JCE Setswana 11 flashcards

33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Noun class mo-/ba-

This class contains human nouns: motho (person) becomes batho (people), ngwana becomes bana. Verbs and pronouns take the concords o- for singular and ba- for plural.

Noun class mo-/me-

This class covers trees, plants and many objects: setlhare is class 7, but motsoko and mokgwa belong here. Singular concord is o-, plural concord is e- or di- depending on the word.

Noun class le-/ma-

This class includes paired or collective items and many natural objects: leitlho (eye) becomes maitlho (eyes), letsatsi becomes malatsi. Singular concord is le-, plural concord is a- or ma-.

Noun class se-/di-

This class covers tools, languages and many everyday objects: Setswana, sekolo (school), sefofane (aeroplane) pluralise with di-: dikolo, difofane. Concord is se- singular, di- plural.

Subject concord

A prefix attached to the verb that agrees with the noun class of the subject. Motho o a tsamaya, batho ba a tsamaya, setlhare se a wa, ditlhare di a wa.

Object concord

A prefix inserted between the tense marker and the verb root, agreeing with the noun class of the object. Ke a mo bona (I see him), ke a ba bona (I see them), ke a se bona (I see it).

Present tense marker -a-

The present tense uses the subject concord plus -a- plus the verb stem: ke a bona (I see), o a bona (you see), ba a bona (they see). The -a- may contract with vowels in some persons.

Future tense marker -tla-

The future is formed with subject concord plus -tla- plus the verb stem: ke tla bona (I will see), o tla tsamaya (you will go), ba tla fihla (they will arrive).

Past tense marker -ne-

The remote or narrative past uses -ne- after the subject concord: ke ne ke bona (I saw), ba ne ba tsamaya (they were going). Near past may use the perfect ending -ile.

Negative with ga-

Negation commonly uses ga- before the subject concord plus a verb ending in -e: ga ke tseye (I do not take), ga a tla (he will not come), ga ba bone (they do not see).

Progressive -sa-/-tshwere

Ongoing action can be expressed with -sa- or -tshwere: ke sa tsamaya or ke tshwere ke tsamaya (I am still going). The choice depends on dialect and register.

Potential marker -ka-

The -ka- marker expresses possibility, ability or permission: ke ka tsamaya (I can go), o ka bona (you may see). In the negative it becomes ga ke ka ke.

Perfect ending -ile

The perfect or completed aspect often uses the suffix -ile: ke bone (I have seen), ke tsamaille (I have walked). The -ile may contract, e.g. -ile becomes -e after certain stems.

Verb extensions

Suffixes added before the final vowel change meaning: -is- (causative: thusa to cause), -el- (applicative: direla, do for), -w-/-iw- (passive: ratwa, be loved), and -an- (reciprocal: ratana).

Demonstratives

Demonstratives agree with noun class: yo (this, class 1), ba (these, class 2), o (this, class 3), e (this, class 4/9), se (this, class 7), di (these, class 8/10).

Possessive concords

Possession is expressed with a concord plus the possessor: wa (class 1), ba (class 2), wa (class 3), ya (class 4/9), la (class 5), a (class 6), sa (class 7), tsa (class 8/10).

Locative suffixes -ng

The suffix -ng forms locatives meaning at, in, or to: sekolo becomes sekolong (at school), toropo becomes toropong (in town), gae means at home.

Diminutive suffix -nye/-ana

The suffix -nye or -ana forms diminutives: ngwana (child) to ngwananyana (small child), koloi (car) to koloinyana. The suffix agrees with the noun class.

Question words

Common interrogatives include mang (who), eng (what), kae (where), leng (when), goreng (why), and jang (how). They usually appear at the end of the sentence.

Conjunctions

Common conjunctions include le (and, with), mme (and, but), gonne/ka gonne (because), fa (if, when), and mme fa (but if). They link clauses without changing concord.

Relative construction

Relative clauses use the relative concord -yo/-o/-e/-go: motho yo o tsamayang (the person who is walking), sekolo se se golang (the school that is growing).

Copula ke/ga se

The copula ke identifies: Ke nna (it is me), Ke motho (I am a person). The negative copula is ga se: Ga se motho (it is not a person).

Greetings

Standard greetings: Dumela (hello, one person), Dumelang (hello, many), Le kae? (how are you?), Ke teng (I am fine), and Tsamaya sentle (go well).

Numbers and counting

Basic numbers: nngwe (1), pedi (2), tharo (3), nne (4), tlhano (5), thataro (6), supa (7), robedi (8), robongwe (9), lesome (10). Class prefixes may attach to numbers.

Days of the week

Days: Mosupologo (Monday), Labobedi (Tuesday), Laboraro (Wednesday), Labone (Thursday), Labotlhano (Friday), Matlhatso (Saturday), Tshipi/Sontaga (Sunday).

Months of the year

Months include Ferikgong (January), Tlhakole (February), Mopitlwe (March), Moranang (April), Motsheganong (May), Seetebosigo (June), Phukwi (July), Phatwe (August), and Lwetse (September).

Family vocabulary

Family terms: rre (father), mme (mother), ngwana (child), kgaitsadi (sibling), nkgonne (older sibling), and losika/lapa (extended family). These belong to class 1/2.

Animal vocabulary

Common animals: ntja (dog), katse (cat), kgomo (cow), podi (goat), nku (sheep), pere (horse), tau (lion), tlou (elephant), and noga (snake).

Body parts

Body parts: tlhogo (head), leitlho (eye), nko (nose), molomo (mouth), tsebe (ear), letsogo (hand), and lonao (foot). Many take class 5/6 or 9/10 concords.

Proverb: thipa

'Mma o tshwara thipa ka fa bogaleng' means a mother protects her child even at personal cost. Proverbs (diane) are tested in comprehension and composition.

Formal letter structure

A formal letter includes sender address, date, recipient address, greeting (Dumela/Dumelang), body paragraphs, closing (Wa gago), and signature. Each part has a fixed position.

Reported speech

Direct speech becomes reported speech by shifting pronouns and tense: 'Ke a tsamaya' becomes 'O re o a tsamaya'. The reporting verb is often re or bolela.

Composition structure

A Setswana composition (kwalo ya setlhogo) is assessed on introduction, body paragraphs with developed ideas, conclusion, correct grammar, and range of vocabulary and idioms.