KiBantu

KiBantu is a zonal language that is meant to act as a potential lingua franca for the Bantu-speaking peoples of Sub-Saharan Africa. Though it is highly influenced by Swahili, it is slightly simplified and incorporates Bantu vocabulary of disparate origins.

kiBantu kiBantu
Type
Zonal Auxlang
Alignment
Nominative-Accusative
Head direction
Head-Initial
Tonal
Yes
Declensions
No
Conjugations
Yes
Genders
Yes
Nouns decline according to...
Case	Number
Definiteness	Gender
Verbs conjugate according to...
Voice	Mood
Person	Number
Tense	Aspect

Phonology

KiBantu's phonology is principally derived from that of Proto-Bantu, although sound correspondences aren't always regular. Like most Bantu languages kiBantu is tonal, though the tones intentionally do not distinguish many minimal pairs.

Vowels

KiBantu, like Swahili, Shona, and Zulu, has a simple five vowel system, as opposed to the seven vowel system of some modern Bantu languages and Proto-Bantu. In addition, there is no contrastive vowel length.

	Front	Back
Close	i	u
Mid	e ~ ɛ	o ~ ɔ
Open	a ~ ɑ

The mid vowels /e/ and /o/ may be realized as close-mid and open-mid, and may be pronounced according to each speaker's preference. There are no diphthongs in KiBantu. All vowel sequences are permitted, and each vowel constitutes a separate syllable. Sequences of two of the same vowels, such as /aa/ or /ee/ are rarely found in word roots, but can often be found in inflected words.

Consonants

KiBantu has twenty basic consonant sounds, and an additional thirteen consonants if prenasalized consonants are counted separately.

		Labial	Alveolar	Post-alveolar / Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal		m	n	ɲ	(ŋ)
Stop	voiceless	p	t	t͡ʃ	k
	voiced	b	d	d͡ʒ	ɡ
	prenasalized voiceless	ᵐp	ⁿt	ᶮt͡ʃ	ᵑk
	prenasalized voiced	ᵐb	ⁿd	ᶮd͡ʒ	ᵑɡ
Fricative	voiceless	f	s	ʃ		h
	voiced	v	z
	prenasalized voiceless	ᶬf	ⁿs	ᶮʃ
	prenasalized voiced	ᶬv	ⁿz
Approximant		w	l ~ r	j

• Prenasalised consonants are consonants that are preceded by a brief homorganic nasal. In most cases the homorganic nasal takes on the same place of articulation as the consonant it precedes, though in orthography this is only reflected in the labial consonants, and all other instances of the homorganic nasal are written as ⟨n⟩.
• When modified by the homorganic nasal, the approximants change in predictable ways. /l/ has no prenasalised counterpart, so it becomes /ⁿd/, as seen in nde, an inflected form of -le "long". /w/ similarly becomes /ᵐb/. As an exception, when /j/ undergoes prenasalisation, instead of becoming a prenasalised consonant it becomes the palatal nasal /ɲ/.
• The nasals /m/, /n/, and /ɲ/, as well as /h/, do not change at all when prenasalised.
• The velar nasal [ŋ] does not occur as a separate phoneme, but as a variant of the homorganic nasal before the velar consonants /k/ and /g/.
• /h/ is rarely found in words of native Bantu origin.
• /l/ and /r/ do not contrast in native words and most loanwords, as the phoneme /l/ is almost always used. However, /r/ can occur and is written as such in proper names such as kinyarwanda "Rwanda language".

Tone

KiBantu has two tones, high and low. The high tone has a higher pitch and is indicated with an acute accent, while the low tone is lower and unmarked. The low tone is generally treated as a default, and is generally considered an absence of tone. Tones in KiBantu rarely play any kind of role in distinguishing grammatical features; they simply exist to distinguish similar words. Tone does not have to be indicated in more casual writing, as there are not enough minimal pairs to make a text difficult to understand if tone is not written. For example, these roots exemplifly a three-way tonal contrast, though they may have different prefixes:

• -kala: to sit
• -kála: charcoal → makála: charcoal
• -kálá: crab → nkálá: crab

This article will mark tone when applicable.

Phonotactics

The syllable structure in KiBantu is (N)(C)(G)V. The nucleus is always a vowel, and cannot be a syllabic /m/ like in many Bantu languages. Though prenasalized consonants are treated as one consonant phonetically, the homorganic nasal that precedes a consonant can be considered a separate part of the onset. Additionally, one of the glides, /j/ or /w/, may follow most consonants in the onset. Maximal syllable structure can be seen in monosyllabic words such as ngwe /ᵑɡwe/ "leopard" and mbwá /ᵐbwá/ "dog". Final consonants and consonant clusters in foreign loanwords are often broken up using an epenthetic vowel, such as English gram becoming galamu in KiBantu.

Orthography

KiBantu is written phonetically with the Latin alphabet. Most letters correspond to one sound, but there are two digraphs discounting prenasalized sounds: ⟨sh⟩, and ⟨ny⟩. The letters ⟨q⟩, ⟨r⟩, and ⟨x⟩ do not occur in most words, however they can occur in proper names. The English approximations listed below are not meant to indicate the exact pronunciations of the letters, but to serve as a guide for English speakers.

Letter(s)	Phoneme	English Approximation	Example
a	/a/	father	avoká /avoká/ "avocado"
b	/b/	bone	bongó /boᵑgó/ "brain"
c	/t͡ʃ/	choose	culá /t͡ʃulá/ "frog"
d	/d/	dog	idilisha /idiliʃa/ "window"
e	/e ~ ɛ/	end	ndege /ⁿdege/ "airplane"
f	/f/	fall	ifu /ifu/ "cloud"
g	/ɡ/	go	mugulu /muɡulu/ "leg"
h	/h/	hen	hoteli /hoteli/ "hotel"
i	/i/	machine	itwi /itwi/ "ear"
j	/d͡ʒ/	job	kijiko /kid͡ʒiko/ "spoon"
k	/k/	king	ikí /ikí/ "egg"
l	/l ~ r/	line	lulími /lulími/ "tongue"
m	/m/	make	mama /mama/ "mother"
mb	/ᵐb/	number	mbú /ᵐbú/ "mosquito"
mf	/ᶬf/	comfort	mfísi /ᶬfísi/ "hyena"
mp	/ᵐp/	impact	mpété /ᵐpété/ "ring"
mv	/ᶬv/	circumvent	mvúla /ᶬvúla/ "rain"
n	/n/	nail	ino /ino/ "tooth"
nc	/ᶮt͡ʃ/	inches	ncí /ᶮt͡ʃi/ "little"
nd	/ⁿd/	ending	ndevu /ⁿdevu/ "beard"
ng	/ᵑɡ/	finger	ngoma /ᵑɡoma/ "drum"
nj	/ᶮd͡ʒ/	enjoy	njala /ᶮd͡ʒala/ "hunger"
nk	/ᵑk/	thinking	nkúkú /ᵑkúkú/ "chicken"
ns	/ⁿs/	inside	nsíndí /ⁿsíⁿdí/ "squirrel"
nsh	/ᶮʃ/	sunshine	nshíngó /ᶮʃíⁿgó/ "world"
nt	/ⁿt/	into	ntaba /ⁿtaba/ "mountain"
ny	/ɲ/	canyon	nyúki /ɲúki/ "bee"
nz	/ⁿz/	unzip	nzinzi /ⁿziⁿzi/ "fly"
o	/o ~ ɔ/	low	ndóto /ⁿdóto/ "dream"
p	/p/	pass	ipapu /ipapu/ "lung"
r	/r/	run	kirundi /kiruⁿdi/ "Rundi language"
s	/s/	sit	busó /busó/ "face"
sh	/ʃ/	show	ishoka /iʃoka/ "axe"
t	/t/	tall	mutí /mutí/ "tree"
u	/u/	rude	musúndu /musúⁿdu/ "leech"
v	/v/	van	ivú /ivú/ "ash"
w	/w/	want	we /we/ "you"
y	/j/	young	yakuti /jakuti/ "ruby"
z	/z/	zoo	muzi /muzi/ "root"

