Language/Kinyarwanda/Grammar/Present-Tense

Kinyarwanda → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Verbs and Tenses → Present Tense

Introduction

Welcome to the present tense lesson in the Complete 0 to A1 Kinyarwanda Course! Understanding how to use the present tense is essential to mastering Kinyarwanda. In this lesson, we will cover regular verb conjugation in the present tense, as well as some common irregular verbs. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to form sentences in the present tense and communicate with Kinyarwanda speakers about things happening right now.

Regular Verbs in the Present Tense

Regular verbs in Kinyarwanda follow a simple pattern to be conjugated in the present tense. To conjugate a regular verb, simply remove the "-a" from the infinitive form and add the correct prefix depending on the noun class of the subject.

Here are the present tense prefixes for each of the 16 noun classes in Kinyarwanda:

Noun Class	Prefix
1/2	ya-
3/4	a-
5/6	i-
7/8	y-
9/10	tu-
11/10	ru-
14/15	m-
16	si-

Now that you know the subject prefixes, let's see how they are used in verb conjugation in the present tense.

To conjugate a regular verb in the present tense, take the infinitive form of the verb and remove the "-a" ending. Then, add the appropriate subject prefix based on the noun class of the subject. Let's see some examples:

Kinyarwanda	Pronunciation	English Translation
yandikiye	yan-diki-ye	I write
twandikiye	twan-diki-ye	We write
ari yandikiye	a-ri yan-diki-ye	He/She writes

As you can see in the examples, the subject prefix is added to the verb stem to form the present tense. It's that simple!

Irregular Verbs in the Present Tense

While regular verbs follow a simple pattern, irregular verbs require you to memorize the specific conjugations for each verb. In Kinyarwanda, there are a few common irregular verbs you should be familiar with.

Kwiga (to learn)

Kinyarwanda	Pronunciation	English Translation
ndi kwiga	n-dee kwi-ga	I learn
tuzi kwiga	tuzi kwi-ga	We learn
yuzuye kwiga	yoo-zoo-ye kwi-ga	He/She learns

Gufasha (to help)

Kinyarwanda	Pronunciation	English Translation
ndi gufasha	n-dee gu-fa-sha	I help
twifashe	twi-fa-she	We help
yafashe	ya-fa-she	He/She helps

Gukora (to work/do)

Kinyarwanda	Pronunciation	English Translation
ndi gukora	n-dee gu-ko-ra	I work/do
tukora	tukora	We work/do
yakoreye	ya-ko-re-ye	He/She works/does

Summary

In this lesson, we covered regular verb conjugation in the present tense and some common irregular verbs. We saw that regular verbs follow a simple pattern by removing the "-a" from the infinitive form and adding the appropriate subject prefix. Irregular verbs require memorization of specific conjugations. By mastering the present tense, you will be able to communicate about things happening right now with Kinyarwanda speakers. Keep practicing and next time we will cover the past tense. Until then, murakoze cyane!

Table of Contents - Kinyarwanda Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

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Nouns and Pronouns

• Noun Classes
• Personal Pronouns

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Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-10
• Telling Time

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Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

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Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Describing Relationships

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Adjectives and Adverbs

• Describing Nouns
• Describing Verbs

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Food and Drink

• Common Foods
• Eating and Drinking

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Questions and Negation

• Asking Questions
• Negating Sentences

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Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Asking for Directions

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Rwandan Customs and Traditions

• Traditional Celebrations
• Rwandan Etiquette

Other Lessons

• How to Use Be
• Asking Questions
• Negating Sentences
• Personal Pronouns
• Noun Classes
• Pronouns
• Questions
• Conditional Mood
• Past Tense
• 0 to A1 Course