Language/Rundi/Grammar/How-to-Use-Have

Rundi Grammar - How to Use "Have"

Hi Rundi learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to use "have" in Rundi. "Have" is a very important verb, and by learning how to use it properly, you can greatly expand your vocabulary and ability to express yourself in Rundi. We will look at its proper use in present, past and future tenses. And don't forget to practice with a native speaker, so visit Polyglot Club, find native speakers and ask them any questions about Rundi Grammar! 😊

Present Tense: Using "Have" to Express Possession

The verb "have" in Rundi is "nii". It is used to express possession or ownership of something (or someone). It is usually followed by the possessive particle "ya". Let's take an example:

Rundi	Pronunciation	English
Ndi nii ya moto	ndì níí yà móto	I have a car
Wewe nii ya umugore	wéwè níí yà umugóro	You have a wife
Yeye nii ya amazi	yéyé níí yà amázi	He/She has water
Turi nii ya ibintu	túrì níí yà ibíntú	We have things
Muri nii ya amaraso	mùrì níí yà amaràso	You all have soup
Bari nii ya imyaka	bàrì níí yà imyáka	They have years

Note that "ya" means "of" in Rundi, so the literal translation of "Ndi nii ya moto" is "I have of car" (which is grammatically correct in Rundi).

Present Continuous Tense: Using "Have" to Express an Ongoing Action

To express an ongoing action in the present continuous tense, we use the following structure:

Subject + nii + words ending with "-a" (which act as a present continuous marker) + object (optional)

Here are some examples:

Rundi	Pronunciation	English
Ndi nii ndagira	ndì níí ndágìrá	I am having lunch
Wewe nii umugabo anga ari muri kitchen	wéwè níí umugábo ángá árì múrí kítchéñ	You (male) are having a conversation in the kitchen
Yeye nii avuga naba	yéyé níí àvùgá nábà	He/She is talking to me
Turi nii twarahiwe	túrì níí twàràhìwè	We are being had (this might sound strange in English, but in Rundi it means that we are being tricked or cheated)
Muri nii amahirwe	mùrì níí àmàhìrwè	You all are being had
Bari nii bahora bari bavuze	bàrì níí bàhórà bàrì bàvùzé	They are having a meeting and they are talking

Past Tense: Using "Have" to Express a Completed Action in the Past

To express a completed action in the past tense, we use the following structure:

Subject + nii + -ri + object

Here are some examples:

Rundi	Pronunciation	English
Ndi nii yari mu rugo	ndì níí yàrì mú rúgo	I had been at home
Wewe nii yari kwambara	wéwè níí yàrì kwàmbàrà	You (male) had worn a hat
Yeye nii yari kamwe	yéyé níí yàrì kàmwè	He/She had eaten a mango
Turi nii yari kuva muri gare	túrì níí yàrì kùvá mùrì gárè	We had come from a journey
Muri nii yari kwitaba	mùrì níí yàrì kwìtába	You all had slept
Bari nii yari bigeze	bàrì níí yàrì bígezè	They had arrived

Note that the suffix "-ri" changes according to the tense and the subject.

Future Tense: Using "Have" to Express a Future Action

To express a future action, we use the following structure:

Subject + niko + nii + object

Here are some examples:

Rundi	Pronunciation	English
Ndi niko ndi nii ya jyana	ndì níkò ndì níí yà jyàna	I will have a book
Wewe niko wewe nii ni muri iri jambo	wéwè níkò wéwè níí nì múrì ìrì jàmbó	You (male) will have an appointment tomorrow
Yeye niko yeye nii ni muri jenoside	yéyé níkò yéyé níí nì múrì jenósìdè	He/She will have participated in the genocide
Turi niko turi nii gushaka amafaranga	túrì níkò túrì níí gùshàká àmàfàràngá	We will be looking for money
Muri niko muri nii muri muntu	mùrì níkò mùrì níí múrì múntú	You all will have someone
Bari niko bari nii bari babaho	bàrì níkò bàrì níí bàrì bàbàhò	They will have succeeded

Dialogue: Using "Have" to Express Possession

Here's an example dialogue between two people, using "have" to express possession:

• Person 1: Wewe nii ya ibijumba? (wéwè níí yà ìbíjùmbà?) - Do you have money?
• Person 2: Oya, ndi nii ya ibijumba. (óyá, ndì níí yà ìbíjùmbà) - Yes, I have money.

Conclusion

Using "have" in Rundi is not so complicated, and once you understand the basic structure, you can use it in many different contexts. However, as with any language, practice makes perfect! Don't forget to visit Polyglot Club, find native speakers and ask them any questions you may have about Rundi Grammar. Keep up the good work! 😊

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➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Excellent job on conquering this lesson! Consider delving into these related pages: Conditional Mood & Pronouns.

Other Lessons

• Plurals
• Conditional Mood
• Adjectives
• Negation
• Pronouns
• Gender
• How to Use Be
• Questions
• Give your Opinion

Sources

• Rundi Grammar - How to Use "Be"
• Kirundi - Wikipedia
• Rundi Grammar - Gender