LESSON 16

-ra Present Tense of Verb

Vocabulary

No new vocabulary is given in this lesson, but refresh your membory on the verbs already learned:

25. Conjugation of -ra present. The verb is the most complicated and the most important part of Kinyarwanda grammar. It will require much careful study.

There are several ways of expressing present time, but here we take up only one - the -ra present tense. This gets its name from the fact that -ra always comes between the personal prefix and the stem of the word in this tense. You have already seen a few forms of it in Lesson 1 and elsewhere. Here is the conjugation:

Note: Remember, nr becomes nd, thus ndakora.

Observe and learn these personal prefixes used here: n-, u-, a-, tu-, mu-,ba-.

The third person prefixes given are those of the first class. Verb prefixes are given with each class. A verb must agree with its subject in class and number.

26.Some rules regarding this tense:

1. It is used in stating a simple fact regarding that which is happening now, whether an object or phrase follows or not. e.g. umugabo arakora cyane - the man is working hard, umuhungu arava mu nzu - the boy is coming out of the house.

2. It is used in questions and answers to questions, whether followed by an object or phrase or not.

3. It is never used in a dependent clause, when it expresses present time.

4. It is sometimes used to express habitual action, in present time, when there is no object or phrase following the verb. e.g. Mbese Abanyarwanda barahinga? - Do the Banyarwanda cultivate?, Abakobwa baravoma. - girls carry water.

5. The -ra present expresses progressive or continuous present. e.g. arakora - he is working

6. It is used as the same-day future tense. (See par. 57.)

27. Continuous present may also be like this: ndi gukora mu biro - I am now working in the office. The emphasis is on the fact that the actiis now happening, like the French “-etre en train de”. This is formed with the present conjugation of -ri followed by the infinitive. (For the infinitive see par. 37) In some localities, instead of saying “ndi gukora”, they say “ndimo ndakora”.

Exercises:

I. Translate into English:

1. Inka ziragenda mu bijumba. 2. Mbese abantu barakora mu murima? 3. Turakora cyane mu nzu yacu. 4. Imbwa ye irajya imuhira. 5. Urajya he? 6. Nurahiriga cyane mu mirima yanyu. 7. Imana iravuga mu mutima wanjye. 8. Turajya i Kigali. 9. Abakozi bari guhinga mu murima w’umusaza. 10. Mbese muri gukora he?

II. Translate into Kinyarwanda:

1. God is speaking in the hearts of people. 2. Are you (pl.) hoeing in your gardens? 3. The bad goats are going into the house. 4. A few men and a few women are working in the old man’s gardens. 5. I am going to Kirambo. 6. We are working hard in our new house. 7. The boys are corning from (out of) the field. 8. Are you (s.) going to (use mu) our country? 9. The men’s dogs are going into the teacher’s gardens. 10. Are you working in the dark?