Language/Bambara/Grammar/Negation

Bambara Grammar - Negation

Hi Bambara learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about negation in Bambara Grammar. Learning how to express negation is crucial in any language, and Bambara is no exception! Learning how to negate words or sentences will allow you to express your ideas more precisely and avoid misunderstandings. We will cover affirmative and negative sentences, verbs, and modifiers. Let's dive in!

Affirmative and Negative Sentences

Before we dive into specific examples of negation, we need to understand the concepts of affirmative and negative sentences. In Bambara, affirmative sentences express positive statements or actions, while negative sentences express the opposite. Negation in Bambara is expressed by adding the particle "tɔn" (pronounced like "tone" but with a nasal "n") after the verb. Let's illustrate with an example:

Bambara	Pronunciation	English
Muso ye tɔn	/mu.so jɛ tɔ̃/	The rat is not

In this example, "Muso ye" means "the rat is", and "tɔn" means "not". Together, we have the negative sentence "The rat is not". The word order is Subject-Verb-Object (SVO), just like in affirmative sentences. Note that negation can also be expressed by using the particle "i bɛ" (it will not). For example:

Bambara	Pronunciation	English
Muso ye i bɛ	/mu.so jɛ i bɛ/	The rat will not be

This sentence means "The rat will not be". Here, the negation is expressed by using "i bɛ" instead of "tɔn".

Negation of Verbs

In Bambara, verbs are usually negated by using "tɔn" as a suffix to the verb. For example:

Bambara	Pronunciation	English
Muso ye dɔn tɔn	/mu.so jɛ dõ tɔ̃/	The rat did not eat

In this example, "dɔn" means "to eat", and "tɔn" means "not". Together, we have the negative sentence "The rat did not eat". We added "tɔn" at the end of the verb "dɔn" to express the negation.

Negating verbs in the past tense or the present continuous is similar. The particle "tɔn" is added after the auxiliary verb "ba" (past tense) or "kɔnɔ" (present continuous). For example:

Bambara	Pronunciation	English
Muso ye b'a tɔn dɔn	/mu.so jɛ ba tɔ̃ dõ/	The rat did not eat
Muso ye kɔnɔ tɔn tɛ	/mu.so jɛ ko.no tɔ̃ tɛ/	The rat is not coming

In the first example, "b'a" means "did", "dɔn" means "to eat", and "tɔn" means "not". Together, we have the negative sentence "The rat did not eat". We added "tɔn" after the auxiliary verb "b'a". In the second example, "kɔnɔ" means "is", "tɔn" means "not", and "tɛ" means "coming". Together, we have the negative sentence "The rat is not coming". We added "tɔn" after the present continuous form "kɔnɔ".

Negating the future tense is also straightforward. The particle "i bɛ" (it will not) is used before the verb. For example:

Bambara	Pronunciation	English
Muso ye i bɛ dɔn	/mu.so jɛ i bɛ dõ/	The rat will not eat

This sentence means "The rat will not eat". Here, we used "i bɛ" before the verb "dɔn" to express negation in the future tense.

Negation of Modifiers

In Bambara, modifiers can be negated by adding the particle "dɔn" (to not), "i n'a" (it doesn't have), or "tɔn na" (it's not that). For example:

Bambara	Pronunciation	English
Dɛ ye i n'a kɛlen tɔn na	/dɛ jɛ i na kɛ.lɛ̃ tɔ̃ na/	This is not a small stone

In this example, "Dɛ ye" means "This is", "i n'a" means "it doesn't have", "kɛlen" means "small", and "tɔn na" means "not that". Together, we have the negative sentence "This is not a small stone". We used "i n'a" before the adjective "kɛlen" to express negation.

Another example:

Bambara	Pronunciation	English
Muso ye kura dɔn don	/mu.so jɛ ku.ra dõ don/	The rat didn't steal anything

In this example, "kura" means "rob" or "steal", "don" means "thing", and "tɔn" means "not". Together, we have the negative sentence "The rat didn't steal anything". We used "dɔn" after "kura" to negate the verb, and "tɔn" after "don" to negate the noun.

Dialogue

Here is a dialogue to help you practice negation in Bambara:

* Person 1: A bɛ muso wa ka fɔ ko i bɛ dɔn? (Will the rat give you the food?) 
* Person 2: Tɔn. Muso b'a i bɛ dɔn dugu. (No, the rat will not give me the food.)

In this example, Person 1 is asking if the rat will give food to Person 2. Person 2 replies negatively, saying that the rat will not give him/her the food.

Conclusion

In conclusion, learning how to express negation is an essential aspect of learning Bambara grammar. While the concept of affirmative and negative sentences is straightforward, negation of verbs and modifiers can be a bit more complex. However, with practice, you can master negation in Bambara! Remember to use Find native speakers and ask them any questions if you need extra help. Check out Bambara grammar for more information. Good luck! 😊

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Sources

• Bambara language
• Grammatical negation
• Negation in languages

Related Lessons

• Plurals
• Adjectives
• How to Use Have
• How to Use Be
• Conditional Mood
• Pronouns
• Questions
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