The one orthographic issue that may cause some ambiguity is whether glides should be written between consecutive vowels of differing heights. In word roots, the glides are generally written. The root for mushroom is written -owa, not *-oa, while the root for pear is peya, not *pea. With grammatical extensions, however, the glide is generally not written. For example, the plural of mwáka "year" is written miáka, not miyáka.

Word Formation

Approximately 75% of KiBantu's lexicon is of native Bantu origin. Of that percentage, 72% is traceable back to a reconstructable Proto-Bantu root, while 28% comes from words of native Bantu origin that are not reconstructable as Proto-Bantu, or words that were derived from other words of Bantu origin. The remaining 25% of KiBantu's lexicon is of foreign origin. Words of English origin make up the bulk of this, at 58% of loanwords, while Arabic contributes 26%. Words from other languages such as Persian, French, Portuguese, and various Indic languages make up the remainder of loanwords in KiBantu.

Derivation from Proto-Bantu

In many cases, there are regular or semi-regular correspondences between Proto-Bantu phonemes and KiBantu sounds. Tones, as well, usually correspond exactly to the reconstructed Proto-Bantu root.

Proto-Bantu Phoneme	KiBantu correspondence(s)	Examples
*p	p in most cases, often f before PB /u/ or /ɪ/.	*-pácà > ipása "twin" *-púdò > ifúlo "foam" *-pɪ́gò >ifígo "kidney"
*t	t in most cases, f before PB /u/, s occasionally before PB /ɪ/.	*-tímà > mutíma "heart" *-tù > ifu "cloud" *-pɪ́tɪ́ > mfísi "hyena"
*c	s in most cases, occasionally sh or c.	*-códɪ̀ > musózi "tear" *-bícì > -bíshi "raw" *-càngà > mucanga "sand"
*k	k in most cases, f before PB /u/, s or sh occasionally before PB /ɪ/.	*-kídà > mukíla "tail" *-kútà > mafuta "fat" *-jókɪ̀ > mosí "smoke"
*b	b in most cases, occasionally v before PB /u/, rarely v elsewhere. /w/ when borrowed from Swahili.	*-bààta > ibata "duck" *-búdà > mvúla "rain" *-bába > kuváva "to be bitter"
*d	almost always l, d when prenasalized, occasionally z before PB /i/ or /ɪ/, v before PB /u/.	*-dàdò > kilalo "bridge" *-dèdù > ndevu "beard" *-bʊ́dɪ̀ > mbúzi "goat"
*j	z in many cases, often j as well, rarely y; is often ∅ when it is the first phoneme in a PB root.	*-jʊ̀dʊ́ > izulu "sky" *-jàdà > njala "hunger" *-jòjá > boyá "fur"
*g	g in most cases, occasionally v before PB /ʊ/, rarely z before PB /ɪ/, occasionally ∅ before PB /e/.	*-gòngò > mugongo "back" *-gʊ̀bú > mvubú "hippopotamus" *-gɪ̀da > kuzila "to abstain from" *-gènda > kwenda "to go"
*m	m in nearly all cases.	*-mààmá > mama "mother"
*n	n in nearly all cases.	*-jɪ́nò > ino "tooth"
*ɲ	ny in nearly all cases.	*-nyàmà > nyama "animal"
*a	a in nearly all cases.	*-jánà > mwána "child"
*e	e in nearly all cases.	*-béèdè > ibéle "breast"
*ɪ	i in most cases.	*-tɪ́ > mutí "tree"
*i	i in most cases, y when followed by another vowel in PB.	*-dìndì > mulindi "guard" *-día > kulya "to eat"
*o	o in most cases, rarely u; w when followed by another vowel in PB.	*-bókò > iboko "arm" *-nyóa > kunywa "to drink"
*ʊ	u in most cases, rarely o; w when followed by another vowel in PB.	*-kʊ́kʊ́ > nkúkú "chicken" *-jʊ́dʊ̀ > izúlu "nose" *-gʊ̀a > kugwa "to fall"
*u	u in nearly all cases.	*-túda > kufúla "to forge"

Languages Drawn From

As Swahili already acts as a lingua franca for East Africa, more of KiBantu's vocabulary was drawn from Swahili than any other Bantu language. However, the vocabulary of KiBantu represents many larger phyla of the Bantu languages: the Nyasa languages are represented by Chichewa, the Great Lakes Bantu languages are represented by Rwanda-Rundi, the Nguni languages are represented by vocabulary from Xhosa and Zulu, while the Bangi–Ntomba languages are represented by Lingala.

The following is a list of what percentage of the Bantu roots in KiBantu share a recognizable cognate in the Bantu languages used to provide its vocabulary:

• Swahili - 65%
• Chichewa - 63%
• Rwanda-Rundi - 46%
• Shona - 35%
• Xhosa - 33%
• Zulu - 33%
• Luba-Kasai - 32%
• Lingala - 27%

Technological Vocabulary

A few words for modern technology are derived from Proto-Bantu. These come through a Bantu language (usually Swahili) in which the word has an older meaning derived from Proto-Bantu and a more modern meaning. In KiBantu, only the modern meaning is kept.

• ndege: airplane (From Swahili ndege, from Proto-Bantu *ndègè "bird")
• muzinga: cannon (From Swahili mzinga, from Proto-Bantu *mʊ̀dɪ̀ngà "beehive")

Grammar

KiBantu is an agglutinative language, which means that most words are constructed by joining a root together with many smaller affixes. Its primary word order is SVO, and it is also primarily a head-initial language. Verbs follow the adjective, adjectives follow the noun they modify, and the adpositions in KiBantu are prepositions, not postpositions. Unlike English, there are no articles such as "a" and "the". Another feature common to Bantu languages that KiBantu naturally shares is a variety of noun classes.

Noun Classes

Nouns classes form the core of how KiBantu nouns work. Verbs, adjectives, demonstratives, and some prepositions all inflect to agree with a noun's inherent class. Most noun classes occur in pairs: singular and plural. Numerically and grammatically, the plural is a different class than the singular, though semantically they are the same class. Most classes have an underlying semantic category and patterns of meaning are often identifiable in each class. However, there are many exceptions in almost every class, and noun class is generally arbitrary. Each of the classes has a usual prefix, however, the prefix often changes before a vowel. In all, there are thirteen full noun classes, and three additional secondary noun classes. Note that in the chart below, the classes are numbered with the traditional Bantu numbering system. Like in several Bantu languages, classes 12 and 13 are skipped and are not a class in KiBantu, due to the fact that were present in Proto-Bantu and are still in many extant Bantu languages.

