The document discusses a lesson on using the past tense in isiXhosa. It reviews the present and future tenses, then explains the short and long forms of the past tense and how to form the negative past tense and stative verb. Examples are provided and exercises given for students to practice forming sentences in the past tense and answering questions using the past tense.

1. Week 6:
The past tense sentence
Bulelwa Nosilela & Pamela Maseko
14 October 2013

2. Iinjongo (Outcomes)
• Review the simple present tense
• Enable the learner to use the past tense positive and negative form
• Enable the learner to use the stative verb
• Enable the learner to differentiate between stative and perfect tense
• Enable learner to use expressions related to time

3. Review
In the last lectures you learnt about the present tense and the future
tense. You also learnt about the relationship between a noun and a
verb in an isiXhosa sentence.
Translate the following sentences into isiXhosa
• We will hand in the work on Tuesday.
• In my research I will not research about RDP houses.
• The man does not read a newspaper in the evening.
• The Journalism students are writing a story about the death of the
initiates at the initiation school.

4. The Recent Past Tense/Perfect Tense
• The recent past tense indicates an action which has just been
completed.
• In isiXhosa there is a difference between the near past/recent past
and remote past.
• The near past has two forms just like the present tense.
• There is the long form and the short form.

5. Examples of the past tense
Short form
• Ibali lam liphume kwiphephanda iGrocott’s Mail.
• Usebenze phi ngaphambili?
• Ndifike ngo-2012 apha eRhini.
Long form
• Ndivulile.
• Abafundi babhalile.
• Umfoti ufikile.

6. The structure of the past verb in
isiXhosa
• The short form is formed by:
Subject Marker -> verb root ->
-e
Ndi
fik
e
• The short form is used when there is a word following the verb. As in
the present tense the long form does not need to be followed by a
word it is an independent verb that can stand on its own.
• The long form is formed by:
Subject Marker -> verb root ->
-ile
Ndi
fik
ile

7. The stative verb
• The stative verbs are verbs that depict the state the subject is in.
• These verbs are formed exactly the same way as with the perfect
tense.
• Its equivalent in English is in the present tense and its meaning is also
in the present tense.
• Examples:
• Nditshatile.
• I-TV icimile.
• Translate into isiXhosa:
• I am well.

8. The negative of the near past tense
and the stative verb
• The negative of the near past tense and the stative verb is formed by:
i. Negative formative aii. Negative subject concord
iii. Verb root
iv. Negative suffix –anga
Positive
Negative
Ndiphilile
Andiphilanga
aA
->
->
neg SC
ndi
->
->
verb root
phil
->
->
-anga
anga

9. Class exercise
• Answer the following questions:
• Ilecture yesiXhosa iphume ngabani ixesha
izolo?
• Utshatile?
• Uzalwe nini?
• Ufunde ugreyidi 12 eRhodes?

10. Tutorial Exercise: Translate the following
sentences into isiXhosa
1.
The students did research on African beer.
2.
The university closed on the 22 June in 2013.
3.
The water did not come out of the tap last week in Grahamstown.
4.
The interpreter did not attach the microphone under the shirt first.
5.
I did not study Journalism in Journalism Studies Department at Rhodes last year.
6.
The men sent interpreters to Journalism Studies Department to help the students.
7.
8.
The school did not allow the journalists to talk the learners.
The photographer took pictures of the women from the informal settlement last
weekend.
9.
We learnt to speak isiXhosa in the African Languages Department.
10. Mr Alexander did `not go to the municipality offices yesterday to speak to the
mayor.

11. Tutorial exercise for submission on 22
October 2013: Change into the past
tense
• Isebe lezifundo zobuntatheli liza kundithumela (will send me to)
ematyotyombeni. Ootitshala besiXhosa bafuna ndenza ibali ngezindlu
zeRDP. Ndiqala ndenza uphando kubahlali basematyotyombeni. Ndihamba
nomfoti netoliki. Sithatha imicrophone nekhamera. Asilibali ukuphatha
iifomu. Kuqala ndicela oomama abahlala ematyotyombeni basayina ifomu
ukuvuma ukuvela kwinkqubo. Oomama bavuma. Ndibabuza imibuzo
ngezindlu zabo. Bathi bafuna ukuhlala kwizindlu zikarhulumente (izindlu
zeRDP). Bathi amanye (some) amatyotyombe ayatsha. Banikwa indawo
yokuhlala eholweni (hall). Abathandi ukuhlala eholweni kuba kuyabanda.
Umfoti ufota oomama. Andiva isiXhosa kakuhle. Ndicela itoliki itolike. Kule
veki izayo siza kuya kwamasipala sicela ukuthetha nosodolophu ngezindlu
zeRDP. Usodolophu akavumi ukuthetha nam.