Oshikwanyama/Owa dja peni

Chapter 3

Owa dja peni?

Grammar Corner: Verbs

In English, verbs change to agree with the subject of the sentence. For example, I run, but he runs. In Oshikwanyama, verbs are made to agree with their subjects by the use of a linking word. These linking words are called subject concords. For example, between ame (I) and li (eat), we must put the first-person subject concord, ohandi: Ame ohandi li.

There are two sets of subject concords, one for the so-called “active verbs” and one for the “stative verbs”. In addition, there are different subject concords for positive and negative statements: ame ohandi nu (I am drinking) versus ame itandi nu (I am not drinking).

The negative subject concords are listed below their positive counterparts in the following tables.

Subject Concords for Active Verbs 

Subject Concords for Stative Verbs 

Common Active Verbs 

Common Stative Verbs

* The past and future tenses of “see” are expressed with the active verb mona.

** The past and future tenses of “know” are expressed with the active verb shiiva.

*** The past and future tenses of “feel / understand” are expressed with the active verb, uda / uda ko.

To form a sentence with an active verb, put the proper subject concord in front of the verb you want. Since the subject concords are different for each person, it is not necessary to state the subject (ame, ove, etc.).

For example:

You might have noticed a few patterns in the subject concords:


 * For active verbs, the future is just the present concord + ka.
 * For active verbs, the negative present concords are the same as the positive concords, but with the first O changed to an I.

There are a number of other patterns to the charts. Naming them all is left as an exercise for the reader.