Noun Class	Prefix before consonant	Prefix before a	Prefix before e	Prefix before i	Prefix before o/u
1	mu-	mw-	mw-	mw-	m-
1a	∅	∅	∅	∅	∅
2	ba-	b-	ba-	ba-	ba-
3	mu-	mw-	mw-	mw-	m-
4	mi-	mi-	mi-	m-	mi-
5	i-	i-	i-	∅-	i-
6	ma-	m-	ma-	ma-	ma-
7	ki-	c-	c-	k-	c-
8	bi-	by-	by-	b-	by-
9	N-	ny-	ny-	ny-	ny-
10	N-	ny-	ny-	ny-	ny-
9a	∅	∅	∅	∅	∅
10a	∅	∅	∅	∅	∅
11	lu-	lw-	lw-	lw-	l-
14	bu-	bw-	bw-	bw-	b-
15	ku-	kw-	kw-	kw-	k-
16	pa-	p-	pa-	pa-	pa-
17	ku-	kw-	kw-	kw-	k-
18	mu-	mw-	mw-	mw-	m-

This prefix list may seem daunting, but there are many general rules:

1. In most cases, if a class prefix precedes a root starting with the same vowel as the prefix, the prefix becomes the bare consonant. For example, the the root for "child", -ána, which takes class 2 in the plural, becomes bána, not *baána.
2. Classes that end in -u become their bare consonants before -o as well as -u. For example, the class 3 root -osí "smoke" is mosí when taking its prefix.
3. The class prefixes that end in -i all behave a little differently. The prefix mi- remains mi- before any vowel except i, while ki becomes c- and bi- becomes by- before every vowel except -i.
4. Classes 1a, 9a, and 10a do not take any prefix.

Mu-ba class

The mu-ba class, known as classes 1 and 2 respectively, is the only noun class in KiBantu that has a totally clear semantic field. Nouns in the mu-ba class refer exclusively to people. Note that this does not mean that all nouns referring to people are within this class, merely that all nouns in this class represent people.

• muntu/bantu: person/people
• mwána/bána: child/children
• mukázi/bakázi: woman/women
• mulúme/balúme: man/men

Agent nouns be derived from verbs and adjectives also regularly appear in the mu-ba class. Agent nouns derived from verbs replace the final -a of the verb with -i.

• kupika: to cook → mupiki/bapiki: chef/chefs
• kulima: to farm → mulimi/balimi: farmer/farmers
• kulóba: to fish → mulóbi/balóbi: fisherman/fishermen

There is also a small subset of nouns of class 1 known as class 1a. Except for classes 9a and 10a, it is the only class without an identifying prefix; nouns in class 1a do not have the mu- prefix in the singular that is characteristic of the mu-ba class. However, nouns in class 1a still take class 2 prefixes in the plural. Most of these words fall into two categories: Bantu kin terms, or borrowed occupations:

• mama/bamama: mother/mothers
• tata/batata: father/fathers
• ndugu/bandugu: kinsman/kinsmen

• dokótoli/badokótoli: doctor/doctors
• bishópu/babishópu: bishop/bishops
• pápa/bapápa: pope/popes

Mu-mi class

The mu-mi class is known as class 3 in the singular and class 4 in the plural. It is one of the most common noun classes, and as such is one of the most semantically varied, though a common thread that can be drawn is that nouns in this class often extend in vertically in one or more directions. Although many potential categorizations will be laid out, there will always be exceptions.

The most stable category is the names of trees. Tree names can be derived systematically by adding the mu- prefix to plants of other classes.

• mutí/mití: tree/trees
• icungwa: orange (fruit) → mucungwa/micungwa: orange tree/orange trees
• ápola: apple → mwápola/miápola: apple tree/apple trees

There are many body parts in the mu-mi class, and they are categorized as extending lengthwise in one direction, or being particularly active.

• mutíma/mitíma: heart/hearts
• mutú/mitú: head/heads
• mukila/mikila: tail/tails
• mugulu/migulu: leg/legs
• mufúpa/mifúpa: bone/bones

Tools that extend lengthwise in one direction can also be found in this class.

• mulango/milango: door/doors
• mukónto/mikónto: spear/spears
• mucayilo/micayilo: broom/brooms
• mupanga/mipanga: hatchet/hatchets

Incorporeal or amorphous things that are considered active also often appear in the mu-mi class.

• mweya: air
• mosí: smoke
• móto: fire
• muvuke: steam
• mudíma: darkness
• muzimu/mizimu: spirit/spirits

A few flat stretches or expanses can also sometimes be seen in the mu-mi class.

• munda/minda: field/fields
• mukeka/mikeka: mat/mats
• muji/miji: city/cities

Some nouns derived from verbs can also appears in the mu-mi class. These derivations generally replace the final -a of the verb with a final -o. These nouns aren't derived by a regular scheme, and therefore must be memorized.

• kutéga: to set a trap → mutégo/mitégo: trap/traps
• kuténga: to buy → muténgo/miténgo: price/prices
• kubánza: to begin → mubánzo/mibánzo: beginning/beginnings.

And finally, a few loanwords that begin with m- have found their way into this class, though they also may fit into some of the aforementioned categorizations.

• munala/minala: tower/towers (from Arabic manāra)
• musumali/misumali: nail/nails (from Arabic mismār)
• munuta/minuta: minute/minutes (from French minut)
• muziki: music (from English music, French musique)

I-ma class

Known as classes 5 and 6 respectively, the i-ma class, generally encompasses things that are often found in groups, as well as small round things. But, this is complicated by the fact that this is the class with the second largest amount of loanwords, so assigning a clear semantic field is difficult. In other Bantu languages, such as Swahili and Shona, this class often takes no prefix. However, when these words are loaned into KiBantu, they take the i- prefix.

The i-ma class is prototypically associated with fruits. Though there are some fruits in this class, more words for fruits are in class 9a.

• itunda/matunda: fruit/fruits
• icungwa/macungwa: orange/oranges
• igwavá/magwavá: guava/guavas
• ibilingani/mabilingani: eggplant/eggplants

Other small, rounds objects are also occasionally in this class:

• ikála/makála: piece of charcoal/charcoal
• ikí/makí: egg/eggs
• ibwe/mabwe: stone/stones

Another common semantic commonality, as mentioned before, is body parts that commonly come in groups or pairs:

• ibóko/mabóko: arm/arms
• ino/mano: tooth/teeth
• iso/maso: eye/eyes
• itwi/matwi: ear/ears
• ipapu/mapapu: lung/lungs

Other things seen in groups or pairs are also included:

• ifu/mafu: cloud/clouds
• ibabí/mababí: leaf/leaves
• ipása/mapása: twin/twins

There are quite a few words that only occur in class 6 and represent liquids:

• maji: water
• mafúta: fat, grease
• magazí: blood
• maté: saliva
• matope: mud

A few other words are also exclusively class 6 and have no singular, though there is little that unites these nouns semantically:

• makelele: noise
• malipo: payment
• manéla: ladder
• matalatála: glasses
• mabulúgwe: trousers, pants

And finally, there are many loanwords present in this class. Many of these are older loanwords that came into Swahili, and then into other Bantu languages, from Arabic:

• idilisha/madilisha: window/windows (From Arabic drīša)
• idubu/madubu: bear/bears (From Arabic dubb)
• iguniya/maguniya: sack/sacks (From Arabic gūniyya)
• itofali/matofali: brick/bricks (From Arabic tafal)
• isoko/masoko: market/markets (From Arabic sūq)

There are, however a few recent loanwords from English in this class, though more recent loanwords are much more common in class 9a.

