Now to the verb changes...
If our ki-words become the subject of the sentence we need to use the third person sg form.
Kipepeo a-na-ruka.
The butterfly flies.
Only... our butterfly behaved like M/Wa words do, as do all animals.
In general however, 3rd person sg/pl verbforms adapt to the the noun class of their subject. We have seen this before with true N/N nouns.
If our bottle is flying...
a-na -ruka turns into
i-na -ruka
Chupa i-na-ruka.
The bottle flies.
Let's look quickly one more time at those forms:
| Noun Class | 3rd person singular | 3rd person plural |
|---|---|---|
| M/Wa class | kipepeo a-na-ruka The butterfly flies. | vipepeo wa-na-ruka The butterflies fly. |
| N/N class | chupa i-na-ruka The bottle flies. | chupa zi-na-ruka The bottles fly. |
Now let's have a knife fly. UNDER 18 th PLEASE SKIP THIS PARAGRAPH :D
| Noun Class | 3rd person singular | 3rd person plural |
|---|---|---|
| Ki/Vi class | kisu ki-na-ruka The knife flies. | visu vi-na-ruka The knives fly. |
Not too complicated, isn't it? We start the verbforms with 'ki' or 'vi' like the Noun class name.
Now let's have a look at our adjectives, for they change too.
| Root | M/Wa -sg | M/Wa - pl | N/N - sg = pl | Ki/Vi - sg | Ki/Vi - pl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -zuri nice | m-zuri | wa-zuri | n-zuri | ki-zuri | vi-zuri |
| -kubwa big | m-kubwa | wa-kubwa | kubwa | ki-kubwa | vi-kubwa |
| -dogo small | m-dogo | wa-dogo | n-dogo | ki-dogo | vi-dogo |
| -baya bad | m-baya | wa-baya | m-baya | ki-baya | vi-baya |
| -refu tall | m-refu | wa-refu | nd-efu | ki-refu | vi-refu |
| -fupi short | m-fupi | wa-fupi | fupi | ki-fupi | vi-fupi |
| -aminifu honest | mw-aminifu | w-aminifu | aminifu | ki-aminifu | vi-aminifu |
| -ema good / healthy | m-wema | w-ema | nj-ema | ch-ema | vy-ema |
| -kali sharp / ferocious | m-kali | wa-kali | kali | ki-kali | vi-kali |
Now let's talk...:D
kisu kikali - a sharp knife
visu vikali- sharp knives
kiti kikubwa- a big chair
kisiwa kidogo- a small island
viatu vizuri- nice shoes
viberiti virefu- long matches
kidole kirefu- a long finger
kichwa kikubwa - a big head
Msichana ana vidole vifupi. - The girl has short fingers.
Kikombe ni kidogo. - The cup is small.
Viazi vikubwa na vitunguu vidogo - big potatoes and small onions
kitanda kizuri na kitabu kirefu - a nice bed and a long book
Mbwa mdogo ana kikapu kikubwa. - The small dog has a big basket.
Viatu vidogo ni vibaya. - The small shoes are bad.
Mwanamke anataka viatu vizuri. - The woman wants nice shoes.
Kisu kirefu si kikali. - The long knife is not sharp.
Mvulana mdogo ana kichwa kikubwa. - The little boy has a big head.
STUDYTIME !!!