Language/Lingala/Grammar/Yes/No-Questions
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Welcome to the Lingala Grammar course! In this lesson, we will learn how to form yes/no questions in Lingala and how to respond to them. Asking questions is a fundamental part of communication and is necessary to obtain information and clarify doubts.
Forming Yes/No Questions
Yes/no questions are questions that have a binary answer, meaning that the answer is either "yes" or "no". In order to form a yes/no question in Lingala, you need to use the question particle "-na" at the end of the declarative sentence.
Here is a simple sentence in Lingala:
"Lopango ezali na nkosi." (The village has a chief.)
To turn it into a yes/no question, you just need to add "-na" at the end:
"Lopango ezali na nkosi na?" (Does the village have a chief?)
Let's take another example:
"Mbala na ngai ezali malamu." (My banana is ripe.)
To make it a yes/no question, we add "-na" at the end:
"Mbala na ngai ezali malamu na?" (Is my banana ripe?)
Notice that the word order in the question stays the same as in the declarative sentence.
Let's take a look at another example:
"Motema na yo ezali mingi." (Your heart is big.)
To make it a yes/no question, we add "-na" at the end:
"Motema na yo ezali mingi na?" (Is your heart big?)
You can also use the subject pronoun at the beginning of the sentence to emphasize the subject, like this:
"Ngai nde na elengi?" (Am I the one who is the best?)
In this example, the subject pronoun "ngai" is placed before "nde" for emphasis.
Here are some more examples:
| Lingala | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ezo sala na moto na? | ɛzɔ salɑ na mɔtɔ na | Is it staying with someone? |
| Ye na respecter liboso na ngwasuma na? | jɛ na rɛspɛktɛr libɔsɔ na ŋwasuma na | Did he respect the traffic light at Ngwasuma? |
| Omona mosala ya ngolu na ngai na? | ɔmɔnɑ mɔsalɑ ya ŋɔlu na ŋɑi na | Do you see my snake's skin? |
In Lingala, you can also ask a yes/no question by just changing the intonation of a statement. For example:
"Ngai na kozwa na liboso ezali na sala lokumu nionso." (I'm going to the market where everything is sold.)
If you want to ask "Are you going to the market where everything is sold?", you can simply raise the pitch of your voice at the end of the sentence.
Responding to Yes/No Questions
To respond to a yes/no question in Lingala, you can answer "ee" for "yes" or "te" for "no".
Here are some examples:
"Ozali na motuka te?" (Do you have a car?)
- Ee, nazali na motuka. (Yes, I have a car.) - Te, naza na ndako ya motuka. (No, I only have a motorcycle.)
"Mbala na ngai ezali malamu na?" (Is my banana ripe?)
- Ee, ezali malamu mingi. (Yes, it's very ripe.) - Te, ezali te malamu. (No, it's not ripe.)
"Ngai nde na elengi?" (Am I the best?)
- Ee, ngai nde na elengi. (Yes, you are the best.) - Te, ngai nde te na elengi. (No, you are not the best.)
It's important to note that in Lingala, the particle "-na" can also be used to ask for confirmation or agreement, even if the question is not a yes/no question. For example:
"Tokobeta na liboso te-na?" (Shall we meet at the market, agreed?)
- Ee, te-na bosana na liboso. (Yes, let's meet at the market.) - Te, tokobotama na mosala ya motuka. (No, let's meet at the gas station.)
Conclusion
Congratulations! You now know how to form yes/no questions in Lingala and how to respond to them. Make sure to practice these skills with a native speaker or with a language exchange partner. In the next lesson, we will learn how to form wh- questions in Lingala, such as who, what, when, where, why, and how.
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