• ikándela/makándela: candle/candles (From English candle)
• itawuló/matawuló: towel/towels (From English towel)
• ikéteni/makéteni: curtain/curtains (From English curtain)

Ki-bi class

The ki-bi class is known as class 7 and the singular and class 8 in the plural. It is one of the rarer classes in KiBantu. Its primary semantic field is tools and manufactured objects, however, the majority of nouns in this class do not fall into that category. These words for tools usually aren't derived from other nouns.

• kijiko/bijiko: spoon/spoons
• kibiliti/bibiliti: match/matches
• kilatu/bilatu: shoe/shoes
• kitambala/bitambala: fabric/fabrics

The ki-bi class, however is almost always used as the class for language names, and in fact, is used as such in the name "KiBantu", meaning both "Bantu language" and "language of the people" in KiBantu. Some more language names are as follows:

• Kiswahili: Swahili language
• Kishona: Shona language
• Kixhosa: Xhosa language
• Kizulu: Zulu language
• Kicewá: Chichewa language
• Kingelesi: English language
• Kifalansa: French language

N class

Classes 9 and 10 are collectively called the N class. This is because the singular and plural of this class both take a homorganic nasal prefix. The only way the number of these classes is distinguished is through verbal concord. This class contains mostly animal names, and though all the prior mentioned classes except 1 and 2 have some animals within them, classes 9 and 10 contain the majority of animal names.

• nyama: animal/animals
• mbúzi: goat/goats
• mfísi: hyena/hyenas
• mpúku: mouse/mice
• mvubú: hippo/hippos
• ndá: louse/lice
• ngombé: cow/cows
• njíwa: dove/doves
• nkálá: crab/crabs
• nsíndí: squirrel/squirrels
• nzovu: elephant/elephants

The rest of the nouns in this class are generally miscellaneous, however, this class too has several nouns derived from verbs. Though these often end in -o like the derived nouns in other classes, this is not always the case.

• kubala: to count → mbala: time, iterations/times, iterations
• kulóta: to dream → ndóto: dream/dreams
• kuféma: to breathe → mfémo: breath/breaths
• kufísha: to hide → mfísho: secret

A subset of the N class, called 9a and 10a, is the largest class in KiBantu. It takes all the same concords as regular nouns in the N class, but there is no nasal prefix. About 1/3rd of all KiBantu nouns fall into this subclass. This class consists primary of foreign loanwords, and over 80% of foreign loanwords in KiBantu are placed into this class. This includes loanwords from English:

• keki: cake/cakes (From English cake)
• búku: book/books (From English book)
• hoteli: hotel/hotels (From English hotel)
• ápola: apple/apples (From English apple)

There is also a significant contribution from Arabic, as in the i-ma class:

• sabúni: soap (From Arabic ṣābūn)
• falási: horse/horses (From Arabic faras)
• zabibu: grape/grapes (From Arabic zabīb)
• dini: religion/religions (From Arabic dīn)

A few Persian loanwords are in this class as well:

• pamba: cotton (From Persian panbe)
• lángi: color/colors (From Persian rang)
• pilipili: pepper/peppers (From Persian pelpel)
• balafu: ice (From Persian barf)

Loans from the Romance languages, primarily Portuguese and French, make up the final significant chunk of loanwords in this class:

• kamyó: truck/trucks (From French camion)
• pasi: clothing iron/clothing irons (From French repasser)
• avoká: avocado/avocados (From French avocat)
• bendéla: flag/flags (From Portuguese bandeira)
• mézá: table/tables (From Portuguese mesa)

Not all words in class 9a are foreign in origin. Quite a few are of native Bantu origin, but occur in languages where the nasal prefix is not used before unvoiced consonants, primarily Swahili and Shona. As such, there words are often loaned into KiBantu without the prefix.

• sóni: shame
• cupa: bottle/bottles
• twiga: giraffe/giraffes
• síku: day/days

A few class 9a nouns can be mistaken for nouns of other classes because they seem to have a class prefix when they actually do not. Though these exceptions are relatively few, they must be memorized:

• mita: meter (not class 4)
• injini: engine (not class 5)
• mashíni: machine (not class 6)
• matilesi: mattress (not class 6)
• buvi: spider (not class 14)
• buléki: brake (not class 14)

Lu-N class

The lu class is called class 11, however, there is no class 12 to act as its plural. Instead, class 10 acts as the plural for lu class nouns. This class has nearly merged with class 14 in Swahili; however it is still a completely separate class in KiBantu. It is the rarest noun class in KiBantu, but as a result it is one of the most semantically coherent. Nearly all nouns in this class are long, relatively flat things. Body parts are among the most salient members of this category:

• lubavu/mbavu: rib/ribs
• lulími/ndími: tongue/tongues
• lunwéle/nwéle: a hair/hair
• lwála/nyála: fingernail/fingernails

Many long, flat objects are in this class as well:

• lukúni/nkúni: piece of firewood/firewood
• lushíngé/nshíngé: needle/needles
• lwembe/nyembe: razor blade/razor blades
• lubawo/mbawo: board/boards
• lupánga/mpánga: sword/swords

Bu class

The bu class is class 14. This class is mostly coherent, as it primarily encompasses abstract concepts. As such, most nouns in the class do not have a plural form. A scant few nouns in this class can nevertheless be pluralized in the ma class. The abstract concepts that this class contains are most often derived from nouns, verbs, or adjectives:

• kulima: to farm → bulimo: agriculture
• muntu: human → buntu: humanity
• mwána: child → bwána: childhood
• -cace: few → bucace: scarcity

Country names can also be derived, with some regularity, from the names of languages:

• Kifalansa: French → Bufalansa: France
• Kingelesi: English → Bwingelesi: England
• Kicina: Chinese → Bucina: China

There are a few nouns in the bu class which do not fall into either of these categories, but they do not have a plural. These nouns are generally lumpy or round in some way:

• bowa: mushroom
• busó: face
• bongó: brain
• bugali: porridge

There is a final subset of nouns in this class which take ma- in the plural. There is little that unites that semantically, so they must be memorized:

• bushánga/mashánga: bead/beads
• bwáto/máto: boat/boats
• bukondé/makondé: net/nets
• butá/matá: bow/bows

A few loanwords that begin with bu- have also entered from other languages. They are almost always placed in class 14:

• busitani/masitani: garden/gardens (From Arabic bustān)
• bundúki/mandúki: gun/guns (From Arabic bunduq)
• bulashi/malashi: brush/brushes (From English brush)
• bulankéti/malankéti: blanket/blankets (From English blanket)

Ku Class

The ku class, or class 15, is a unique class grammatically. Verbs are fundamentally a bare root in KiBantu, but verbs must take the class 15 prefix when used in isolation or as the compliment of an auxiliary verb. All verbal infinitives are in this class, and they often act just as infinitives or gerunds do in English.

