Causative Verbs
Vocabulary
| kuboha (shye) - to tie, bind, knit, weave | gusasa (shashe) - to make a bed, spread grass |
| isabune - soap (3rd sing. 5th pl.) | gutanga (nze) - to pay (francs), to give, offer(as offering) |
| gutinya (nye) - to fear | kubohora (ye) - to untie |
Note: gutanga is not used if the recipient is named.
156. To give the meaning of “to cause to” to a verb, the suffix -isha or -esha is added to a verb. For example: gukora - to work, gukoresha - to cause to work.
157. To determine whether to use -esha or -isha, it is necessary to know the A I U rule: If the next to the last syllable in a verb stem contains a, i, or u, the added suffix will contain i (-isha) but if the next to the last syllable has e or o, the added suffix will contain e (-esha).
Thus: gukora becomes gukoresha - to cause to work, use. kuririmba becomes kuririmbisha - to cause to sing, lead in singing.
This form is not always translated in English by “to cause to”. It may have the idea of “to use” or “to do with.” e.g. gukoresha isuka - to use a hoe, work with a hoe (lit. cause a hoe to work) kubohesha umugozi - to tie with a rope (cause rope to tie).
You have already learned kwigisha. Now you can see that it is simply the causative form of kwiga. Thus “to teach” is “to cause to learn.”
158. The past suffix of causatives is -sheje or -shije (according to the A I U rule). Do not use the usual past stern. e.g. yakoresheje - he used, caused to work.
Note: There are quite a number of verbs which form their causatives irregularly, but in general you can follow the above rule.
Exercises:
I. Make the following verbs causative, and give the meaning of the causative forms:
II. Translate into English: