whoever or whatever
performs the action expressed in the verb,
e.g. The boy will be beaten by his father; he will be beaten by me;
I was bitten by a snake
The copulative (see Lesson 51) must be prefixed to the noun or pronoun
which is the agent of a passive verb.
a) Nouns:
e.g. Uzatshaywa ngubani? — By whom will he be beaten?
Uzatshaywa nguyise — He will be beaten by his father
Uzatshaywa ngabazali bakhe — He will be beaten by his parents
Uzatshaywa lijaha — He will be beaten by the youth
Uzatshaywa ngamajaha — He will be beaten by the youths
Uzatshaywa yisalukazi — He will be beaten by the old woman
Uzatshaywa yizalukazi — He will be beaten by the old women
Uzatshaywa yinduna — He will be beaten by the chief
Uzatshaywa zinduna/yizinduna — He will be beaten by the chiefs
b) Pronouns:
e.g. Uzatshaywa nguye — He will be beaten by him
Uzatshaywa nguwe — He will be beaten by you
Uzatshaywa yimi He will be beaten by me
Uzatshaywa yithi He will be beaten by us
Uzatshaywa yini He will be beaten by you
Uzatshaywa yibo He will be beaten by them
Uzalunywa yini? By what will he be bitten ?
Uzalunywa yiyo (inyoka) — He will be bitten by it (snake)
Uzalunywa yizo (izinyosi) — He will be bitten by them (bees)
Uzalunywa yilo (unwabu) — He will be bitten by it (chameleon)
and so on.
Note this common phrase: Uhlutshwa yini? — What’s the trouble?
(You are troubled by what ?)
The same thing may be expressed by a colloquialism:
e.g. Ubulawa yini ? (especially for a physical ailment)
Ngibulawa yisisu — My stomach is troubling (killing) me

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 Lesson 53
Monosyllabic verbs

Monosyllabic verbs are those which have a stem of one syllable:

eg. -dla eat
-fa die
-kha dip up water; pick
-na rain
-pha give
-sa take (to); dawn
-tsha bum, get burnt
-wa fall
-ya go (to)

1 Most monosyllabic verbs are quite regular, used no differently from

verbs with longer stems, except that in three instances they are lengthened
by an extra syllable.
a) The imperative
Singular: normally the verb stem is used on its own:
e.g. Khangela! — Look!
To the monosyllabic verb stem add ‘-na’:
e.g. Diana! — Eat!
Phana! — Give! i
Plural: normally the verb stem has ‘-ni’ added:
e.g. Khangelani!
To the monosyllabic verb stem add ‘-nini’:
e.g. Dlanin/!
Phani/w!
b) The passive
To make an extra syllable in the monosyllabic verb, insert ‘i’ before the
‘w’ of the passive:
e.g. ukuph/wa — to be given
ngiyaph/wa — I am given; kangiph/wa — I am not given
ngizaphiwa — I shall be given; kangiyikuphiwa — I shall
not be given
ngiphiwe (regular) — I have been given; kangiphiwanga — I
have not been given
ngaphiwa — I was given; kangiphiwanga — I was not given
c) Theparticipialform o f the present tense
Make an extra syllable in the monosyllabic verb by inserting ‘si’ before
the verb stem:
e.g. uba ngiy/dla — if I eat
uba usidla — if you eat
uba esidla — if he eats
Note: the extra syllable ‘si’ is not needed if there is an object concord
before the verb stem:

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 e.g. uba ngitvi/dla umumbu — if I eat the mealie
uba siiflipha imali — if we give them some money
The object concord ‘m’ often becomes ‘mu’ before a monosyllabic stem;
e.g. Sa/M«pha imali — We gave him some money
uba siwMpha imali — if we give him money

2 The verbs ‘ukuthi’ and ‘ukutsho’

Both verbs mean ‘to say’, and are also used for ‘to think’ or ‘to mean’.
Their peculiarity is that their stems end in ‘i’ and ‘o’ respectively instead
of ‘a’ (for the use of these verbs with speech, see Lesson 50).
a) Ukuthi
Present (short form) :
ngithi — I say; kangithi — I do not say
Future:
ngizakuthi — Ishallsay;kangiyikuthi — I shall not say
Perfect (short form) :
ngithe — I said (no negative perfect; u s e ‘-tsho’)
Past:
ngathi — I said (no negative past ; use ‘-tsho’)
Passive:
kuthiwa — it is said; kakuthiwa — it is not said
Subjunctive:
ukuze ngithi kuye — so that I may say to him
ukuze ngingathi — so that I may not say
Participial :
uba ngisithi — if I say; uba ngingathi — if I do not say
Relative:
mina engithi lokhu — I who say this
Imperative :
(no imperative; use ‘-tsho’)
b) Ukutsho
Present (short):
ngitsho — I say; kangitsho — I do not say
Present (long; not so common):
ngiyatsho
Future:
ngizakutsho — I shall say; kangiyikutsho — I shall not say
Perfect :
ngitshilo — 1 have said; kangitshongo — I have not said
Past:
ngatsho — I said; kangitshongo — I didn’t say
Passive :
kutshiwo — it is said; kakutshiwo — it is not said
Subjunctive:
ukuze ngitsho lokho — so that I may say that
ukuze ngingatsho — so that I may not say
Participial :
uba ngisitsho — if I say; uba ngingatsho — if I do not say
Relative:
lokho engikutshoyo — what I am saying

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Imperative:
tshono/tshonini: — say; ungatsho/lingatsho — don’t say

3 These verbs: ukuma — to stop, stand (still)

ukumba — to dig
ukuza — to come
ukuzwa — to hear, understand, feel, smell
These verbs differ4n one important point from other monosyllabic verbs:
where the vowel ‘a’ comes next to the verb, it becomes 'e' :
e.g. ngiya-zwa becomes: ngiyezwa — I hear
This is because these verbs come from stems beginning with ‘-i’.
e.g. ‘-izwa’; and by coalescing the vowels ‘a’ and ‘i’, ‘e’ was obtained.
a) Present tense {í\xWíona)\ Ngiyezwa I hear
Uyezwa You hear
Siyezwa We hear
Bayezwa They hear
b) Past tense:
e.g. Ngema I stopped
Wema You stopped
Umntwana wema The child stopped
Serna We stopped
Lema You stopped
Bema They stopped
Amajaha ema The youths stopped
Imota yema The car stopped
c) Where concords having an ‘a’ come next to the verb stem:
ba- e.g. Bezwile — They understood
Kabezwanga — They haven’t understood
abantu abezwa kuhle — people who understand well
Ngiyabezwa — I hear them
Kabezi — They are not coming
a- e.g. Amajaha ezwile — The youths understood
Kawezwanga •— They haven’t understood
Ngiyawezwa amazwi — I hear the words
ka- e.g. Ubaba kezi — Father is not coming
Kezwanga — He hasn’t understood
d) Where -NGA- comes next to the verb stem:
e.g. Singezwa ubuhlungu — We can feel pain
Ungembi lapha! — Don’t dig here!
abantwana abangezwanga — children who didn’t understand
uba abantwana bengezwanga — if the children haven’t understood
Note these irregular forms:
(i) Imperative o f ‘ukuza’: Singular: Woza! — Come!
Plural: Wozani/Wozanini!
(ii) Present tense negative of ‘ukuzwa’; the verb retains the final ‘a’:
e.g. Angizwa — I don’t understand
abantwana abangezwnyo — children who don’t hear
(iii) Perfect tense of ‘ukuma’: ‘-mi’.

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This is used as a stative:
e.g. Ngimi lapha — la m standing here
Umntwana umi phandle — The child is standing outside
Obaba bemi phandle — The men are standing outside
Imota imi phandle — The car is standing outside
The form ‘-mile’ is sometimes used;
e.g. Umtshina umile — The machine has stopped

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Lesson 54
Vowel verbs (continued)

In Lesson 27 you were shown how to use verbs with stems beginning
with a vowel, the basic rule being that the vowel immediately preceding
the verb stem is elided;
e.g. Ngiya-ala . . . Ngiyala — I refuse
Ba-enzani ? . . . Benzani ? — What are they doing ?
ukuze si-akhe . . . ukuze sakhe — so that we may build
Exceptions: Where ‘u’ becomes ‘w’:
e.g. uku-enza . . . ukwenza — to do
U-enzani? . . . Wenzani? — What are you doing?
ake u-esule. . . ake wesule — please wipe
‘i’ becomes ‘y’:
e.g. Inja i-enzani? . . . Yenzani? — What is the dog doing?
‘a’ is dropped:
e.g. Amadoda a-enzani? . . . Enzani? — What are the men doing?
ukuze umama a-esule . . . esule — so that mother may wipe
Three further points need to be made.

1 Participial form, present tense

In the participial form of the present tense of vowel verbs, the subject
concord is separated from the stem by the insertion of ‘s’;
e.g. uba besakha — if they build
uba usesaba — if you are afraid
uba sisehluleka — if we fail
lanxa abafana besesaba - although the boys are afraid
(Compare with ‘si’ inserted in monosyllabic verbs.)
Note:
(i) The ‘s’ is not needed if there is an object concord, or -NGA-, between
subject concord and stem:
e.g. uba u/nesaba — if you fear him
uba un^'esabi — if you are not afraid
(ii) The ‘s’ is not needed in the perfect participial form:
e.g. uba womile — if you are thirsty
uba bomile — if they are thirsty

2 The passive
a) If the stem of the vowel verb has only two syllables, lengthen the stem
in the passive by inserting ‘i’ before the ‘w’ of the passive:
e.g. Izindlu zakhiwa — The houses were built
Imali yeb/wa — The money was stolen
Lokhu kuzakwenziwa — This will be done
(Compare with extra ‘i’ in the passive of monosyllabic verbs.)
b) If the verb stem has three or more syllables, the extra ‘i’ is not needed:

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 e.g. -esula(wipe): Lokhukwesulwa This was wiped

-elapha (heal): Welatshwa esibhedlela — He was treated at the

hospital
-amukela (welcome): Omama bazakwamukelwa — The women
will be welcomed

3 The relative verb

Where a relative concord comes next to the stem of a vowel verb, a vowel
of the concord is elided:
e.g. abantu aba-omileyo . . . abomileyo — thirsty people
izinja ezi-ebayo . . . ezebayo — dogs which steal
Exceptions:
The relative concord ‘o’: insert ‘w’ between concord and verb stem:
e.g. umfana owebayo — a boy who steals
umfula otvomileyo — a dried up river
The relative concord ‘e’: insert ‘y’ between concord and verb stem:
e.g. inja eyebayo — a dog which steals
imifula eyomileyo — dried up rivers
The relative concord ‘a’ is dropped:
e.g. amaselaebayo — thieves who steal
amadoda omileyo — thirsty men

4 Stative vowel verbs

Some vowel verbs have a stative use of the perfect:
e.g. -anela — to be sufficient
Kwanele — It is enough
Ingubo zanele na? — Are the blankets sufficient ?
-ejwayela — to get accustomed
Ngejwayele ukusebenza kakhulu — 1 am used to working hard
Wejwayele ukuthunga ngomtshina na? — Are you used to
sewing by machine ?
-ehlukana — to differ from; get divided
Behlukene — They are divorced
izinto ezehlukeneyo — different things
-embatha — to wrap around
Wembathe ingubo yakhe — He is wrapped in his blanket
-enda — to marry (used of the girl)
Wendile — She is married
(Foram an, use‘-thatha’: Uthethe umfazi — He is married)
-enyela — to get sprained
Inqagala yami yenyele — My ankle is sprained
-ephuka — to get broken
Umlenze wami wephukile — My leg is broken
-eyama — to lean on; be dependent on
Weyeme emdulini — He is leaning against the wall
Abantwana beyeme kithi — The children are dependent on us

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Lesson 55
SA (still)

‘SA’ is used with positive verbs to mean ‘still’, and with negative verbs
to mean ‘no longer’. It is placed after the subject concord.

1 Present tense
Use ‘sa’ with the short present tense (without ‘-ya-’).
e.g. Ngiiusebenza — la m still working
Kangijflsebenzi — I am no longer working
Ngij’ambona — I can still see him
Kangiinmboni — I can no longer see him
Ngiifldla — la m still eating
Kangiindli — I am no longer eating
Before another vowel, the ‘a’ of ‘sa’ is elided:
e.g. NgLsesaba — I am still afraid
Kangiiesabi — I am no longer afraid
Before the stems ‘-za/-zwa/-ma/-mba’, ‘sa’ becomes ‘se’:
e.g. Ngijcmba — I am still digging
Kangiicmbi — I am no longer digging

2 The stative perfect

e.g. Ngiralambile — I am still hungry
Kangiiulambanga — I am no longer hungry
Ngiiodiniwe — I am still tired
Kangi5fldinwanga — I am no longer tired
Basalele — They are still asleep
Kabarnlalanga — They are no longer asleep
Barehlukene — They are still separated
Kabajehlukananga ■— They are no longer separated
Negative: note that with stative verbs it is quite common to leave the
positive ending, merely prefixing the negative KA-:
e.g. Kangisalambile — I am no longer hungry
Kangisadiniwe — I am no longer tired
Kabasalele — They are no longer asleep
Kabasehlukene — They are no longer separated

3 Future tense
Change ‘sa’ to ‘se’ before ‘za’ and its negative ‘zu’:
e.g. Ngiiczasebenza khona — I shall still work there
Angiiczukusebenza khona — I shall no longer work there
Angiiuyikusebenza khona — I shall no longer work there
Ngiiczambona — I shall still see him
Kangiiczukumbona — I shall no longer see him
KangLsnyikumbona — I shall no longer see him

138
4 With non-verbs
Change ‘sa’ to ‘se’;
e.g. Ubaba uvekhona — Father is still present
Ubaba kajekho — Father is no longer present (This is also
used as a euphemism for ‘he’s dead’)
Amanzi aiekhona — There is still some water
Amanzi kawajekho — There is no longer any water
Bavesemasimini — They are still in the fields
Kabaiekho emasimini — They are no longer in the fields
Bavebuthakathaka — They are still weak
Kabajebuthakathaka — They are no longer weak
Baiebancinyane — They are still small
Kabasebancinyane — They are no longer small
Amanzi avemanengi — There is still plenty of water
Amanzi kawasemanengi — There is no longer plenty of water
Ngivelemali — I still have some money
Angi5elamali — I no longer have any money
Ngiiengumntwana — I am still a child
Angiiengumntwana — I am no longer a child

5 With participial and relative verbs

Use ‘sa’ in the same way as shown with the verbs above:
e.g. Ngisebenza khona ngambona — Working there, I saw him
Ngiiusebenza khona ngambona — While still working there, I
saw him
uba ubaba esidla — if father is eating
uba ubaba eiodla — if father is still eating
uba abantwana belele — if the children are asleep
uba abantwana beiulele — if the children are still asleep
mina engisebenza lapha — I who am working here
mina engisasebenza lapha — I who am still working here
abantwana abaleleyo — the children who are asleep
abantwana abaiuleleyo — the children who are stiU asleep
Negative: note that the negative ‘nga’ comes before ‘sa’:
e.g. ngoba ngingajosebenzi — because I am no longer working
uba ubaba engavadli — if father is no longer eating
uba abantwana bengavnlele — if the children are no longer asleep
umfana ongaji2sebenzi — the boy who is no longer working
abantwana abangaiolele — the children who are no longer asleep
Non-verbs:
e.g. uba ubaba engavekho — if father is no longer present
umuntu ongaiekho — the person who is no longer present

139
Lesson 56
K A (not yet)

‘KA’ is used with negative verbs to mean ‘not yet’; it is plaœd after the
subject concord.

1 Present tense
In Ndebele ‘ka’ is used with the negative of the present tense, although in
English a perfect tense is used,
e.g. KangiAaqedi — I haven't yet finished
KawuA:aqedi na? — Haven’t you finished yet?
Ubaba ka/:abuyi — Father hasn’t yet come back
Kasi^omboni — We haven’t yet seen him
Kalifcadlina? — Haven’t you eaten yet ?
Kaba/calambi — They are not yet hungry
Kaba/:alali — They are not yet asleep
Isitshwala kasiA:avuthwa — The porridge is not yet cooked
Before another vowel, the ‘a’ of ‘ka’ is elided:
e.g. Kaba^esabi — They are not yet afraid

2 The participial verb

In the participial form, the negative ‘nga’ comes before the ‘ka’.
e.g. Ngingafcaqedi ngasala — Not yet having finished, I stayed
behind
ngoba umntwana engaA:adinwa — because the child is not
tired yet
ngoba izulu lingaÂ:ani — because it has not yet rained
'Before': This is an important use of ‘ka’ with the participial verb :
e.g. unga^ahambi — before you go (Literally: You not yet having gone)
Kakufanelanga ukuba uhambe ungaA:aqedi
You mustn’t go before you have finished
Buya lapha ilanga linga/catshoni
Come back here before the sun sets
Abantwana bengaAradli bafanele ukugeza
Before the children eat, they must wash
Singaqalisa umhlangano umkhokheli engaA^ofiki na?
Can we start the meeting before the leader arrives ?
Remember to change ‘a’ to ‘e’ before the stems ‘-za/-zwa/-ma/-mba’:
e.g. Ungehli ibhasi linga/remi — Don’t get down before the bus stops
uba lingaArezwa — if you do not yet understand

140
Lesson 57
SE (now, then, already)

‘SE’ is a deficient verb which is not used on its own, but combines with
other verbs to express ‘now/then/already’ according to tense:
e.g. Sengihamba — I am going now
Sengiqedile — I have finished now
Sengizahamba — I shall go now
Nxa sengiqedile — When I have (then) finished
Sengiqedile — I have already finished
Sengambona — I have already seen him (some time ago)
Note: ‘SE’ is not used in the negative.