• kulála: to sleep
• kwenda: to go
• kubóna: to see
• kuféma: to breathe
• kuma: to be dry
• kógela: to swim

The Locative Classes

The final three noun classes are known as classes 16, 17, and 18, and are not considered primary noun classes like the first thirteen. This is because, in most cases, they are added to a noun in addition to the class prefix it already has. Like other classes, however, the locative classes still take concords and adjectives, verbs, demonstratives and prepositions can agree with them.

The pa locative class:

Known as class 16 numerically, the pa locative represents a definitive location at or on a place or surface. This locative, however, is less used than 17.

• isoko: market → paisoko: at the market
• mugulu: leg → pamugulu: on the leg
• madilisha: windows → pamadilisha: on the window
• ápola: apple → pápola: on the apple

There are a few words that are inherently in this class. They are often derived from other nouns. They can be considered adverbs, but they often act like nouns:

• pakáti: inside, between, among
• pansí: bottom, down
• panze: outside
• pazulu: top, up
• pambele: forward

The ku locative class:

Class 17, the ku locative class, in the most complicated of the three locative classes, but it is also the most commonly used. At its core, it represents a more indefinite or general location. Knowing when to use class 17 rather than class 16 can be difficult, but 17 can generally be used when the speaker is being less specific about where something is.

• kikalo: bridge → kukikalo: on a bridge
• bitenga: roofs → kubitenga: on roofs

It can also be used with certain verbs to contextually mean to or from, rather than at or on.

• kwenda kunyumbá "to go home"
• kwenda kushuli "to go to school"

There are just two words that belong to this class inherently:

• kulya: right
• kushoto: left

The mu locative class:

The mu locative class, or class 18, expresses interiority. Basically, it shows that that the noun with this prefix is containing another noun within it. The prefix of this class is homophonous with that of both class 1 and class 3.

• sandúku: box → musandúku: in a box
• ndege: airplane → mundege: on an airplane
• makondé: nets → mumakondé: in nets
• mulomo: mouth → mumulomo: in the mouth
• izíko: fireplace → mwizíko: in the fireplace

Noun Class Derivation

Most noun roots in KiBantu are connected with a single meaning. Occasionally, however, several words of distinct meaning can be derived from a single root. The most varied example of this is the root -ntu, which can be used to derive a meaning be on the prototypical meaning of the class

• muntu/bantu: person/people
• kintu/bintu: thing/things
• buntu: humanity
• pantu/kuntu: place

Most derived roots, however, relate more clearly in meaning. The root -tí, which primarily means tree, can be used to derive a few wooden objects:

• mutí/mití: tree/trees
• kití/bití: chair/chairs (thing made from a tree)
• lutí/ntí: stick/sticks (long, extended part of a tree)

Most roots, however, don't have more than one variant:

• kilevu/bilevu: chin/chins
• ndevu: beard/beards

• bitá: war
• butá/matá: bow/bows

Noun Class Concord

As stated previously, in KiBantu many words change based on the class of the nouns involved. Though the noun prefix has already been covered, the subject, the prefix of the adjective and the genitive particle -á also change based on the class of the word it agrees with. There are more words that agree with a noun's class, but this is just a general overview.

Noun Class	Noun Prefix	Subject	Object	Adjective	Genitive (of)
1	mu-	a-	-mu-	mu-	wá
2	ba-	ba-	-ba-	ba-	bá
3	mu-	u-	-wu-	mu-	wá
4	mi-	i-	-yi-	mi-	yá
5	i-	li-	-li-	li-	lá
6	ma-	ya-	-ya-	ma-	yá
7	ki-	ki-	-ki-	ki-	cá
8	bi-	bi-	-bi-	bi-	byá
9	N-	i-	-yi-	N-	yá
10	N-	zi-	-zi-	N-	zá
11	lu-	lu-	-lu-	lu-	lwá
14	bu-	bu-	-bu-	bu-	bwá
15	ku-	ku-	-ku-	ku-	kwá
16	pa-	pa-	-pa-	pa-	pá
17	ku-	ku-	-ku-	ku-	kwá
18	mu-	mu-	-mu-	mu-	mwá

Classes 2, 7, 8, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 are entirely regular, and require little memorization. Class 5 is almost regular, but the subject i- differs from the rest of the concords, which use some variant of li-. Noun classes 3, 4, 6, 9, and 10 (all of which start with nasals) can be considered to have two sets of prefixes: one precedes nouns and adjectives, while the other is used in all other concords. Class 1 is the most irregular class, and the only one outside of the pronominal concords to have a truly divergent form for the subject and the object; the class 1 form of the genitive particle is irregular as well.

In more casual spoken language, only two concords may be distinguished: classes 1 and 2 and whatever they agree with take their normal concords, while anything modified by all other classes (except the locative classes) take the class 9 and 10 concords. Each noun prefix keeps its unique singular and plural, but any verbal subjects and objects, adjectives, or particles act as if they are agreeing with the N class.

Pronouns

Personal Pronouns

Because KiBantu is a pro-drop language, personal pronouns are not seen as often as in English. They are indicated most often through verbal prefixes which almost act like noun class concords, though independent forms exist as well. Like nouns, the independent forms of pronouns do not change based on whether they are the subject or object of the sentence. Nevertheless, the 2nd person singular and 3rd person singular verbal prefixes do have different forms based on whether they are the subject or object. Note that the 3rd person prefixes are represented by the subject and object prefixes of the mu-ba class. The 3rd person prefixes listed on this list, therefore, can only be used for human beings. The pronoun ye can, however, be used for any animate object, but not inanimate ones.

Pronoun	English	Independent	Subject	Object	Possessive
1st singular	I	mi	ndi-	-ndi-	-angu
2nd singular	you	we	u-	-ku-	-ako
3rd singular	he, she	ye	a-	-mu-	-ake
1st plural	we	ti	tu-	-tu-	-atu
2nd plural	you all	ni	nu-	-nu-	-anu
3rd plural	they	bo	ba-	-ba-	-abo
Reflexive	-	-	-	-ji-	-

The reflexive infix is a unique form only seen in a verb's object slot. It refers back to the subject, and is translated as one of the pronouns suffixed with -self in English. For example, ndijiosha means "I wash myself" while bajiosha means "they wash themselves". The possessive forms of pronouns are not inflected like adjectives, but instead like the genitive preposition -á. For example, mwána wangu is the correct way to say "my child", rather than *mwána mwangu.

