Language/Tswana/Grammar/Pronouns
Hi Tswana learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about pronouns in Tswana grammar. Pronouns are words that replace nouns or noun phrases in a sentence. They are essential to make our speech more concise and cohesive.
Pronouns
Tswana has nine personal pronouns, which, unlike English, are gender-neutral. Below is a table with the personal pronouns in Tswana, their pronunciation, and English translations.
| Tswana | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ke | /ke/ | I |
| O | /o/ | You (singular) |
| O | /o/ | He/She/It |
| Re | /rɛ/ | We |
| Le | /lɛ/ | You (plural) |
| Ba | /ba/ | They (animate) |
| Bo | /bɔ/ | They (inanimate) |
| Mo | /mo/ | Him/Her/It (animate) |
| Lo | /lɔ/ | It (inanimate) |
Subject Pronouns
Subject pronouns are used before the verb and indicate who is performing the action. Let's see some examples:
- Ke tla go bona. (/ke t͡ɬa go bo.na/) - I will see you.
- O tla bona. (/o t͡ɬa bo.na/) - You will see.
- E tla bona. (/ɛ t͡ɬa bo.na/) - He/She/It will see.
- Re tla bona. (/rɛ t͡ɬa bo.na/) - We will see.
- Le tla bona. (/lɛ t͡ɬa bo.na/) - You (plural) will see.
- Ba tla bona. (/ba t͡ɬa bo.na/) - They (animate) will see.
- Bo tla bona. (/bɔ t͡ɬa bo.na/) - They (inanimate) will see.
- Mo tla bona. (/mo t͡ɬa bo.na/) - Him/Her/It (animate) will see.
- Lo tla bona. (/lo t͡ɬa bo.na/) - It (inanimate) will see.
It is important to note that Tswana has both singular and plural "you". "O" is used for singular "you", while "Le" is used for multiple people.
Object Pronouns
Object pronouns are used after the verb and indicate who is receiving the action. Let's see some examples:
- Ke tla go bona. (/ke t͡ɬa go bo.na/) - I will see you.
- Ke tla bona yena. (/ke t͡ɬa bo.na jɛna/) - I will see him/her/it.
- Ke tla bona bone. (/ke t͡ɬa bo.na bɔnɛ/) - I will see them.
In Tswana, object pronouns are usually placed after the verb, but can also be placed at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis.
- Yena ke a mo bona. (/jɛna ke a mo bo.na/) - It is him that I will see.
- Bone re ba bona. (/bɔnɛ rɛ ba bo.na/) - It is them that we will see.
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns indicate that something belongs to someone. Let's see some examples:
- Ke tla go bona. (/ke t͡ɬa go bo.na/) - I will see you.
- Ke go bona. (/ke go bo.na/) - I will see yours.
- Ke ya go bona. (/ke ja go bo.na/) - I am seeing yours.
In the above example, "go" means "yours". We can also use "me" and "we" to express mine and ours, respectively. Let's see some examples:
- Ke ya me bonang. (/ke ja mɛ bo.naŋ/) - I see mine.
- Re ya rona bonang. (/rɛ ja rɔ.na bo.naŋ/)- We see ours.
Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of the sentence. In Tswana, reflexive pronouns are formed by adding "mo" to the beginning of the pronoun. Let's see some examples:
- Ke mo bona. (/ke mo bo.na/) - I see myself.
- O mo bona. (/o mo bo.na/) - You see yourself.
- E mo bona. (/ɛ mo bo.na/) - He/She/It sees itself.
- Re mo bona. (/rɛ mo bo.na/) - We see ourselves.
- Le mo bona. (/lɛ mo bo.na/) - You (plural) see yourselves.
- Ba mo bona. (/ba mo bo.na/) - They (animate) see themselves.
- Bo mo bona. (/bɔ mo bo.na/) - They (inanimate) see themselves.
Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns are used to point out specific people or things. Tswana has two demonstrative pronouns: "yo" and "eo", which mean "this" and "that", respectively. Let's see some examples:
- Yo ke go bona. (/jo ke go bo.na/) - This is what I see.
- Eo o bile a re file. (/ɛɔ ɔ bile a rɛ fi.lɛ/) - That is what he/she said.
Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. In Tswana, the interrogative pronoun is "ke mang", which means "who".
- Ke mang o tla bona? (/ke maŋ o t͡ɬa bo.na/) - Who will you see?
Dialogue
Here is a dialogue to see the pronouns in context:
- Person 1: Ke tla go bona. (/ke t͡ɬa go bo.na/) (I will see you)
- Person 2: Ke tla bona yena. (/ke t͡ɬa bo.na jɛna/) (I will see him/her/it)
- Person 1: Yena ke a mo bona (/jɛna ke a mo bo.na/) (It is him that I will see)
- Person 2: Ke ya go bona. (/ke ja go bo.na/) (I am seeing yours)
Conclusion
Congratulations, you have reached the end of this lesson on pronouns in Tswana grammar. Keep up with your studies, and remember that practice makes perfect. To improve your Tswana Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!
Sources
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