Download Lesson 4 Grammar: Interrogatives or question words The

Lesson 4
Grammar: Interrogatives or question words
The interrogative in English is always at the beginning of the question and when an
action is questioned in Zulu, the interrogative is added at the end of a verb.
a. ‘phi?’: ‘where?’: (Singular) Uphi umntwana? Where is the child?
(Plural) Baphi abantwana? Where are the children?
This question always has a locative answer.
The subject concord is used with ‘phi’.
‘Phi’ can also be used with verbs, e.g.
Usebenzaphi? Where do you work?
To be present / not present
In this case the ‘-phi’ is used with the subject concord.
Baphi ogogo na? Where are grandmother and co?
Abekho.
They are not present.
‘Khona’: To be present.
Umama ukhona na? Is mother present?
Yebo, ukhona.
Yes, she is present.
Cha, akekho.
Cha, akekho.
b. ‘phi?’: ‘which?’: (Singular) Ufuna liphi ibhola? Which ball do you want?
(Plural) Nifuna maphi amabhola? Which balls do you want?
The enumerative concord is used with ‘phi’. This concord is like the
object concord except for the classes 3 (‘mu’ and not ‘wu’) and 6
(‘ma’ and not ‘wa’).
c. ‘ni?’: ‘what?’: (Singular) Wenzani esikoleni? What do you do at school?
(Plural)
Nenzani esikoleni? What do you do at school?
Other uses of ‘ni’: With the copulative ‘yi-’
Yini?
What is the matter?
Kuyini lokhu?
What is this?
When ‘yini’ is added to a sentence, it often indicates ‘is it so?’ and in
English it may be rendered by ‘or not.’
Abantwana bafuna ukudla yini? Do the children want to eat or not?
The price of an article or ‘how much?’ in English is in Zulu ‘Malini’. This
means ‘what money = how much money.’ I could also be ‘Kubiza
malini?’ It calls what money?
The answer to this would be ‘Kubiza amarandi angu-5 (R5.00)
It calls R5.00 ( rands which are 5).
‘Kushibile’ = it is cheap
‘Kudulile’ = it is expensive
d. ‘ubani?’: ‘who or whom?’: This is an interrogative noun of class la (ubani
= singular) and class 2a (obani = plural) .
‘Ubani?’ = Whom?
(class la) Ubone ubani? Whom did you see?
(class 2a) Nibone obani? Whom did you see?
As a copulative: ‘Ngubani?’ = Who?
(class 1a) Ngubani lo muntu? Who is this person?
(class 2a) Ngobani la bantu? Who are these people?
e. ‘elani?’: ‘why?’: This interrogative has a present and a past tense form.
e.g. (Present Tense) Ingane ikhalelani? Why is the child crying?
(Past Tense)
Ingane ikhaleleni? Why was the child crying?
The verb ending vowel is dropped and ‘elani’ or ‘eleni’ is added.
As one can notice the ‘elani’ changes to ‘eleni’ in the past tense.
f. ‘njani?’: ‘how?’ When ‘ku-’ is added to ‘njani’ (‘kunjani?’), the answer should
also be answered with ‘ku-’, e.g.
Kunjani? How is it?
Kulungile. It is okay / it goes well
So shall it be, what ever one adds to ‘njani’ like ‘ka-, ba-, etc.’, the
answer should start with the same.
Usebenza kanjani? How do you work?
Ngisebenza kakhulu. I work hard.
(Note: ‘ka’ is always used when the question involves a verb)
The Instrumetalis ‘nga-’ can be also added. ‘Ngani’ how or with what.
‘Uhamba ngani namuhla? How will you travel today? Or
With what will you travel today?
g. ‘nini?’: ‘when?’: The interrogative ‘nini’ is an independent interrogative and
never added to any concord or verb. One will always expect a
‘time related’ answer to this interrogative. E.g.
Amantombazane azofika nini? When will the girls come / arrive?
Ubaba uye nini emsebenzini? When did father go to work?
h. ngakanani / kangakanani?: ‘as big as what / to what extent’
Ufunde kangakanani namuhla? How much did you study today?
When the ‘ka-‘ is added it refers to a verb.
Abafana bangakanani?
How big are the boys?
This is class related, as seen here with ‘aba’ and ‘ba’ and inquire about
something.