Language/Kinyarwanda/Grammar/Past-Tense

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Kinyarwanda → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Verbs and Tenses → Past Tense

In this lesson, you will learn how to conjugate regular verbs in the past tense and some common irregular verbs in Kinyarwanda. The past tense is used to indicate actions that have already happened in the past, and it is an essential aspect of Kinyarwanda grammar. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use different forms of verbs in the past tense with ease.

Regular Verbs in the Past Tense

Regular verbs in the past tense end with the suffix "-yitse." The suffix is added to the verb's root, which is the base form of the verb. Depending on the noun class, the vowels in the root may change. The following table shows how to conjugate the verb "gufasha" (to help) in the past tense.

Kinyarwanda	Pronunciation	English
nagiye gufasha	naɡijɛ ɡufaʃa	I helped
yagiye gufasha	jaɡijɛ ɡufaʃa	He/She helped
yagiye gufasha	jaɡijɛ ɡufaʃa	They helped (group with mixed genders)
yagiye gufasha	jaɡijɛ ɡufaʃa	They helped (group with the same gender)

As you can see from the table above, the verb "gufasha" changes based on the subject's noun class. The verb's root, "fasha," has the vowel "a" in it, which changes to "i" before the suffix "-yitse." The subject's noun class determines the first letter of the prefix before the verb root.

Here are some examples of regular verbs in the past tense:

• Kuvuga (to speak)
  • Nafigiye kuvuga (I spoke)
  • Yagiye gusobanurira (He/She explained)
• Guhura (to arrive)
  • Tugendaga mu byumba (We were arriving at the house)
  • Yamaze kuhura (He/She had already arrived)

Common Irregular Verbs in the Past Tense

Some common verbs in Kinyarwanda do not follow the regular pattern of adding "-yitse" to the root. Here are some examples of the most common irregular verbs in the past tense:

• Kuba (to be)
  • Nagendaga muri Kenya (I was in Kenya)
  • Yaravuze iby'iyi si (He/She said these things)
• Gufata (to take)
  • Nagufataga iby'isi (I took these things)
  • Yafataga umwete (He/She took the knife)
• Gusoma (to read)
  • Nagusomaga icya mbere (I read the first thing)
  • Yasomaga uruhinja (He/She read a book)

As you can see, these verbs change drastically in the past tense, and there is no specific pattern to follow. Therefore, it is essential to memorize them to use them correctly in a sentence.

Negation in the Past Tense

In the past tense, negation is formed by adding the word "nta" before the subject's prefix and "n" at the end of the verb's root. Here are some examples:

• Ntayanagiye gusoma (I did not read)
• Ntayaravuze (He/She did not say)
• Ntariyafite ababyeyi (He/She did not have parents)

Time Expressions in the Past Tense

Time expressions are used to indicate when an action happened in the past. Here are some common time expressions used in the past tense:

• Nuko (then)
  • Nuko nagendaga muri Kenya (I was in Kenya then)
  • Nuko yaliboneye (He/She had already seen it then)
• Ero (yesterday)
  • Ero nabonye umwana (Yesterday I saw a child)
  • Ero yarabyaye gutangira iby'iyi si (Yesterday he/she woke up early to start these things)
• Uyu munsi (today)
  • Uyu munsi nagiye kwiga (Today I went to school)
  • Uyu munsi yari agiye kwiga (Today he/she was going to school)

Practice

Now, let's practice what you have learned so far. Conjugate the following verbs in the past tense:

• Gukora (to work)
• Kwandika (to write)
• Guhinga (to build)
• Kugenda (to walk)

Answers:

• Nagukoraga (I worked)
• Yakwandikaga (He/She wrote)
• Yaguhingaga (He/She built)
• Tugendaga (We walked)

Congratulations, you now know how to conjugate regular and irregular verbs in the past tense in Kinyarwanda. Keep practicing to improve your skills and build fluency in the language.

Table of Contents - Kinyarwanda Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Noun Classes
• Personal Pronouns

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-10
• Telling Time

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Describing Relationships

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Describing Nouns
• Describing Verbs

  ---

Food and Drink

• Common Foods
• Eating and Drinking

  ---

Questions and Negation

• Asking Questions
• Negating Sentences

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Asking for Directions

  ---

Rwandan Customs and Traditions

• Traditional Celebrations
• Rwandan Etiquette

Other Lessons

• Adjectives
• Asking Questions
• Negation
• How to Use Have
• Describing Nouns
• Conditional Mood
• Pronouns
• Negating Sentences
• Present Tense

Sources

• Trainee Kinyarwanda Book Table of Contents
• 10.) The Verb: To Be, To Have, To Want - Learning Kinyarwanda
• Kinyarwanda - Wikipedia

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