Prepositions for verbs
Table of Contents
Tables
Positive Verb Conjugations
Negative Verb Conjugations
| To be | Past | Present | Always | Future |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Nsha | Nshile | Nshi | Nshaka |
| You | Tawa | Taule | Tau | Tawaka |
| He/She | Ta | Tale | Ta | Taka |
| We | Tatwa | Tatule | Tatu | Tatwaka |
| They | Taba | Tabale | Taba | Tabaka |
| You (plural) | Tamwa | Tamule | Tamu | Tamwaka |
Examples
ule-
- ule-
- You are doing (both in bemba and nyanja)
- ulekusha
- you are leaving
- bushe ule-kutika?
- Are you listening?
- ule-umfwa
- Are you listening? (more common)
- ulelya
- you are eating
- ulebombela kwi lelo
- where are you working from?
- ulepyanga
- you are sweeping
- ulebomba kwi?
- where are you working from? (physically, where are you when you work)
- ubomba kwi?
- where do you work from?
ale-
- ale-
- he / she (third person)
- ninshi alechita?
- what is he/she doing?
- alelya ubowa
- he is eating mushrooms
- alepyanga
- he is sweeping
- aleipika
- she is cooking
- nalala
- he is sleeping (exception)
- bushe alelala kuno?
- is it that he is going to sleep here?
- kuno
- here
- isakuno
- come here
- ukisa
- to come
- aleisa?
- is he coming?
- aleumfwa
- he is listening / she is feeling
- aletapa amenshi
- he is fetching water
- alebomba
- he is working
mule-
- mule-
- you are (formal / plural)
- mule umfwa?
- Are you listening? (plural)
- bushe mule umfwa?
- Is it that you are listening? (formal)
- muletapa
- you are fetching (formal / plural)
- ninshi muleipika?
- what are you cooking?
tule-
- tule-
- We are …
- tuleipika ubowa
- We are cooking mushrooms
- tulepyanga
- We are sweeping
- tulelya
- We are eating
- tulebomba
- we are working
bale-
- bale-
- they
- baleipika
- they are cooking
- balepyanga
- they are sweeping
- balelya
- they are eating
- baleumfwa
- they are listening
- baletapa amenshi
- they are fetching water
- ninshi balechita?
- what are they doing?
- balechita shani?
- how are they doing it?
baka- (someone will)
Example bakakusha; you will be left alone by some people / some people will leave you.
Some people will do (this thing) to you of leaving you alone. (literal)
vs
- balekusha
- they are leaving you
- balakusha
- they are leaving you always
- nalakusha
- I am leaving you / I will leave you
talking about oneself (nd)
- ndimusambi panchito
- i am a trainee / apprentice
- ndefwala
- I'm wearing
- ndensha
- I'm driving
- ndeipika
- I'm cooking
- ndekolwa
- I'm drunk
- ndekana
- I'm refusing
- ndekwafwilisha
- I'm helping you
- ndekutika
- I'm listening
- ndetapa amenshi yakunwa
- I'm fetching water for drinking
- ndelwala
- I'm sick
- ndebelenga
- I'm reading
negatives (nshi)
- nshilwele
- I'm not sick
- nshumfwile impepo
- I haven't felt cold (present tense)
- nshileumfwa impepo
- I'm not feeling cold (present tense)
- nshilensha
- I'm not driving
- nshilefwala
- I'm not wearing
- nshilekana
- I'm not refusing