Language/Xhosa/Grammar/Forming-Questions
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn how to form questions in Xhosa. This includes yes/no questions, wh-questions, and question tags. Understanding how to form questions is essential for communication, as it allows you to gather information and express curiosity.
Yes/No Questions
Yes/no questions are questions that can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." In Xhosa, yes/no questions are formed by adding the particle "na" to the end of a statement.
For example:
| Xhosa | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Uyaphi? na | oo-yah-pee na | Are you going? |
In this example, "Uyaphi?" means "You are going?" and the addition of "na" at the end changes it to a yes/no question, "Are you going?"
Another example:
| Xhosa | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Uya kufika ebusuku? na | oo-yah koo-fee-kah eh-boo-soo-koo na | Are you arriving at night? |
In this example, "Uya kufika ebusuku?" means "You arrive at night?" and the addition of "na" at the end changes it to a yes/no question, "Are you arriving at night?"
Note that in Xhosa, the intonation of a yes/no question may also rise towards the end of the sentence.
Wh-Questions
Wh-questions are questions that require more information than just a simple "yes" or "no" answer. In Xhosa, wh-questions are formed using question words, such as "what," "where," "when," "why," "who," and "how."
For example:
| Xhosa | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ngubani na othanda ukudla ice cream? | ngoo-bah-nee na oh-than-dah oo-koo-dlah ice cream | Who likes to eat ice cream? |
In this example, "Ngubani othanda ukudla ice cream?" means "Who likes to eat ice cream?" The question word "ngubani" is placed at the beginning of the sentence to indicate that it is a wh-question.
Another example:
| Xhosa | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Uyafunda kanjani isiXhosa? | oo-yah-foon-dah kan-jah-nee ee-see-ho-sah | How do you learn Xhosa? |
In this example, "Uyafunda kanjani isiXhosa?" means "How do you learn Xhosa?" The question word "kanjani" means "how" and is placed at the beginning of the sentence to indicate that it is a wh-question.
Question Tags
Question tags are short questions that are added to the end of a sentence to confirm information or expression doubt. In Xhosa, question tags are formed by adding the particle "ke" to the end of a statement.
For example:
| Xhosa | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Uya eGoli, ke? | oo-yah eh-go-lee ke | You're going to Johannesburg, aren't you? |
In this example, "Uya eGoli?" means "You're going to Johannesburg?" and the addition of "ke" at the end makes it a question tag, "You're going to Johannesburg, aren't you?"
Another example:
| Xhosa | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Awunaki ukutya, ke? | aa-woo-nah-kee oo-koo-tyah ke | You don't want to eat, do you? |
In this example, "Awunaki ukutya?" means "You don't want to eat?" and the addition of "ke" at the end makes it a question tag, "You don't want to eat, do you?"
Negation
Negation is the process of making a sentence negative. In Xhosa, negation is primarily done with the use of negative markers such as "cha," "kungekho," and "awu."
For example:
| Xhosa | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Cha, andithethi isiXhosa. | cha, ahn-dee-tet-ee ee-see-ho-sah | No, I don't speak Xhosa. |
In this example, "Andithethi isiXhosa" means "I don't speak Xhosa" and the addition of "cha" negates the statement, "No, I don't speak Xhosa."
Another example:
| Xhosa | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Kungekho ncedo kum. | koo-ngay-kho n-chay-daw kum | There is no help for me. |
In this example, "Kungekho ncedo" means "There is no help" and the addition of "kum" negates the statement, "There is no help for me."
Conclusion
In this lesson, you've learned how to form questions in Xhosa, including yes/no questions, wh-questions, and question tags. You've also learned how to negate sentences using negative markers. Practice forming questions and negation in Xhosa to improve your communication skills!
Other Lessons
- Adjective Agreement
- How to Use Have
- Pronouns and Agreement
- Adverbs
- Past Tense
- Conditional Mood
- Prepositions
- Plurals
- Adjectives
Sources