1 Formation
a) The form which is used now is a contracted form, which has come from
a longer form where the verb ‘se’ is followed by a participial verb,
e.g. ngise ngihamba becomes; Sengihamba — la m going now
base behamba becomes: Sebehamba — They are going now
izinja zise zihamba becomes : Sezihamba — The dogs are going
now
The ‘e’ of ‘se’ is elided in the following:
use uhamba becomes; Usuhamba — You are going now
use ehamba becomes; Usehamba — He is going now
amajaha ase ehamba becomes: Asehamba — The youths are
going now
inja ise ihamba becomes ; Isihamba — The dog is going now

TABLE

Present tense
Sengihamba I am going now
Usuhamba You are going now
Umfana usehamba The boy is going now
Sesihamba We are going now
Selihamba You are going now
Abafana sebehamba The boys are going now
Umfula usugeleza The river is flowing now
Imifula isigeleza The rivers are flowing now
Ijaha selihamba The youth is going now
Amajaha asehamba The youths are going now
Isiphofu sesihamba The blind man is going now
Iziphofu sezihamba The blind men are going now
Inja isihamba The dog is going now
Izinja sezihamba The dogs are going now

141
 Ufudu seluhamba The tortoise is going now
Imfudu sezihamba The tortoises are going now
Utshani sebutshiswa The grass is being burnt now
Ukudla sekuphekwa The food is being cooked now

b) Other tenses
The perfect and future tenses begin like the present tense:
e.g. sengibonile — now I have seen
sengizabona — now I shall see
usuthanyele — now you have swept
usuzathanyela — now you will sweep
usethethe — he has taken now
usezathatha — now he will take
Sesithenge imota — We have now bought a car
Sesizathenga imota — We shall buy a car now
The past tense: ‘se’ precedes the past subject concord:
e.g. Sengaqeda I have already finished (long ago)
Sewaqeda You have already finished
(long ago)
Umfana sewaqeda
Sesaqeda
Selaqeda
Sebaqeda
intombi seyaqeda
Izintombi sezaqeda
c) Monosyllabic and vowel verbs
These verbs in participial form, present tense, have an extra ‘si’ or ‘s’
respectively (provided there is nothing else between subject concord
and stem); therefore the ‘si’ or ‘s’ must be used when the verb is formed
with ‘se’.
e.g. Sengisidla — I am eating now
Usus/dla You are eating now
Usesidla He is eating now
Sesisidla We are eating now
Selisidla You are eating now
Sebesidla They are eating now
Inja isisidla The dog is eating now
Izinja sezisidla The dogs are eating now
Sengisesaba I am now afraid
Ususesaba You are now afraid
Usesesaba He is now afraid
Sesisesaba We are now afraid
Amajaha asesesaba The young men are now afraid
Perfect participial form: no extra syllable is needed, therefore take care
with vowel verbs:
e.g. Sengomile I am thirsty now
Usuwomile You are thirsty now
Umfana usomile The boy is thirsty now
Sesomile We are thirsty now
Selomile You are thirsty now

142
 Abafana sebomile The boys are thirsty now
Umfula usuwomile The river is dry now
Imifula isomile The rivers are dry now
Ijaha selomile The youth is thirsty now
Amajaha asomile The youths are thirsty now
Inja isomile The dog is thirsty now
Izinja sezomile The dogs are thirsty now
Ukudla sekomile The food is dry now
d) ‘SE ’ with non-verbs
Here the combination of ‘se’ with subject concord is exactly the same:
e.g. Sebekhona — They are now present
Sebelamandla — They are now strong
Sebebuthakathaka — They are now weak
Sebesesikolo — They are now in school
Adjectival stems:
e.g. Sengimuhle — la m now pretty
Usumuhle — You are now pretty
Umntwana usemuhle — The child is now pretty
Sesibahle — We are now pretty
Sellbahle
Abantwana sebebahle
Umfula usumuhle
Imifula isimihle
Ijaha selilihle
Amajaha asemahle
Isigqoko sesisihle
Intombi isinhle
Izintombi sezinhle
Usane seluluhle
Ubuso sebubuhle
Ukudla sekukuhle
2 The relative verb with ‘SE’
The relative form of the verb with ‘se’, any tense, is made by using the
initial vowel of the relative concord, ‘e’, ‘o’ or ‘a’. The suffix ‘-yo’ is not
added.
e.g. mina engigulayo — I who am ill
sengigula — la m now ill
mina esengigula — I who am now ill
umuntu owahambayo — the person who went away
Sewahamba — He has already gone
umuntu osewahamba — the person who has already gone
Where the initial letter of the verb prefix is a vowel, replace this by the
relative concord:
e.g. wenaogulayo — you who are iU
usugula — you are now ill
wena usugula — you who are now ill
inja efileyo — the dog which has died
Inja isifile — The dog has now died
inja esifile — the dog which has now died

143
TABLE

mina esengigula I who am now ill

wena osugulá you who are now ill
umfana osegula the boy who is now ill
thina esesigula we who are now ill
lina eseligula you who are now ill
abafana asebegula the boys who are now ill
umfula osugeleza the river which is now flowing
imifula esigeleza the rivers which are now flowing
ijaha eseligula the youth who is now ill
amajaha asegula the youths who are now ill
isalukazi esesigula the old woman who is now ill
izalukazi esezigula the old women who are now ill
inja esigula the dog which is now ill
izinja esezigula the dogs which are now ill
ufudu oselugula the tortoise which is now ill
imfudu esezigula the tortoises which are now ill
ubunyonyo osebugijima the ants which are now running
ukudla osekutshisa the food which is now hot

3 Usage
In general it may be said that the use of ‘se’ indicates a change of state.
a) Present time
e.g. Siyadla — We are eating
Sesisidla — We are eating now (we weren’t just now)
Ukhona — He is present
Usekhona — He is present now (he wasn’t before)
Sengidiniwe — I am tired now
Sengiqedile — I’ve finished now
b) Future time
e.g. Sengizaqeda — la m about to finish
nxa sengiqedile — when I have finished (‘se’ is very common in this
type of clause, after ‘nxa/lapho’)
c) Past time
Recent: e.g. Sengimbonile I have seen him now OR I have already
seen him
Sengithengile isigqoko sami — I have bought my dress
now OR I have already bought my dress
Remote: e.g. Sengambona — I have already seen him (some time ago)
Sengabona indawo leyo — I have already seen that place
Sengathenga isigqoko sami — I have already bought my
dress
Note:
(i) In English ‘then/already’ is not always used:
e.g. Ingaphi inja leyana ? Seyafa — 'Where is that other dog ? It died
Ngidinga uNdlovu. Sewahamba — I’m looking for Ndlovu. He
went away/He’s gone

144
(ii) ‘SE’ with a past tense is not used to mean ‘then’ when linking actions
in narrative.
e.g. I finished shopping and then I went home
For this use ‘se’ with a past continuous tense, as shown in Lesson 73.

145
Lesson 58
The future continuous tense and the future perfect tense

1 The future continuous

a) To express a continuing action or a continuing state in future time,
the verb ‘to be’ is used with the participial form of the present tense.
e.g. At 12 o’clock I shall be working
In Ndebele use a form of the verb ‘to be’ (‘ukuba’) which is ‘-zabe’:
e.g. ~Ngo-l2 ngizabe ngisebenza — At 12 o’clock I shall be working
Ekufikeni kwabo ngizabe ngisidla — When they arrive (on their
arrival) I shall be eating
Emini yekuseni utitshala uzabe efundisa — Before midday the
teacher will be teaching
Abantwana bazabe sebedlala — The children will then be playing
Useof'sa' with the participial verb
e.g. Ngizabe ngisadla — I shall still be eating
Uzabe esafundisa — He will still be teaching
Bazabe besadlala — They will still be playing
b) The negative
Put the participial verb into the negative:
e.g. Ngizabe ngingadli — I shall not be eating
Uzabe engafundisi — He will not be teaching
Bazabe bengadlali - They will not be playing
Use of'sa"
e.g. Ngizabe ngingasadli — I shall no longer be eating
Uzabe engasafundisi — He will no longer be teaching
Bazabe bengasadlali — They will no longer be playing
c) Use of'K A' in this construction
When ‘ka’ is used with the participial verb, after ‘-zabe’, this is still future
time, but the meaning is of something not yet completed,
e.g. Ngo-12 ngizabe ngingakaqedi — At 12 o’clock I shall not yet
have finished
Abantwana bazabe bengakaphumi — The children will hot yet
have come out
Ukudla kuzabe kungakavuthwa — The food will not yet be cooked
Izitolo zizabe zingakavulwa — The shops will not yet be opened

2 The future perfect

a) To express something which will be completed at the future time in
question, ‘-zabe’ is used, followed by the participial form of the perfect
tense, usually with ‘se’ (then/already):
e.g. Ngo-12 ngizabe sengiqedile — At 12 o’clock 1 shall (then) have
finished
Abantwana bazabe sebehambile — The children will already have
gone

146
 Izisebenzi zizabe sezikhawule ukusebenza — The workers will
have already stopped work
Stative verbs:
Abantwana bazabe sebelele — The children will already be asleep
Amankazana azabe esehlezi khonapho — The girls will then be
sitting there
Ngizabe sengidiniwe — I shall then be tired
With ‘sa ':
e.g. Abantwana bazabe besalele — The children will still be asleep
Amankazana azabe esahlezi khonapho — The girls will still be
sitting there
Ngizabe ngisadiniwe — I shall still be tired
b) The negative
Put the participial verb into the negative:
e.gi Ngo-12 ngizabe ngingaqedanga — At 12 o’clock I shall not be
finished
Abantwana bazabe bengahambanga — The children will not have
gone
Note: although the above sentences are correct, the construction using
‘ka’ (not yet) is preferred:
e.g. Ngo-12 ngizabe ngingakaqedi — At 12 o’clock I shall not yet
have finished
Abantwana bazabe bengakahambi — The children will not yet
have gone
Bazabe bengakalali — They will not yet be asleep
Ngizabe ngingakadinwa — I shall not yet be tired
With ‘sa’:
e.g. Ngizabe ngingasadinwanga — I shall no longer be tired
Abantwana bazabe bengasalalanga — The children will no longer
be asleep

147
Lesson 59
The past continuous tense (recent)

This tense, as its name implies, is used for an action in past time which was
still going on (not completed) at the time in question ; it is also used for a
state.
e.g. At that time I was working in town
I was running along
I was ill
There are two forms of the past continuous tense, according to how long
ago the events were taking place. Recent time is within the last few days.
Note that in recent time, this tense may translate as :
e.g. I was working OR I have been working
I was working this morning
I have been working all day

1 Formation of the past continuous tense (recent)

a) This tense is formed by using a deficient verb ‘-be’ followed by a
participial verb. As when using ‘se’, a contracted form is now used,
e.g. ngibe ngigijima becomes: Bengigijima — I was/have been running
ube ugijima becomes : Ubugijima — You were/have been running
ube egijima becomes: Ubegijima — He was/has been running
and so on.

TABLE

Bengigijima 1 was running/1 have been running

Ubugijima You were running/You have been
running
Umfana ubegijima The boy was running
Besigijima We were running
Beligijima You were running
Abafana bebegijima The boys were running
Umfula ubugeleza The river was flowing
Imifula ibigeleza The rivers were flowing
Ijaha beligijima The youth was running
Amajaha abegijima The youths were running
Isihambi besigijima The traveller was running
Izihambi bezigijima The travellers were running
Inja ibigijima The dog was running
Jziiya bezigijima The dogs were running
Ufudu belugijima The tortoise was running
Imfudu bezigijima The tortoises were running
Ubunyonyo bebugijima The ants were running
Ukudla bekutshisa The food was hot
Note: stative verbs will have the participial verb in the perfect :

148
 e.g. Bengi/awMe - - I was hungry
Ubulambile — You were hungry
Ubelambile — He was hungry
In form this is a past perfect tense (see Lesson 61
b) Monosyllable and vowel verbs
Insert the extra letters 'si' or ‘s' in the participial verb;
e.g. Bengiiidla I was eating
Ubusidla You were eating
Ubesidla He was eating
Besisidla We were eating
Belisidla You were eating
Bebesidla They were eating
Inja ibisidla The dog was eating
Izinja bezisidla The dogs were eating
Bengi.sesaba I was afraid
Ubusesaba You were afraid
Ubesesaba He was afraid
Besisesaba We were afraid
c) Non-verbs
e.g. Bebekhona They were present
Bebelamandla They were strong
Bebebu thakathaka They were weak
Bebesesikolo They were in school
Bebengamavila They were lazy
Bebelitshumi There were ten of them
Adjective stems: compare with the form with ‘se’ given in the last
lesson:
e.g. Bengimuhle — I was pretty
Ubumuhle — You were pretty
Umntwana ubemuhle — The child was pretty
Besibahle — We were pretty
Belibahle
Abantwana bebebahle
Umfula ubumuhle
Imifula ibimihle
Ijaha belilihle
Amajaha abemahle
Isigqoko besisihle
Intombi ibinhle
Izintombi bezinhle
Usane beluluhle
Ubuso bebubuhle
Ukudla bekukuhle

2 The negative of the past continuous tense (recent)

a) Put the participial verb into the negative ;
e.g. ngigijima becomes: ngiw^agijimi — I not running
bengigijima becomes: Bengi«.?agijimi — I was not running OR
I have not been running

149
TABLE

Bengingagijimi I was not running/have not been ranning

Ubungagijimi You were not running/have not been
running
Umfana ubengagijimi
Besingagijimi
Belingagijimi
Abafana bebengagijimi
Umfula ubungagelezi
Imifula ibingagelezi
Ijaha belingagijimi
Amajaha abengagijimi
Isihambi besingagijimi
Izihambi bezingagijimi
Inja ibingagijimi
Izinja bezingagijimi
Ufudu belungagijimi
Imfudu bezingagijimi
Ubunyonyo bebungagijimi
Ukudla bekungatshisi
Monosyllabic and vowel verbs:
e.g. Bengi/!^adl/ — I was not eating
Ubungadli — You were not eating
Ubengadli — He was not eating
Bengi«^esab/ — I was not afraid
Ubungesabi — You were not afraid
Ubengesabi — He was not afraid
b) Before non-verbs, -NGA- becomes -NGE-:
e.g. Bebe/;.gekho — They were not present
Bebewg^ekho esikolo — They were not in school
Beben^elamali — They had no money
Bebew^ebuthakathaka — They were not weak
Adjectival Stems:
Bengingemuhle I was not pretty
Ubungemuhle You were not pretty
Ubengemuhle
Besingebahle
Belingebahle
Bebengebahle
Umfula ubungemuhle
Imifula ibingemihle
Ijaha belingelihle
Amajaha abengemahle
Isigqoko besingesihle
Intombi ibingenhle
Izintombi bezingenhle
Usane belungeluhle
Ubuso bebungebuhle
Ukudla bekungekuhle

150
3 The relative form
Place the relative concord ‘o’, ‘e’, or ‘a’ before the imperfect form of the
verb; the suflBx ‘-yo’ is not added,
e.g. mina ebengigijima — I who was running
mina ebengingagijimi — I who was not running
umfana obegijima — the boy who was running
umfana obengagijimi — the boy who was not running
inja ebigijima — the dog which was running
inja ebingagijimi — the dog which was not running
(Compare with the relative of the verb with ‘se’ in the last lesson.)

TABLE

Mina ebengigijima Mina ebengingagijimi

I who was running
Wena obugijima
Umfana obegijima
Thina ebesigijima
Lina ebeligijima
Abafana abebegijima
Umfula obugeleza
Imifula ebigeleza
Ijaha ebeligijima
Amajaha abegijima
Isihambi ebesigijima
Izihambi ebezigijima
Inja ebigijima
Izinja ebezigijima
Ufudu obelugijima
Imfudu ebezigijima
Ubunyonyo obebugijima
Ukudla obekutshisa
I who was not running
Wena obungagijimi
Umfana obengagijimi
Thina ebesingagijimi
Lina ebelingagijimi
Abafana abebengagijimi
Umfula obungagelezi
Imifula ebingagelezi
Ijaha ebelingagijimi
Amajaha abcngagijimi
Isihambi ebesingagijimi
Izihambi ebezingagijimi
Inja ebingagijimi
Izinja ebezingagijimi
Ufudu obelungagijimi
Imfudu ebezingagijimi
Ubunyonyo obebungagijimi
Ukudla obekungatshisi

4 Use of ‘SA’ and ‘KA’ with the past continuous

a) SA:
e.g. Bengisasebenza — I was still working
Bengingajosebenzi — I was no longer working
Ubaba ubesadla — Father was still eating
Ubaba ubengaradli — Father was no longer eating
Beberambona — They could still see him
Bebengajamboni — They could no longer see him
b) KA;
Compare: Kangikaqedi — I haven’t yet finished
Bengingakaqedi — I hadn’t yet finished
Ubaba kakadli — Father hasn’t yet eaten
Ubaba ubengakadli — Father hadn’t yet eaten
Kabakfllambi — They are not yet hungry
Bebengakfllambi — They were not yet hungry

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Lesson 60
The past continuous tense (remote)

The remote form of the past continuous tense is used in the same way
as the recent form, but refers to a time more than a few days ago.
e.g. I was ill (last month/last year)
At that time I was working in Bulawayo
I had been working in town (and I fell ill)

1 Formation of the past continuous tense (remote)

a) The remote form of the past continuous tense is made by placing the
past form of concord before a participial verb,
e.g. Past concord; Participial verb :
nga- ngisebenza : Ngangisebenza — 1 was working
wa- usebenza ; Wawusebenza — You were working
umfana wa- esebenza : Wayesebenza—-The boy was working
induna ya- isebenza : Yayisebenza—The chief was working

b) TABLE

Ngangisebenza I was working/had been working

Wawusebenza You were working/had been working
Umfana wayesebenza The boy was working
Sasisebenza We were working
Lalisebenza You were working
Abafana babesebenza The boys were working
Umfuia wawugeleza The river was flowing
Imifula yayigeleza The rivers were flowing
Ijaha lalisebenza The youth was working
Amajaha ayesebenza The youths were working
Isihambi sasisebenza The traveller was working
Izihambi zazisebenza The travellers were working
Induna yayisebenza The chief was working
Izinduna zazisebenza The chiefs were working
Ufudu Iwalusebenza The tortoise was working
Imfudu zazisebenza The tortoises were working
Ubunyonyo babusebenza The ants were working
Ukudla kwakutshisa The food was hot
Note: stative verbs will have the participial verb in the perfect;
e.g. Nga.ngilantbile — I was hungry
Wawulambile — You were hungry
In form this is a past perfect tense (see Lesson 61).
c) Monosyllabic and vowel verbs
Insert the extra letters ‘si’ or ‘s’ in the participial verb:
e.g. NgangLr/dla — I was eating

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 Wawui/dla — You were eating
NgangLsesaba — I was afraid
Wawusesaba — You were afraid
d) Non-verbs
e.g. Babekhona — They were present
Babelamandla — They were strong
Babebuthakathaka — They were weak
Babesesikolo — They were in school
Babengamavila — They were lazy
Babelitshumi — There were ten of them
Babebakhulu — They were great

2 The negative of the past continuous tense (remote)

a) Verbs: put the participial verb into the negative:
•e.g. ngisebenza becomes : ngin^asebenzi — I not working
ngangisebenza becomes : ngangin^asebenzi — I was not working
OR I had not been
working

TABLE

N gangingasebenzi — I was not working/had not been

working
Wawungasebenzi — You were not working/had not been
working
Umfana wayengasebenzi
Sasingasebenzi
Lalingasebenzi
Abafana babengasebenzi
Umfula wawungagelezi
Imifula yayingagelezi
Ijaha lalingasebenzi
Amajaha ayengasebenzi
Isihambi sasingasebenzi
Izihambi zazingasebenzi
Induna yayingasebenzi
Izinduna zazingasebenzi
Ufudu Iwalungasebenzi
Imfudu zazingasebenzi
Ubunyonyo babungasebenzi
Ukudla kwakungatshisi
Monosyllabic and vowel verbs:
e.g. Ngangirt^ad// — I was not eating
Wawungadli — You were not eating
Ngangiw^esabi — I was not afraid
Wawungesabi — You were not afraid
b) Before non-verbs, -NG A- becomes -NGE-:
e.g. Babe/j^ekho — They were not present

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 Babengelamandla — They were not strong
Babengebuthakathaka — They were not weak
Babengekho esikolo - — They were not in school
Babengebakhulu — They were not great

3 The relative form

Place the relative concord 'o’, ‘e’, or ‘a’ before the imperfect form of the
verb.

