Past of -ri; -ga tense

Vocabulary

umufundi (Sw.) - mason, skilled workman	akabande - valley
gutaha (shye) - to go home, quit work	gusura (ye) - to visit, go to visit
kurangiza (je) - to finish (tr.)	kuzamuka (tse) - to go up (as hill)
kumanuka (tse) - to go down

112. For the past of -ri there is no change in the suffix; it is as follows:

There is no other simple past tense for -ri, so this form is used whenever any past time of -ri is expressed.

For agreement with nouns of other classes this verb follows the regular rules (see par. 108).

113. The negative is the same with, of course, the negative prefix: sinari, ntiwari, ntiyari, etc.

114. -ga tense. The suffix -ga is added to the present stem of a verb with a past prefix:

: 1) To express continuous past action, e.g. I was hoeing - nahingaga, I was not hoeing - sinahingaga
: 2) To express habitual past action. I liked to learn - nakundaga kwiga.
: 3) Past time after the word igihe: Nakubonye igihe wavaga mu ishuri - I saw you when you came from school. Naje igihe wandikaga - I came while you were writing.

Exercises:

I. Translate into English:

: 1. Umufundi yari hano ejo nyamara uyu munsi ari imuhira. 2. Mbese wairangije imirimo yose? Oya, sinari hano. Nzarangiza vuba. 3. Abakozi base batashye ariko bazagaruka ejo. 4. Twari mu ishuri mu gitondo cyose kandi twigaga byinshi. 5. Abagore bari mu kabande guhinga. 6. Mwari he ejo? Twazamutse umusozi, twagiyegusura inshuti zacu. 7. Umufundi ntiyari hano mu gitondo; nuko abandi bakozi ntibashoboye gukora.(nuko= so) 8. Twarangije gucana; ntimushaka guteka ubu? 9. Abagore bamanutse mu kabande, kandi abana bakurikiye ababyeyi babo. 10. Ntitwari imuhira igihe mwazaga iwacu. Mbese muzagaruka ejo?

II. Translate into Kinyarwanda:

: 1. The children went up the hill this morning but they came back. Now they are in school. 2. The teacher’s wife was not in church yesterday. 3. The mason was building a house, then (maze) he went to Butare. 4. Were you (s.) at school yesterday? Where were you? I was working in my field. 5. The young girls used to (= habitual past) go down to dig in the valley. 6. The workmen have quit work, but the masons are here in the yard (kraal). 7. I was at your (pl.) place yesterday but you were not at home. 8. The rats were many in our Kraal, but we got a cat; it caught four in the night. 9. The poor man forgot his troubles, because he found much joy in Jesus. 10. You (s.) didn’t wear your new clothes today. Where are they?