Language/Shona/Grammar/Negation

Shona Grammar - Negation

Hi Shona learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about negation in Shona. Negation is the opposite of affirmation, meaning to say "no" or to deny something. It is an essential part of Shona grammar that you need to understand to express yourself correctly in everyday conversations. Let's get started!

Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: Learn about Gender in Shona Grammar, Adjectives and Adverbs, Conditional Mood & Pronouns.

Negation particles

In Shona, negation is expressed by using particles that are placed before the verb. The most common negation particles are "ha-" and "si-".

"Ha-" is used to negate present and future tense verbs, while "si-" is used to negate past tense verbs.

Examples

Shona	English	Affirmative	Negative
Ndinofara.	I am happy.	Ndi(no)-, -no-, -fa-, -ra.	Handifari(no), -no-, -fa-, -ra.
Utakhala pano.	You will cry here.	U-, -ta-, -khala, -pa-, -no.	Hatutakhale(no), -no-, -khala, -pa-, -no.
Taitenderera.	We listened.	Ta-, -i-, -ten-, -dera.	Sitaitenderi(no), -no-, -ten-, -dera.

Double Negation

In Shona, Double Negation is possible. This happens when two negation particles are used in a sentence. This is grammatically correct in Shona but redundant in English.

Examples

Shona	English
Handifari.	I'm not happy.
Handinoziva.	I don't know.
Handichadi.	I don't want.
Haana kupa mari.	He/She didn't give me money.
Hatirozhari.	We're not worrying.

Word order

In Shona, the word order of the sentence is subject, verb, object (SVO) whether affirmative or negative.

Examples

Affirmative:

• Mainini (subject) aenda (verb) kumusha (object). - Aunt went to the village.
• Simba (subject) akamubata (verb) musikana (object). - Simba caught a girl.

Negative:

• Mainini (subject) haendi (verb) kumusha (object). - Aunt does not go to the village.
• Simba (subject) sakamubati (verb) musikana (object). - Simba did not catch a girl.

Dialogue

• Person 1: Ndakange ndafunga kuti toda kuchengeta gotsi yakakomana.
• Person 2: Hapana, handisi kutsigira zvakanaka.
• Person 1: Zvino haudzokere panonetsa.
• Person 2: Senge ndinoona drama muchini mangu.

• Person 1: Ndakuda kudya sadza nehuku yakanaka.
• Person 2: Kukwirana. Handikude,i huku. Let’s go eat sadza yeMacimbi.
• Person 1: Handina mari kuenda pakarepo.
• Person 2: Sisi, handidi kuvhuririra mana. Enda unoshopera pamusana apo, tomuona Mari kuti akazoti anotipa.

Cultural Tips

- In Shona culture people often use double negatives for emphasis. - In Shona culture, it is important to greet people and ask how they are doing before proceeding to major topics. - Elders in Shona culture are treated with respect, and you should use "Mudhara/Muroora" to address them.

To improve your Shona Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• Shona Grammar | LEARN101.ORG
• Shona-Textbook.pdf

• Shona Grammar wikipedia
• Zimbabwe wikipedia

Other Lessons

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