Language/Xhosa/Grammar/Pronouns-and-Agreement

Xhosa → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Nouns and Pronouns → Pronouns and Agreement

Introduction

Welcome back to our Complete 0 to A1 Xhosa Course. In this lesson, we will be discussing Pronouns and Agreement in Xhosa. Understanding pronouns is essential, especially when it comes to conversations. It allows us to substitute nouns so that we do not have to repeat them over and over again. In Xhosa, pronouns can be classified into different types, and each has a specific agreement with a noun in terms of gender and number.

Xhosa Pronouns

Pronouns in Xhosa, like most languages, are used to replace nouns to avoid repetition. There are different types of pronouns in Xhosa, namely personal pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, relative pronouns, interrogative pronouns, and reflexive pronouns.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns in Xhosa are used to refer to people or things. In Xhosa, as in most Bantu languages, personal pronouns are categorized into different noun classes based on their agreement with the nouns they refer to. Gender is determined by the noun's class, and each class has a unique prefix and agreement with pronouns.

Below is a table that shows the different types of personal pronouns in Xhosa, their respective noun classes, and their agreement in terms of gender and number.

Xhosa	Pronunciation	English
Um	/umu/	He (singular)
Ba	/ba/	They (plural)
Ndi	/ndi/	I
Thina	/thina/	We (plural)
Wena	/we:na/	You (singular)
Nina	/ni:na/	You (plural)

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in Xhosa are used to point out a particular noun. In Xhosa, demonstrative pronouns are classified into two groups: proximal and distal. Proximal demonstrative pronouns refer to something close to the speaker, while distal demonstrative pronouns refer to something far from the speaker.

Below is a table showing the different types of demonstrative pronouns in Xhosa, along with their respective noun classes:

Xhosa	Pronunciation	English
Lo	/lo:/	This/That (singular)
Oo	/ɔ:/	These/Those (plural)

Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns in Xhosa are used to introduce a relative clause, which is a clause that describes a noun or pronoun. There is only one relative pronoun in Xhosa, which is "na". For example:

• The man who came to the party is my friend.
• Umntu na owafika kwiholo uvela kum.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns in Xhosa are used to ask questions. In Xhosa, there are two types of interrogative pronouns: those that ask for information about a person and those that ask for information about a thing.

Below is a table showing the different types of interrogative pronouns in Xhosa, along with their respective noun classes:

Xhosa	Pronunciation	English
Ngubani	/ŋuɓani/	Who (singular)
Abani	/aɓani/	Who (plural)
Ntoni	/ntɔni/	What

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns in Xhosa refer to the object of a verb and are used when the object and the subject are the same. In Xhosa, reflexive pronouns are created by adding the reflexive particle "-self" to the appropriate personal pronoun stem.

Below is a table showing the reflexive pronouns in Xhosa:

Xhosa	Pronunciation	English
Yena iself	/ye:na i:self/	Himself/Herself/Itself
Thina iself	/thi:na i:self/	Ourselves
Nina iself	/ni:na i:self/	Yourselves

Pronoun Agreement

In Xhosa, pronouns agree with the noun they replace in terms of gender and number. Just like in other Bantu languages, nouns are categorized into different classes. Each class has a unique prefix, which is used to form different pronouns in Xhosa.

Below is a table listing the different noun classes in Xhosa, along with their corresponding prefixes:

Noun Class	Prefix	Example
Class 1 (Singular)	Um(u)	Umntu (person), Indoda (man)
Class 2 (Singular)	Aba(ba)	Abafana (boy), Abangane (friend)
Class 3 (Singular)	Il(il)	Ilizwe (country), Ilitye (stone)
Class 4 (Singular)	Im(i)	Imbiza (name), Imfuyo (meat)
Class 5 (Singular)	Is(i)	Isidima (fire), Isambane (fish)
Class 6 (Singular)	Ub(u)	Ubunono (sickness), Ubuhle (beauty)
Class 7 (Singular)	Iz(i)	Izinkomo (cattle), Izwe (land)
Class 8 (Singular)	Iny(in)	Inyathi (buffalo), Inyoni (bird)
Class 9 (Singular)	Ili(li)	Iliba (color), Iliso (eye)
Class 10 (Singular)	Ama(ma)	Amaphoyisa (police), Amagorha (teacher)

Pronoun Agreement with Noun Class

In Xhosa, personal pronouns are categorized into different noun classes based on their agreement with the nouns they refer to. For instance:

• Umntu uya kubona ukho. (He will see you.)
• Abantu bayakubona. (They will see you.)

In the example above, the pronoun "u-" is used for singular noun class 1, and the prefix "ba-" is used for plural noun class 1.

Summary

In summary, pronouns are an essential component of Xhosa grammar. They are used to substitute nouns to avoid repetition. Xhosa pronouns are categorized into different types, including personal pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, relative pronouns, interrogative pronouns, and reflexive pronouns. Each type has a unique agreement with a noun in terms of gender and number, which is determined by the noun's class.

Exercises

Practice makes perfect! Try the following exercises to test your knowledge:

• Replace the following nouns with the correct personal pronoun:

1. Abafundi
2. Ingqondo yam
3. Imvelaphi yakhe

• Fill in the blanks with the correct demonstrative pronoun:

1. ____ iladi. (This is a table.)
2. ____ amanzi. (Those are the waters.)

Conclusion

Congratulations on completing this lesson on Xhosa Pronouns and Agreement! You have learned about the different types of pronouns in Xhosa, how to use them, and how they agree with nouns in terms of gender and number. Practice regularly to master this concept, and remember that repetition is key to language learning. In the next lesson, we will discuss <a href="/wiki/en/Xhosa_Grammar_%E2%86%92_Numbers_and_Time_%E2%86%92_Telling_Time">Telling Time in Xhosa</a>.

Table of Contents - Xhosa Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Introduction to Xhosa

• Pronunciation and Alphabet
• Basic Sentence Structure

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Greetings and Introductions

• Formal and Informal Greetings
• Common Courtesy Phrases

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Nouns and Pronouns

• Noun Classes
• Pronouns and Agreement

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Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-10
• Telling Time

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Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense
• Future Tense

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Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationship Status

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Questions and Negation

• Forming Questions
• Negation

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Food and Dining

• Common Foods
• Eating and Drinking

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Xhosa Culture and Traditions

• Xhosa People and History
• Traditional Customs and Celebrations

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Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Phrases

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Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjective Agreement
• Adverbs

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Weather and Seasons

• Weather Vocabulary
• Seasons

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Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Prepositions
• Conjunctions

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Hobbies and Interests

• Sports and Activities
• Arts and Entertainment

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Xhosa Music and Literature

• Traditional Music and Instruments
• Xhosa Literature and Poetry

Other Lessons

• Negation
• Basic Sentence Structure
• Conjunctions
• Forming Questions
• Adjective Agreement
• Prepositions
• Plurals
• Conditional Mood
• Future Tense
• Past Tense