Language/Lingala/Grammar/Verb-to-be

Verb to be in Lingala (simple present)

In Lingala, the verb "to be" is often represented as "za(li)". The verb can be used in conjunction with various pronouns to form sentences. The 'li' verb ending is often omitted in daily conversations.

Here's a table of pronouns with their corresponding forms for the verb "to be":

Pronoun	Verb "To Be" (stem form)
I (Ngai)	na
You (Yo)	o
He/she (Ye)	a
It	e
We (Biso)	to
You (plural, Bino)	bo
They (Bango)	ba

Here are some examples using the verb "to be" with various pronouns:

I am strong > Ngai > Naza(li) makasi

You are short > Yo > Oza(li) mukuse

He/she is here > Ye > Aza(li) awa

It is good > Eza(li) malamu

We are young > Biso > Toza(li) bilenge

You are far (plural) > Bino > Boza(li) musika

They are nice > Bango > Baza(li) kitoko

Examples without the 'li' verb ending:

I am a man > Ngai > Naza mobali (instead of 'Nazali')

She is a woman > Ye > Aza mwasi (instead of 'Azali')

Here are some more examples of how the verb "to be" can be used in Lingala:

The food is hot > Eza(li) moto ya mabele

We are happy > Toza(li) na elengi

You are busy > Oza(li) na mbanga

They are tired > Baza(li) na nkembo

He is my friend > Aza(li) mokonzi na ngai

It is cold outside > Eza(li) mikolo ya libulu

She is a doctor > Aza(li) dokoteli

You are my teacher > Oza(li) mokonzi na ngai

It's important to note that the verb "to be" can be omitted in Lingala when it's clear from the context of the sentence. For example, instead of saying "I am happy," you could simply say "na elengi" (which means "I happy") to convey the same meaning. This is a common feature in many African languages, including Lingala.

Other Lessons

• The Past Tense To Be
• Prepositions
• Past progressive tense
• The present tense To be
• Irregular verbs – kolia – to eat
• Gender
• The First 10 Verbs
• The first 10 words
• Irregular verbs – koya – to come
• Personal pronouns