Language/Southern-sotho/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be

Southern Sotho Grammar - How to Use "Be"

Hi Southern Sotho learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to use the verb "be" in Southern Sotho. We will look at the different forms of the verb and how to use them in sentences.

Introduction

The verb "be" is one of the most important verbs in any language. In Southern Sotho, it is used to express existence, identity, location, and other states of being. It is also used to form the passive voice. In this lesson, we will look at the different forms of the verb "be" and how to use them in sentences.

Forms of the Verb "Be"

The verb "be" has three forms in Southern Sotho:

• Ke (present tense)
• Ba (past tense)
• Ka (future tense)

Present Tense

The present tense of the verb "be" is ke. It is used to express existence, identity, location, and other states of being in the present.

Southern Sotho	Pronunciation	English Translation
Ke nna	ke n-na	I am
Ke mme	ke mm-e	We are
Ke tona	ke t-ona	You are (singular)
Ke banna	ke b-anna	You are (plural)
Ke oona	ke o-ona	They are

Here are some examples of how to use the present tense of the verb "be" in sentences:

• Person 1: Ke nna lebokose. (I am a teacher.)
• Person 2: Ke tona lebokose. (You are a teacher.)
• Person 3: Ke banna lebokose. (You all are teachers.)
• Person 4: Ke oona lebokose. (They are teachers.)

Past Tense

The past tense of the verb "be" is ba. It is used to express existence, identity, location, and other states of being in the past.

Southern Sotho	Pronunciation	English Translation
Ba nna	ba n-na	I was
Ba mme	ba mm-e	We were
Ba tona	ba t-ona	You were (singular)
Ba banna	ba b-anna	You were (plural)
Ba oona	ba o-ona	They were

Here are some examples of how to use the past tense of the verb "be" in sentences:

• Person 1: Ba nna lebokose. (I was a teacher.)
• Person 2: Ba tona lebokose. (You were a teacher.)
• Person 3: Ba banna lebokose. (You all were teachers.)
• Person 4: Ba oona lebokose. (They were teachers.)

Future Tense

The future tense of the verb "be" is ka. It is used to express existence, identity, location, and other states of being in the future.

Southern Sotho	Pronunciation	English Translation
Ka nna	ka n-na	I will be
Ka mme	ka mm-e	We will be
Ka tona	ka t-ona	You will be (singular)
Ka banna	ka b-anna	You will be (plural)
Ka oona	ka o-ona	They will be

Here are some examples of how to use the future tense of the verb "be" in sentences:

• Person 1: Ka nna lebokose. (I will be a teacher.)
• Person 2: Ka tona lebokose. (You will be a teacher.)
• Person 3: Ka banna lebokose. (You all will be teachers.)
• Person 4: Ka oona lebokose. (They will be teachers.)

Conclusion

In this lesson, we have learned how to use the verb "be" in Southern Sotho. We have looked at the different forms of the verb and how to use them in sentences. To improve your Southern Sotho Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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

Related Lessons

• Pronouns
• Plurals
• Conditional Mood
• Adjectives
• Questions
• Future Tense
• Negation