Language/Tswana/Grammar/Demonstrative-Pronouns-and-Adjectives
Introduction
Welcome to the Possessives and Demonstratives lesson of the Complete 0 to A1 Tswana Course. In this lesson, we will focus on demonstrative pronouns and adjectives, which are used to point out specific people or things. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use demonstrative pronouns and adjectives to accurately and confidently express the location and identity of your subject.
Demonstrative Pronouns and Adjectives
Demonstrative pronouns and adjectives are used to point out specific people, places, or things. They indicate the location of the subject in relation to the speaker or the listener, and they are classified as near demonstratives or far demonstratives. Tswana has three basic demonstrative pronouns and adjectives:
| Tswana | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ntho eno | n̪θʰo ɛno̤ | This thing (near to the speaker) |
| Ntho e | n̪θʰo ɛ | That thing (near to the listener) |
| Ntho ya nnete | n̪θʰo ja n̪n̪ɛt̪ɛ | That thing over there (far from both speaker and listener) |
Using Demonstrative Adjectives
Demonstrative adjectives are used to modify nouns and indicate the location of the subject. They function similarly to English demonstrative adjectives, such as "this" and "that."
For example:
- Ntho eno ke ya rona. (This thing is ours.)
- Ke tla tsamaya ka ntho e. (I will leave with that thing.)
- Re tla tsamaya ka ntho ya nnete ra gago. (We will leave with that thing over there of yours.)
Using Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns replace nouns and indicate the location of the subject. They function similarly to English demonstrative pronouns, such as "this one" and "that one."
For example:
- Eno ke ya rona. (This one is ours.)
- Ke tla tsamaya le eo. (I will leave with that one.)
- Re tla tsamaya le ya nnete. (We will leave with that one over there.)
Near and Far Demonstratives
Near demonstratives, such as "this" and "that," indicate the location of the subject in relation to the speaker or the listener. They are useful for pointing out specific objects within close proximity.
Far demonstratives, such as "that one over there," indicate the location of the subject outside the proximity of the speaker or the listener. They are useful for pointing out objects that are farther away.
For example:
- Ke tsaya ntho eno. (I am taking this one.)
- Ke tsaya ntho e. (I am taking that one.)
- Ke tsaya ntho ya nnete. (I am taking that one over there.)
- Ke tsaya lona ba ba ba fumanehanengwe ka ba leka kwa Modisakeng. (I am taking you guys who were found somewhere and have been lost in Modisakeng.)
Conclusion
In this lesson, you learned about demonstrative pronouns and adjectives in Tswana. By understanding how demonstratives are used to point out specific people, places, or things, you can accurately and confidently express the location and identity of your subject. In the next lesson, we will focus on another important topic in Tswana, so stay tuned!
Other Lessons
- Adverbs
- How to Use Be
- How to Use Have
- Possessive Pronouns and Adjectives
- Questions
- Definite and Indefinite Articles
- 0 to A1 Course
- Plural Nouns
- Prepositions of Time
- Conjunctions
Sources