BGCSE Setswana 1235 cheat sheet

Setswana has seven vowel phonemes: a, e, ê, i, o, ô, u; ê and ô are open-mid vowels distinguished from close e and o.

Setswana is a tone language: high and low tones distinguish words such as the verb and noun forms of the same root; tone is not written in standard orthography.

Aspirated consonants are written with h: ph, th, kh, tlh, tsh, and the digraph kg represents an aspirated velar stop.

Syllables are normally open (CV), so consonant clusters across syllable boundaries follow the vowel-final pattern; stress is not lexically distinctive.

Greeting register matters: Dumela/Dumelang rra/mma for one or many addressees; polite plural -ng forms are used with elders.

Listening for tone and vowel length is essential because minimal pairs like -bona (see) and -bôna differ only in vowel quality.

Turn-taking markers include hee, mma, and jaanong; these signal attention or agreement and carry pragmatic rather than lexical meaning.

Oral assessment criteria include pronunciation, fluency, tone accuracy, appropriate register, and coherent response to the prompt.

Noun class agreement governs comprehension: the subject concord on the verb must match the class of the subject noun (e.g., class 1 o-, class 2 ba-, class 7 se-).

Identify the topic sentence and supporting detail in a Setswana passage; question types include main idea, inference, vocabulary in context, and author purpose.

Locate referents of pronouns and concords (o, ba, se, di) by tracking the nearest preceding noun of the matching class.

Distinguish fact from opinion using markers such as ke nnete (it is true) versus ke akanya (I think).

Recognise discourse connectors: mme (but), gonne/ka gonne (because), fa (when/if), le fa (although), morago ga (after).

Reading for detail requires attention to tense markers: -tla- (future), -ne- (past), -sa- (negative), -ka- (potential).

Summarising tasks require reducing a passage to its core points without copying sentences verbatim, using own words in Setswana.

Inference questions ask what is implied rather than stated; the answer must be supported by textual evidence.

Setswana noun classes are paired singular/plural: 1/2 (mo-/ba-), 3/4 (mo-/me-), 5/6 (le-/ma-), 7/8 (se-/di-), 9/10 (n-/di-), 11 (lo-), 14 (bo-), 15 (go-).

Subject concords by class: 1 o-, 2 ba-, 3 o-, 4 e-, 5 le-, 6 a-, 7 se-, 8 di-, 9 e-, 10 di-, 11 lo-, 14 bo-, 15 go-.

Object concords precede the verb stem and follow the subject concord: ke a mo bona (I see him), ke a ba bona (I see them).

Verb tense: present ke a bona; past ke ne ke bona or ke bone; future ke tla bona; perfect ke bone.

Negation uses ga/ga se plus the negative verb ending -e: ga ke bone (I do not see), ga a bone (he does not see).

The copula is expressed by ke (it is) or by the associative -na le (to have): ke motho (it is a person), ke na le koloi (I have a car).

Adjectives and relatives agree with the noun class via concords: motho yo montle (a beautiful person), batho ba ba ntlê (beautiful people).

The infinitive is class 15 with go- plus the verb stem: go bona (to see), go ithuta (to learn).

Kinship terms: rra (father), mma (mother), kgaitsadi (sibling), malome (maternal uncle), rakgo (paternal aunt), morwa (son), morwadi (daughter).

Everyday vocabulary: ntlo (house), metsi (water), dijo (food), tsela (road), sekolo (school), buka (book), nako (time).

Idioms carry fixed meaning: go tshwara tau ka matsogo (to face danger boldly, literally to grab a lion with bare hands).

Proverbs (diane) are tested for meaning: Motho ke motho ka batho (a person is a person through others) expresses ubuntu-style interdependence.

Polite forms use the plural or the honorific rra/mma: Dumela rra rather than Dumela for an elder.

Loanwords from Afrikaans and English are adapted to Setswana phonology: koloise (coloured), sekolo (school), buka (book).

Distinguish near-synonyms by register and context: go bua (speak) versus go bolela (tell/narrate).

Collective and mass nouns take class agreement: metsi (water, class 6) takes a- concord: metsi a molemo.

Formal letter structure: address, date, salutation (Dumela rra/mma), body paragraphs, closing (Wa gago/Ka boikokobetso), signature.

Paragraph structure: topic sentence, supporting sentences, concluding sentence; each paragraph develops one idea.

Punctuation in Setswana mirrors English: full stop, comma, question mark, exclamation mark, quotation marks for direct speech.

Direct speech uses the verb -re and a colon: A re: "Ke tla tla." (He said: "I will come.").

Essay types in the syllabus include narrative, descriptive, argumentative, and letter writing; each has distinct organisational conventions.

Cohesion is achieved with connectors (mme, gonne, fa, le fa, morago ga) and pronoun/concord reference to avoid repetition.

Register: formal writing avoids contractions and slang; informal writing (letters to friends) may use colloquial forms.

Editing checks include noun-class concord agreement, tense consistency, and correct spelling of aspirated digraphs (ph, th, kh, tlh).

Genres tested include poetry (pokô), prose fiction (kgankgolo/novel, kgangkhutshwane/short story), and drama (tiragatso).

Poetry analysis covers structure (lines, stanzas), rhythm, rhyme, imagery, and figurative language such as tshwantshanyo (simile) and tshwantshisô (metaphor).

Drama analysis covers plot, characters, conflict, dialogue, stage directions, and theme.

Character analysis requires identifying traits supported by textual evidence and explaining motivation and development.

Theme is the central message; it must be distinguished from plot summary and supported by events in the text.

Setting includes time, place, and social context; it shapes character behaviour and conflict.

Narrative point of view may be first person (ke) or third person (o/ba), affecting the reader's access to characters' thoughts.

Proverbs and idioms often appear in literary texts and carry thematic weight; their meaning must be interpreted in context.