Language/Tswana/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be
Hi Tswana learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to use the verb "be" in Tswana grammar. This is a very important verb and is used in different contexts. We will provide examples that illustrate the usage of "be" in different contexts. Through these examples, you will be able to understand how "be" is used in Tswana. 📚
After mastering this lesson, these related pages might interest you: Gender & Conditional Mood.
Basic Grammar[edit | edit source]
The verb "be" is an essential verb in Tswana. The word "be" in Tswana is "ke." The word "ke" is used to describe the state of something or someone.
In Tswana, the verb "be" is a prefix. The prefix changes according to the subject of the sentence. This means that for each subject, a different verb prefix is used. Let's take the example of the word "I." In Tswana, the word "I" is "ke." Therefore, to say "I am" in Tswana, we use the verb prefix "ke."
Here are the verb prefixes for "be" in Tswana:
| Subject | Verb prefix | Example sentence | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I (ke) | ke- | Ke nna motswana. (I am a Motswana.) | You (singular) | o- | O ne a tlhoka. (You are hungry.) | He/She/It | e- | E re ke tla o ya. (He says I will take you.) | We (inclusive) | re- | Re tsena gae. (We are at home.) | We (exclusive) | ba- | Ba tsweletse mo setlhareng. (They left their shoes in the closet.) | You (plural) | le- | Le tswetse bogobe. (You finished eating.) | They | ba- | Ba tlhoka banna. (They need men.) |
Present Tense[edit | edit source]
In Tswana, the present tense of “be” is expressed by using the verb prefix and adding "-a." Here are some examples of this tense:
| Tswana | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Kea tlhoka | ke-a tlʰoka | I am hungry |
| O a tlhoka | o-a tlʰoka | You (singular) are hungry |
| E a tlhoka | e-a tlʰoka | He/She/It is hungry |
| Rea tshaba | re-a tʃhɑba | We are happy |
| Ba a tlhokang | ba-a tlʰokaŋ | They are hungry |
Here is an example dialogue in the present tense:
- Person 1: Kea tlhoka. (I am hungry)
- Person 2: O a tlhoka? (Are you hungry?)
- Person 1: Ee, kea tlhoka. (Yes, I am hungry.)
Past Tense[edit | edit source]
To express the past tense of "be" in Tswana, we use the verb prefix and add "-ile." Here are some examples:
| Tswana | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ke tlhokile | ke tlʰokile | I was hungry |
| O tlhokile | o tlʰokile | You (singular) were hungry |
| E tlhokile | e tlʰokile | He/She/It was hungry |
| Re tshabatile | re tʃhɑbatile | We were happy |
| Ba tlhokileng | ba tlʰokilɛŋ | They were hungry |
Here is an example dialogue in the past tense:
- Person 1: Ke tlhokile. (I was hungry.)
- Person 2: O tswa kae? (Where were you?)
- Person 1: Ke tlhokile gae. (I was hungry at home.)
Future Tense[edit | edit source]
To express the future tense of "be" in Tswana, we use the verb prefix and add "-tla." Here are some examples:
| Tswana | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ke tla tlhoka | ke tla tlʰoka | I will be hungry |
| O tla tlhoka | o tla tlʰoka | You (singular) will be hungry |
| E tla tlhoka | e tla tlʰoka | He/She/It will be hungry |
| Re tla tshaba | re tla tʃhɑba | We will be happy |
| Ba tla tlhoka | ba tla tlʰoka | They will be hungry |
Here is an example dialogue in the future tense:
- Person 1: Ke tla tlhoka. (I will be hungry.)
- Person 2: O tla fetoga kae? (Where will you go?)
- Person 1: Ke tla fetoga kwa gae. (I will go home.)
Present Continuous Tense[edit | edit source]
To express the present continuous tense of "be" in Tswana, we use the verb prefix and add "-gona." Here are some examples:
| Tswana | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ke nna ke tlhokagantsho | ke nna ke tlʰokaga:ntsʰo | I am currently hungry |
| O a tlhokagantsho | o a tlʰokaga:ntsʰo | You (singular) are currently hungry |
| E e tlhokagantsho | e e tlʰokaga:ntsʰo | He/She/It is currently hungry |
| Re nna re tshabagantsho | re nna re tʃhɑbaga:ntsʰo | We are currently happy |
| Ba ba tlhokagantsho | ba ba tlʰokaga:ntsʰo | They are currently hungry |
Here is an example dialogue in the present continuous tense:
- Person 1: Ke nna ke tlhokagantsho. (I am currently hungry.)
- Person 2: O ka bua jang? (What are you doing?)
- Person 1: Ke nna ke itshoka. (I am watching TV.)
Summary[edit | edit source]
In this lesson, we learned about the verb "be" in Tswana grammar. We provided examples that illustrated how "be" is used in different tenses. Remember that using "be" in Tswana depends on the subject of the sentence, and the verb prefix changes accordingly.
To improve your Tswana Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!
➡ 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. 😎
Videos[edit | edit source]
Setswana lessons : Tswana language lesson on how to use him ...[edit | edit source]
Setswana Lessons : How to use the conjunction ' And ' in the ...[edit | edit source]
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
Sources[edit | edit source]