TABLE

Mina engangisebenza Mina engangingasebenzi

I who was working
Wena owawusebenza
Umfana owayesebenza
Thina esasisebenza
Lina elalisebenza
Abafana ababesebenza
Umfula owawugeleza
Imifula eyayigeleza
Ijaha elalisebenza
Amajaha ayesebenza
Isihambi esasisebenza
Izihambi ezazisebenza
Induna eyayisebenza
Izinduna ezazisebenza
Ufudu olwalusebenza
Imfudu ezazisebenza
Ubunyonyo obabusebenza
Ukudla okwakutshisa
I who was not working
Wena owawungasebenzi
Umfana owayengasebenzi
Thina esasingasebenzi
Lina elalingasebenzi
Abafana ababengasebenzi
Umfula owawungagelezi
Imifula eyayingagelezi
Ijaha elalingasebenzi
Amajaha ayengasebenzi
Isihambi esasingasebenzi
Izihambi ezazingasebenzi
Induna eyayingasebenzi
Izinduna ezazingasebenzi
Ufudu olwalungasebenzi
Imfudu ezazingasebenzi
Ubunyonyo obabungasebenzi
Ukudla okwakungatshisi

4 Use of ‘SA’ and ‘KA’ with the past continuous (remote)

a) SA:
e.g. Ngangivasebenza — I was still working
Ngangingaiflsebenzi ■- I was no longer working
Ubaba wayevadla — Father was still eating
Ubaba wayengajadli — Father was no longer eating
Babeiombona — They could still see him
Babengajamboni — They could no longer see him
6) KA:
Compare:
Kangifcaqedi — I haven’t yet finished
NgangingaAraqedi — I had not yet finished
Ubaba ka/:adli - Father hasn’t yet eaten
Ubaba wayengaA:odli — Father had not yet eaten
Kabafcalambi — They are not yet hungry
Babenga/calambi — They were not yet hungry

154
Lesson 61
The past perfect tense (recent and remote)

The past perfect tense in Ndebele refers to something already completed

at the time in question; in English it is expressed by ‘had’ and a past
participle:
e.g. By midday I hadfinished my work (recent time)
By 1970 the hospital had been built (remote time)

1 Formation
The past perfect tense is formed like the past continuous tense, but
using the perfect form of the verb.
Recent time: past continuous : bengiqeda — I was finishing
past perfect : hcngiqedile — I had finished
e.g. Lamuhla bengiqedile ngo-12 — Today I had finished by 12
Remote time: past continuous : ngangiqeda — I was finishing
past perfect: : r\gmgiqedile — I had finished
e.g. U buye ngeviki elidlulileyo wafica ukuthi ngangiqedile ukwakha
He came back last week and found that I had finished building

a) TABLE

Recent Remote
Bengiqedile Ngangiqedile
I had finished
Ubuqedile Wawuqedile
You had finished
Umfana ubeqedile Umfana wayeqedile
The boy had finished
Besiqedile Sasiqedile
We had finished
Beliqedile Laliqedile
You had finished
Abafana bebeqedile Abafana babeqedile
The boys had finished
Umlilo ubutshisUe Umlilo wawutshisile
The fire had burnt
Imililo ibitshisile Imililo yayitshisile
The fires had burnt
Ijaha beliqedile Ijaha laliqedile
The youth had finished
Amajaha abeqedile Amajaha ayeqedile
The youths had finished
Isihambi besiqedile Isihambi sasiqedile
The traveller had finished

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 Izihambi beziqedile Izihambi zaziqedile
The travellers had finished
Intombi ibiqedile Intombi yayiqedile
The girl had finished
Izintombi beziqedile Izintombi zaziqedile
The girls had finished
Usane beluqedile Usane Iwaluqedile
The baby had finished
Insane beziqedile Insane zaziqedile
The babies had finished
Ubunyonyo bebuqedile Ubunyonyo babuqedile
The ants had finished
Ukudla bekuphelile Ukudla kwakuphelile
The food was all gone
b) Short perfect ending: This is common, provided something follows
the verb.
e.g. Bengiqedc umsebenzi wami/Ngangiqedt; umsebenzi wami
I had finished my work
Umlilo ubutshise indlu yonke/Umlilo wawutshise indlu yonke
The fire had burnt the whole hut
Izintombi bezifike esikolo/Izintombi zazifike esikolo
The girls had arrived at the school
c) Other forms o f the perfect ending
e.g. Umfana ubethethe imali/Umfana wayethethe imali
The boy had taken some money
Abantwana bebelifumene ibhola/Abantwana babelifumene ibhola
The children had found the ball
Amankazana abethanyele/Amankazana ayethanyele
The girls had swept
d) Passive
e.g. Imali ibithethwe/Imali yayithethwe — The money had been taken
Ukudla bekudliwe/Ukudla kwakudliwe — The food had been eaten
Umfana ubetshaywe nguyise/Umfana wayetshaywe nguyise
The boy had been beaten by his father
e) Stative verbs: with these verbs the past perfect tense describes a state
in past time.
e.g. Bengilambile/ngangilambile — 1 was hungry
Ubediniwe/wayediniwe — He was tired
Abantwana bebelele/babelele — The children were asleep
Induna ibidakiwe/yayidakiwe — The chief was drunk
/ ) Monosyllabic and vowel verbs: remember that no extra syllable is
required in the participial verb, perfect tense,
e.g. Bengidlile/ngangidlile — I had eaten
Umntvvana ubewile/wayewile —• The child had fallen
For the vowel verb in past perfect tense, recent time, compare the form
of the vowel verb with ‘se’ in the perfect tense (Lesson 58).
e.g. Bengomile — I was thirsty
Ubuwomile — You were thirsty

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 Ubomile — He was thirsty
Sesomile — We were thirsty
Selomile — You were thirsty
Sebomile — They were thirsty
Inja ibomile — The dog was thirsty
For the vowel verb in the past perfect tense, remote time, elide the vowel
of the concord which is next to the verb stem:
e.g. Ngangomile — I was thirsty
Wawomile — You were thirsty
Umfana wayomile
Sasomile
Lalomile
Babomile
Inja yayomile
Izinja zazomile
Note: in most of the examples given it would be better to use ‘se’ (already)
with the past perfect tense.
e.g. Wafica ukuthi ngaicngiqedile ukwakha — He found that I had
already finished building
Abantwana be.5cbelele — The children were already asleep
For ‘se’ with the compound tenses, see Lesson 73.

2 Negative of the past perfect tense

To form the negative, use the negative -NGA- after the concord, and add
the suffix -NGA to the verb stem.
e.g. Bengiwgaqedawgo — I had not finished — Ngangiwguqedangu
Bengingadlanga — I had not eaten — Ngangingudla/iga
Bengiwgomatfgfl — I was not thirsty — Ngangi«goma«ga
Bengwgatshaywanga — I had not been beaten — Ngangingotshay-
wangfl

TABLE

Recent Remote
Bengingaqedanga N gangingaqedanga
I had not finished
Ubungaqedanga Wawungaqedanga
You had not finished
Umfana ubengaqedanga Umfana wayengaqedanga
Besingaqedanga Sasingaqedanga
Belingaqedanga Lalingaqedanga
Abafana bebengaqedanga Abafana babengaqedanga
Umlilo ubungatshisanga Umlilo wawungatshisanga
Imililo ibingatshisanga Imililo yayingatshisanga
Isihambi besingaqedanga Isihambi sasingaqedanga
Izihambi bezingaqedanga Izihambi zazingaqedanga
Intombi ibingaqedanga Intombi yayingaqedanga
Izintombi bezingaqedanga Izintombi zazingaqedanga

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 Usane belungaqedanga Usane Iwalungaqedanga
Insane bezingaqedanga Insane zazingaqedanga
Ubunyonyo bebungaqedanga Ubunyonyo babungaqedanga
Ukudla bekungaphelanga Ukudla kwakungaphelanga

3 Relative of the past perfect tense

Form the relative in the same way as the past continuous tense, by prefixing
the relative concord ‘o’, ‘e’, or ‘a’:
e.g. umfana obeqedile — the boy who had finished
izintombi cbeziqedile — the girls who had finished
abafana abebeqedile — the boys who had finished
See the tables for the past continuous relatives in Lesson 59 and Lesson 60.

158
Lesson 62
The conditional verb and the use of ‘ngabe’

I THE CONDITIONAL VERB

In Ndebele the conditional expresses something hypothetical, not factual.

It is usually translated in English using ‘would’ or ‘would have’,
e.g. If he were ill, I would care for him

1 Formation
The conditional is formed like the past continuous tense, but using a
participial verb in the future tense instead of in the present tense. It has
both recent and remote forms, according to the time in question.
Past continuous (recent) : bengilondoloza — I was looking after
Conditional (recent): bengizalondoloza — I would look after OR I would
have looked after
e.g. Uba ubegula, bengizamlondoloza
If he were ill, I would look after him
Uba ubumtshiye umntwana lapha lamhla, bengizamlondoloza
If you had left the child here today, I would have looked after him
Past continuous (remote) : ngangithanda — I liked
Conditional (remote) : ngangizathanda — I would have liked
e.g. Ngangizathanda ukuhamba, kodwa ngehluleka
I would have liked to go, but I couldn’t
Uba wawuhambe ngemota, ngangizathanda ukuhamba lawe
If you had gone by car, I would have liked to go with you

Table o f the conditional

a) The form ‘zaku’ may be used instead of ‘za’

Recent Remote
Bengizakhala — I would cry/would have cried Ngangizakhala
Ubuzakhala — You would cry/would have cried Wawuzakhala
Ubezakhala — He/She would have cried Wayezakhala
Besizakhala — We would have cried Sasizakhala
Belizakhala — You would have cried Lalizakhala
Bebezakhala — They would have cried Babezakhala
Umlilo ubuzatshisa — The fire would burn/
would have burnt umlilo wawuzatshisa
Imililo ibizatshisa — The fires would bum/
would have burnt Imililo yayizatshisa
Ijaha belizakhala — The youth would cry/
would have cried Ijaha lalizakhala

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Amajaha abezakhala — The youths would cry/
would have cried Amajaha ayezakhala
Isihambi besizakhala — The traveller would cry/
would have cried Isihambi sasizakhala
Izihambi bezizakhala — The travellers would cry/
would have cried Izihambi zazizakhala
Intombi ibizakhala — The girl would cry/
would have cried Intombi yayizakhala
Izintombi bezizakhala — The girls would cry/
would have cried Izintombi zazizakhala
Usane beluzakhala — The baby would cry/
would have cried Usane Iwaluzakhala
Insane bezizakhala — The babies would cry/
would have cried Insane zazizakhala
Ubunyonyo bebuzangena — The ants would come in/
would have come in Ubunyonyo babuzangena
Ukulwa bekuzaphela — The fighting would end/
would have ended Ukulwa kwakuzaphela
b) Monosyllabic and vowel verbs
With these the full future form ‘zaku’ is usually used,
e.g. Bengizakudla/ngangizu^udla — I would eat/would have eaten
Bengizakwesaba/ngangizaAovesaba — I would be afraid/would have
been afraid
c) The negative
Bengin^ay/Arakhala/bengia^ezHki/khala — I would not cry/would
not have cried
Umlilo ubungayikutshisa/ubungazukutshisa — The fire would not
burn/would not have burnt
Usane Iwalungayikukhala/lwalungazukukhala — The baby would
not cry/would not have cried
Ukulwa kwakungayikuphela/kwakungazukuphela — The fighting
would not end/would not have ended

2 Use of the conditional

Study the following examples ;
a) e.g. Recent: Bengizathanda ukuhamba, kodwa ngiyehluleka
I would like to go, but I cannot
Bengizathanda ukukunceda izolo, kodwa bengibambe-
kile
I would have liked to help you yesterday, but I wa
Remote: Ngangizathanda ukukunceda ngosuku loluyana, kodwa
ngangigula
I would have liked to help you that day, but I was ill
b) With clauses introduced by ‘if ’:
(i) the verb in the ‘if’clause is past continuous:
e.g. If the boys were stung by bees they would run away, but they
wouldn’t cry
Uba abafana bebelunywa zinyosi bebezabaleka, kodwa bebengayi-
kukhala

160
 If we cut down those trees we should see the river, but not the road
Uba besigamula izihlahia lezo besizabona umfula, kodwa besinga-
zukubona umgwaqo
(ii) the verb in the ‘if’clause is past perfect;
e.g. Recent; Ubabengimbonelamhlabengizamtshela
If I had seen him today 1 would have told him
Remote: Uba ngangimbone ngosuku loluyana ngangizamtshela
If I had seen him that day 1 would have told him

II USE OF ‘NGABE’

a) Conditional meaning
Any indicative tense of the verb may be used after 'ngabe', which is
sometimes shortened to ‘nga’.
e.g. Ngabe umntwana uyagula, ngabe ngiyamusa esibhedlela
If the child were ill, I should take him to the hospital
Ngabe udokotela kaiikanga, nga umntwana uhle
If the doctor had not come, the child would have died
Ngabe udokotela ufike masinyane, nga umntwana kafanga
If the doctor had come sooner, the child would not have died
b) Expressing 'ought', 'should'
e.g. Ngabe siyatshaya ibhola, kodwa liyana kakhulu
We should be playing football, but it’s raining very hard
Ngabe kayithengi imota ngoba kalamali enengi
He should not be buying the car, because he hasn’t much money
Ngabe ngahamba ukuyabona udokotela, kodwa ngesaba (OR
ngangesaba)
I ought to have gone to see the doctor, but I was afraid
c) Expressing 'if onlyV (expressing a strong wish)
e.g. Kungathi ngabe (izulu) liyana! — If only it would rain!
Kungathi ngabe kalinanga! — If only it hadn’t rained!
Kungathi ngabe wangilalela! If only you had listened to me!

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Lesson 63
The potential mood (continued) and other ways of expressing ability

1 The potential mood

In Lesson 30 you learnt how to form the potential mood, in the positive,
in present time:
e.g. Ngingathunga — I can sew
Umama angathunga — Mother can sew
Revise the uses of the potential mood.
There are two further points to note:
a) Potential mood in past time
e.g. Yesterday I could see well/Last year I could work hard
To form this, use the past continuous form of the verb together with
the potential ‘-nga-’:
e.g. Recent: Izolo bengi«^obona kuhle — Yesterday I could see
well
Umntwana ubengabona kuhle — The child could
see well
Remote: Nyakenye ngangingasebenza kakhulu — Last year I
could work hard
Ubaba wayengasebenza kakhulu — Father could work
hard
b) Negative o f the potential mood
In the negative the potential ‘-nga-’ becomes ‘-nge-’, and the final ‘-a’ of
the verb stem becomes ‘-e’.
e.g. Ngi/igebone — I cannot see
Bengiwgebone izolo — I couldn’t see yesterday
Ngangwgebone nyakenye — I couldn’t see last year
Ubaba angesebenze — Father cannot work
Ubaba ubengesebenze izolo — Father couldn’t work yesterday
Ubaba wayengesebenze nyakenye — Father couldn’t work last year
Note: the negative of the potential mood is not common. Usually the
verb ‘-ehluleka’ (fail) is used, or one of the other ways shown later in this
lesson, or the deficient verb ‘ngeke’ (see Lesson 72).
c) The conditional use o f the potential mood
Sometimes the potential mood is used in a conditional clause, instead of
‘uma/uba’ with a participial verb.
e.g. Unganatha lamanzi uzagula — If you drink this water you will be ill
Singatshaya linyoka izakufa — If we hit this snake it will die
Abantu bangahamba ngebhasi kabayikudinwa — If the people go
by bus they will not get tired
Sometimes the clause which follows a conditional clause with ‘uma/uba’
may-have a potential verb, implying that you are not certain of the result:
e.g. Uma simsiza angathokoza — If we help her she will be glad
(may be glad)

162
 Uba umtshiya umntwana angakhala — If you leave the child he
will cry (he may cry)
Note: the following construction with the potential mood, which ex­
presses a wish:
e.g. Kungathi ubaba angafika masinyane! — May father come soon!
Kungathi umntwana angaphila! — May the child get well!
Sometimes ‘angathi’ is used instead of ’kungathi’.

