Admin: Protected "Verbs - present tense" [edit=sysop:move=sysop]

2009-03-20T18:51:50Z

Protected "Verbs - present tense" [edit=sysop:move=sysop]

Jacob at 19:23, 31 May 2007

2007-05-31T19:23:52Z

Jacob: New page: Verbs in Setswana (and most Bantu languages) are almost always accompanied by a subject marker (except in the imperative/command form). ===Basic Subject Markers=== We have already seen th...

2007-05-17T20:26:22Z

New page: Verbs in Setswana (and most Bantu languages) are almost always accompanied by a subject marker (except in the imperative/command form). ===Basic Subject Markers=== We have already seen th...

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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).

===Basic Subject Markers===
We have already seen the subject markers
{| style="color:green;background-color:#ffffcc;" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" border="1"
| ke || I (1st person)
|-
| o || you (2nd person)
|-
| o* || he/she (3rd person)
|-
| re || we
|-
| le** || you (plural)
|-
| ba || them
|}
.*in the negative, this becomes "a"<br>
.**in some dialects, marker "lo" is used instead of "le"<br>
These are the subject markers for people, there are many other markers for nouns which belong to other classes - see later in [[noun classes]]

===Present Tense (Short Form)===
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)

{| style="color:green;background-color:#ffffcc;" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" border="1"
| ke bidiwa Paul || I am called Paul
|-
| o bidiwa Ntathi || she is called Ntathi (or you are called Ntathi)
|-
| monna o ja apole || the man (he) is eating an apple
|-
| re ithutha Setswana || we are learning Setswana
|-
| ke bao ko lelapeng || I am returning home
|}

===Present Tense (long form)===
If there are no words following the verb, then an extra "a" marker must be added before the verb (called the "long form marker")

{| style="color:green;background-color:#ffffcc;" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" border="1"
| re a ithuta || we are learning
|-
| basadi ba a ja || the women (they) are eating
|-
| ke a kwala || I am writing
|-
| ke a bao jaanong || I am returning now *
|}
.* the verb still takes the long form even though followed by "jaanong". More strictly the long form applies if the verb is "questionable" (eg "I am returning now" is questionable - where are you returning? but "I am returning home" is not)

===Present Tense (negative)===
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.
{| style="color:green;background-color:#ffffcc;" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" border="1"
| monna o ja apole || monna ga a je apole* || the man (he) is not eating an apple
|-
| re ithutha Setswana || ga re ithuthe Setswana || we are not learning Setswana
|-
| re a ithuta || ga re ithute || we are not learning
|-
| basadi ba a ja || basadi ga ba je || the women (they) are not eating
|-
| ke a kwala || ga ke kwale || I am not writing
|}
.* Note "o" subject marker changes to "a" in negative form

===Verb "to be"===
There is no direct equivalent of the verb "to be" in Setswana. The marker "ke" is used to express identity, but in other situations the normal subject marker is used.
{| style="color:green;background-color:#ffffcc;" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" border="1"
| Jane ke moruti || Jane is a teacher
|-
| Jane o montle || Jane is beautiful
|}
This will become clearer with use

===Negative of verb "to be"===
The marker "se" is used as the negative of "ke"
{| style="color:green;background-color:#ffffcc;" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" border="1"
| Jane ga se moruti || Jane is not a teacher
|-
| Jane ga o montle || Jane is not beautiful
|}

===Verb "to have"===
The words "na le" are used for possession, and also for association (think of it as being "to be with")
{| style="color:green;background-color:#ffffcc;" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" border="1"
| ke na le koloi || I have a car
|-
| Jane o na le bana || Jane has children
|-
| Mary o na le Pitso || Mary is with Pitso
|-
| Go na le batho mo ofising || There are people in the office (literally "to be with people in the office")
|}
"Go" is the subject marker for infinitives (see later in [[noun classes]])

===Negative of "to have"===
In the negative form as well as adding the negative article "ga", the "le" dissapears

{| style="color:green;background-color:#ffffcc;" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" border="1"
| ke na le koloi || ga ke na koloi || I don't have a car
|-
| Jane o na le bana || Jane ga a na bana || Jane hasn't any children
|-
| Mary o na le Pitso || Mary ga a na Pitso || Mary isn't with Pitso
|-
| Go na le batho mo ofising || Ga go na batho mo ofising || There aren't any people in the office
|}

===Vocabulary - Verbs ===
{| style="color:black;background-color:#ffcc99;" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" border="1"
| bereka || work
|-
| rata || like/love
|-
| ithuta || learn
|-
| tshwara || catch
|-
| thusa || help
|-
| bina || dance
|-
| opela || sing
|-
| nwa || drink
|-
| taga || intoxicate
|-
| utswa || steal
|-
| batla || want/need
|-
| sia || run away
|-
| bela || boil/brew
|-
| tsoga || wake up
|-
| tlhola || spend the day
|-
| robala || sleep
|-
| sala || stay
|}

===Vocabulary - Nouns ===
{| style="color:black;background-color:#ffcc99;" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" border="1"
| mosadi || basadi || woman
|-
| mosetsana || basetsana || girl
|-
| motswana || batswana || Botswana national
|-
| moithuti || baithuti || trainees/learners
|-
| lepodisi || x || police officer
|-
| x || masole || soldier
|-
| sefofu || x || blind person
|-
| x || digole || disabled person
|-
| kgomo || x || cow
|-
| lonao || x || foot
|-
| bojalwa || x || beer/alcoholic beverage
|-
| mabele || x || sorghum
|-
| setswana || x || language of Batswana
|-
| legodu || x || thief
|-
| metsi || x || water
|-
| madi || x || money/blood
|}

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:23, 31 May 2007
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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).

← Older revision	Revision as of 18:51, 20 March 2009
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Verbs - present tense - Revision history

Admin: Protected "Verbs - present tense" [edit=sysop:move=sysop]

Jacob at 19:23, 31 May 2007

Jacob: New page: Verbs in Setswana (and most Bantu languages) are almost always accompanied by a subject marker (except in the imperative/command form). ===Basic Subject Markers=== We have already seen th...