Difference between revisions of "Language/Lingala/Grammar/Verb-to-be"

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In Lingala, the verb "to be" is often represented as "za(li)". The verb can be used in conjunction with various pronouns to form sentences. The 'li' verb ending is often omitted in daily conversations.


Here's a table of pronouns with their corresponding forms for the verb "to be":


*I > Ngai/na: I am strong > Naza(li) makasi
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|Pronoun || Verb "To Be" (stem form)
|-
|I (Ngai) || na
|-
|You (Yo) || o
|-
|He/she (Ye) || a
|-
|It || e
|-
|We (Biso) || to
|-
|You (plural, Bino) || bo
|-
|They (Bango) || ba
|}
 
Here are some examples using the verb "to be" with various pronouns:
 
I am strong > Ngai > Naza(li) makasi
 
You are short > Yo > Oza(li) mukuse
 
He/she is here > Ye > Aza(li) awa
 
It is good > Eza(li) malamu
 
We are young > Biso > Toza(li) bilenge
 
You are far (plural) > Bino > Boza(li) musika


*You > Yo/o: You are short > Oza(li) mukuse
They are nice > Bango > Baza(li) kitoko


*He/she > Ye/a: He/she is here > Aza(li) awa


*It > ~/e: It is good > Eza(li) malamu
Examples without the 'li' verb ending:


*We > biso/to: We are young > Toza(li) bilenge
I am a man > Ngai > Naza mobali (instead of 'Nazali')


*You > bino/bo: You are far > Boza(li) musika
She is a woman > Ye > Aza mwasi (instead of 'Azali')


*They > bango/ba: They are nice > Baza(li) kitoko


Here are some more examples of how the verb "to be" can be used in Lingala:


We use the steem forms of pronouns with the verb.
The food is hot > Eza(li) moto ya mabele


E.g: 'I' is 'ngai', but we say Nazali for 'I am'
We are happy > Toza(li) na elengi


So, we have :
You are busy > Oza(li) na mbanga


{| class="wikitable" style="border:5px double #ff7f50; font: normal 13px/150% Times New Roman, Times, serif;"
They are tired > Baza(li) na nkembo
|-
 
|I || na (steem form)
He is my friend > Aza(li) mokonzi na ngai
|-
 
|You || o (steem form)
It is cold outside > Eza(li) mikolo ya libulu
|-
|He/she || a (steem form)
|-
|It || e ( steem form)
|-
|We || to (steem form)
|-
|You || bo (steem form)
|-
|They || ba (steem form)
|}


Note: the 'li' verb ending is often omitted in daily talks.
She is a doctor > Aza(li) dokoteli


Here are some examples
You are my teacher > Oza(li) mokonzi na ngai
*I am a man > naza mobali (instead of 'nazali')


*She is a woman > Aza mwasi (instead of 'azali')


It's important to note that the verb "to be" can be omitted in Lingala when it's clear from the context of the sentence. For example, instead of saying "I am happy," you could simply say "na elengi" (which means "I happy") to convey the same meaning. This is a common feature in many African languages, including Lingala.


==Other Lessons==
==Other Lessons==

Latest revision as of 21:52, 27 March 2023

Verb to be in Lingala (simple present)
Lingala-Language-PolyglotClub.png

In Lingala, the verb "to be" is often represented as "za(li)". The verb can be used in conjunction with various pronouns to form sentences. The 'li' verb ending is often omitted in daily conversations.

Here's a table of pronouns with their corresponding forms for the verb "to be":

Pronoun Verb "To Be" (stem form)
I (Ngai) na
You (Yo) o
He/she (Ye) a
It e
We (Biso) to
You (plural, Bino) bo
They (Bango) ba

Here are some examples using the verb "to be" with various pronouns:

I am strong > Ngai > Naza(li) makasi

You are short > Yo > Oza(li) mukuse

He/she is here > Ye > Aza(li) awa

It is good > Eza(li) malamu

We are young > Biso > Toza(li) bilenge

You are far (plural) > Bino > Boza(li) musika

They are nice > Bango > Baza(li) kitoko


Examples without the 'li' verb ending:

I am a man > Ngai > Naza mobali (instead of 'Nazali')

She is a woman > Ye > Aza mwasi (instead of 'Azali')


Here are some more examples of how the verb "to be" can be used in Lingala:

The food is hot > Eza(li) moto ya mabele

We are happy > Toza(li) na elengi

You are busy > Oza(li) na mbanga

They are tired > Baza(li) na nkembo

He is my friend > Aza(li) mokonzi na ngai

It is cold outside > Eza(li) mikolo ya libulu

She is a doctor > Aza(li) dokoteli

You are my teacher > Oza(li) mokonzi na ngai


It's important to note that the verb "to be" can be omitted in Lingala when it's clear from the context of the sentence. For example, instead of saying "I am happy," you could simply say "na elengi" (which means "I happy") to convey the same meaning. This is a common feature in many African languages, including Lingala.

Other Lessons[edit | edit source]

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