2 Other ways of expressing ability

a) The verb ‘-ehluleka/-ahluleka’ (fail):
e.g. Ngiyehlulekaukubona — I cannot (am failing to) see
Bengisehluleka ukubona izolo —• 1 couldn’t see yesterday
Ngangisehluleka ukubona nyakenye — 1 couldn’t see last year
b) The verb ‘-azi’ (know); ‘can’ in the sense of ‘know how to. . . ’;
e.g. Ngiyakwazi ukuthunga — 1 can sew (I know how to sew)
Angikwazi ukuthunga — I can’t sew
Ngangikwazi ukuthunga nyakenye — I could sew last year
Ngangingakwazi ukuthunga — I could not sew
c) The noun ‘amandla’ (strength); ‘can’ in a physical sense.
This is a possessive construction:
e.g. Ulamandla okuhamba na? — Can you walk? (Have you the
strength to walk?)
Kawulamandla okuhamba — You cannot walk
Ubulamandla okuhamba izolo na? — Could you walk yesterday?
Ubungelamandla okuhamba — You could not walk
d) U seo f‘la-’ with an infinitive:
e.g. Ngilokubona — I can see (I have sight)
Ngangilokubona nyakenye — I could see last year
This construction is more common in its negative form:
e.g. Kangilakubona — I can't see
Isigulane kasilakukhuluma — The patient can’t speak
Ngangingelakubona nyakenye — I could not see last year

163
Lesson 64
Different forms of the verb stem

The meaning of a verb may be varied by the addition of certain syllables

to the verb stem. There are in fact six different forms of the verb stem,
apart from the simple form.
Simple form: the verb stems ends in ‘-a’, except for ukuthi, ukutsho and
ukwazi.
e.g. -thanda — like
Applied form: the verb stem ends in ‘-ela’, and expresses:
a) motion to ..,., with a locative
e.g. -gijima.. . -gijime/a — run to
Bagijime/fl esikolo — They ran to school
b) to do for...:
e.g. -sebenza... -sebenze/a — work for
Wayesebenze/fl uKhumalo — He was working for Khumalo
Causative form: the verb stem ends in ‘-isa', and expresses the meaning
‘tocause.. ..m ake.. . ’:
e.g. -thula.. . -thulwa — make quiet
Thulwainja! — Make the dog be quiet!
Intensive form: the verb stem ends in ‘-isisa’, and this intensifies the
meaning of the verb:
e.g. -dinga... -dingisisa — search thoroughly
Uding/.v/.v/le na ? — Have you searched thoroughly ?
Reciprocal form: the verb stem ends in ‘-ana’, and expresses the idea of
doing something together, or reciprocating a feeling:
e.g. -thanda... -thandona — love each other
Bayathandortfl — They love each other
Neuter form: the verb stem ends in ‘-eka’, and expresses a passive
meaning:
e.g. -vala... -va\eko — to be closed
UmnyangouvalcArilena? — Is the door closed?
Reflexive form: the reflexive concord ‘zi’ is used before the verb stem as
an object concord, and expresses ‘oneself’ (myself, yourself, himself,
ourselves, and so on):
e.g. -sika... -z/sika — cut oneself
Ngiz/sikile! — I have cut myself I
All these different forms may be used in any tense or mood. Let us now
study them in detail.

1 The applied form: ending ‘-ela’

a) Expressing a location
(i) Used with a locative:
e.g. -bopha (tie). . . -bophela (tie to)
Bophela inja esigodweni Tie the dog to the pole

164
 -baleka (flee). . . -balekela (flee to)
Wabalekela kibo — He fled to them
-fa (die).. . -fela (die in/at)
Wafela esibhedlela — He died in hospital
-wa (fall).. . -wela (fall into)
Wawela emanzini — He fell into the water
Note: ‘from’ is usually expressed by using the verb ‘-suka’:
e.g. Wawela phansi esuka ophahleni — He fell down from the roof
Waphangisa esuka endlini — He hurried from the house
(ii) Used with an object:
e.g. -thuma (send). . . -thumela (send to)
Ngizabathumela ilizwi — I shall send them a message
-letha (bring). . . -lethela (bring to)
Akungilethele isitulo — Please bring me a chair
-thukuthela (get angry). . . -thukuthelela (get angry with)
Ngimthukuthelele — la m angry with him
Note: -baleka (flee). . . -balekela (flee from)
Wabalekela isikolo — He ran away from school
(iii) Used in a possessive construction:
e.g. Compare: indawo yodaka — a place of mud/muddy place
indawo yokuphekela — a place for cooking
ibhokisi lesihlahla — a box of wood/wooden box
ibhokisi lokugcinela izingubo — a box for keeping
blankets
indlu yezitina — a hut of bricks
indlu yokulalela — a hut for sleeping
(iv) Used in a passive construction (which cannot be translated literally);
the passive verb is followed by its agent:
e.g. -lahleka (get lost)... -lahlekelwa
Ngilahlekelwe lugwalo Iwami — 1 have lost my book
Walahlekelwa yimali yakhe — She lost her money
-fika (arrive). . . -flkelwa
Sifikelwe yingozi enkulu — A bad accident has happened to us
Bafikelwa yikuhlupheka okukhulu — They experienced great
trouble
-fa (die). . . -felwa
Abantu laba sebefelwe ngumntanabo — These people have lost
their child (by death)
Umama lo wafelwa ngurakakhe nyakenye — This woman lost her
husband last year
b) The applied form expressing 'to do for. . .’
e.g. -pheka (cook).. . -phekela (cook for)
Ngibaphekele abantwana ilambazi — I have cooked porridge for
the children
-enza (do/make). . . -enzela (do/make for)
Akungenzele itiye — Please make some tea for me
-thenga (buy). . .-thengela (buy for)
Ngizamthengela izicathulo — I shall buy her some shoes
Note:
(i) To express ‘Why?’: The applied form of the verb, with the suffix

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‘-ni’ (what?) is used to express ‘Why?’, literally: ‘for what?’
e.g. -khala (cry). . . -khalela (cry for)
Umntwana ukhalelani? — Why is the child crying ?
Letha (bring). . . -lethela (bring for)
Bamletheleni umntwana lapha? — Why have they brought the
child here?
-hlutshwa (be troubled). . . -hlutshelwa (be troubled for)
Wahlutshelwani yilowomuntu na ? — Why was he troubled by that
person ?
(ii) ‘Why not?’; The verb ‘-yekela’ (leave off) is used in its applied
form with the suffix ‘-ni’.
e.g. Uyekelelani ukumsiza? — Why aren’t you helping him?
Bayekeleleni ukudlala? — Why have they stopped playing/Why
aren’t they playing?
Uyekeleleni ukugezisa lokhu ? — Why have you neglected to wash
this/Why haven’t you washed this ?
Wayekelelani ukwenza lokho? — Why did you neglect to do that/
Why didn’t you do that?

2 The causative form: ending ‘-isa’

a) Most verbs have the ending ‘-isa’ in their causative form;
e.g. -gqoka (wear). . . -gqokisa (cause to wear)
Ngizamgqokisa umntwana ijesi — I shall put a jersey on the child
-natha (drink). . . -nathisa (cause to drink)
Akunginathise — Please give me a drink
-ma (stop). . . -misa (cause to stop)
Misa imota! — Stop the car!
b) A different ending is used by verbs stems ending in ‘-la’; this becomes
‘-za’:
e.g. -sóndela (draw near). . . -sondeza (bring near)
Ake lisondeze izihlalo zenu — Please bring your chairs nearer
-khumbula (remember)... -khumbuza (remind)
Khumbuza abanye ngakho — Remind the others about it
c) Verb stems ending in ‘-ka’; change this to ‘-sa’:
e.g. -vuka (wake/get up). . . -vusa (wake another up)
Vusa abantwana! — Wake the children!
-suka (set out/go away). . . -susa (remove/take away)
Ngizasusa imiganu — I shall remove the plates
d) There are a few irregular forms:
e.g. -khudumala (get warm). . . -khudumeza (warm up)
Khudumeza uchago losane — Warm the baby’s milk
-thwala (carry). . . -ethwesa (load on to) OR -thwalisa
Methwese ibhokisi leli — Lift this box onto him (head or shoulder)
-embatha (wrap oneself)... -embesa (wrap another) OR -embathisa
Mcmbese umntwana ingubo — Wrap a blanket round the child

3 The intensive form: ending ‘-isisa’

e.g. -zwa (understand). . . -zwisisa (understand thoroughly)
ukuze bazwisise so that they may understand really well

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 -hlola (inspect). . . -hlolisisa (inspect thoroughly)
Umhloli wahlolisisa isikolo — The inspector inspected the school
thoroughly

4 The reciprocal form: ending ‘-ana’

e.g. -butha (collect u p ).. . -buthana (assemble together)
Abantu sebebuthene — The people are assembled
-azi (know).. . -azana (know each other)
Kasazani — We don’t know each other
Note:
(i) A few verbs have a different ending in reciprocal form:
e.g. -khuluma (speak). . . -khulumisana (speak together)
Asikhulumisane — Let us talk together
-hamba (go).. . -hambisana (go together/accompany)
Asihambisane — Let’s go together
-vuma (consent).. . -vumelana (agree together)
Bonke bavumelana ngalokhu — They all agree about this
(ii) ‘La’ (with) is often used thus:
e.g. -bona (see). . . -bonana (see each other)
Ngizabonana lawe kusasa — We shall see each other tomorrow/
I shall see you tomorrow
Note that a verb ending in ‘-ana’ does not take an object:
e.g. -fanana (resemble)
Ufanana laye — He resembles him/They resemble each other
-hlangana (meet)
Ngizahlangana laye — I shall meet him/We shall meet
-lingana (equal)
Lokhu kakulingani lalokhu — This is not equal to this/These are
not equal

5 The neuter form: ending ‘-eka’

As well as the passive meaning, the neuter form of the verb can express
a quality.
a) Passive meaning
e.g. -dinga (look for/need). . .-dingeka (be necessary/needed)
Kuyadingeka ukuba abantwana banathe uchago
Children need to drink milk (It is needful that. ..)
enza (do). . . -enzeka (be done)
Lokhu kakwenzeki — This can’t be done (isn’t done)
-hlupha (trouble). . . -hlupheka (be troubled)
Ngihluphekile — I am troubled
b) Expressing a quality
e.g. -thanda (love).. . -thandeka (be lovable)
umntwana othandekayo — a lovable child
-esaba (fear). . . -esabeka (be fearsome)
inyamazana eyesabekayo — a fearsome animal
c) Some verbs form the neuter form with the ending -akala’:
e.g. -bona (see). . . -bonakala (be seen)
Intaba iyabonakaia — The mountain is visible
-zwa (hear). . . -zwakala (be heard)

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 Lokho kakwezwakali — That is not audible
-enza (do). . . -enzakala (be done/happen)
Kwenzakalani emva kwalokho? — What happened after that?

6 The reflexive form: with concord ‘zi’

As an object concord, ‘-zi’ always comes immediately before the verb stem,
e.g. -sika (cut). . . -zisika (cut oneself)
Ungazisiki — Don’t cut yourself
-siza (help). . . -zisiza (help oneself)
uba abantu bengazisizi — if the people do not help themselves
Note:
(i) The imperative verb: with an object concord, the final ‘a’ of the
verb stem is changed to ‘e’;
e.g. -elapha (heal)... -zelapha (heal oneself)
Nyanga, zelaphe! — Doctor, heal yourself!
-khangela (look at). . . -zikhangela (look at oneself )
Mankazana, zikhangeleni! — Girls, look at yourselves!
(ii) The meaning of some verbs in reflexive form:
e.g. -phatha — hold : -ziphatha — behave
-bamba — take hold of : -zibamba — control, check oneself
-tshaya — strike ; -zitshaya — pretend
-qhenya — swagger : -ziqhenya — be proud

7 Combination of different verb forms

Any of the above forms may combine:
e.g. -enza — make
-enzela — make for
-zenzela — make for oneself
Wazenzela wena izinto ezinhle
You made some nice things for yourself
-thenga — buy
-thengisa — sell
-thengisela — sell to
-thengiselana — sell to one another/trade
Sithengiselana labantu belizwe lelo
We trade with the people of that country
-ehluka — differ
-ehlukana — differ from one another
-ehlukanisa — divide up
-ehlukanisela — divide up amongst
Yehlukanisela abantwana iziwiji
Divide the sweets amongst the children
Note: the applied and reflexive forms together may combine to express
‘just doing’ something, by or for oneself:
e.g. Uthanda ukuzihambela — He likes just going around by himself
Kungalisiza ukuba lizihlalele ekhaya na?
Can it help you just to sit around at home?

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Lesson 65
-DWA (alone), -PHI ? (which?) and the possessive pronoun

1 -DWA

‘-DWA’ is a stem which combines with the concords in the same way as
‘-nke’ (all: see Lesson 32); it means: alone, by oneself, on one’s own.
Note that the first three persons have ‘-edwa’ instead of ‘-odwa’.

1 TABLE

mina ngedwa — 1 alone thina sodwa — we alone

wena wedwa — you alone lina lodwa — you alone
umfana yedwa — the boy alone abafana bodwa — the boys alone
umganu wodwa — the plate alone imiganu yodwa — the plates alone
ijaha lodwa — the youth alone amajaha wodwa — the youths alone
isalukazi sodwa — the old woman izalukazi zodwa — the old women
alone alone
intombi yodwa — the girl alone izintombi zodwa — the girls alone
ufudu lodwa — the tortoise alone imfudu zodwa — the tortoises alone
ubuso bodwa — the face alone
ukudla kodwa — the food alone

2 Uses
a) ‘-Dwa’ may be used with or without a subject concord, and with a
participial or relative concord.
e.g. Ngihlala ngedwa — I live alone
Umfana uhlezi yedwa — The boy is sitting on his own
Abantu badla isitshwala sodwa — The people eat porridge on its
own
Ngizapheka inyama yodwa — I shall cook the meat on its own
Abantwana babodwa — The children are on their own
Abantwana bebebodwa — The children were on their own
Umntwana eyedwa endlini wakhala — Being on his own in the
hut, the child cried
Izalukazi zizodwa ziyehluleka ukulima — Since the old women are
alone, they cannot plough
Abafana babuya bebodwa — The boys came back alone
Ngizakhuluma labomama ababodwa — 1 shall speak to the
women who are on their own
For emphasis, add the absolute pronoun :
e.g. Nguwe wedwa engikuthandayo — It is you alone whom 1 love
Yintombi yona yodwa engiyithandayo — She is the only girl 1 love
Ngumfana yena yedwa osebenzayo — He is the only boy who works
b) The numeral ‘one’ : ‘-dwa’ with a relative concord means ‘one’.

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 e.g. umntwana oyedwa — one child
umganu owodwa — one plate
iqanda elilodwa — one egg
isinkwa esisodwa — one loaf
intombi eyodwa — one girl
ugwalo olulodwa — one book
c) Only, merely: ‘-dwa’ is not used in this sense, except for the form
‘kodwa’, which is sometimes used with a verb:
e.g. Bayadlala kodwa — They are only playing
For ‘only’ in this sense, use the adverb ‘kuphela’;
e.g. Ngizathenga isinkwa kuphela — I shall buy only bread
Bayadlala kuphela — They are only playing
Kwabuya abantu abathathu kuphela — Only three people came
back
Wena ungumntwana kuphela — You are only a child
‘Nje’ may be used in the same way:
e.g. Bayadlala nje — They are only playing
Ungumntwana nje — You are only a child

II -PHI?

‘-PHI?’ is an interrogative stem, meaning ‘which?’; it must be prefixed

by a noun concord, and may be placed either before or after the noun.

1 TABLE

Umfana uphi ? Which boy ? Abafana baphi ? Which boys ?

Umganu uphi? Which plate? Imiganu iphi? Which plates?
Ijaha liphi? Which youth ? Amajaha aphi ? Which youths?
Isalukazi siphi? Which old Izalukazi ziphi ? Which old
woman ? women?
Intombi iphi? Which girl ? Izintombi ziphi? Which girls?
Ufudu luphi? Which tortoise? Imfudu ziphi? Which tortoises?
Ubuso buphi? Which face?
Ukudla kuphi ? Which food?

2 Uses
e.g. Nginika imbiza. Iphi imbiza? —• Give me a pot. Which pot?
Ngizathenga isigqoko. Siphi isigqoko? — I shall buy a dress.
Which dress ?
Zingwalo zabantwana baphi? — The books belong to which
children?
Uhlala emzini uphi? — In which village do you live?
OR Uhlala kuwuphi umuzi? — In which village do you live?
Uzisikile ngengqamu iphi ?
With which knife did you cut yourself?
OR Uzisikile ngayiphi ingqamu?
With which knife did you cut yourself?

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Note: a copulative is often used with these,
e.g. y/luphi ugwalo ? — Which book w /t?
A^^-i/wuphi umfana ? — Which bo y /5 (t?
For this, see Lesson 68.
When used with the conjunction ‘loba’, it means ‘whichever’
e.g. Loba nguwuphi umfana okwaziyo lokhu kasitshele
Whichever boy knows this should tell us
Uthanda ukubala zonke ingwalo loba yiziphi
He likes to read any books whatsoever

III THE POSSESSIVE PRONOUN

To make a possessive pronoun, the first letter of the relative concord,

‘o’, ‘e’, or ‘a’, is placed before the possessive.

1 Pronouns: mine, yours, his, and so on.

okhona — my boy who is present
owami — mine
owakho — yours
owakhe — his/hers
owethu — ours
owenu — yours
owabo — theirs
... abami (mine); abethu (ours)
.. owami owethu
eyami eyethu
. elami elethu
. . . awami awethu
. . . esami esethu
inja yam i.. :yami eyethu
izinja zam i, . ezami ezethu
. . olwami olwethu
. . obami obethu
ukudla kwami . . . okwami okwethu

2 Nouns: The same kind of thing is done: place the relatives, ‘o’,
‘e’, or ‘a’, before the possessive form of the noun.
d) umfana womfundisi — the minister’s boy
owomfundisi — the one belonging to the minister
abantwana besikolo — school children
abesikolo — the ones of the school
imizi yabantu — the people’s villages
eyabantu — the ones belonging to the people
isigqoko senkazana — the girl’s dress
esenkazana — the one belonging to the girl
inyawo zenja — a dog’s feet
ezenja — the ones of a dog, those of a dog
ukudla kwezingulube — the pigs’ food
okwezingulube — that of the pigs

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b) Personal nouns with prefix U-
Umfana kabani ? — Whose boy ?
Okabani? — Whose?
Umfa.ia kaGasela — Gasela’s boy
OkaGasela — Gasela’s
Inja kabani ? — Whose dog ?
Ekababa — Father’s
Ikhuba likabani? — Whose plough?
ElikaMpofu — Mpofu’s
Inkomo zikabani ? —Whose cattle ?
Ezikamama — My mother’s
Abantwana bakabani ? — Whose children ?
AbakaNcube — Ncube’s
Note: a copulative is often used with these:
(inja) A^ekabani? — Whose is iti
Ngeyami — It's mine
For this, see Lesson 68.

