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<div class="pg_page_title">Verb to be in Lingala (simple present)</div>
Lingala subject Pronouns and the verb to be (simple present)
[[File:Lingala-Language-PolyglotClub.png|thumb]]


In Lingala, the verb "to be" is often represented as "za(li)". The verb can be used in conjunction with various pronouns to form sentences. The 'li' verb ending is often omitted in daily conversations.
Pronouns> Ba pronom (from French)


Here's a table of pronouns with their corresponding forms for the verb "to be":
*I > Ngai/na: I am strong > Naza(li) makasi


{| class="wikitable"
*You > Yo/o: You are short > Oza(li) mukuse
|-
|Pronoun || Verb "To Be" (stem form)
|-
|I (Ngai) || na
|-
|You (Yo) || o
|-
|He/she (Ye) || a
|-
|It || e
|-
|We (Biso) || to
|-
|You (plural, Bino) || bo
|-
|They (Bango) || ba
|}


Here are some examples using the verb "to be" with various pronouns:
*He/she > Ye/a: He/she is here > Aza(li) awa


I am strong > Ngai > Naza(li) makasi
*It > ~/e: It is good > Eza(li) malamu


You are short > Yo > Oza(li) mukuse
*We > biso/to: We are young > Toza(li) bilenge


He/she is here > Ye > Aza(li) awa
*You > bino/bo: You are far > Boza(li) musika


It is good > Eza(li) malamu
*They > bango/ba: They are nice > Baza(li) kitoko


We are young > Biso > Toza(li) bilenge


You are far (plural) > Bino > Boza(li) musika
We use the steem forms of pronouns with the verb.


They are nice > Bango > Baza(li) kitoko
E.g: 'I' is 'ngai', but we say Nazali for 'I am'


So, we have :
* I > na (steem form)
* You > o (steem form)
*He/she > a (steem form)
*It > e ( steem form)
*We > to (steem form)
* You > bo (steem form)
*They > ba (steem form)
Note: the 'li' verb ending is often omitted in daily talks. Here are some examples.


Examples without the 'li' verb ending:
*I am a man > naza mobali (instead of 'nazali')
 
*She is a woman > Aza mwasi (instead of 'azali')
I am a man > Ngai > Naza mobali (instead of 'Nazali')
 
She is a woman > Ye > Aza mwasi (instead of 'Azali')
 
 
Here are some more examples of how the verb "to be" can be used in Lingala:
 
The food is hot > Eza(li) moto ya mabele
 
We are happy > Toza(li) na elengi
 
You are busy > Oza(li) na mbanga
 
They are tired > Baza(li) na nkembo
 
He is my friend > Aza(li) mokonzi na ngai
 
It is cold outside > Eza(li) mikolo ya libulu
 
She is a doctor > Aza(li) dokoteli
 
You are my teacher > Oza(li) mokonzi na ngai
 
 
It's important to note that the verb "to be" can be omitted in Lingala when it's clear from the context of the sentence. For example, instead of saying "I am happy," you could simply say "na elengi" (which means "I happy") to convey the same meaning. This is a common feature in many African languages, including Lingala.
 
==Other Lessons==
* [[Language/Lingala/Grammar/The-Past-Tense-To-Be|The Past Tense To Be]]
* [[Language/Lingala/Grammar/Prepositions|Prepositions]]
* [[Language/Lingala/Grammar/Past-progressive-tense|Past progressive tense]]
* [[Language/Lingala/Grammar/The-present-tense-To-be|The present tense To be]]
* [[Language/Lingala/Grammar/Irregular-verbs-–-kolia-–-to-eat|Irregular verbs – kolia – to eat]]
* [[Language/Lingala/Grammar/Gender|Gender]]
* [[Language/Lingala/Grammar/The-First-10-Verbs|The First 10 Verbs]]
* [[Language/Lingala/Grammar/The-first-10-words|The first 10 words]]
* [[Language/Lingala/Grammar/Irregular-verbs-–-koya-–-to-come|Irregular verbs – koya – to come]]
* [[Language/Lingala/Grammar/Personal-pronouns|Personal pronouns]]
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