Vowel-stem Verbs
Vocabulary
| kwandika - to write | kwigisha - to teach |
| kwizera - to trust, believe | kwiga - to learn, study |
| kwereka - to show | kwihana - to confess, repent (of) |
63. Vowel-stem verbs have stems which begin with a vowel which is always long: -andika, izera, etc. Since the vowel u before another vowel becomes w, the infinitive ku-andika becomes kwandika. So whenever you see an infinitive beginning with kw- you know it is a vowel-stem verb. In some modern orthographies the u of ku- is dropped before u and o, thus: kubaka (stem :ubaka), and koza (stem -oza).
69. For the conjugation of these verbs it is very important to remember the rules for vowel and consonant changes. (Par. 4, 14, 21, 22, 31, 46, 62)
a) Here is the -ra- present conjugation:
| ndizera - I trust | turizera - we trust |
| urizera - you trust | murizera - you trust |
| arizera - he trusts | barizera - they trust |
For other classes, the same principle applies, for it is the a of -ra that makes the contraction.
Note: In all forms of these vowel-stem verbs the accent falls an that first vowel of the stem, which is always long, thus: arandika.
b) The prefixless present:
| nizera | twizera (tu+izera = twizera) |
| wizera (u+izera = wizera) | myizera (mu+izera = mwizera) |
| yizera (a+izera = yizera) | bizera (ba+izera = bwizera) |
70. Note this tense for the other classes:
| Class 2 wereka yereka | Class 7 kereka twereka |
| 3 yereka zereka | 8 bwereka yereka |
| 4 cyereka byereka | 9 kwereka yereka |
| 5 rjereka yereka | 10 hereka hereka |
| 6 rwereka zereka |
71. Note in the 3rd person singular yizera, the vowel change of a. Instead of the vowel a dropping out before another vowel, as you have learned, it here changes to y. Thus a-izera becomes yizera; likewise, yereka, yandika.
Exercises:
1. Translate into English:
II. Translate into Kinyjlarwanda: