Xhosa Grammar

Link table

Class Examples (Bold= link) Class Examples (Bold=link)

Positive Negative Positive Negative Positiv Negativ Positive Negative
e e
Ndi- Andi- • Ndicela uhamba • Andiceli Si- Asi- • Siyavuya • Asivuyi
• I request that you uhamba • We are happy
walk • I don’t
request you
walk
U- Aku-/aw • Uhamba nentonga • Akuhambi Ni- Ani- • Ninjani • Aniphilili
u- • You (singular) walk nentonga namhlange? namhlange
with a stick • How are you
(plural) today?
U- Aka- • Upheka iinkuku • Akapheki Ba- Aba- • Babaleka • Ababaleki
• He/ she cook nkuku • They run
chickens

um-/u • Umama ubetha ikati • Umama aba-/oo • Abantwana • Abantwana

• Mother she hits the akabethi kati bamamela abamameli
cat iwayelisi/ wayelisi
• Umama wenza Oomama • Oomama
kakuhle bamamela abamameli
• Mother she does iwayelisi wayelisi
well
• (u+enza=wenza)
um- • Umlambo uhamba • Umlambo imi- • Imilambo • Imilambo
kakuhle awuhambi ihamba ayihambi
kakuhle kakuhle kakuhle
i-/ili- • Ilifu liyashukuma • Ilifu ama- • Amafu • Amafu
alishukumi ayashukuma akashukumi
isi- • Isidenge siyathetha • Isidenge izi- • Izidenge • Izidenge
asithethi ziyavula azivuli cango
ucango
i-/in-/im • Intombi iyahamba • Intombi ii-/iin-/ii • Iintombi • Iintombi aziculi
- ayihambi m- ziyacula
u-/ulu- • Uluthi lophukile (an • Uluthi alu...
exception look
below
lu+ophukile=lophukil
e)
u-/ubu- • Ubuso buhle • Ubuso
abuhle
uku- • Ukutya kumnandi • Ukutya
akumnandi

Present tense (I am cooking) Positive

Link +za ku+verb+a Negative
Positive E.g. Uza kuthetha Negative link+verb+anga
Link +(ya)+verb+a Uza kuthetha isiXhosa E.g. Umfundi akathethanga
E.g. Uthemba uyathetha Umfundi akathethanga siXhosa (drop the
Umama ubetha ikati (no -ya when you use Negative initial vowel from the object)
an object at the end of the sentence) Negative link+zi ku+verb+a
E.g. Akazi kuthetha (Some verbs called stative verbs have
Negative Akazi Kuthetha isiXhosa unusual forms)
Negative link+verb+i (drop the initial vowel
of the object) Perfect tense (I have cooked) Be aware that there are also other tenses:
There is no –ya in the negative remote past tense (I cooked long ago),
E.g. Uthemba akathethi Positive recent past continuous (I was cooking),
Umama akabethi kati Link +verb+e/ile remote past continuous (I had been
E.g. Umfundi uthethile (ile no object) cooking)
Future tense (I will cook) Umfundi uthethe isiXhosa (e with object)
With, have, and = “na” A E I O U (A+I=E, A+E=E, A+U=O, A+O=O, A+A=A)

I have a desk Ndinedesika (na+idesika) (A+I= E) A desk and a chair Idesika nesitulo (na+isitulo) (A+I= E)
She has a grandfather Unotatomkhulu (na+utatomkhulu) A chair and desks Isitulo needesika (na+iidesika)
(A+U= O) (A+II=EE)
I talk with mother Ndithetha nomama (na+umama) (A+U= O)

If you use something as an instrument to do something then we use “nga”

I write with a pen Ndibhala ngepeni (nga+ipeni) (A+I=E)

We talk about James Sithetha ngoJames (nga+uJames) (A+U=O)

Question words
-bani -who Uhlala phi? Where do you stay?
-ntoni -what Ngubani igama lakho? What is your name?
-njani -how Wenza ntoni What are you doing?
-nini -when Ufika nini You arrive when?
-phi -where

Ngolwesingaphi? On which day

uLwesine Thursday
uMvulo Monday uLwesihlanu Friday
uLwesibini Tuesday uMgqibelo Saturday
uLwesithathu Wednesday iCawa Sunday

Locative phrases Above emntla kwa-

In front phambi kwa- Below umzantsi kwa-
On top phezu kwa- Behind emva kwa-
On the side ecaleni kwa- Underneath phantsi kwa-
Inside phakathi kwa-
On the right ekunene kwa- E.g. Ndibona umthi phandle kweshedi I see the tree outside
On the left ekhohlo kwa- the shed
Outside phandle kwa-
Ndibona intlanzi umzantsi kwamanzi I see the fish under the
water

Prepositions
To show location and express meanings such as: to, from, in,at,into,amoung etc.

All the nouns get an “e” in front

The nouns end in “ni”
Place names get an “e” in front only

Ikapa eKapa (Cape, from the Cape)

Ikhitshi ekhitshini (kitchen, in the kitchen)
Icephe ecepheni (spoon, on the spoon)
Ukutya ekutyeni (food, in the food)
Ujohn kwaJohn (John, at John’s place)
Isitulo esitulweni (chair, on the chair)
Idolophu edolophini (town, in the town)

Some words don’t get “ni” on the end

Igaraji egaraji (garage, in the garage)
Isibhedlele esibhedlele (hospital, in the hospital)

…i-e…ini
…a-e…eni
…e-e…eni
…u-e…wini/ini
…o-e…weni

There is always more to know both grammar wise and vocab wise. The best way to learn is to practice so take whatever you know and talk,
everyone will appreciate your effort regardless of how much you know.