Verbs - past tense

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Aim - to talk about the past.

The perfect tense is most commonly used for events in the past, including events which may not have yet finished happening.

Verbs in the perfect tense change their ending.
  • The commonest past tense ending is -a is replaced by -ile
present perfect meaning
bua buile speak
reka rekile buy
ithuta ithutile learn
kopa kopile ask for
tla tlile/tsile come

Some irregular forms exist:

present perfect meaning
apaya apeile cook
kwala kwadile write
ja jele eat/eaten
nwa nole drink/drunk
itse itsile know/knew
ya ile go/went


  • Another common endings is -tse
present perfect meaning
robala robetse
tsisa tsitse
betsa beditse beat
akanya akantse think


  • but some verbs are irregular and must be learnt
present perfect meaning
gana ganne
kopana kopanye
apara apere


Examples

ke feditse I have finished / I finished
ke itumetse I am happy (I have become happy)
re ile ko Gauteng We went to Jo'burg
o jele eng? what did you eat ?

Vocabulary - Verbs

present perfect meaning
ja jele eat/eaten
nwa nole drink/drunk
itse itsile know/knew
ya ile go/went
tlhapa tlhapile wash (clothes)
apaya apeile cook
kwala kwadile write
bua buile speak
ithuta ithutile learn
bala badile read
tsamaya tsamaile leave
tsisa tsisitse bring
isa isitse take (eg someone to school)
reka rekile buy
betsa beditse beat
kopa kopile ask for
batla batlile want/look for
akanya akantse think
tla tlile/tsile come