Language/Tswana/Grammar/Possessive-Pronouns-and-Adjectives
Introduction
In Tswana, like in many other languages, it is important to know how to show possession and indicate relationships between people or things. In this lesson, we will focus on possessives, including possessive pronouns and adjectives. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to confidently use Tswana to talk about ownership and relationships.
Possessive Pronouns
In Tswana, like in English, there are pronouns that indicate possession. In Tswana, these are called "pronounagata ya puo". These pronouns work like the English pronouns "my", "your", "his", "her", "our", and "their".
In Tswana, possessive pronouns must agree with the class of the noun they refer to. There are 18 noun classes in Tswana, each with their own prefixes and infixes. For example, if you are talking about "my car", you will use the prefix "me-" for the "car" noun class. Similarly, if you are talking about "my house", you will use the prefix "ja-" for the "house" noun class.
Here are the Tswana possessive pronouns:
| Tswana | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| me- | may- | my |
| o- | oh- | your (singular) |
| bo- | boh- | his/her/its |
| re- | reh- | our (inclusive) |
| le- | lay- | your (plural) |
| bone- | boh-nay- | their |
Here are some examples using possessive pronouns:
- Metaolo ea ka e bonolo. (My car is new.)
- Obina a gago o bonolo. (Your brother is handsome.)
- Bonare ba gagwe ba tlhokomeleng. (His/her sisters are diligent.)
- Rebana rona re thabela ruri. (Our friendship is true.)
- Lebaka la lona li thabaneng. (Your farm is over there.)
- Bonentho ba bona ba bonolo. (Their things are new.)
Possessive Adjectives
In Tswana, like in English, there are also adjectives that indicate possession. In Tswana, these are called "mokgwa wa tsela ya puo". These adjectives work like the English adjectives "my", "your", "his", "her", "our", and "their". However, in Tswana, unlike in English, the possessive adjectives follow the nouns they modify.
In Tswana, possessive adjectives also agree with the class of the noun they refer to. The possessive adjectives are formed by adding the prefix "a-" to the possessive pronouns we learned in the previous section. For example, if you are talking about "my car", you will use the possessive pronoun "me-" and add the prefix "a-", resulting in "a-metaolo". Similarly, if you are talking about "my house", you will use the possessive pronoun "ja-" and add the prefix "a-", resulting in "a-jabina".
Here are the Tswana possessive adjectives:
| Tswana | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| a-me- | ah-may- | my |
| a-o- | ah-oh- | your (singular) |
| a-bo- | ah-boh- | his/her/its |
| a-re- | ah-reh- | our (inclusive) |
| a-le- | ah-lay- | your (plural) |
| a-bone- | ah-boh-nay- | their |
Here are some examples using possessive adjectives:
- Taolo ya nna e bonolo. (My car is new.)
- Bina ba gago ba tlhokomeleng. (Your brother is diligent.)
- Nare ya yena e tlhokafetse. (His/her sister is stylish.)
- Bana ba rona ba tlhokomeleng. (Our children are diligent.)
- Baka ba lona ba tlhokomeleng. (Your farm is diligent.)
- Ntho ya bone e bonolo. (Their thing is new.)
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know how to use Tswana possessive pronouns and adjectives! Keep practicing to become more comfortable using them and to expand your Tswana vocabulary.