Language/Tswana/Grammar/Negation

Tswana Grammar - Negation

Hi Tswana learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will be discussing the basics of negation in Tswana. Negation is an important part of any language, and it is essential to understand how to use it correctly in order to communicate effectively. We will look at the different ways to express negation in Tswana, as well as some examples of how to use them. So let's get started!

Negation in Tswana

Negation in Tswana is expressed in a few different ways. The most common way is by using the particle ke before the verb. This particle is used to indicate that the action or statement is not true. For example:

Tswana	Pronunciation	English Translation
Ga ke tlaa	/ɡa ke tlaː/	I will not go
O tlaa ke	/o tlaː ke/	He/she will not go
Re tlaa ke	/re tlaː ke/	We will not go
Ba tlaa ke	/ba tlaː ke/	You (plural) will not go
A tlaa ke	/a tlaː ke/	They will not go

Another way to express negation in Tswana is by using the particle ga. This particle is used to indicate that the action or statement is false. For example:

Tswana	Pronunciation	English Translation
Ga o tlaa	/ɡa o tlaː/	He/she will not go
Ga re tlaa	/ɡa re tlaː/	We will not go
Ga ba tlaa	/ɡa ba tlaː/	You (plural) will not go
Ga a tlaa	/ɡa a tlaː/	They will not go
Ga ke tlaa	/ɡa ke tlaː/	I will not go

Finally, negation can also be expressed by using the particle ha. This particle is used to indicate that the action or statement is not possible. For example:

Tswana	Pronunciation	English Translation
Ha o tlaa	/ha o tlaː/	He/she cannot go
Ha re tlaa	/ha re tlaː/	We cannot go
Ha ba tlaa	/ha ba tlaː/	You (plural) cannot go
Ha a tlaa	/ha a tlaː/	They cannot go
Ha ke tlaa	/ha ke tlaː/	I cannot go

It is important to note that the particles ke, ga, and ha can also be used in combination with other particles to express more complex negations. For example, the particle ga can be combined with the particle ha to form the particle gaha, which is used to indicate that the action or statement is impossible.

Examples

Now that we have looked at the different ways to express negation in Tswana, let's look at some examples of how to use them.

Positive Sentences

First, let's look at some positive sentences.

Tswana	Pronunciation	English Translation
O tlaa	/o tlaː/	He/she will go
Re tlaa	/re tlaː/	We will go
Ba tlaa	/ba tlaː/	You (plural) will go
A tlaa	/a tlaː/	They will go
Ke tlaa	/ke tlaː/	I will go

Negative Sentences

Now let's look at some negative sentences.

Tswana	Pronunciation	English Translation
Ga ke tlaa	/ɡa ke tlaː/	I will not go
O tlaa ke	/o tlaː ke/	He/she will not go
Re tlaa ke	/re tlaː ke/	We will not go
Ba tlaa ke	/ba tlaː ke/	You (plural) will not go
A tlaa ke	/a tlaː ke/	They will not go

Impossible Sentences

Finally, let's look at some sentences that express impossibility.

Tswana	Pronunciation	English Translation
Gaha ke tlaa	/ɡa ha ke tlaː/	I cannot go
Ha o tlaa	/ha o tlaː/	He/she cannot go
Ha re tlaa	/ha re tlaː/	We cannot go
Ha ba tlaa	/ha ba tlaː/	You (plural) cannot go
Ha a tlaa	/ha a tlaː/	They cannot go

Conclusion

In conclusion, negation in Tswana is expressed in a few different ways. The most common way is by using the particle ke before the verb, but it can also be expressed by using the particles ga and ha. It is important to understand how to use these particles correctly in order to communicate effectively.

To improve your Tswana Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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Related Lessons

• Pronouns
• Questions
• Plurals
• Adjectives
• Gender
• Conditional Mood