Demonstratives

Like in many Bantu languages, KiBantu has three types of demonstratives: a proximal, distal, and remote form. These correspond to the "this", "that", and "yonder" of English. In addition, the distal form is used to discuss something previously mentioned. In general, the proximal form is based on the subject concord of its class. Like in English, these forms can be used as standalone nouns. The distal form is based on the proximal form with an -o replacing its final vowel. Finally, the remote form is the subject concord with the suffix -ya added to the end. Like in many other cases, the class 1 variants of the demonstrative pronouns are slightly irregular.

Noun Class	Proximal	Distal	Remote
1	uyu	uyo	uya
2	aba	abo	baya
3	uwu	uwo	uya
4	iyi	iyo	iya
5	ili	ilo	liya
6	aya	ayo	yaya
7	iki	ico	kiya
8	ibi	ibyo	biya
9	iyi	iyo	iya
10	izi	izo	ziya
11	ulu	ulo	luya
14	ubu	ubo	buya
15	uku	uko	kuya
16	apa	apo	paya
17	uku	uko	kuya
18	umu	umo	muya

The distal pronoun also acts as a relative pronoun. Whether it is acting as a subject or an object can be distinguished by using an object marker in the verb:

• mulúme uyo abína "the man who is dancing"
• mukázi uyo ndipenda "the women whom I love"
• mukázi uyo andipenda "the women who loves me"
• ndipenda kulya mupunga uwo upikwa kwá muvuke "I like to eat steamed rice" (lit. I like to eat rice that is cooked with steam)

Additionally, the class 16 distal pronoun is used to mean "when", even when not agreeing with a class 16 noun. It is usually placed before the verb it modifies:

• apo ndalya bugali, ndasángala "when I ate porridge, I was happy.
• mpindi mozi apo twakwéla ntaba, twagwa "once when we were climbing up a mountain, we fell.

Interrogatives

There are several interrogatives in KiBantu which vary in how they are used. Most behave like adjectives, but a few behave like standalone nouns. The interrogatives are not relative pronouns as they are in English; relative constructions are accomplished through different means.

The interrogative -pi translates to "which", "what", or "what kind of" in English. Unlike the demonstratives, it is declined as a regular adjective. Though -pi can not usually act as a standalone noun, when combined with the locative prefixes to create papi, kupi, and mupi, it can be used as "where".

The words náni and níni mean "who" and "what" respectively. Similar to English, náni is used for human agents while níni is used for things.

Another interrogative that acts as an adjective is -ngapi, which means "how many". It only occurs in the plural, but it acts as a regular adjective.

The adverbial question word lini is used to mean "when". Unlike in English, lini always comes at the end of a sentence.

The interrogatives can all be seen in the following list:

Asking about?	English	KiBantu
specification	which	-pi
location	where	papi, kupi, mupi
amount	how many	-ngapi
person	who, whom	náni
thing	what	níni
time	when	lini

Adjectives

Like in most Bantu languages, there are few true adjectives in KiBantu, with about twenty five in total if the numerals are not counted. Most concepts that would be expressed with adjectives in English are expressed with verbs or genitive constructions in KiBantu. All true adjectives in KiBantu are of native Bantu origin. They are also a closed class, although a few adjectives are idiosyncratically derived from verbs (-kúlu and -kúle from -kúla, -índu from -índa, -boli from -bola). As seen previously, most adjectives inflect based on noun class. However, the numeral kúmi "ten" is the only invariable adjective. Generally, adjectives in KiBantu refer to size, quantity, or perceived quality.

Size

• -fúpi: short
• -gáli: wide
• -kúle: far, distant
• -lé: long, tall
• -ncí: small, little
• -néni: big, large

Quantity

• -cace: few
• -ingi: many, a lot
• -ngapi: how many
• -ose: all, every

Quality

• -bí: bad
• -bíshi: unripe, raw
• -boli: rotten
• -dála: old
• -índu: black, dark
• -inye: other, another
• -káli: sharp, strong
• -kúlu: great, main
• -kúndú: red
• -pi: which
• -shá: new, young
• -tupu: empty
• -yéla: white, bright
• -zima: alive, healthy
• -zuli: good

Numerals

Basic Numerals

The numbers 1-10 are treated as adjectives in KiBantu. For the numbers 1-10, the independent names of the numerals used in counting are the same as their adjective counterparts:

• -mozi: one
• -bilí: two
• -tátu: three
• -ne: four
• -tánu: five
• -tándátu: six
• -sambo: seven
• -náne: eight
• -kenda: nine
• kumi: ten

Compound numerals in which the two numbers are being added are written using na between them. In these cases, all numbers in the compound still inflect for noun class. Therefore, kumi na -mozi means "eleven", kumi na -bilí means "twelve", etc.

In compound numerals where the two numbers are being multiplied, the smaller number follows the larger one and they are written as one word. So kumibilí means "twenty", kumitátu means "thirty", etc. These numbers do not inflect for noun class.

To form ordinal numbers, simply make -á precede the numeral. For example, -á mozi means "first", -á bilí means "second", -á kumi means "tenth", and -á kumibilí na tánu means "twenty fifth".

Verbs

Verbs are the most complex part of KiBantu. In addition, verbs are usually the core of a sentence, containing much of the relevant grammatical information. As mentioned before, infinitive verbs are class 15 nouns which start with ku-. Verbal roots almost always end in -a, though there are two exceptions. Though the infinitive of the verb "to be" is kuba, the form -li is used in the present indicative tense. Additionally, the verb kuti "to eat" ends in -i. Unlike Swahili, foreign verbs are fully assimilated and end in -a, though foreign verbs are rare in the first place. Though a few concepts are expressed through changes in the final vowel, most grammatical information is conveyed by using prefixes.

Subject/Object Prefixes

Note that the subject and object prefixes do not directly follow each other when there is a tense prefix; they tense prefix comes between the subject and the object. Note that the object prefix is never required. There are negative forms of the subject prefixes, which are regularly formed by having ha- precede the prefix. In the negative present tense, an -i also replaces the usual root final -a. A table below with the verb kukáta "to cut" is shown. a- is used as the subject for the object slot.

Noun Class	Subject	Object	Negative
1st singular	ndikáta	andikáta	handikáti
2nd singular	ukáta	akukáta	haukáti
1st plural	tukáta	atukáta	hatukáti
2nd plural	nukáta	anukáta	hanukáti
1	akáta	amukáta	hakáti
2	bakáta	abakáta	habakáti
3	ukáta	awukáta	haukáti
4	ikáta	ayikáta	haikáti
5	likáta	alikáta	halikáti
6	yakáta	ayakáta	hayakáti
7	kikáta	akikáta	hakikáti
8	bikáta	abikáta	habikáti
9	ikáta	ayikáta	haikáti
10	zikáta	azikáta	hazikáti
11	lukáta	alukáta	halukáti
14	bukáta	abukáta	habukáti
15	kukáta	akukáta	hakukáti
16	pakáta	apakáta	hapakáti
17	kukáta	akukáta	hakukáti
18	mukáta	amukáta	hamukáti

When the noun class of a subject or object is unknown or cannot be specified, the mu-ba class is used for humans, the mu-mi class is used for plants, the ki-bi class is the generic class for non-living objects, and the N class is used for animals.