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Lesson 66
Comparison

1 Use of the prefix ‘kula-’

One may compare nouns: e.g. bigger than the boy; the biggest boy
pronouns: e.g. bigger than you; bigger than yours
clauses: e.g. better that she stays here

‘Kula-’ may be used in any of these instances, prefixed to a noun, pronoun,

or conjunction (ukuthi/ukuba) which forms the second part of the com­
parison.
e.g. Ngimkhulu kulaye — 1 am bigger than him
Ngimkhulu kulomfana — Tam bigger than the boy
Yena kamkhulu kulami — He is not bigger than me
Umfana mkhulu kulenkazana — The boy is bigger than the girl
Mkhulu kulayo — He is bigger than her
Ngimkhulu kulabafana bonke — 1 am the biggest boy
Ngimkhulu kulabo bonke — 1 am the biggest

In the following examples the use of ‘kakhulu’ is optional:

Inja yami ingagijima (kakhulu) kulenja yakho
My dog can run faster than your dog
Ingagijima (kakhulu) kuleyakho
It can run faster than yours
Ingagijima (kakhulu) kulezinja zonke
It can run the fastest of all
Ingagijima (kakhulu) kulazo zonke
It can run the fastest of all
inkabi ilamandla kulobabhemi
An ox is stronger than a donkey
Kodwa indlovu ilamandla kulezinyamazana zonke
But an elephant is the strongest animal
Ukupha kuhle kulokwamukela
To give is better than to receive
Ukubulala kubi kulokweba
Killing is worse than stealing
Kungcono ukuba sihambe kulokuba sisale
It is better that we go than that we stay
Kungalisiza ukunatha lumuthi kulokuba ligule
It is more helpful for you to drink this medicine rather than be ill

Note: before pronouns, ‘kula-’ may be shortened to ‘ku-/ki-’:

e.g. Ngimkhulu kuye — I’m bigger than him
Yena kamkhulu kimi — He’s not bigger than me
Ngimkhulu kubo/kibo bonke — Tm the biggest

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2 Use of the verb ‘ukwedlula’, to surpass
a) e.g. Ngiyedlula umfana lowo ngobude
I am taller than that boy (I surpass that boy in height)
Kodwa yena uyangedlula ngamandla
But he is stronger than me
Indlovu iyedlula inyamazana zonke ngobukhulu
The elephant is the biggest animal of all
b) Using the infinitive
e.g. Ngimude ukwedlula umfana lowo
I am taller than that boy
Nglyazi umfana omude ukwedlula lowo
I know a boy who is taller than that one
Mude ukwedlula bonke
He is the tallest of all
Isigqoko lesi sihle ukwedlula esakho
This dress is prettier than yours
Sihle ukwedlula zonke
It is the prettiest of all
Ngizathenga isigqoko esihle ukwedlula esakho
I shall buy a prettier dress than yours
Indlovu ilamandla ukwedlula zonke inyamazana
The elephant is the strongest animal
Ihlosi lingagijima ukwedlula zonke
The cheetah is the fastest of all

3 Use of ‘phakathi kwa-’, or a locative noun

e.g. Phakathi kwezinyamazana zonke indlovu ilamandla
The elephant is the strongest animal (amongst all animals the
elephant is strong)
OR Ezinyamazaneni zonke indlovu ilamandla
Phakathi kwabantwana bonke uSipho angagijima kakhulu
Sipho can run the fastest of all the children
OR Ebantwaneni bonke uSipho angagijima kakhulu

4 To express similarity
a) The adverbs ‘njenga’ — like
‘nganga’ — the same size as (pronounce the first
‘ng’ as in ‘finger’)
e.g. Bona hdinjengathi — They are like us
Baziphatha njengat\i\ — They behave like us
Amankazana a/yengabafana na ? — Are girls like boys ?
Kawan/engabafana — They are not like boys
Inja leyo yayi«/e«genja yami — That dog was like my dog
Yayingenyengeyakho ■ — It was not like yours
Bona bmgangathi — They are the same size as us/as big as us
Amankazana kawawga/igabafana — The girls are not the same size
as the boys

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 Inja leyó ya.y\ngangen]3. yami — That dog was the same size as my
dog
Yayinge«ga«geyakho — It was not the same size as yours
b) The verbs: ukufana, ukufanana — to resemble
ukulingana — to equal
All are followed by ‘la-’.
e.g. Umntwana lo ufana loyise — This boy is like his father
Bayafanana — They are alike
Izinto lezi kazifanani — These things are not alike
Lokhu kakufanani lalokho — This is not like that
Indondolo lezi ziyalingana — These sticks are the same size
Lolu lulingana lalolo — This one equals that one
But note this usage:
Isigqoko lesi sizamlingana na? — Will this dress fit her?
c) The use o f the causative form o f the verb
This construction is made by using the causative form of the verb followed
by ‘okwa-’ prefixed to the following noun (or ‘okuka-’ before a singular
noun of the U /0 class).
e.g. She is walking like a duck — Uhambisa okwedada
The boy runs like a hare/The boy runs as well as a hare
Umfana ugijimisa okomvundla
This girl cooks like her mother/This girl cooks as well as her mother
Inkazana le iphekisa okukanina

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Lesson 67
Numbers and adverbs

I NUMBERS

1 Cardinal numbers
a) The numbers you have already learnt (one to ten) form the basis of all
the numbers up to a hundred.
Adjective stems: -nye one
-bili two
-thathu three
-ne four
-hlanu five
Nouns: isithupha (isi), -ntandathu six
isikhombisa (isi), -nonye seven
Relative stems: (isi)- ficaminwembili eight
(isi)-ficamunwemunye nine
Noun: itshumi (ili) ten
To count past ten, add numbers on to ten, using
adjectival stems.
itshumi lanye eleven
itshumi lambili twelve
itshumi lantathu thirteen
itshumi lane fourteen
itshumi lanhlanu fifteen
itshumi lesithupha sixteen
itshumi lesikhombisa seventeen
itshumi lesificaminwembili eighteen
itshumi lesificamunwemunye nineteen
To make twenty, thirty, and so on, multiply ten:
amatshumi amabili twenty
amatshumi amathathu thirty
amatshumi amane forty
amatshumi amahlanu fifty
amatshumi ayisithupha sixty
amatshumi ayisikhombisa seventy
amatshumi ahcaminwembili eighty
amatshumi aficamunwemunye ninety
ikhulu (ili) one hundred
ikhulu lanye one hundred and one
and so on.
e.g. two dogs izinja ezimbili
twelve dogs izinja ezilitshumi lambili
twenty-two dogs izinja ezingamatshumi amabili
lambili
three girls amankazana amathathu

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 thirteen girls amankazana alitshumi lantathu
thirty-three girls amankazana angamatshumi amatha-
thu lantathu
three hundred girls amankazana angamakhulu amatha-
thu
h) Number \: There are three ways of saying‘one’.
(i) -DWA (Lesson 65) is commonly used:
e.g. Nginika iqanda elilodwa — Give me one egg
Ngilabafana abane lenkazana eyodwa — I have four boys and one
girl
Ngizasebenza lapho umnyaka owodwa — I shall work there
one year
(ii) -NYE (Lesson 44) is used where it can mean ‘there is one. . . .
e.g. Iqanda linye eliseleyo — There is one egg left
Ngilabafana abane lenkazana yinye — I have four boys and
there is one girl
Umfana munye ohiezi phakathi kwamankazana — There is one
boy sitting amongst the girls
(iii) -NYE is also used with the subjunctive mood of the verb ‘ukuba’
(to be), when it is a question of taking one from many:
e.g. Khuphaiqandalibelinye — Takeoutoneegg(lit:thatitbeone)
Sizakhetha umuntu abe munye — We shall choose one person
Bafana, ngifuna umfana abe munye ozahamba lami
Boys, I want one boy to go with me
Manini lapho mankazana; ngizabiza inkazana ibenye (ibe inye)
Stand there, girls; I shall call one girl
(The verb ‘ukuba’ will be studied fully in Lesson 69.)
c) ‘One by one’, ‘two by two’.
To express this, use ‘nga’ before the adjective with its concord:
e.g. Umuntu munye — There is one person
Ngenani ngamunye ngamunye — Go in one by one
Imbiza yinye There is one pot
Susa izimbiza nganye nganye (‘i’ is elided) — Remove the pots one
at a time
Inyamazana zimbili — There are two animals
Inyamazana zangena ngazimbili ngazimbili — The animals went
in two by two
OR ngambili ngambili
Amankazana mathathu — There are three girls
Amankazana ahlezi ngamathathu ngamathathu — The girls are
sitting in groups of three
This construction is not normally used with higher numbers.

2 Ordinal numbers
The ordinal numbers are made by using a possessive construction with
the cardinal number.
a) If the number is not a noun, make it one by using the prefix ISI-:
e.g. -bili . . . isibili : umfana wesibili — the second boy
owesibili — the second one

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 umfana wesithathu — the third boy
owesithathu — the third one
umfana wesine — the fourth boy
umfana wesihlanu — the fifth boy
umfana wesithupha — the sixth boy
umfana wesikhombisa — the seventh boy
umfana wesificaminwembili — the eighth boy
umfana wesificamunwemunye — the ninth boy
umfana wetshumi — the tenth boy
indlu yesibili — the second house
eyesibili — the second one
isihlahla sesibili — the second tree
esesibili — the second one
uthango Iwesibili — the second fence
olwesibili — the second one
Note: the prefix UBU- is sometimes used instead of ISI-.

b) First and last

First: use ‘ukuqala’ (the beginning):
e.g. umfana wokuqala — the first boy
indlu yokuqala — the first house
Last: use ‘ukucina’ (the end):
e.g. umfana wokucina — the last boy
indlu yokucina — the last house

c) Firstly, secondly and so on

Use the relative-possessive prefix, ‘okwa-’, thus:
e.g. okwesibili — secondly
okwesithathu — thirdly
okwesine — fourthly
okwesihlanu — fifthly
okwesithupha — sixthly
okwesikhombisa — seventhly
and so on.
kuqala — firstly
ekucineni — lastly

d) First time, second time and so on.

Use a possessive construction with ‘isikhathi’ (time), thus:
e.g. Yisikhathi sami sokuqala sokubona lokhu
It’s the first time I have seen this (Literally: It is my first time o f
seeing this)
Kwakuyisikhathi sakhe sesibili sokuza lapha
It was the second time he came here
Yisikhathi sokuqala sokuba abantwana belatshwe esibhedlela
It’s the first time the children have been treated in hospital
Kwakuyisikhathi sesithathu sokuba uMaNkosi ehluleke ukuya
khona
It was the third time MaNkosi failed to go there

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е) Once, twice and so on.
Prefix ‘ka-’ to the adjective or noun, eliding the initial vowel of the noun
prefix:
e.g. Wamtshaya kangaki? — How many times did you hit him ?
kanye — once
kahili — twice
kathathu — three times
капе — four times
kahlanu — five times
kasithupha — six times
kasikhombisa — seven times
ka/itshumi — ten times (insert the copulative T)
kamatshumi amabili — twenty times
Note:
(i) The use of ‘nga’ with the noun following:
e.g. kanye «^-eviki — once a week
kabili ngomnyaka — twice a year
kathathu ngelanga — three times a day
(ii) Use of the verb ‘-phinda’ (repeat);
e.g. ukudia okuphindwe kabili — twice as much food
OR ukudia okuphindiweyo — twice as much food
abantu abaphindwe kabili — twice as many people
inkomo eziphindwe kathathu — three times as many cattle

3 ‘Both’
A contractioii of the appropriate form of ‘-nke’ (all) combined with
‘-bili’ (two) is used to express ‘both’:
e.g. abantwana bonke — all the children
abantwana babili — there are two children
abantwana bobabili — both the children

TABLE
abantwana bobabili — both children
imizi yomibili — both villages
amankazana womabili •— both girls
izicathulo zombili — both shoes
izintombi zombili — both girls
ubuso bobubili — both faces
ukudia kokubili — both foods
‘-thathu’ is also used in this construction:
e.g. abantwana bobathathu — all three children
imizi yomithathu — all three villages

4 ‘Each’
a) ‘Each’ can sometimes be expressed by the construction shown in Ic
above:
e.g. Ngamunye ngamunye bathatha ingwalo zabo bahamba
Each one took his books and went off

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b) The demonstrative, second position (that) may be used, with a prefix:
e.g. ilowo lalowomuntu — each person (Lit: that and that person)
ilelo lalelojaha — each youth
ileyo laleyonja — each dog
ilolo lalologatsha — each branch
Note: a copulative is commonly used with these:
e.g. yilowo lalowomuntu uzasinceda — Each person will help us
Yileso lalesosihlahla sizaganyulwa — Each tree will be cut down

II ADVERBS

There are a few general remarks to be made about adverbs.

1 ‘Ka’ is an adverbial prefix put before an adjectival stem:

e.g. kade — long ago
kahle — nicely, gently
kakhulu — very much
kancinyane — a little
kanengi — often
kangaki ? — how often ?
kangakanani? — how much?
kangaka — so much
kanye — once; kabili — twice; and so on.
Note: ‘Kanye la-’ also means ‘together with-’
e.g. Ngizasebenza kanye laye — I shall work together with him

2 ‘Ku’ used as an adverbial prefix in these: kuhle — well

kubi — badly

3 A relative stem used adverbially with no prefix:

e.g. Sithwala nzima! — Life is tough! (Lit: We carry hard)
Bahlabela mnandi — They sing sweetly

4 ‘Nga’ is used with nouns, especially verbal nouns (infinitives) to make

adverbs:
e.g. Ngena ngokuthula! — Go in quietly!
Bahleka ngenjabulo — They laughed with joy
Ngithanda isigqoko lesi laleso ngokufananayo — I like this
dress and that one equally

5 ‘Bani’ is an adverb meaning ‘what kind ?’

e.g. Bekuyinyoka bani ? — What kind of snake was it ?
Isigqoko silombala bani ? — What colour is the dress?

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Lesson 68
The copulatives NGU- and YI- (continued)

The copulatives NGU- and YI-, used with nouns and pronouns, were
introduced in Lesson 51, but in this lesson there are details to be filled in.

1 Negative of the copulative with pronouns

In the negative, NGU/YI becomes SU/SI.
a) Negative KA- as prefix
e.g. yimi Kasimi — I am not the one
nguwe Kasuwe — You are not the one
nguye Kasuye — He is not the one
yithi Kasithi — We are not the ones
yiyo (inja) Kasiyo — It (dog) is not the one
yizo (izinja) Kasizo — They (dogs) are not the ones
and so on.
b) Negative KAKU- as prefix
e.g. Kakusimi — I am not the one
Kakusuwe
Kakusuye
Kakusithi
Kakusiyo (inja)
Kakusizo (izinja)
c) Negative KA YI- as prefix
e.g. Kayisimi — I am not the one
Kayisuwe — You are not the one
and so on.
d) Use o f the concord o f the preceding noun
e.g. Inja le kayisiyo — This dog is not the one
Izinja lezi kazisizo — These dogs are not the ones
Ugwalo lolu kalusilo —■ This book is not the one

2 The copulative with nouns and pronouns in past time

a) Use o f the past continuous prefixes
e.g. Ngangiyinduna — I was a chief
Babengabalimi — They were farmers
Negative; Ngangi«gei/nduna — I was not a chief
Babengesibalimi — They were not farmers
b) Where there is no personal subject concord: use the indefinite concord
‘ku-’:
e.g. Bekuyini/Kwakuyini? — What was it?
Bekuyinyoka/Kwakuyinyoka — It was a snake
Bekungamanzi/Kwakungamanzi — It was water
Bekunguye/Kwakunguye — It was him
Bekuyithi/Kwakuyithi — It was us

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Negative: Bekungesinyoka/Kwakungesinyoka — It was not a snake
Bekungesimanzi/Kwakungesimanzi — It was not water
Bekungesuye/Kwakungesuye — It wasn’t him
Bekungesithi/Kwakungesithi — It wasn’t us

3 Pronouns and nouns together

Use of a pronoun as well as a noun emphasises a particular person or
thing:
e.g. Compare: Ngingunesi — I am a nurse
Nginguye unesi owambonayo — I am the nurse you saw
Angisunesi — I am not a nurse
Angisuye unesi owambonayo — la m not the nurse
you saw
Yinja — It’s a dog
Yiyo inja eyamlumayo — It’s the dog which bit him
Kasinja — It’s not a dog
Kasiyo inja eyamlumayo — It’s not the dog which bit
him

4 The copulative with relative or adjectival concords

a) Positive: the copulative used is NGU-
e.g. (inja) Ngenkulu — It’s a big one (dog)
(amaqanda) Ngamakhulu — They are big ones (eggs)
(umntwana) Ngogulayo — It’s the sick one (child)
Possessives which are prefixed by a relative concord:
Umntwana lo ngokabani ? — Whose child is this?
NgokaGasela — He’s Gasela’s
Ngowomfundisi — He’s the minister’s
Ngowami — He’s mine
Inkomo lezi ngezikabani? — To whom do these cattle belong?
NgezikaGasela — They belong to Gasela
Ngezabobaba — They belong to our fathers
Ngezomlimi — They belong to the farmer
Ngezami — They are mine
b) Negative: it is necessary to use a pronoun
e.g. (inja) Kasiyo enkulu — It’s not the big one
(amaqanda) Kasiwo amakhulu — They are not the big ones
(umntwana) Kasuye ogulayo — He’s not the sick one
(umntwana) Kasuye okaGasela — He’s not Gasela’s
Kasuye owomfundisi — He’s not the minister’s
Kasuye owami — He’s not mine
(izinkomo) Kasizo ezikaGasela — They do not belong to Gasela
Kasizo ezomlimi — They do not belong to the farmer
Kasizo ezabobaba — They do not belong to our fathers
Kasizo ezami — They are not mine

5 The copulative with demonstratives and with -PHI (which?)

a) Positive: the copulative used is YI-
e.g. Yiliphi ilembu? Yileli — Which is the cloth? It’s this one

