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Chapter 3
Owa dja peni?
| Zach: Wa uhala po nawa Meme?Saima: |
Saima: Ehee. Wa uhala po Tate? |
| Zach: Ehee. Oshi li ngaipi? |
Saima: Oshi li nawa. Edina loye olye? |
| Zach: Edina lange oZach. Edina loye olye? |
Saima: Edina lange oSaima.Zach, owa dja peni? |
| Zach: Onda dja koAmerika |
Saima: O.K… Oto ningi shike moNamibia? |
| Zach: Ame omulongi ouliyambi. |
Saima: Oto ka longa shike apa? |
| Zach: Ohandi ka longa omwaalu, oshiingilisa, nounongononi. |
Saima: Oto ka kala mo efimbo li fike peni? |
| Zach: Ohandi ka kala mo eedula mbali. |
Saima: Eewa. Oshi liwete nale, kaume. |
| Zach: Eewa. Kala po nawa.Saima: |
Saima: Eewa. |
Grammar Corner: Verbs
In English, verbs change to agree with the subject of the sentence. For
example, I run, but he runs. In Oshikwanyama, verbs are made to agree
with their subjects by the use of a linking word. These linking words
are called subject concords. For example, between ame (I) and li (eat),
we must put the first-person subject concord, ohandi: Ame
ohandi li.
There are two sets of subject concords, one for the so-called “active
verbs” and one for the “stative verbs”. In addition,
there are different subject concords for positive and negative statements:
ame ohandi nu (I am drinking) versus ame itandi
nu (I am not drinking).
The negative subject concords are listed below their positive counterparts
in the following tables.
Subject Concords for Active Verbs
| Person |
Past |
Present |
Future |
Ame ........+
|
Onda |
Ohandi / Ohai |
Ohandi ka |
|
..........-
|
Inandi |
Itandi |
Itandi ka |
| Ove ........+ |
Owa |
Oto |
Oto ka |
|
.......–
|
Ino |
Ito |
Ito ka |
| Ye ..........+ |
Okwa |
Ota |
Ye Ota ka |
| ................– |
Ina |
Ita |
Ita ka |
| Fye......... + |
Otwa |
Ohatu |
Ohatu ka |
| ................– |
Inatu |
Itatu |
Itatu ka |
| Nye......... + |
Omwa |
Otamu |
Otamu ka |
| .................– |
Inamu |
Itamu |
Itamu ka |
| Vo ...........+ |
Ova |
Otaa / Otava |
Otaa ka / Otava ka |
| .................– |
Inaa / Inava |
Itaa / Itava |
Itaa ka / Itava ka |
Subject Concords for Stative Verbs
| Person |
Past |
Present |
Future |
| Ame + |
Onda li ndi |
Ondi |
Ohandi ka kala ndi |
| – |
Kanda li ndi |
Kandi / Nghi |
Itandi ka kala ndi |
| Ove + |
Owa li u |
Ou |
Ove Oto ka kala u |
| – |
Kwa li u |
Ku |
Ito ka kala u |
| Ye + |
Okwa li e |
Oku |
Ye Ota ka kala e |
| – |
Ka li e |
Ke |
Ita ka kala e |
| Fye + |
Otwa li tu |
Otu |
Ohatu ka kala tu |
| – |
Katwa li tu |
Katu |
Itatu ka kala tu |
| Nye + |
Omwa li mu |
Omu |
Otamu ka kala mu |
| – |
Kamwa li mu |
Kamu |
Itamu ka kala mu |
| Vo + |
Ova li ve |
Ove |
Otava ka kala ye |
| – |
Kava li ve |
Kave |
Itava ka kala ve |
Common Active Verbs
| English |
Past |
Present |
Future |
| Eat |
lya |
li |
lya |
| Drink |
nwa |
nu |
nwa |
| Work / Teach |
longa |
longo |
longa |
| Study / Learn |
lilonga |
lilongo |
lilonga |
| Sleep |
kofa |
kofa |
kofa |
| Go |
ya |
i |
ya |
| Look |
tala |
tale |
tala |
Common Stative Verbs
| English |
Past |
Present |
Future |
| See |
* |
wete |
* |
| Be |
li |
li |
li |
| Love / Like |
hole |
hole |
hole |
| Have |
na |
na |
na |
| Know |
** |
shi |
** |
| Feel / Hear |
*** |
udite |
*** |
| Understand |
*** |
udite ko |
*** |
* The past and future tenses of “see” are
expressed with the active verb mona.
** The past and future tenses of “know” are expressed with
the active verb shiiva.
*** The past and future tenses of “feel / understand” are
expressed with the active verb, uda / uda ko.
To form a sentence with an active verb, put the proper subject concord
in front of the verb you want. Since the subject concords are different
for each person, it is not necessary to state the subject (ame, ove,
etc.). For example:
| I am eating |
(I, present tense, active verbs) + (eating, present tense) |
| |
Ohandi + li |
| |
Ohandi li |
| I ate |
Onda lya |
| I ate meat |
Onda lya ombelela |
| I am not working |
Itandi longo |
| He is speaking Oshikwanyama |
Ota popi Oshikwanyama |
| We will go tomorrow |
Ohatu ka ya mongula |
| |
|
| It is the same with the stative verbs: |
I like traditional porridge! |
Ondi hole oshifima! |
| Do you have a pen |
Ou na opena? |
| I do not know Afrikaans. |
Kandi shi shii Oshimbulu. |
You might have noticed a few patterns in the subject concords:
• For active verbs, the future is
just the present concord + ka.
• For active verbs, the negative present concords are the same as the
positive concords, but with the first O changed to an I.
There are a number of other patterns to the charts. Naming them all is
left as an exercise for the reader.
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