Tenses 2: ku, the infinitive

In this post we will look at the infinitive form of the verb, which starts with ku-. This is the "to -" form in English.

It is used in phrases such as:
I like to go to the beach.
I am able to read.
I start to eat.

It can often be translated into English with a gerund, or -ing form:
I like going to the beach.
I enjoy reading.
I like eating.

Ku

Infinitive verbs in Giriama start with ku:

kugula	to buy
kudza	to come
kushoma kuona	to read to see
kunena	to speak

Kw

Some verbs, like -enda, are written with a kw instead: kwenda. If you say ku-enda quickly you will see why: w is the same sound as u, just said much faster.

kwandhika	to begin
kwandzaza	to spread
kwangira	to enter
kwenda	to go

Of the several hundred verbs listed in Appendix A of The Verbal Morphology of Giriama (see resources), there are only a few which use kw in the infinitive, and they all begin with vowels. So if you are not sure, just use ku!

(Not all vowel-initial words are listed as taking kw-, though, so I have not figured out a pattern yet. And there are some discrepancies between The Verbal Morphology of Giriama and the Kigiriama-Kiswahili-Kizungu dictionary, although they were both written by the same people.)

In a sentence

Firstly, some examples with andza, meaning start, and gonya, meaning finish.

andza, start

Ninandza kushoma kigiriama.    I am starting to study Giriama.
Funandza kunena kigiriama.     We are starting to speak Giriama.

(Notice that kushoma, to read, can also be translated as to study. Just like 'reading' a subject at university.)

gonya, finish

Ninagonya kurya.	I am finishing eating
Anagonya kunena.	He is finishing speaking

dima, able

Read aloud the following Giriama sentences, and try to translate them into English:

Ninadima kudza.
Unadima kushoma.
Munadima kuona.
Ninadima kwenda.

hendza, like

Read the following sentences aloud, then translate them into English. If you can't guess simba, hover over for the answer.

Ninahendza kwenda Malindi.
Unahendza kushoma.
Anahendza kuona simba.

Translation

Translate the following sentence into Giriama:

We are finishing buying.
They are starting to read.
I am starting to leave.
I am going to Malindi.
Can you speak Giriama?

Chaining

I believe that, in Giriama, as in English and Swahili, there is nothing stopping you stacking ku- tense verbs:
I want to like to start to work early, but I usually decide to start to plan to work later...

Ninandza kuhendza kushoma.	I am starting to like to read.
Ninandza kwenda kugula maizu.	I am starting to go to buy bananas.