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 Yiziphi inkomo ? Yilezo — Which are the cattle ? Those are the ones
Yiwuphi umthanyelo? Yilo — Which is the broom? It’s this one
Yiwaphi amaqanda? Yilawo — Which are the eggs? Those are the
ones
Yiyiphi inja? Yile — Which is the dog? This is the one
(‘Yiyiphi’ is pronounced ‘yiphi’ with a long vowel sound.)
Note:
(i) Exception: copulative NGU- is used before the third person
singular concord ‘u-’;
e.g, Afguwuphiumfana? — Which is the boy?
(ii) When YI- is used before demonstratives of one syllable, the demon­
strative bears the stress in speech.
e.g. (umfana) Yi/o — It’s this one
(inja) Yi/e — It’s this one
(amaqanda) Yi/a — These are the ones
(iii) One may use the absolute pronoun together with the demonstrative:
e.g. (ilembu) Yilo leli — This is the one
(inkomo) Yizo lezi — These are the ones
(inja) Yiyo leyo — That is the one
(umfana) Nguye lo — This is the one
Yikho lokho — That’s it
b) Negative: use prefix KASI-
e.g. (ilembu) Kasileli — This is not the one
(izinkomo) Kasilezi — These are not the ones
(inja) Kasile — This is not the one
(umfana) Kasilo — This is not the one
OR use the pronoun:
e.g. (ilembu) Kasilo leli — This is not the one
(izinkomo) Kasizo lezi — These are not the ones
(inja) Kasiyo le — This is not the one
(unfana) Kasuye lo — This is not the one

6 SA (still) with copulatives

‘Sa’ (still) becomes ‘se’ before non-verbs,
e.g. UDube uveyisinini sethu — Dube is still our friend
UDube kaieyiso isinini sethu — Dube is no longer our friend
Basengamajaha — They are still youths
Kabaseyiwo amajaha — They are no longer youths
uba uDube engaseyiso isinini sethu — if Dube is no longer our
friend
uma ixhegu lingaseyiyo induna — if the old man is no longer a chief

7 The copulative with names

This deserves a special section as there are several constructions for
naming, but every time the name itself must be prefixed by its copulative.
a) e.g. Ibizo lakhe nguThandiwe — Her name is Thandiwe
b) Using the passive of the verb ‘ukuthi’ (say):
e.g. Umntwana lo uthiwa nguThandiwe — This child is called Thandiwe
Inyoni le ithiwa liwabayi — This bird is called a crow

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c) Using the verb ‘ukubiza’ (call) with ‘ngokuthi’:
e.g. Umntwana lo ubizwa ngokuthi nguThandiwe — This child is called
Thandiwe
Isibhedlela sabizwa ngokuthi yiMpilo — The hospital was called
Mpilo
d) Using two verbs, ‘ukubiza’ and ‘ukuthi’:
e.g. Babiza umntwana bathi nguThandiwe.
e) Using the verb ‘ukutha’ (give a name to) with the verb ‘ukuthi’:
e.g. Bamutha umntwana ibizo bathi nguThandiwe — They named the
child Thandiwe
Sizamutha umntwana ibizo sithi nguSipho — We shall call the child
Sipho

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Lesson 69
The verb ‘ukuba’ (to be)

The verb ‘ukuba’ means ‘to be’ or ‘to become’. Although it is rarely used
in the present or past continuous tenses, it is often used in other tenses and
moods.

Note these three points.

a) Verb ‘ukuba’ used with a noun: the copulative must be prefixed to
the noun:
e.g. Ngizakuba «.gutitshala — 1shall be a teacher
Bazakuba zinduna — They will become chiefs
b) ‘Ukuba’ used with adjectives: the adjective must have its concord:
.e.g.Ngizakuba /««hie — 1 shall be pretty
Amaluba azakuba mahle — The flowers will be pretty
Ukudla kuzakuba kuhle — The food will be good
Intombi izakubanhle (from ‘inhle’) — The girl will be pretty
c) ‘Ukuba’ used with a locative noun: ‘s’is prefixed to the locative:
e.g. Ngizakuba iendlini — I shall be in the hut
kuze kube iemini — until midday

THE TENSES AND MOODS OF ‘UKUBA’

1 Future tense
Positive: Negative:
e.g Bazakuba khona — They will be present; Kabayikuba khona
Bazakuba lomusa — They will be kind; Kabayikuba lamusa
Bazakuba buthakathaka — They will be Kabayikuba
weak; buthakathaka
Bazakuba bakhulu — They will be great; Kabayikuba bakhulu
Bazakuba zinduna — They will become Kabayikuba
chiefs: zinduna
The short form is also used:
e.g. Bazaba khona — They will be present

2 Perfect tense: this is in short form

e.g. Ngibe lamandla — 1 became strong Kangibanga
(recently) lamandla
Ngibe buthakathaka — I became weak; Kangibanga
buthakathaka
Ngibe muhle — 1 became pretty; Kangibanga muhle

3 Past tense
e.g. Ngaba lamandla — I became strong; Kangibanga lamandla
Ngaba muhle — I became pretty; Kangibanga muhle

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 Ngaba khona - ■I was present; Kangibanga khona
Waba yinkosi - He became king; Kabanga yinkosi

4 Past perfect and conditional

e.g. Bengibe lamandla — I had become strong; Bengingabanga
lamandla
Uba bengibe lamandla bengizathwala umthwalo
If I had become strong I would have carried the load
Ngangibe lamandla; Ngangingabanga lamandla
Uba ngangingabanga lamandla ngangizakwehluleka ukuthwala
umthwalo
If I had not become strong I should have failed to carry the load
bengizakuba muhle — I would be pretty; bengingayikuba muhle
Uba bengigqoka isigqoko lesi bengizakuba muhle
If I put on this dress I should be pretty
Ngangizakuba ngudokotela — I would have been a doctor
Ngangingayikuba ngudokotela
Uba ngangibe lethuba ngangizakuba ngudokotela
If I had had the chance I would have become a doctor

5 Imperative:
There is a regular form. Singular: bana
Plural: banini
There is also an irregular form which is commonly used:
Singular: e.g. Woba lomusa, mntwana! — Be kind, child!
Plural: e.g. Wobani lomusa, bantu! — Be kind, people!

6 Potential
e.g. Bangaba khona — They may be present
Isihlahla singaba side — The tree may become tall
Umumu angaba ngumfundisi — A person can be a minister
Singaba lamandla — We can be strong
Umama angaba esaphumula — Mother can still be resting
Bangaba besasebenza — They can go on working

7 Subjunctive
e.g. Babize ukuze babe khona lathi — Call them so that they may be
here with us
Ngizanatha lumuthi ukuze ngibe lamandla — I shall drink this
medicine so that I become strong
Nxa umfana ekhula abe mude — When a boy grows (and becomes)
tall
Negative:
Ngizanatha lumuthi ukuze ngingabi buthakathaka
I shall drink this medicine so that 1 don’t become weak
Quma intambo ukuze ingabinde kakhulu
Cut the string so that it is not too long
Ungabi livila! Don’t be lazy!
Lingabi lalunya, bafana! — Don’t be cruel, boys!

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Note: number one:
As described in Lesson 67, the subjunctive of ‘ukuba’ is used with ‘-nye’
to mean ‘one’ (one out of many):

e.g. Khetha isigqoko sibe sinye — Choose one dress

Ngifuna umfana abe munye — I want one boy
Khupha iqanda libe linye — Take out one egg
Khetha inkazana ibenye (ibe inye) — Choose one girl
(The contraction applies only to nouns of prefix IN-/IM-:
e.g. Inja ibenye; indoda ibenye

8 ‘KA’ (not yet) with ‘ukuba’

Although ‘ukuba’ is not normally used in the present tense, or past
continuous tense, it is found in its negative form, ‘-bi’, when used with
‘KA’ (not yet):
e.g. Isigulane kasikabi lamandla — The patient is not yet strong
Ngalesosikhathi ngangingakabi lamota — At that time I hadn’t
yet got a car
Abantu bebengakabi khona — The people were not yet present
Inja kayikabi nkulu — The dog is not yet big
Angikabi yindoda I am not yet a man

187
Lesson 70
Expressions relating to time

You have already learnt much vocabulary related to time.

For example, the days of the week (Lesson 35); locatives such as
‘ekuseni’ (Lesson 37); the use of ‘nga’ (Lesson 35).
Revise these before going on with this lesson.

1 Use of ‘mhla’
a) ‘Mhla’ is used as a conjunction, meaning ‘on the day when’, or ‘at the
time when’. Like other conjunctions it is followed by the participial
form of verb. It has the peculiarity of causing the suffix ‘-yo’ to be added to
the verb.
e.g. Mhla sisukayo ngizathaba — The day we set out I shall be happy
Mhla ubaba ebuyayo ngizathaba — The day father comes back I’ll
be happy
Mhla ubaba ehambayo ngakhala — The day father went away I
cried
Mhla sifikayo lana — The day we arrived it rained
b) Two possessive constructions
(i) ‘mhla wosuku’
e.g. mhla wosuku (loluyana) ubaba abuya ngalo — that day when
father came back
OR mhla wosuku lokubuya kukababa — that day when father came
back
mhla wosuku (loluyana) esahka ngalo — that day we arrived
OR mhla wosuku lokufika kwethu — that day we arrived
(ii) ‘mhla ka’ (used with dates)
e.g. Sizabuya mhla ka-10 — We shall return on the tenth
emhlanganweni mhla ka-20 June — in the meeting on June 20
c) To express ‘next time' or ‘last time'
‘Next time’
e.g. mhla bebuyayo lapha futhi — the next time they come here
mhla umntwana egulayo futhi —• the next time the child gets sick
‘Last time’ is expressed by using the verb ‘ukucina’ (to cease, stop),
e.g. mhla sicina ukukwenza — the last time we did this
mhla licina ukusibona — the last time you saw us
OR mhla sicina ukubonana — the last time we saw one another
mhla umama ecina ukuya khona wathokoza — the last time
mother went there she was happy

2 To express ‘before’, ‘after’, ‘during’

a) Before
(i) The participial construction with ‘ka’ (not yet):
e.g. u-3 engakatshayi — before 3 o’clock (3 o’clock not yet having struck)
umhla ka-20 engakafiki — before the 20th

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(ii) phambi kwa-:
e.g. ngoMvulo ophambi kwalo odlulileyo ■ - the Monday before last
ngenyanga ephambi kwale edlulileyo - the month before last
b) After
(1) The participial verb:
e.g. u-3 esetshayile — after 3 o’clock (3 o’clock having already struck)
umhla ka-20 esedlulile — after the 20th
(ii) Emva kwa-:
e.g. emva kwensuku ezintathu — after 3 days (in 3 days’ time)
emva kwenyanga eyodwa — after a month (in a month’s time)
(iii) Phambi kwa-, in this construction:
e.g. ngoMvulo ophambi kwalo ozayo — the Monday after next
ngenyanga ephambi kwale ezayo — the month after next
c) During
phakathi kwa-:
e.g. phakathi kweviki — during the week
phakathi kobusuku — during the night

3 To express ‘for such and such’ a period of time

a) Using the noun o f time on its own
e.g. Ngasebenza khona isikhathi eside — I was working (I worked)
there for a long time
Umama wagula insuku ezine — Mother was ill for four days
Umsebenzi lo uzathatha iviki lonke — This work will take the
whole week
b) using the prefix ’okwa’
e.g. Ngasebenza khona okwesikhathi eside — 1 was working there for a
long time
Umama wagula okwensuku ezintathu — Mother was ill for three
days
c) Using the prefix ‘seku-’, which is placed with the noun, and followed
by the participial form of the verb.
e.g. Sekuyisikhathi eside ngisebenza khona
I have been working there for a long time
Sekuzinsuku ezintathu umama egula
Mother has been ill for three days
Sekungumnyaka wonke ngingamboni
I haven’t seen him for a whole year
d) Using ‘la-’
e.g. Selilesikhathi esinganani lilapha? Sileviki ezine silapha.
How long have you been here? We’ve been here four weeks.
Ulezinsuku ezinganani engadli?
How many days has he not been eating?

4 To express ‘ago’
a) Using ‘kade’ or ‘kudala’ to express ‘tong ago’
e.g. Kade ngamtshela ukwenza lokho — I told him to do that long ago
Kudala amaNdebele ayehlala lapha — Long ago the Ndebele
people lived here
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 Wafa kudala — He died long ago
b) Using‘kade' as a verb stem
lihe concords of the past continuons tense are prefixed to it, and the
following verb is in participial form.
e.g. Ayekade amaNdebele ehlala lapha — Long ago the Ndebele people
lived here
Ngangikade ngingumpheki — Long ago I was a cook
c) Using ‘seku- with a noun
e.g. Sekuzinsuku ezine sifikile — We arrived four days ago
Sekuyiminyaka emibili ngatshada — I got married two years ago
Sekuyisikhatshana nje lifike lapha — You got here only a little
while ago

5 To express ‘since’
a) Using ‘seku- with a noun and participial verb
e.g. Sekuyisikhathi eside ngingamboni — It’s a long time since I saw him
Sekuzinsuku ezine sifikile — It’s four days since we arrived
b) Using ‘ukudlula’ (to pass)
e.g. Sekudlule insuku ezine ngingamboni — It’s four days since I saw
him
Sekudlule iminyaka eminengi batshada — Many years have passed
since they got married
c) Using ‘kusukela' {starting from. . .)
(i) Using a perfect tense:
e.g. Kusukela ngoJanuary ngimbone kabili
Since January I have seen him twice
Kusukela ekuqaleni kwenyanga angimbonanga
I haven’t seen him since the beginning of the month
OR Angikamboni — I haven’t yet seen him
OR Angisamboni — I no longer see him
Kusukela ekuseni ungitshaye kabili
Since this morning you have hit me twice
Umntwana ulele kusukela ngo-2
The child has been asleep since 2
Ngisebenze lapha kusukela ngo-1971
I have been working here since 1971
Kusukela esikhathini sokuvuna kangisabambekanga
Since harvest time I have not been busy (I am no longer busy)
Kusukela esikhathini sokutshada kwabo kabathabanga
Since the time of their marriage they have not been happy
(ii) Where the emphasis is on the fact that the action is still going on,
use a present tense :
e.g. Kusukela ekufikeni kwabo bayakhwehlela
Since their arrival they have been coughing
In past time, use a past continuous tense:
Kusukela ekufikeni kwabo babekhwehlela
Since their arrival they had been coughing

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Note: such constructions often use the deficient verb ‘-lokhu’ (still)
(see Lesson 72).
d) jUsing the conjunction 'lokhu'
‘Lokhu’ is a coiyunction meaning ‘since’.
(i) Recent time; use a participial verb in perfect tense after ‘lokhu’:
e.g. Lokhu befikile bayakhwehlela
Since they arrived they have been coughing
Lokhu ugogo edlile uzwa ubuhlungu
Since grandmother ate she has felt pain
(ii) Remote time: a past tense after the conjunction‘lokhu’ requires the
suffix ‘-yo’:
e.g. Lokhu batshadayo kabathabanga
Since they got married they have not been happy
Lokhu batshadayo babengathabi
Since they got married they had not been happy
Lokhu isigqoko leso sadabukayo angisasigqoki
Since that dress got torn I no longer wear it
Lokhu wasigezisayo isigqoko angikasigqoki
Since you washed the dress I haven’t worn it (yet)
Note: in this construction, the concord for the third person is ‘-a’:
e.g. Lokhu uDube afikayo uyasihlupha
Since Dube came he has been troubling us
Lokhu umntwana agulayo uyise kakamboni
Since the child fell ill his father hasn’t seen him (yet)
(iii) Note that ‘lokhu’ can also mean ‘since’ in the sense of ‘because’:
e.g. Lokhu umntwana ekhwehlela kakhulu unina abohlala laye
Since the child is coughing very much his mother must stay with him
Lokhu abantu sebehambile ngiyehluleka ukubatshela
Since the people have gone away I can’t tell them

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Lesson 71
Auxiliary verbs

The term ‘auxiliary’ is used here to refer to the use of certain verbs in
coiyunction with other verbs to give special meanings.

1 Ukuhlala
‘Ukuhlala’ is used with a verb in participial form to express a continual
or recmring state; it may be translated as ‘always’, or ‘keep on. . . ’
e.g. Umkhokheli uhlala egula
The leader is always ill/keeps on getting ill
uba pmkhokheli ehlala egula — if the leader is always ill
Mntwana, uhlala udlala — Child, you are always playing
unmtwana ohlala edlala — a child who is always playing
Abafana bahlala belambile — Boys are always hungry
Wayehlala esihlupha
He was always troubling us/kept on troubling us

2 Ukubuya and ukuphinda

These two verbs are used to express repetition, translated as ‘again’.
They are usually used with ‘futhi’ (again), and the following verb will be
either subjunctive mood or past tense, according to the normal sequence of
tenses.
e.g. Ngizaphinda ngimtshaye futhi — I shall hit him again
Asiphinde sitsho amazwi la — Let us repeat these words
Waphinda waya khona futhi — He went there again
Ngizabuya ngimbone futhi — I shall see him again
Ungabuyi ukwenze lokho futhi — Don’t do that again
Ipja yabuya yamluma futhi — The dog bit him again

3 Ukwanela
‘Ukwanela’ is used with an infinitive, and ‘nje’ (only) to express the
idea of an action taking place immediately after another,
e.g. Nganele ukungena nje izulu laqala ukuna
I had just gone in when it began to rain
Sánele ukudlala nje umfana wawela phansi
Just as we started playing the boy fell down
Udokotela wanela nje ukuthinta inxeba lakhe wakhala
As soon as the doctor touched her wound she cried
Remote time:
Nganela ukungena nje. . .
Sanela ukungena i\je. . .

