Copula 3: being something

In this previous post, we looked at how to say "I am [somewhere]", "I am at". In this post, we will look at how to say "I am [something]", "I am".

Tenses 4: á, the distant past

We have looked at -dza-, the tense used for things which happened today. In this post, we will look at -a-, the tense used for things which happened longer ago.

Tenses 3: dza, today's past

The past tenses in Giriama do not correspond exactly to the past tenses in English.

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.

Object concords 2

Today we will look at those object concords which are not the same as their subject counterparts: you, him, her and them.

Object concords 1

By now, you are hopefully familiar with the subject concords of Giriama: ni-, u-, a-, fu-, hu-, mu-, ma-.

You can form very simple sentences such as ninashoma, 'I am reading', or anenda, 'he is going'.

But how do you say something like 'I see him'?

Tenses 1: na

Today, we are going to learn how to include tenses with our verbs - to talk about things that happened in the past, are currently happening, or will happen in the future, as well as things that usually happen.

Subject concords 2

In Part 1, we looked at the Giriama words for I, you, he and she. In this post, we will look at the subject concords used for we and they.

Subject concords 1

The subject is the part of the sentence which is doing the action: I read, you dance, Chengo sleeps.

In English, the subject is a separate word (called a pronoun). In Giriama, as in Swahili and other Bantu languages, the subject is attached to the beginning of the verb (and called a concord).