Setswana and other languages
Core ideas
Setswana and other language papers test comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, idioms, and composition. For Setswana, you must know noun classes and their concords, subject and object concords, tense markers (present, past, future, continuous), negation, and the agreement of adjectives and relatives. Learn common idioms (diane) and proverbs (maele) with their meanings, not just their words. For other languages, apply the same skills: accurate concord, correct register, and appropriate idiom.
Traps
The main trap is concord mismatch: the subject concord must agree with the noun class, not with the English translation. Do not translate idioms word for word; 'go tshwara letsogo' does not mean 'to hold a hand' in every context. Watch tone and vowel length where they change meaning. In composition, avoid mixing tenses and do not use English word order.
Worked example
Noun class 1 (person): 'mosadi' (woman) takes subject concord 'o'. Present tense: 'Mosadi o a ja' (The woman is eating). Negative: 'Mosadi ga a je' (The woman is not eating). The concord 'a' agrees with class 1, and negation uses 'ga' plus the concord.
Rule of thumb
Identify the noun class first, then choose the concord, then build the verb. Read idioms in context and memorise five new diane per week with a full sentence example.