LESSON 29

Future Tense

Vocabulary

kubika - to put away, to store	ejo - yesterday, tomorrow (depending on tense of verb)
kugaruka - to return, come back	uyu munsi - today
kugira - to do, make, have	none - today, now
gusubira - to return, go back, do again, repeat	ubwoba - fear (no pl.)
nimugoroba - in the afternoon (about 3 p.m. till 6 p.m.)

57. Future Tense. For future time after today the particle -za- is inserted in the verb between the personal prefix and the verb stem. This is often called the far future tense. -za- is always long in both affirmative and negative. Thus:

nzagenda - I shall go	tuzagenda - we shall go
uzagenda - you will go	muzagenda - you will go
azagenda - he will go	bazagenda they will go

But for future time today (called the near future tense) the -ra- present is used. In this use the -ra- is retained even in dependent clauses.

: ndagenda none - I shall go today
: nzagenda ejo - I shall go tomorrow

58. Verb kugira. This is a very important verb for it is used in many idiomatic expressions. e.g. kugira ubwoba - to be afraid, have fear.

You remember also that this is the verb which supplies the missing parts of -fite. Thus, for the future of “to have” you must use kugira.

59. Verbs kugaruka, gusubira. Kugaruka is used in the sense of to return to the place where the speaker is. e.g. A man at Kigali would say of another, “Azagaruka hano ejo” - he will return here tomorrow. But if a man is at Kigali and says, “I will return to Butare tomorrow,” he would not use kugaruka, but gusubira, e.g. Nzasubira i Butare ejo - I will return (go back) to Butare tomorrow.

Exercises:

I. Translate into English:

: 1. Abagabo benshi bazajya i Kigali ejo kugura imyenda. 2. Umubyeyi wanjye aragaruka uyu munsi. 3. Umuntu mubi agira ubwoba bwinshi mu mutima we. 4. Bika ibintu byawe mu nzu. 5. Ejo abahungu bazagaruka hano mu ishuri. 6. Abakozi barasubira iwabo nimugoroba. 7. Umwana wa Petero azafasha ababyeyi be mu mirima yabo. 8. Inka zijya mu nzira nta. 9. Tuzagira umunezero mwinshi kuko tuzabona Umukiza wacu. 10. Teka ibijumba byinshi n’inyama n’ibigori kuko abantu benshi baraza.

II Translate into Kinyarwanda:

: 1. The women will dig in their husbands’ gardens tomorrow, but today they are reading in school. 2. The teachers are going to Kigali today but they will return tomorrow. 3. The boys will put away their books in the afternoon. 4. You (pl.) will have God’s blessing in your hearts (far future). 5. The teacher will come tomorrow into the school to speak the Word of God. 6. The children are afraid because they see a wild animal outside. 7. Will you (pl.) come back today? No, we will come back tomorrow afternoon. 8. What will the pupils do (this) afternoon? They will read in the Gospel of Matthew (Matayo). 9. The women are putting away the clothes now. They will come back tomorrow. 10. We are praising God because He will have much mercy.