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

Shona Grammar - How to Use "Have"

Hi Shona learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to use "have" in Shona. We will also talk about some interesting cultural information related to the usage of "have".

Take a moment to explore these relevant pages as you conclude this lesson: Conditional Mood & Indirect Questions.

Basic Usage of "Have"

In Shona, "have" is expressed by the verb "kune". It is used to indicate possession, existence or occurrence of an event.

Here are some examples:

Shona	Pronunciation	English
ndiri nezita	ndiri nā-ze-ta	I have a name
une huchapa hwako	u-ne hū-cha-pa hwā-ko	You have your own knife
tine nzira yakanaka	ti-ne nzira ya-ka-nā-ka	We have a good path
vakaporofita	va-ka-po-rō-fi-ta	They (Prophets) have spoken

In the first example, "kune" is used to indicate possession of a name. In the second example, it indicates possession of a knife. In the third example, it indicates existence of a good path. In the fourth example, it is used to indicate occurrence of an event (prophets speaking).

Compound Tenses using "Have"

"Have" is also used to form compound tenses like present perfect and past perfect.

In Shona, present perfect is formed using the auxiliary verb "kune" together with the present participle of the main verb. For example:

Shona	Pronunciation	English
ndakavhara mugoti	nda-ka-vhā-ra mu-gō-ti	I have opened the gate.
urikunetsa neyunivesiti here?	u-ri-ku-ne-tsa ne-yu-ni-ve-si-ti he-re?	Have you been struggling with university?
tinoona mberi	ti-no-o-na m-bē-ri	We have seen ahead

In the first example, "ndakavhara" means "I opened" and "ndakavhar-a" means "I have opened". In the second example, "rikunetsa" means "you are struggling" and "urikunets-a" means "have you been struggling".

Past perfect is formed by using the auxiliary verb "kune" together with the past participle of the main verb. For example:

Shona	Pronunciation	English
ndakavhara mugoti	nda-ka-vhā-ra mu-gō-ti	I had opened the gate
aive aimire	ai-ve ai-mi-re	He had already arrived
tainzwa mutarire	tai-nz-wa mū-ta-ri-re	We had heard the thunder

In the first example, "ndakavhara" means "I opened" and "ndakavhar-ir-a" means "I had opened". In the second example, "aive aimira" means "he had arrived" and "aive aimir-ir-a" means "he had already arrived".

Cultural Information

It is important to note that in Shona culture, the usage of "have" is not always straightforward. For example, in some cases, it may be considered rude to say "I have something" as it is seen as attention-seeking behaviour. Instead, it is better to say "there is something" or "the thing is here".

Another interesting cultural fact related to "have" is when asking for permission to take something. In Shona, one should not say "can I have that" but rather "can you give me that". This is because "have" is seen as implying ownership, while "give" is seen as implying a request for help.

Dialogue

To further understand how to use "have" in Shona, let's have a dialogue:

• Person 1: Ndiani akutaura? (Who is speaking?)
• Person 2: Ndiri, Tapiwa. Ndine imba.` (It's me, Tapiwa. I have a house.)
• Person 1: Ah, hunhu hwako hwane imba here? (Oh, do you own a house?)
• Person 2: Aaah, ndiri kune imba, saka ndinevano zvinotaura. (Oh no, I have a house, so I have what I am saying.)

Conclusion

In conclusion, "have" is an important verb to master in Shona. It is not only used for possession, but it is also used to form compound tenses. However, it is important to pay attention to the cultural implications of the usage of "have" in Shona as it may differ from other languages. Keep practicing and learning!

➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Impressive work on finishing this lesson! Explore these additional pages to enhance your understanding: How to Use Be & Give your Opinion.

Other Lessons

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

Sources

• Shona language - Wikipedia
• Shona Language - Dialects & Structure - MustGo
• Shona-Textbook.pdf