Language/Rundi/Grammar/Past-Tense

Rundi → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Verbs and Tenses → Past Tense

Introduction

As a follow-up to our previous lesson on the present tense, we will now dive into the Rundi past tense. Learning how to form the past tense is crucial in order to describe actions that have already taken place. In this lesson, we will explore the different ways to form and use the past tense in Rundi.

Forming the Past Tense

To form the past tense in Rundi, you will need to use the past tense marker "a-", which is added to the beginning of the verb infinitive. Let's take a look at some examples:

Rundi	Pronunciation	English
Ashaka	a-ʃaka	He/She asked
Avuga	a-vuɡa	He/She said
Arara	a-rara	He/She slept

As we can see in the examples above, the "a-" prefix is added to the verbs "shaka", "vuga", and "rara" to form the past tenses "ashaka", "avuga", and "arara".

It is important to note that there are some verbs in Rundi that have irregular past tense forms. A few examples include:

• "Kwenda" (to go) becomes "yatse" in the past tense
• "Kwiba" (to steal) becomes "yakorewe" in the past tense

There are more examples of irregular verbs, but we will cover those in another lesson.

Using the Past Tense in Sentences

Now that we know how to form the past tense, let's explore how to use it in sentences. In Rundi, the subject-verb-object or SVO sentence structure is still used in the past tense, just like in the present tense. Here are a few examples:

• Uyu munsi nari natangije ibiryo byinshi. (Yesterday I ate a lot of food.)
• Yewe nari nagenze ku rugo. (Last night I came home.)
• Abana bari bapfuye ku musozi. (The children died in the war.)

As we can see in the examples above, the SVO sentence structure remains the same even in the past tense. The past tense marker "a-" is added to the verb infinitive to indicate that the action has already taken place.

Irregular Past Tense Verbs

As mentioned earlier, there are some verbs in Rundi that have irregular past tense forms. Here are a few examples:

Rundi	Pronunciation	English
Yatse	ya-tse	He/She went
Yakorewe	ya-koɾewe	He/She stole
Yavuze	ya-vuze	He/She spoke

As we can see in the examples above, the verbs "kwenda", "kwiba", and "vuga" have different past tense forms. It is important to remember these irregular verbs as they are commonly used in everyday conversations.

Negative Past Tense

To form the negative past tense in Rundi, the negative marker "nti" is added before the past tense marker "a-". Let's take a look at some examples:

Rundi	Pronunciation	English
Nti sinshaka	nti sin-ʃaka	I did not ask
Nti sinavuze	nti si-navuze	I did not speak
Nti nari nivugishije	nti na-ɾi ni-vuɡi-ʃije	I did not tell you

As we can see in the examples above, the "nti" negative marker is added before the "a-" past tense marker to form the negative past tense. The SVO sentence structure remains the same as in the affirmative past tense.

Interrogative Past Tense

To form a question in the past tense, the verb is moved to the beginning of the sentence, followed by the subject and other elements. In addition, the question particle "nza" is added at the end of the sentence to indicate that it is a question. Here are some examples:

• Uwundi mugabo yari yashakaga? (Did the other man ask?)
• Wenze iki kuri wee? (What did you do?)
• Yajyaga akiri muto? (Was he still a child?)

As we can see in the examples above, the verbs "shakaga", "wenze", and "jyaga" are moved to the beginning of the sentence to form questions in the past tense. The "nza" question particle is added at the end of the sentence to indicate that it is a question.

Conclusion

In this lesson, we learned how to form the Rundi past tense by adding the "a-" prefix to the beginning of verbs. We also explored how to use the past tense in sentences using the SVO sentence structure, and how to form the negative and interrogative past tenses. We hope this lesson has been helpful in expanding your knowledge of Rundi grammar and helping you become a more skilled communicator in the language. Keep practicing and stay tuned for our next lesson!

Table of Contents - Rundi Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Introduction to Rundi Language

• Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Basic Sentence Structure

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Greetings and Introductions

• Common Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

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Nouns and Pronouns

• Noun Classes
• Pronouns

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Numbers and Time

• Numbers
• Days and Months

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Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense
• Future Tense

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Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Describing Relationships

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Adjectives and Adverbs

• Describing with Adjectives
• Describing with Adverbs

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Food and Dining

• Common Foods
• Dining Vocabulary

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Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Using Prepositions
• Using Conjunctions

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Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Asking for Directions

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Burundian Culture

• History and Traditions
• Music and Dance

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Hobbies and Entertainment

• Common Hobbies
• Entertainment Vocabulary

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Questions and Negation

• Asking Questions
• Negating Sentences

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Health and Emergencies

• Health Vocabulary
• Emergency Vocabulary

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Rundi Etiquette and Customs

• Social Etiquette
• Festivals and Celebrations

Other Lessons

• Pronouns
• Alphabet and Pronunciation
• 0 to A1 Course
• Gender
• Adjectives
• Asking Questions
• Basic Sentence Structure
• Plurals
• Negating Sentences