Difference between revisions of "Verbs – present tense"

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Verbs in Setswana (and most Bantu languages) are almost always accompanied by a subject marker (except in the imperative/command form).
 
Verbs in Setswana (and most Bantu languages) are almost always accompanied by a subject marker (except in the imperative/command form).
  
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===Basic Subject Markers===
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[[verbs - present tense]]
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{| style="color:green;background-color:#ffffcc;" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" border="1"
 
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| ke || me (1st person) 
 
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| o ||  you (2nd person)
 
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| o* ||  he/she (3rd person)
 
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| re || us
 
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| le** ||  you (plural)
 
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| ba || them
 
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|}
 
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.*in the negative, this becomes "a"
 
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.**in some dialects, marker "lo" is used instead of "le"
 
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These are the subject markers for people, there are many other markers for nouns which belong to other classes - see later in [[noun classes]]
 
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===Present Tense (Short Form)===
 
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In this form, the present tense is simply made by adding the subject marker and the verb. However, this can only be used when there is a word following the verb (otherwise you use the "long form" see below)
 
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{| style="color:green;background-color:#ffffcc;" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" border="1"
 
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| ke bidiwa Paul || I am called Paul 
 
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| o bidiwa Ntathi ||  she is called Ntathi (or you are called Ntathi)
 
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| monna o ja apole || the man (he) is eating an apple
 
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| re ithutha Setswana  || we are learning Setswana
 
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|}
 
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===Present Tense (long form)===
 
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If there are no words following the verb, then an extra "a" marker must be added before the verb (called the "long form marker")
 
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{| style="color:green;background-color:#ffffcc;" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" border="1"
 
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| re a ithuta || we are learning
 
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| basadi ba a ja ||  the women (they) are eating
 
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| ke a kwala  || I am writing
 
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|}
 
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===Present Tense (negative)===
 
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To form the negative, the negative article "ga" comes before the subject marker, and the end of the verb changes from "a" to "e". The long form marker "a" disappears.
 
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{| style="color:green;background-color:#ffffcc;" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" border="1"
 
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| monna o ja apole || monna ga a je apole* || the man (he) is not eating an apple
 
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| re ithutha Setswana  || ga re ithuthe Setswana || we are not learning Setswana
 
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| re a ithuta ||  ga re ithute || we are not learning
 
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| basadi ba a ja ||  basadi ga ba je || the women (they) are not eating
 
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| ke a kwala || ga ke kwale || I am not writing
 
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|}
 
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.* Note "o" subject marker changes to "a" in negative form
 
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===Verb "to have"===
 
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The words "na le" are used for possession, and also for association (think of it as being "to be with")
 
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{| style="color:green;background-color:#ffffcc;" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" border="1"
 
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| ke na le koloi || I have a car
 
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| Jane o na le bana ||  Jane has children
 
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| Mary o na le Pitso || Mary is with Pitso
 
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| Go na le batho mo ofising || There are people in the office (literally "the place is with people in the office")
 
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|}
 
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"Go" is the subject marker for places (see later in [[noun classes]])
 
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===Negative of "to have"===
 
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In the negative form as well as adding the negative article "ga", the "le" dissapears
 
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{| style="color:green;background-color:#ffffcc;" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" border="1"
 
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| ke na le koloi || ga ke na koloi || I don't have a car
 
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| Jane o na le bana || Jane ga a na bana ||  Jane hasn't any children
 
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| Mary o na le Pitso || Mary ga a na Pitso || Mary isn't with Pitso
 
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| Go na le batho mo ofising || Ga go na batho mo ofising || There aren't any people in the office
 
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|}
 
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===Vocabulary - Verbs ===
 
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{| style="color:black;background-color:#ffcc99;" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" border="1"
 
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| NOTEDITED ||  dumelang || Hello/Good Morning/Afternoon
 
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| tsoga || tsogile || wake/woke up
 
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| tlhola || tlhotse  || spend/spent the day
 
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| robala || robetse  || sleep/slept
 
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| sala ||  -  || stay
 
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Latest revision as of 13:29, 17 May 2007

Verbs in Setswana (and most Bantu languages) are almost always accompanied by a subject marker (except in the imperative/command form).

verbs - present tense

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