4 Ukuthi
The verb ‘ukuthi’ is used like a conjunction, translated as ‘when’, some­
times together with ‘nxa’ or ‘lapho’. It is followed by a verb in participial

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mood, and the verb in the main clause will be either subjunctive mood or
past tense:
a) Present:
e.g. Uthi ekhuluma abantwana bonke bahleke
When he speaks all the children laugh
OR Uthi nxa ekhuluma. . .
OR Kuthi (nxa) ekhuluma. . .
Bathi/Kuthi nxa behleka, abaxotshe
When they laugh, he chases them away
b) Future:
e.g. Sizakuthi/Kuzakuthi nxa sesiqedile sihambe
When we have finished we shall go
Uzakuthi/Kuzakuthi nxa usudiniwe, ukhawule
When you are tired, stop
c) Recent past:
e.g. Bathe/Kuthe lapho besakhangela lokho, utitshala wafika
While they were looking at that, the teacher arrived
Uthe/Kuthe lapho esebonile lokho, wathukuthela
When he had seen that, he became angry
d) Remote Past:
e.g. Wathi/Kwathi lapho umntwana esibona wacatsha endlini
When the child saw us, he hid in the hut
Yathi/Kwathi lapho inkazana isithanyele indlu, sangena
When the girl had swept the hut, we went in
e) A locative construction may sometimes be used after ‘ukuthi’:
e.g. Kuthe ekufikeni kwakhe, baqala ukukhala (recent)
When he arrived, they began to cry
Kwathi ekuphumeni kwethu sabona inyoka (remote)
When we came out we saw a snake

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Lesson 72
Deficient verbs

‘Deficient’ is a term applied to a verb stem which is used only in con­

junction with another verb to give a special meaning, and not on its own.
You have already studied ‘se’, meaning now/already (Lesson 57), and
‘be’, used in the recent past continuous tense (Lesson 59) and the future
continuous tense (Lesson 58).
e.g. 5engisebenza — la m working now
fiengisebenza — I was working
NgizaAe ngisebenza — I shall be working

1 ‘-ze’; meaning ‘until’

a) Note that the concord U- (third person singular) becomes A-, before
‘-ze’. The verb which follows ‘-ze’ will be in subjunctive mood or past tense
e.g. Hlala lapha ubaba aze alike
Stay here until father comes
Uzaqhubeka aze aqede umsebenzi
He will continue until he finishes the work
Ngizazitshiya izigqoko phandle zize zome
I shall leave the clothes outside until they are dry
Thela uchago size sigcwale isiganu
Pour in milk until the pail is full
Ngasebenza ngaze ngaqeda umsebenzi
I worked until I finished the job
Bamtshaya waze waqala ukukhala
They hit him until he began to cry
Badla kwaze kwaphela ukudla
They ate until all the food was gone
b) With relatives and adjectives, use the verb ‘ukuba’:
e.g. Thelela lapha umhlabathi uze ube manzi kakhulu
Water here until the ground is very wet
Yesula impahla zendlu zize z/Aenhle
Rub up the furniture until it is beautiful
Salondoloza amankazana aze aba makhulu
We looked after the girls until they were big
c) With adverbs, locatives, and so on, use either ‘ukuba’ or ‘ukufika’:
e.g. Sizahlala lapha kuze kube kusasa
OR . . . kuze kufike kusasa
We shall stay here until tomorrow
kusukela ekuseni kuze kube semini — from morning until midday
OR . . . kuze kufike imini

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 kusukela ngoMvulo kuze kube ngoMgqibelo
from Monday until Saturday
OR . . . kuze kufike uMgqibelo
kusukela lapha kuze kube laphayana — from here to there
kusukela eWankie kuze kube seDett — from Wankie to Dett
kusukela esihlahleni kuze kube sendlini — from the tree to the house
Note: an alternative construction, using the verb ‘ukuya’ in participial
form;
e.g. kusukela lapha kusiya laphayana — from here to there
kusukela eWankie kusiya eE)ett — from Wankie to Dett
kusukela ekuseni kusiya emini — from morning until midday
kusukela ngo-^ kusiya ku-4 — from 2 until 4

2 ‘-ze’ with ‘se’ meaning ‘now at last’

The verb which follows ‘-ze’ used in this way will be in the past tense,
e.g. Sesize safika — We have at last arrived
Sebeze baqeda — They have finished at last
Usuze wambona — You have at last seen him
Induna isize yasuka — The chief has left at last

3 ‘-ze’; in the future, meaning ‘now at last’

The verb which follows will be in the subjunctive mood,
e.g. Ngizaze ngimbone — Now I shall see him/I shall see him at last
Uzaze aqalise — Now at last he will begin
Sizaze sikuncede — Now we shall help you

4 ‘-soze’: a future negative

‘-soze’ is used with negative prefixes, followed by a verb in subjunctive
mood or past tense. It means ‘will not’ or ‘never’, in future time,
e.g. Angisoze ngibuyele lapho — I will not/will never go back there
Kasoze asincede — He will not/will never help us
Kabasoze batshele muntu — They won’t tell anyone
Inja kayisoze yabuya — The dog won’t ever come back
Kasisoze saqeda — We shall never finish

5 ‘-ngeze’: a potential negative

‘-ngeze’ (sometimes ‘-ngaze’) means ‘cannot’ or ‘can never’, and is followed
by a verb in past tense. Note that the past concord ‘wa-’ (third person
singular) is replaced by ‘a-’.
e.g. UMpofu angeze aphumelela — Mpofu cannot succeed
UDube angeze abuyela kibo — Dube can never return to his people
Singeze sadla lokho — We cannot eat that
Ungeze wabuya lapha — You can never come back here

6 ‘-zanga’/‘zange’: a past negative

‘-zanga’/‘-zange’ is used with negative prefixes, followed by a verb in
subjunctive mood. It means ‘have not’ or ‘never’ (over a period of time,
not ‘never in my whole life’),
e.g. UngaphiuMpofu?Angizanga ngimbone
Where’s Mpofu ? I haven’t seen him (meaning, for some time)

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 Ubaba kazanga abuye ekhaya — Father hasn’t been home
Kasizanga sibone inyoka lapha — We have never seen a snake here
Kabazanga batshele muntu — They never told anyone
The past continuous prefixes are used for remote past time:
e.g. Ngangingazanga ngimbone — I hadn’t seen him
Ubaba wayengazanga abuye ekhaya — Father hadn’t been home
Sasingazanga sibone inyoka lapho — We had never seen a snake
there

7 ‘-ze’ with ‘ka’ (not yet): meaning ‘never’

‘-ze’ used with ‘ka’ (not yet) and negative prefixes, is followed by a verb
in subjunctive mood. It means ‘have never’ (not yet ever, never in my life),
e.g. Kangikaze ngiye khona — I have never been there
Kawukaze uhambe ngesitimela — You have never been on a train
Umntwana kakaze abone uyise — The child has never seen his father
Lina elingakaze limthande umntwana
You who have never loved the child
For past time, use the past continuous prefixes:
e.g. Ngangingakaze ngiye khona — I had never been there
Wawungakaze uhambe ngesitimela — You had never gone by train
Unmtwana wayengakaze abone uyise
The child had never seen his father

8 ‘-ze’ with past concords: a past negative

‘-ze’ used with past concords, prefixed by ‘ka’, is followed by a verb
in the past tense. It is a strong negative, used, for example, for a denial,
e.g. Kangaze ngamtshela — I did not tell him
Kawaze wasibona lapho — You did not see us there
Kasaze sahamba laye — We did not go with him
Induna kayaze yatsho lokho — The chief did not say that
Note: the concord for the third person singular:
Umfana kaze athatha imali — The boy did not take the money
Ubaba /coze adakwa — Father did not get drunk

9 ‘-ke’: for occasional action

‘-ke’ is used in different tenses, followed by a verb in subjunctive mood
or the past tense. It means ‘ever’ or ‘once’ or ‘sometimes’,
e.g. Uyake ubone inyoka lapha na? — Do you ever see a snake here?
Siyake sibone inyoka lapha — We sometimes see a snake here
Sizake siye khona na ? — Shall we ever go there ?
Umama uzake aye khona — Mother will sometimes go there
Sebeke baya khona na? — Have they ever been there?
Bake baya khona — They once went there
Wake wabona udadewethu na ? — Did you ever see my sister ?
Ngake ngambona — I once saw her
The negative: ‘-zake'
Note: the meaning ‘have never’ is expressed by using a contraction of
‘-zanga’ (see 6 above) with ‘-ke’ (i.e. '-zake').

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 e.g. Kangizake ngimbone — I have never seen him
Kabazake beze lapha — They have never come here
Kazake akhulume — He has never spoken
Ngangingazake ngimbone — I had never seen him
Babengazake beze lapha — They had never come here
Wayengazake akhulume — He had never spoken

10 ‘-ngeke’: a negative potential

‘-ngeke’ means ‘cannot’ or ‘can never’, and is followed by a verb in
subjunctive mood.
e.g. Singeke siqede lumsebenzi — We cannot finish this job
Lumntwana angeke afunde — This child will never be able to learn
Ungeke uphumelele — You cannot succeed
Abantu bangeke balime — The people will not be able to plough

11 ‘-hie’: for immediate action

‘-hie’ is used only in past time, followed by a verb in the past tense. It
means ‘immediately’ or ‘suddenly’,
e.g. Eseqedile ukukhuluma, wähle wasukuma wahamba
Having finished speaking, he immediately got up and went off
Ngangena endlini ngahle ngabona inyoka
I went into the hut and straightaway saw the snake
Bahle baqala ukukhala — Suddenly they began to cry

12 ‘-be’ with ‘sa’ (still): meaning ‘no longer’, in the past

‘-be’ in this construction is used with past concords, prefixed by ‘ka’.
It is followed by a participial verb with ‘sa’ (still), and means ‘no longer’,
referring to the cessation of a past action,
e.g. Kangabe ngisasebenza laye — I no longer worked with him
Kababe besahamba ngesitimela — They no longer went by train
Intombi kayabe isambona — The girl no longer saw him
Umfana kah^ esahamba laye — The boy no longer went with him
Uyise kabe esamtshaya — His father no longer beat him

13 ‘-zabe’ with ‘sa’ (still): meaning ‘no ionger’, in the past

‘-zabe’ is an alternative to ‘-be’ above,
e.g. Kangazabe ngisasebenza laye — I no longer worked with him
Kabazabe besahamba ngesitimela — They no longer went by train
Intombi kayazabe isambona — The girl no longer saw him
Uyise kazabe esamtshaya — His father no longer beat him

14 ‘-ngebe’ w ith‘sa’ (still): meaning‘can no longer’

‘-ngebe’ is a potential negative form, followed by a participial verb with
‘sa’: it means ‘can no longer’.
e.g. Ngingebe ngisasebenza — I can no longer go on working
Umama angebe esaphumula — Mother can no longer go on resting
Abantwana bangebe besafunda — The children can no longer learn

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15 ‘-ngabe’ with‘sa’ (still): a negative subjunctive
‘-ngabe’ is a negative subjunctive form, followed by a participial verb
with ‘sa’.
e.g. .. .ukuze ngingabe ngisasebenza — .. .so that I may no longer work
. . .ukuze bangabe besalamba — . . .so that they may no longer
hunger
Sifisa ukuba ugogo angabe esasebenza — We hope that grand­
mother will work no longer

16 Mokhu’: meaning ‘stUl/keep on doing’

‘-lokhu’ is followed by a verb in participial mood, and means something
continuous, to be ‘still’ in a certain state, or to ‘keep on’ doing something
within a period of time. For past time, use the past continuous prefixes.
e.g.Abantwana balokhu bekhwehlela — The children are still coughing
Abantwana bebelokhu bekhwehlela ilanga lonke
The children kept on coughing all day
Ngilokhu ngidiniwe — la m still tired
Ngangilokhu ngidiniwe iviki lonke — I stayed tired the whole week
Imota ilokhu ingahambi kuhle — The car is still not going well
Abantwana bebelokhu bengalalanga
The children were still not asleep
Umntwana ulokhu esiwa — The child keeps on falling
Umntwana ubelokhu esiwa lamhla
The child kept on falling today

17 ‘-phose’: meaning‘almost’
The verb which follows ‘-phose’ wiU be a subjunctive mood or a past tense,
e.g. Ngiphose ngizwe — I can almost hear
Umntwana usephose ahambe — The child is almost walking
Sesiphose saqeda — We have almost finished
Usephose wangibulala — He has almost killed me
Ngaphose ngafa — I almost died
Waphose wawa — You almost fell
‘-phosa’ is sometimes used:
Ngaphosa ngafa — I almost died
Waphosa wawa — You almost fell

18 ‘-sanda’: meaning‘have just’

‘-sanda’ is used in the present or past continuous tense followed by an
infinitive.
e.g. Ubaba usanda ukuhamba —;Father has just gone
Inkazana isanda ukuqaleka — The girl has just fainted
Ungaphi umntwana osanda ukuwa? — Where is the child who has
just fallen?
Bengisanda ukufika — I had just arrived
Sasisanda ukutshada — We had just got married

19 ‘Musa’: for a negative command

‘Musa’ is followed by an infinitive, and means ‘do not’, ‘you must not’.
It is used in imperative form: Singular: musa!
Plural: musanil

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 e.g. Musa ukwenza lokhu! — Don’t do this!
Musa ukutshiya impahla lapha — You must not leave things here
Bafana, musani ukutshaya ubabhemi — Boys, you must not beat
the donkey
Musani ukulwa! — Don’t fight!

20 ‘-suke’: meaning ‘simply’

‘-suke’ used with ‘nje’ is followed by a verb in subjunctive mood or past
tense, and is used to express ‘simply’ doing something without cause,
e.g. Usuke nje angitshaye ngingenzanga lutho

21 ‘-vele’: meaning ‘definitely’, ‘certainly’

‘-vele’ is followed by a verb in participial mood, and is used to express the
sense of ‘certainty.’
e.g. Ngivele ngingayi ekhaya — I’m certainly not going home
Uvele ezabuya — He will definitely be coming back
Bavele sebeqedile — They have actually finished
Sivele singafuni ukubuya — We definitely don’t wish to return
Umntwana uvele esehamba — The child is certainly walking now

22 ‘-sake’; meaning ‘must’

‘-sake’ is followed by a verb in subjunctive mood, and is used to express
‘necessity.’
e.g. Sisake sihambe lanxa singaqedanga lokhu
We must be going although we haven’t yet finished this
Ngisake ngidle, ngizaphinda ukukhuluma lawe
I must eat, then I’ll talk with you further
Usake uhambe na?
Must you go?

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Lesson 73
‘SE’ with past continuous and past perfect tenses

I RECENT TIME

1 Past continuous (recent) with ‘se’

a) Combine the form of the verb with ‘se’; the past continuous form
of the verb ‘be’ precedes ‘se’:
Concords beginning with a consonant:
e.g. Bcngisebenza — I was working
iSeng/sebenza — Now I am working
Besengiseheran I was then working
Vowel concords:
e.g. l/ft«sebenza — You were working
t/sMsebenza — Now you are working
UbususehQToz - - You were then working

b) TABLE:

Besengisebenza I was then working

Ubususebenza You were then working
Ubaba ubesesebenza Father was then working
Besesisebenza We were then working
Beselisebenza You were then working
Obaba besebesebenza Our fathers were then working
Umlilo ubusutshisa The fire was then btiming
Imililo ibisitshisa The fires were then burning
Ijaha beselisebenza The youth was then working
Amajaha abesesebenza The youths were then working
Isiphofu besesisebenza The blind man was then working
Iziphofu besezisebenza The blind men were then working
Intombi ibisisebenza The girl was then working
Izintombi besezisebenza The girls were then working
Usane beselukhala The baby was then crying
Insane besezikhala The babies were then crying
Ubunyonyo besebukhwela The ants were then climbing
Ukulwa besekuphela The fighting was then ending
c) Monosyllabic and vowel verbs
Remember to insert the extra ‘si’ or ‘s’ between concord and verb stem:
e.g. Besengir/dla — I was then eating
BesengLjesaba — I was then afraid
Inja ibisLsifa — The dog was then dying
Inja ibisLsenwaya — The dog was then scratching
d) Non-verbs
e.g. Abantu besebekhona The people were then present

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 Besebelamandla — They were then strong
Besebebakhulu — They were then great
Induna ibisikhona — The chief was then present
Ibisilamandia — He was then strong
Ibisinkulu — He was then great
e) Relative form
Prefix the relative 'o’, ‘e’, or ‘a’ to the verb, as shown for the past con­
tinuous tense:
e.g. Umuntu obesesebenza — The person who was then working
Thina ebesesisebenza — We who were then working
Inja ebisisifa — The dog which was then dying
Abantu abesebekhona — The people who were then present

2 The meaning ‘and then..

The past continuous tense (recent) is used with ‘se’ to mean ‘and then’,
when it is the final verb in a sequence of actions in present time,
e.g. Nxa usenza ikhekhe uxuba amafutha letshukela ubusuthela ama-
qanda atshayiweyo phakathi
When you make a cake, you mix the fat and sugar and then you
pour in the beaten eggs
Nxa ugezisa usane uqalisa ngokugezisa ubuso lekhanda, ubusugezisa
umzimba
When you wash a baby, you begin by washing the face and head,
and then you wash the body
Ntambama ngiyathatha amanzi empompini besengibasa umlilo
In the evening I go and get water from the tap and then I light the
fire
Imiganu le ibunjwa ngezandla ibisitshiswa phakathi kwezitofu
ezinkulu
These pots are modelled by hand and then they are burnt in big
ovens
Note: third person singular concord; when used in the above con­
struction, ‘ttbese-’ changes to ‘obese-’:
e.g. Ntambama umama ulalisa umntwana abesephekela ubaba
In the evening mother puts the child to bed and then she cooks for
father
NgoLwesine udokotela ubona izigulane ezinlutshwana lapha,
abesesiya esibhedlela
On Thursday the doctor sees a few patients here and then he goes
to the hospital

3 Past perfect (recent) with ‘se’

a) The combination of ‘se’ with the past perfect is the same as for the
past continuous:
e.g. Besengilambile — I was then hungry
Ubusuhambile — You had already gone
Ubesomile (ubese-omUe) — He was then thirsty
Inja ibisidlile — The dog had already eaten

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 Impahia besezithethwe — The goods had already been taken
Ukudla besekuvuthiwe — The food was already cooked
b) Relative form
e.g. mina ebesengilambile — I who was then hungry
wena obusuhambile — you who had already gone
yena obesomile — he who was then thirsty
inja ebisidlile — the dog which had already eaten
abantu abesebedlile — the people who had already eaten
and so on.