Tense

After the subject prefix, which has already been discussed, the tense prefix follows. The simple present tense has no prefix. Unlike in many Bantu languages, there are only three basic tenses: past, present, and future.

The past tense is formed for most forms by using the infix -ya-. However, the 1st and 2nd person prefixes have irregular compressed forms. In this tense, -i is not used as a final vowel in negative forms like in the present.

Noun Class	Subject Prefix	Past Form
1st singular	ndi-	nda-
2nd singular	u-	wa-
1st plural	tu-	twa-
2nd plural	nu-	nwa-
1	a-	aya-
2	ba-	baya-
3	u-	uya-
4	i-	iya-
5	li-	liya-
6	ya-	yaya-
7	ki-	kiya-
8	bi-	biya-
9	i-	iya-
10	zi-	ziya-
11	lu-	luya-
14	bu-	buya-
15	ku-	kuya-
16	pa-	paya-
17	ku-	kuya-
18	mu-	muya-

• abóna "he/she sees" → ayabóna "he/she saw"
• ndikibaka "I build it → ndakibaka "I built it"
• haukímbi "you don't run" → hawakímba "you didn't run"
• baandika "they write" → bayaandika "they wrote"

The future tense is formed by using -la-.

• abóna "he sees" → alabóna "he will see"
• ndikibaka "I build it → ndilakibaka "I will build it"
• haukímbi "you don't run" → haulakímba "you will not run"

Mood

There are three major moods in KiBantu: the indicative, subjunctive, and imperative. The indicative has already been covered, and is used in most statements.

Imperative

The imperative mood is used solely for direct commands and only has a present tense. When addressed towards one person, the imperative is simply the bare verb stem ending in -a. The imperative does not take a subject. When there is an object, including the reflexive prefix ji-, the final suffix becomes -e.

• kala! "sit down!"
• bína! "dance!"
• jifishe "hide!" (lit. "hide yourself")
• ménye macungwa! "peel the oranges!"

For verbs that are one syllabe, the ku- infinitive remains.

• kuza apa! "come here!"
• kulye macungwa! "eat the oranges!

When giving an order to multiple people -ni is added as a suffix.

• kala → kalani "(you all) sit down!"
• jifishe → jifisheni "(you all) hide!"
• ménye macungwa! → ményeni macungwa! "(you all) peel the oranges!"

There is no negative imperative. The negative subjunctive generally fills that role.

Subjunctive

The subjunctive mood is used in many more cases than the imperative. The regular subjuctive is created by placing an -e vowel at the end of the verbal root. The negative subjuctice does not use the regular ha- prefix, but rather -si- between the subject and object. The subjunctive has four primary purposes.

• Used to form negative commands:
  • usife! "don't die!"
  • nusilye macungwa! "(you all) don't eat the oranges!"
  • usijifishe "don't hide!"
• Also used to form additional commands in the same sentence as one imperative command. Two or more imperative commands do not occur in the same sentence:
  • enda kukisímá na uteke maji "go to the well and fetch some water"
  • wakisa televisheni, ukale, na uyitazame "turn on the TV, sit down, and watch it"
• Used to advise or in a hortative way:
  • tuende kupaki! "let's go to the park!"
  • ulye mboga zako "you should eat your vegetables"
  • bantu bapendane "people should love each other"
• And finally, the subjunctive is used after certain conjunctions or verbs that express obligation or necessity.
  • ndisoma ili ndifúnde "I read so that I learn"
  • ayataka muoshe mavali yanu "she wanted you to wash your clothes"

In general, the subjunctive must be used after the following verbs:

• kudinga "to need"
• kulikya "to hope"
• kutaka "to want"

Derivations

Verbal derivations consist of numerous endings which can modify the meaning of the base verb. Unlike in other areas of KiBantu, the verbal extensions have a vestige of vowel harmony. This usually manifests in the each suffix having two forms: one which comes after the vowels -a, -i, and -u, while the other follows -e and -o. Suffixes that begin with a-, however, only have one form.

Applicative: -ela/ila

The applicative is the suffix that can produce the widest variety of meanings of all the KiBantu derivational suffixes. It is sometimes called the "prepositional" suffix, as these verbs often translate to a verb and a preposition (most often "to" or "for") in English. Many applicative verbs can take both a direct and indiect object. However, many applicative verbs can have just one object.

• kulila: to cry, weep → kulilila: to mourn, weep for
• kuléta: to bring → kulétela: to bring to
• kuvota: to vote → kuvotela: to vote for

Causitive: -esa/isa

The causitive is used to make intransitive verbs, or rarely adjectives, transitive. It can also sometimes be used on other transitive verbs.

• kufúnda: to learn → kufúndisa: to teach
• kugwa: to fall → kugwisa: to fall
• kuseka: to laugh → kusekesa: to make laugh

Conversive: -ola/ula

The conversive forms a verb that means the opposite of what its original form. Like in many Bantu languages, this suffix no longer produces new words, and is only used in a few pre-established words:

• kufisha: to hide → kufishula: to reveal, expose
• kufúnga: to open → kufúngula: to close
• kuvala: to put on (clothes) → kuvalula: to undress
• kuziba: to block → kuzibula: to unblock

Passive: -wa/ewa/iwa

The suffix -wa is a passive suffix which is applied directly to the root of a verb without the final -a. Verbs whose bare roots end in -wa or -ya (but not -nya) take -ewa or -iwa instead, depending on vowel harmony rules.

• kubóna: to see → kubónwa: to be seen
• kubaka: to build → kubakwa: to be built
• kulya: to eat → kulyiwa: to be eaten
• kusíya: to abandon → kusíyiwa: to be abandoned

An agent can be stated by using the preposition na following the passive verb, much like the "by" of English.

ndibóna mbwá: I see the dog → mbwá ibónwa na mi: the dog is seen by me

ulya bilyo: you are eating food → bilyo bilyiwa na we: the food is eaten by you

Mediopassive: -eka/ika

This derivational stem is also often called the stative. At its most basic level, it makes transitive verbs intransitive. It basically acts like the passive without implying an agent.

• kubóna: to see → kubóneka: to appear
• kubúla: to break (something) → kubúlika: to break, to be broken

This extension can also be used to express capability or potential of being done, often translated using the "-able" suffix of English.

• kusoma: to read → kusomeka: to be readable, legible
• kulya: to eat → kulyika: to be edible

Often, a single verb can have both of these meanings. For example, kubúlika can either mean "to break" or "to be breakable" depending on the context.

Unlike the passive suffix, the preposition na cannot be used to imply an agent.

Reciprocal: -ana

The reciprocal adds the meaning of "each other" to the verb:

• kubóna: to see → kubónana: to see each other
• kufúndisa: to teach → kufúndisana: to teach each other
• kumanya: to know → kumanyana: to know each other

Prepositions

Like true adjectives, prepositions are rare in KiBantu. There are only two true prepositions, and both have been mentioned previously: -á and na.

-á can be used with certain nouns to create constructions that are similar to English adjectives:

• ajabu: wonder → -á ajabu: wonderous, amazing
• nguvu: strength → -á nguvu: strong
• mbiyo: speed → -á mbiyo: fast
• basáli: inhabitants → -á basáli: inhabited

-á has an additional use. If used in its class 17 form, as kwá, it can be used to mean "from" or "out of".

