Language/Xhosa/Grammar/Forming-Questions

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Xhosa → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Questions and Negation → 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!

Table of Contents - Xhosa Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to Xhosa

• Pronunciation and Alphabet
• Basic Sentence Structure

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Formal and Informal Greetings
• Common Courtesy Phrases

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Noun Classes
• Pronouns and Agreement

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-10
• Telling Time

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense
• Future Tense

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationship Status

  ---

Questions and Negation

• Forming Questions
• Negation

  ---

Food and Dining

• Common Foods
• Eating and Drinking

  ---

Xhosa Culture and Traditions

• Xhosa People and History
• Traditional Customs and Celebrations

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Phrases

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjective Agreement
• Adverbs

  ---

Weather and Seasons

• Weather Vocabulary
• Seasons

  ---

Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Prepositions
• Conjunctions

  ---

Hobbies and Interests

• Sports and Activities
• Arts and Entertainment

  ---

Xhosa Music and Literature

• Traditional Music and Instruments
• Xhosa Literature and Poetry

Other Lessons

• Adjective Agreement
• How to Use Have
• Pronouns and Agreement
• Adverbs
• Past Tense
• Conditional Mood
• Prepositions
• Plurals
• Adjectives

Sources

• Xhosa Grammar - Questions
• Xhosa Grammar | LEARN101.ORG
• Xhosa language - Wikipedia

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