á, the distant past
The tense marker for things which happened dzana, yesterday - or last week, last month, last year or thousands of years ago - is a.
This tense marker is always pronounced with a high tone (which is written as á, if the tone is written at all).
Subject concords
The subject concords have shortened forms before the past tense a:
ni > n
u > w
a > w
fu > f
hu > hw
mu > mw
ma > m
So the verb kunena, to speak:
nanena I spoke
wanena you spoke
wanena he spoke
fanena we spoke
hwanena we spoke
mwanena you spoke
manena they spoke
Exercises
Exercises 1: change from past to present
Here is an example sentence in the distant past, today's past, and the present continuous:
| Dzana, farya maizu. | Yesterday, we ate bananas. |
| Rero, fudzarya maizu. | Today, we ate bananas. |
| Rero, funarya maizu. | Today, we are eating bananas. |
Given the following sentences in the distant past, change them to today's past and the present:
Dzana, mashoma kitabu. Yesterday, they read a book.
Rero, ................ kitabu. Today, they read a book.
Rero, ................ kitabu. Today, they are reading a book.
Dzana, wanena Kigiryama. Yesterday, he spoke Giryama.
Rero, .............. Kigiryama. Today, he spoke Giryama.
Rero, .............. Kigiryama. Today, he is speaking Giryama.
Dzana, natoa nyumbani. Yesterday, I stayed in the house.
Rero, .................. nyumbani. Today, I stayed in the house.
Rero, .................. nyumbani. Today, I am staying in the house.
Exercises 2: change from present to past
Given the following sentences in the present, change them to today's past and the distant past:| Rero, ninandza kushoma Kigiriama. | Today, I am starting to study Giriama. |
| Rero, ... | |
| Dzana, ... |
| Rero, hunagonya kutoa Watamu. | Today, we are finishing staying in Watamu. |
| Rero, manarya mbuzi na mboga. | Today, they are eating vegetables and goat. |
| Rero, anagula maizu. | Today, she is buying bananas. |