• mulúme kwá Tanzaniya "a man from Tanzania"
• ndaténga matunda kwá muwebi "I bought fruit from a merchant"

kwá can also having the meaning of "using" or "by means of"

• ayakifúla kwá nyundo yá nsímbi "he forged it using an iron hammer"
• ndilashinda timu nyinye kwá bongó "I will beat the other team using intelligence"

In addition, some verbal infinitives can be used in ways that resemble prepositions:

• ndiweza kwimba leta zose kusóka A kwenda Z "I can sing every letter from A to Z" (lit. I can sing every letter coming from A going to Z)

All other words that are typically prepositions in English are translated by using what are called complex prepositions. These prepositions combine adverbs or nouns with -á in order to make words that function as prepositions. This is usually done with words that describe location:

• nyumá: back, rear → nyumá yá: behind, after
• mbele: front → mbele yá: in front of, before
• panze: outside → panze pá: outside of
• pantu: place → pantu pá: instead of

Adverbs

Firstly, there are a few words in KiBantu that are adverbs by default. These are usually borrowed from Swahili, and they are invarialbe.

• sana: very
• tena: again
• sasa: now

There are also a few words that can act as adverbs, as well as nouns. These tend to refer either to time or location:

• lelo: today
• zulo: yesterday
• kulya: right
• pakáti: inside

True adjectives can act like adverbs as well. Unlike in Swahili, the bare form of the adjective is used. They are also used following the verb:

• twenza zuli "we are doing well"
• wapika bí sana nyama "you cooked the meat very badly"

Analogous to the genitive adjectives are the prepositional adverbs. They are formed just like the genitive adjectives, but always use the class 17 kwá form.

• mbiyo: speed → kwá mbiyo: quickly
• bulikyo: hope → kwá bulikyo: hopefully

Conditionals

Conditionals in KiBantu are formed by using the conjunction: kana, meaning "if". The verb stays in in the indicative mood:

• kana uténga bilyo, uweza kulya "if you bought food, you would be able to eat"
• kana bandikólela, ndibalipa falánga nyingi "if they worked for me, I would pay them a lot of money"

The word kana can also be used to mean "whether" in indirect questions:

• ndabúnza kana wacelwa "I asked whether he was late."

Vocabulary

For a full dictionary, see: here.

Swadesh List

No.	English	KiBantu
1	I	mi
2	you (singular)	we
3	he	ye
4	we	ti
5	you (plural)	ni
6	they	bo
7	this	uyu
8	that	uyo
9	here	apa, uku, umu
10	there	apo, uko, umo
11	who	náni
12	what	níni
13	where	papi, kupi, mupi
14	when	lini
15	how	nganí
16	not	ha-
17	all	-ose
18	many	-ingi
19	some	-
20	few	-cace
21	other	-inye
22	one	-mozi
23	two	-bilí
24	three	-tátu
25	four	-ne
26	five	-tánu
27	big	-néni
28	long	-lé
29	wide	-gáli
30	thick
31	heavy	-lemela
32	small	-ncí
33	short	-fúpi
34	narrow
35	thin
36	woman	mukázi
37	man (adult male)	mulúme
38	man (human being)	muntu
39	child	mwána
40	wife	mukázi
41	husband	mulúme
42	mother	mama
43	father	tata
44	animal	nyama
45	fish	mbisi
46	bird	nyoni
47	dog	mbwá
48	louse	ndá
49	snake	nyóka
50	worm	munyo
51	tree	mutí
52	forest	mwítú
53	stick	lutí
54	fruit	itunda
55	seed	mbégu
56	leaf	ibabí
57	root	muzi
58	bark	igánda
59	flower	iluwa
60	grass	byasí
61	rope	mukozí
62	skin	igánda
63	meat	nyama
64	blood	magazí
65	bone	mufúpa
66	fat	mafúta
67	egg	ikí
68	horn	pembe
69	tail	mukila
70	feather	lunsálá
71	hair	nwéle
72	head	mutú
73	ear	itwi
74	eye	iso
75	nose	izúlu
76	mouth	mulomo
77	tooth	ino
78	tongue	lulími
79	fingernail	lwála
80	foot	mugulu
81	leg	mugulu
82	knee	iví
83	hand	ibóko
84	wing	ibabá
85	belly	itumbo
86	guts	matumbo
87	neck	nshíngó
88	back	mugongo
89	breast	ibéle
90	heart	mutíma
91	liver	kibíndi
92	drink	-nywa
93	eat	-lya
94	bite	-lúma
95	suck	-munya
96	spit	-cíla maté
97	vomit	-sánza
98	blow	-pépa
99	breathe	-fema
100	laugh	-seka
101	see	-bóna
102	hear	-umva
103	know	-manya
104	think	-wáza
105	smell	-nusa
106	fear	-óba
107	sleep	-lála
108	live
109	die	-fa
110	kill	-fisa
111	fight	-lwa
112	hunt	-saka
113	hit	-béta
114	cut	-káta
115	split	-pasula
116	stab	-dunga
117	scratch	-kwenya
118	dig	-cimba
119	swim	-ógela
120	fly	-uluka
121	walk	-enda
122	come	-fika
123	lie	-lála
124	sit	-kala
125	stand	-ma
126	turn	-jika
127	fall	-gwa
128	give	-pa
129	hold	-páta
130	squeeze	-kámula
131	rub
132	wash	-osha
133	wipe	-fúta
134	pull	-vuta
135	push	-súkuma
136	throw	-ponsa
137	tie
138	sew	-sona
139	count	-bala
140	say	-ti
141	sing	-imba
142	play	-ceza
143	float	-anzama
144	flow	-yéléla
145	freeze	-ganda
146	swell	-vímba
147	sun	izúva
148	moon	mwézi
149	star	nyényezí
150	water	maji
151	rain	mvúla
152	river	lwizi
153	lake	iziba
154	sea	nyanzá
155	salt	munyu
156	stone	ibwe
157	sand	mucanga
158	dust	vumbí
159	earth	nsi
160	cloud	ifu
161	fog	nkungú
162	sky	izulu
163	wind	mupépo
164	snow	teluji
165	ice	balafu
166	smoke	mosí
167	fire	móto
168	ash	ivú
169	burn	-sha
170	road	njila
171	mountain	ntaba
172	red	-kúndú
173	green	-á kibabí
174	yellow	-á njano
175	white	-yéla
176	black	-indu
177	night	busíku
178	day	síku
179	year	mwáka
180	warm	-á ióto
181	cold	-á malíli
182	full	-jála
183	new	-shá
184	old	-dála
185	good	-zuli
186	bad	-bí
187	rotten	-boli
188	dirty
189	straight
190	round
191	sharp	-káli
192	dull
193	smooth
194	wet
195	dry	-uma
196	correct	-lunga
197	near
198	far	-kúle
199	right	kulya
200	left	kushoto
201	at	pa-, ku-
202	in	mu-
203	with	na
204	and	na
205	if	kana
206	because	kwá kuba
207	name	izína