Tenses 3: dza, today's past

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

Pronunciation 5: fricatives

In this post, we look at the buzzing, hissing sounds of Giryama - the fricatives.

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.

Review 1

So far in this blog, we have covered:

• Pronunciation of vowels, nasals, stops and r
• Subject concords: how to say I go, she goes, we go...
• Object concords: how to say I like him, you like her, we like them...
• The na tense: how to say I am going, he is going...
• How to count from 1 to 10
• How to ask yes-no questions
• How to ask Where?
• What Bantu noun classes are
• Class 1 and 2 nouns: some people words

Pronunciation 4: stops

'Stops' are sounds where you completely stop air from coming out of your mouth. Giriama has 12.

Nouns: Class 1 and 2

We've introduced the concept of noun classes in a previous post. In this post, we will work through examples from classes 1 and 2.

Noun classes

In this post, we will attempt the most novel bit of Giriama grammar, as far as English speakers are concerned: the Bantu Noun Class System.