n REMOTE TIME

1 Past continuous (remote) with ‘se’

a) Combine the form of the verb using ‘se’ with the past continuous form
of the verb, thus:
Concords beginning with a consonant:
e.g. Ngangisehexaz. — I was working
S'en^/sebenza — la m now working
Ngasengiseheazz — I was then working
Vowel concords:
e.g. IPaM'ttsebenza — You were working
i/sHsebenza — You are now working
PPawKncsebenza — You were then working

b) TABLE

Ngasengisebenza — I was then working

Wawususebenza — You were then working
Ubaba wayesesebenza — Father was then working
Sasesisebenza
Laselisebenza
Obaba basebesebenza
Umlilo wawusutshisa
Imililo yayisitshisa
Ijaha laselisebenza
Amajaha ayesesebenza
Isiphofu sasesisebenza
Iziphofu zasezisebenza
Intombi yayisisebenza
Izintombi zasezisebenza
Usane Iwaselukhala
Insane zasezikhala
Ubunyonyo basebukhwela
Ukulwa kwasekuphela
c) Monosyllabic and vowel verbs
e.g. Ngasengisidla — I was then eating
Ngasengisesaba — I was then afraid
Inja yayisisifa — The dog was then dying
Inja yayisisenwaya — The dog was then scratching

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d) Non-verbs
e.g. Abantu basebekhona — The people were then present
Induna yayisinkulu — The chief was then great
e) Relative form
e.g. Umuntu owayesesebenza — The person who was then working
Thina esasesisebenza — We who were then working
Abantu abasebekhona — The people who were then present

2 The meaning ‘and then__ ’

The past continuous tense (remote) is used with ‘se’ to mean ‘and then’,
when it is the final verb in a sequence of actions in past time,
e.g. Ngasika izithelo ngasengizifaka embizeni letshukela
I cut up the fruit and then I put it in the pot with sugar
Ibhasi latshaya isihlahla laseligenquka
The bus struck the tree and then fell over
Izinduna zakhulumisana ngezindaba zaseziqala ukunatha utshwala
The chiefs discussed business matters and then they began to drink
beer
Note: the vowel concords; in the above construction, the vowel concords
take this form:
wawusu- becomes: wasu- e.g. wasuhamba — and then you went
wayese- becomes: wase- wasehamba — and then he went
ayese- becomes: ase- amadoda asehamba — and then
the men went
yayisi- becomes: yasi- indoda yasihamba — and then
the man went
e.g. Wasehamba — Then he went away
Amasela afihla impahla ezebiweyo asebaleka
The thieves hid the stolen goods and then ran away
Inja yaqeda ukudla yasilala ubuthongo
The dog finished the food and then went to sleep

3 Past perfect (remote) with ‘se’

a) Combine ‘se’ with the past perfect verb in the same way as with the
past continuous verb:
e.g. Ngasengilambile — I was then hungry
Wawusuhambile — You had already gone
Wayesomile (wayese-omile) — He was then thirsty
Inja yayisidlile — The dog had already eaten
Impahla zasezithethwe — The goods had already been taken
Ukudla kwasekuvuthiwe — The food was already cooked
b) Relative form
e.g. mina cngasengilambile — 1 who was then hungry
wena owawusuhambile — you who had already gone
abantu abasebedlile — the people who had already eaten
inja eyayisidlile — the dog which had already eaten
ukudla okwasekuvuthiwe — the food which was already cooked

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Lesson 74
Ideophones

Ideophones are a most expressive part of the Ndebele language. They are
onomatopaeic words which, by their very sound, convey the sound being
described or intensify the idea being expressed. (Ask an African to read
them to you.)
e.g. Waquma intambo juqu — He slashed through the rope
Wasika ikhabe dazu — He split open the watermelon

Often the verb ‘ukuthi’ is used with an ideophone.

e.g. Waquma intambo yathi juqu — He cut through the rope (and it
said ‘juqu’)
Wasika ikhabe lathi dazu — He cut the watermelon (and it said
‘dazu’)
Study the following examples:
nya: completely finished; use with the verb ‘ukuphela’:
e.g. Ilembu liphelile Oithi) nya — The material is completely used up
du; completely finished; use with the verb ‘ukuqeda’:
e.g. Abantwana baqeda ukudla (kwathi) du
The children finished up every scrap’of food
zwi: silence; use with the verb ‘ukuthula’;
e.g. Kufanele abantwana bathule (bathi) zwi
The children must be absolutely quiet
qha: dryness; use with the verb ‘ukoma’:
e.g Idamu lomile (lithe) qha — The dam is completely dry
bhe: heat; use with the verb ‘ukutshisa’:
e.g Kuyatshisa (kuthi) bhe — It’s extremely hot
qhazu: ripping noise; use with the verb ‘ukudabuka’:
e.g. Isigqoko sami sadabuka (sathi) qhazu — My dress ripped
fohlofohlo: rustling, cracking of twigs:
e.g. Sezwa kusithi fohlofohlo
We heard a rustling (we heard it saying ‘fohlofohlo’)
qoqoqo: a knocking:
e.g. Ngiyezwa kusithi qoqoqo — I hear a knocking (I hear it saying
‘qoqoqo’)
nke: very white
e.g. amalembu amhlophe nke — very white cloths
tshu: very black or dark:
e.g. amayezi amnyama tshu — very black clouds
gebhu: bright red
e.g. isigqoko esibomvu gebhu — a bright red dress
tshoko: bright green
e.g. utshani obuluhlaza tshoko — bright green grass

Ideophones are also important because from many of them verb stems are
formed.

204
 e.g. dazu gives verb stem: -dazuluka — split open
bhe gives verb stem: -bhebha — blaze, bum up
qoqo gives verb stem: -qoqoda — knock

Lesson 75
Denoting sex and diminutives

I DENOTING SEX

In Ndebele sex can be denoted either by a noun>or by the suffix '-kazV.

1 Sex of persons may be denoted by using the nouns:

isilisa — a male
isifazana — a female
These nouns are used in relative form,
e.g. (Umuntu) owesilisa — a male person (‘umuntu’ is usually
omitted)
abesilisa — male persons
(umuntu) owesifazana — female person (‘umuntu’ is usually
omitted)
abesifazana — female persons
abapheki abesilisa — male cooks
udokotela owesifazana — female doctor

2 Sex of animals may be denoted by using the nouns:

induna — a male
insikazi — a female
These two nouns are used as adjectival stems: -duna, -sikazi.
e.g. lunangoye omduna — tom cat attoabhiza amaduna — stallions
ingulube ensikazi — sow ingulube ezinsikazi — sows
For large animals one may also use: inkunzi (bull); inkomokazi (cow),
e.g. inyathi eyinkomokazi — a cow buffalo
indlovu ezizinkunzi — bull elephants

3 Use of suffix ‘-kazi’

This is added to certain nouns to give female sex.
e.g. Inkosi (king): inkosikazi — queen, lady (plural: amakhosikazi)
iiya (dog): injakazi — bitch
imvu (sheep); imvukazi — ewe
Note: two nouns which have a different prefix when ‘-kazi’ is added:
imbuzi: isibhuzikazi (nanny goat); inkukhu: isikhukhukazi (hen)

205
Note: ‘-kazi’ may also denote extra bigness when added to adjective stem
‘-khulu’.
e.g. intaba enknlukazi — a very big mountain
Uyanatha kakhulukazi — He drinks very heavily

II DIMINUTIVES

Normally one expresses the idea of smallness (a diminutive) with an

adjective.
e.g. iiya encinyane OR inja encane — a small dog
ukudla okulutshwana — a little food
Another way of expressing the idea of smallness is to add the suffix '-ana ’
to a noun or a relative/adjective stem,
e.g. inja: injana — a small dog
ukudla: ukudlana — a little food
-hie: -hlana — quite pretty

FORMATION OF THE DIMINUTIVE WITH SUFFIX ‘-ANA’

1 Final vowel of noim ‘a’, ‘e’ or ‘i’ is elided,

e.g. ipja -I- ana: injana — a small dog
ilitshe + ana: ilitshana — a small stone
imbuzi + ana : imbuzana — a small goat

2 Final vowel ‘o’ or ‘u’ becomes ‘w’.

e.g. into + ana: intwana — a small thing
indlu -f ana: indlwana — a small hut
But note after‘w’: indawo: indawana — small place
But note after‘v’: imvu: imvana — a small sheep

3 Consonant changes
a) Palatalisation o f labial consonants
TTiis takes place whatever the final vowel of the noun,
ph becomes: tsh e.g. mhlophe: mhlotshana — whitish
b becomes: tsh impuphu: imputshana — a little mealie meal
intaba: intatshana — a small mountain
ingubo: ingutshana — a small blanket
bh becomes: j igabha: igajana — a small tin
isigubhu: isigujana — a small drum
mb becomes: nj ithambo: ithanjana — a small bone
ilembu: ilenjana — a small cloth
m becomes: ny inkomo: inkonyana — a small beast (cattle)
ingqamu: ingqanyana — a small knife
Exception: -mnyama; -mnyamana — blackish
b) Palatalisation o f dental consonants
IWs takes place whatever the final vowel of the noun. Note that when the
final vowel is ‘o’ or ‘u’, a ‘w’ is used.

206
n becomes: ny e.g. umfana: umfanyana — a small boy
usane: usanyana — a tiny baby
inyoni: inyonyana — a small bird
umganu: umganywana — a small dish
Exception: -fitshane: -fitshazana — rather short
d becomes: j e.g. incwadi: incwtuana — a small book
isigodo: isigojwana — a small pole
ufudu: ufujwana — a small tortoise
nd becomes: i\j iqanda: iqapjana — a small egg
impande: impaqjana — a small root
uphondo: uphoiy wana — a small horn
Exception: indoda: indojelana — a small man
th becomes: tsh e.g. isikhathi: isikhatshana — a short time
umphetho: umphetshwana - a small hem
intuthu: intutshwana - a little smoke
c) 1 becomes: dl e.g. dala: dadlana — rather old
umfiila: lunfiidlana — a small river
umduli: nmdudlana — a small wall
ugwalo: ugwadlwana — a small book
umkulu: umkudlwana — a small kitchen

4 The relative prefix ‘oku-’ placed before a noun is sometimes used as

a diminutive, and the appropriate copulative is used with the noun,
e.g. okuyiqja — a little dog
okungomangoye — little cats
okungabafana — little boys
But: okumangoye — a little cat
OR with the suffix:
okuyiqjana
okungomangoyana
okungabafanyana
The concord will be ‘ku-’:
e.g. Okuyiqja kwaphuma kwaqala ukukhonkotha
A little dog ran out and began to bark
Kwagjjimela kuye okungabafanyana
Some small boys ran to him

207
 General índex
about : nga L.35, p.75
after : (time) L.70, p.l89
again : -buyaj-phinda L.71, p.l92
agent of the passive : L.52, p.l31
ago ; (time) L.70, p.l89
ake : please! L.28, p.60
almost ; -phase L.72, p.l98
already : se L.57, p.l41 to p.l44
L.58, p.146
although : lanxa L.48, p.ll7
always : -Mala L.71, p.l92
-anela : just L.71, p.l92
and ; la L.34, p.71
andubana : before L.49, p.l21
another : -nye L.43, p.98
at : (time) nga L.35, p.75
at last : -ze L.72, p.l95
-a zi: know L.27, p.57
-be : (deficient verb) L.59, p.l48
L.72, p.197
because : ngoba L.48, p.ll7
before : (time) L.56, p.l40
L.70, p.188
belong : L.38, p.84
both : L.67, p.l79
-buya : again L.71, p.l92
by : nga L.35, p.75
by : (agent of passive) L.52, p.l31
can, cannot : L.30, p.65
L.63, p.162
cannot : -ngeke, -ngeze L.72, p.l95
and p.l97
coalescence : L.34, p.71
days of the week : L.35, p.76
during : (time) L.70, p.l89
each : L.67, p.l79
each other : L.64, p.l64 and p.167
ever : -Are L.72, p.l96
every : -nke L.32, p.69
family relationships ; L.4, p.lO
L.39, p.85 L.40, p.88
-fanele : must L.25, p.52
first, second, etc. : L.67, p.l77 and
p.178
208
for : (time) L.70. p.l89
for : (do for) L.64, p.l64 and p.l65
from ; (locative) L.36, p.77
L.37,p.79
from ... to : kusukela L.72, p.l94
and p.l95
funa : lest L.49, p.l21
go and. . . : (command) L.28, p.60
and p.61
have, have not : la L.34, p.72
here is/are : L.20, p.40
-hie : immediately L.72, p.l97
how? : njani? L.8, p.l9 and
L.9, p.20
if : uba L.48, p .ll7
if : (in reported speech) L.50, p.l24
i f : (in a request) L.49, p.l20
immediately : -hie L.72, p.l97
in : (locative) L.36, p.77
L.37, p.79
it is, they are, etc. : L.51, p.l25
just -anela L.71, p.l92
just -sanda L.72, p.l98
ka : not yet L.56, p.l40
L.58, p.146 L.59, p.151
L.60, p.154 L.69, p.187
kade : long ago L.70, p.l89
-kaze : (for strong negative)
L.72, p.196
-Are : ever, sometimes L.72, p.l96
keep on. . . : -lokhu L.72, p.l98
-khona : present L.21, p. 42
kungani? ; why? L.48, p.ll7
lanxa : although L.48, p.ll7
lapho : when L.48, p .ll7
lapho . . . khona : where L.46, p.l 11
L.48, p.l 18
last : (time) L.67, p.l78 L.70, p.l88
let : (subjunctive) L.28, p.59
L/49, p.120
lokhu : since L.70, p .l90
-lokhu : keep on. . . : L.72, p .l98
loba : although L.48, p.l 17
lose : -lahlekelwa L.64, p.l65
-ma : stop L.53, p.l34
may : (subjunctive) L.28, p.59
may (potential) L.30, p.65
mhla : on the day when...
L.70, p.188
mine, etc. ; L.65, p.l71
musa ; must not L.72, p.l98
must, must not : -fanele L.25, p.52
must, must not : bo L.29, p.63
must not : musa L.72, p.l98
my, etc. : L.40, p.87
names : L.4, p .ll
naming : L.68, p.l83
nangu, etc. : L.20, p.40
never ; -soze, -ngeze, -zanga, -kaze,
-ngeke, -zake, L.72, p.l94 to
p.197
next ; (time) L.70, p.l88
ngabe : should L.62, p.l61
nganga : as big as. . . L.66, p.l74
ngaphi? : where? L.9, p.20
-ngeke : cannot L.72, p.l97
-ngeze : carmot L.72, p.l95
-ngoba : because L.48, p .ll7
-ni? : what? L.9, p.20
nini? : when? L.9, p.20
njani? ; how? L.8, p.l9
L.9, p.20
njenga : like L.66, p.l74
no longer : sa L.55, p.l38
L.58, p.146 L.59, p.151
L.60, p.154
not yet ; ka L.56, p.l40
L.58, p.146 L.59, p.l51
L.60, p.154 L.69, p.187
now : se : L.57, p.l41 to p.l44
numbers : L.43, p.96 L.44, p.lOl
L.67, p.176
nxa : when L.48, p.ll7
-nye : other L.43, p.98
-nye : one L.44, p.lOl
L.67, p.176
of : (possessive) L.38, p.83
L.39, p.85
on : (time) L.35, p.75
on : (locative) L.36, p.77
L.37, p.79
once, twice, etc. : L.67, p.l79
one ; -nye L.44, p.lOl
L.67, p.176
one : -dwa L.65, p.l69
one another : L.64, p. 164 and p.l67
one by one : L.67, p.l77
oneself ; L.64, p.l64 and p.l68
other ; -nye L.43, p.98
ought ; -fanele L.25, p.52
ought : bo L.29, p.63
ought : ngabe L.62, p.l61
palatalisation : (locative) L.37, p.81
palatalisation : Q)assive) L.52, p.l30
-phinda : again L. 71, p.l92
-phase ; almost L.72, p.l98
please! : L.28, p.60
requests : L.28, p.60 L.49, p.ll9
sa ; still L.55, p.l38 L.58, p.146
L.59, p.151 L.60, p.154
-sanda : just L.72, p.l98
se : now, then, already,
L.57, p.141 L.58, p.146
L.73, p.200
sequence of tenses : L.23, p.48
L.28, p.60 L.49, p.121
since ; (time) L.70, p.l90
since ; njengoba L.48, p .ll7
simply ; -sake L.72, p.l99
so that ; ukuze, L.49, p .ll9
some : -nye L.43, p.98
sometimes ; -ke L.72, p.l96
-soze : will not/never L.72, p.l95
still : sa L.55, p.l38 L.58, p.146
L.59. p.151 L.60, p.154
still : -lokhu LJ2, p.l98
suddenly : -hie L.72, p.l97
-sake : simply L.72, p.l99
thanking : L.7, p.l6
that : (conjunction) L.49, p .ll9
L.50, p.122
that, those : L.42, p.93
then : se L.57, p.l41 L.58, p.146
L.73, p.200 to 203
there is/are : L.20, p.40
-thi : say L.53, p.l33
-thi ; when L.71, p.l92
this, these, : L.42, p.93
to : (locative) L.36, p.77
L.37, p.79
to : (up to. . .) -ze L.72, p.l94
-tsho : say L.53, p.l33
uba : if L.48, p .ll7
ukuba : (conjunction) L.49, p .ll9
209
ukuthi: (coi\junction) L.49, p .ll9
L.50, p.122
ukuze : (conjunction) L.49, p .ll9
until : -ze L.72, p.l94
up t o . . . : -ze L.72, p.l94
-vele : always L.72, p.l99
weather : (vocabulary) L.13, p.28
what? : -«/? L.9, p.20
what : (relative) L.46, p .lll
when? : nini? L.9, p.20
when : nxa L.48, p .ll7
when : -thi L.71, p.l92
where? : ngaphi? 1^.9, p.20
where : lapho. . . khona L.46, p .lll
L.48, p.118
which? : -phi? L.65, p.l70
which : (relative) L.45, p.l03
L.46, p.107
who? : ubani?Tu.5\, p.l25
210
who : (relative) L.45, p.l03
L.46, p.107
whom : L.46, p.llO
whose : L.46, p .ll l
why? : ku/igani? l^Ai, p.ll7
why? : L.64, p.l65
with : la L.34, p.71
with : t^a L.35, p.75
yet : (not yet) ka L.56, p.l40
L.58, p.146 L.59, p.151
L.60, p.154 L.69, p.187
-za ; come L.53, p.l34
-zabe : (future continuous)
L.58, p.146
-zabe : (future perfect) L.58, p.146
-zanga : have not/never L.72, p.l95
-ze ; until (and other uses)
L.72, p.194 and p.l95
-zwa : hear, feel L.53, p.l34
mmm
HPMI