Lesson 21

Verb -fite

Vocabulary

35. Verb -fite. This verb is defective. Like -ri it has no infinitive and no imperative, no future, and, in fact very few-other tenses. The verb used for its missing parts is kugira.

Since the -ra present tense ordinarily is not used with this verb when an object follows (and one usually does), we give here the present tense without -ra of which you have already had a number of forms:

Note the change of letters in the personal prefixes according to the rules given in par. 14 and 21. Remember the accords for the other classes, e.g. Imana ifite - God has.

The negative is formed regularly: simfite, ntufite, ntafite, etc.

The -ra present of this verb is not used, except when there is an object pronoun in the verb (See Lesson 57, 58).

Exercises:

I. Translate into English

1. Mbese ufite inkoko? Oya, simfite inkoko. 2. Dufite ihene ariko ntidufite inka. 3. Umukire afite ibintu byiza byinshi. 4. Mbese mufite ibitabo byanyu? Oya, biri imuhira. 5. Imana ifite imbabazi nyinshi. 6. Umukene ntafite amafaranga menshi, ariko ubu arakora., 7. Mbese hari amahoro mu gihugu cyanyu? Yee, dufite amahoro menshi. 8. Dufite inyama z’inkoko. Ziri ku meza mu nzu. 9. Abakire bafite inzu nziza, n’inka n’intama n’ihene n’inkoko. 10. Hari umuyaga mwinshi mu biti hariya.

II. Translate into Kinyarwanda:

1. The poor man’s child has much hunger. 2. Sins are very bad, but God has mercy. 3. The rich man’s wife has a bad illness. 4. Is there much wind in your country? 5. We have chickens, but not (= they are not) many. 6. The rich man’s spear is very long. 7. We like chicken meat (meat of chicken), but poor people don’t have chickens. 8. You (s.) have good cows; do you have much milk and butter? 9. We are working hard in our gardens, but we don’t have many sweet potatoes. 10. The men are praising God, and they have much joy.