Verbs - past tense

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