Language/Lingala/Grammar/Plural-forms

Plural forms – Learn the Lingala Language

Unlike English, where the plural form of most words is indicated with a final ‘s’, the plural form in Lingala most commonly involves a change at the beginning of the word. For the most part, there are four main prefixes that denote more than one of something – ma-, mi-, ba- and bi. And for the most part, which prefix is used depends on the first two letters of the singular form of the word. So, for words beginning with ‘mo-’ like motukah (car), the plural form usually starts with ‘mi-’, or in this case, mitukah (cars). Similarly, for words beginning with a double consonant, like ndeke (bird), the plural form almost always begins with ‘ba-’, in this case bandeke (birds).

Although the system doesn’t apply for absolutely every singular to plural conversion, a rule of thumb for the majority of the common word groups is that for words beginning with:

• li-, the plural form usually begins with ma- or mi
• mo-, the plural form usually begins with mi- or ba
• ma-, the plural form usually begins with ba
• mu-, the plural form usually begins with mi
• ni-, the plural form usually begins with ba
• e-, the plural form usually begins with bi
• double consonants – nd-, ng-, mw-, etc. – the plural form usually begins with ba

Source

https://lobalingala.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/23042014-loba-lingala.pdf

Related Lessons

• Past progressive tense
• Irregular verbs – kolia – to eat
• Subject pronouns
• Time adverbs
• Negation
• Create your first simple sentences in the affirmative
• POSSESSIVES
• Irregular verbs – koya – to come
• Verb to be
• The Past Tense To Be
• Present Tense
• The subjunctive
• Conjugation To Have
• Present progressive tense