This document describes Zulu verb tenses, including the present, near past, remote past, near future, and remote future tenses. It provides the morphological structure of verbs in each tense, distinguishing features like the presence of morphemes like -ya-, -e/-ile, -a, -zo-/-zu(ku)-, and -yo-/-yu(ku)-. Examples are given to illustrate how the tense is marked on sample verbs. The tense forms take different subject prefixes and some have distinctive negative forms as well through the use of a negative prefix.

1. ZULU TENSES
NJABULO TALIYANA

2. Let’s think…

3. How would you describe TENSE?
• Yisakhiwo sesenzo esikhombisa ubudlelwano phakathi kwesikhathi senkulumo nesikhathi lapho isenzo esenzeka ngaso.
•YOUR DEFINITION!

4. AKE SIBUKE LANA:
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY.
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND.

5. PRESENT TENSE
• The verb in the positive of the present tense can take one of two forms. It
may contain a morpheme -ya- after the subject morpheme, or this -ya- may
be omitted. The -ya- is only used in the positive form of the present tense, if
the verb is emphasized (carries the new information) in the sentence. The
verb form containing the -ya- is known as the long form of the present tense
while the verb form without the -ya- is referred to as the short form of the
present tense.

6. SHORT FORM MORPHOLOGICAL
STRUCTURE
• Give the morphological structure of the ff verbs:
• 1. Ngibona
• 2. Ngibhala
• 3. Ngidlala

7. Long form morphological structure
• Give the morphological structure of the ff verbs:
• 1. Ngiyadlala
• 2. Siyabhula
• 3. Bayabaleka

8. NEAR PAST TENSE (Inkathi esanda kudlula)
• THE POSITIVE OF THE NEAR PAST TENSE:
• Like the present tense, the near past tense is also marked by a specific verb
form. The positive form of the near past tense is marked by the categorial
morpheme -e or -ile.
• Examples: Ngihambe kahle
• Ngidlile
• Usipho uhambile/ Usipho uhambe izolo.

9. THE POSITIVE OF THE NEAR PAST TENSE
MORPHOLOGICAL STRUCTURE
Subject morpheme Object morpheme Verb root Last categorial
morpheme
Ngi- - -bhal- -ile
Zi- - -dl- -e
Ngi- -mu- -shay- -ile
Zi- -yi- -dl- -ile
Si- -mu- -bamb- -e

10. THE NEGATIVE OF THE NEAR PAST
TENSE
• Is the negative of the near past tense of both forms (the form with the
categorial morpheme -e and that with the categorial morpheme -ile) the
same???

11. …
• In the negative, the near past tense is characterised by the negative
prefix/morpheme a- which is prefixed to the subject concord, and the
negative near past tense categorial morpheme is –anga.
• Examples:
• Ngidlile – Angidlanga
• Izolo ngidle amasi – izolo angidlanga amasi
• Simushayile - Asimushayanga

12. THE NEGATIVE OF THE NEAR PAST TENSE
MORPHOLOGICAL STRUCTURE
Negative
morpheme: a-
Subject
morpheme
Object
morpheme
Verb root Last categorial
morpheme: -anga
A- -si- -mu- -shay- -anga
A- -ngi- -hamb- -anga
A- -zi- -wu- -bhal- -anga
A- -zi- -bhal- -anga
A- -ba- -bu- -phuz- -anga

13. THE REMOTE PAST TENSE (Inkathi
eYAdlula) indaba endala lena bakithi
• THE POSITIVE OF THE REMOTE PAST TENSE:
• The outstanding characteristic of the remote past tense is a lengthened vowel
/a/, a remote past tense morpheme which follows the subject morpheme in
the verb. This -a- coalesces with the vowel of the subject morpheme and
always results in a lengthened vowel.
• Examples: Ubaba uhamba yedwa. > u + a + hamba = wahamba
• Inja idla ujeqe. > i + a + dla = yadla ujeqe.
• This process is called CONSONANTALIZATION.

14. THE POSITIVE OF THE REMOTE PAST TENSE
MORPHOLOGICAL STRUTURE
Subject morpheme Remote past tense
morpheme: -a-
Verb root Last categorial
morpheme: -a
Ngi- -a- (ngi+a) = nga
(vowel elision) kweqiwe
unkamisa i.
-hamb- -a
Si- -a- (sa) -bon- -a
U- -a- (u+a)= (wa) -gez- -a
Ba- -a- (ba) -bhal- -a

15. THE NEGATIVE OF THE REMOTE PAST
TENSE
The verb form in the negative of the remote past tense is identical to that of the near past
tense. The negative thus has the following morphological structure:
Negetive morpheme:
a-
Subject morpheme Verb root Categorial
morpheme: -anga
A- -ngi- -dlal- -anga
A- -si- -hamb- -anga

16. THE NEAR FUTURE TENSE (Inkathi
eZOfika)
• The near future tense (or definite future tense as it is sometimes called) is
characterised by the inclusion of the morpheme -zo- which appears
immediately after the subjectival morpheme in the verb structure.
• THE POSITIVE OF THE NEAR FUTURE TENSE:
• Examples: Kusasa ngizoya esikoleni (tomorrow I will go to school)
Ngizothenga amakhekhe ngesithathi sekhefu (I will buy cookies during break time)

17. THE POSITIVE OF THE NEAR FUTURE TENSE
MORPHOLOGICAL STRUCTURE
• Give the correct NFT morphological structure for VERBS in the following
sentences:
• 1. Ugogo uthe uzobhaka kusasa.
• 2. Nizonikwa ukudla bakithi hlalani phansi.
• 3. Kumele sidle sizosheshe sihambe.

18. THE NEGATIVE OF THE NEAR FUTURE
TENSE
• The near future tense is negated in basically the same way as the other tense forms
(of the indicative mood) by prefixing a negative morpheme a- before the subject
morpheme of the positive form. The categorial morpheme remains unchanged but
the morpheme -zo- changes to -zu(ku)-.
• Examples: Angizukuhamba kusasa mina.
• Anizukudla namhlanje
• Abazukuya ndawo labo
• Asizukudlala singabhalile

19. THE NEGATIVE OF THE NEAR FUTURE TENSE
MORPHOLOGICAL STRUCTURE:
• Use the above examples to fill in the table below:
Negative
Morpheme: a-
Subject
Morpheme
Negative Future
Tense
Morpheme: -
zu(ku)-
Verb root Categorial
morpheme: -a

20. THE REMOTE FUTURE TENSE
• The remote past tense is used under basically the same circumstances as the
near future tense. The morphological structure of the remote future tense
corresponds to that of the near future tense. The only difference is that -yo-
is 109 used instead of -zo- in the positive, while -yu(ku)- is used instead of -
zu(ku)- in the negative

21. THE POSITIVE OF THE REMOTE FUTURE TENSE
MORPHOLOGICAL STRUTURE
Subject
Morpheme
Future tense
morpheme: -yo-
Object
morpheme
Verb root Categorial
morpheme: -a
Si- -yo- -yi- -dl- -a
Ngi- -yo- -hamb- -a
Ba- -yo- -zi- -shay- -a

22. THE NEGATIVE OF THE REMOTE
FUTURE TENSE
• The negative of the remote future tense is also formed by prefixing the
negative morpheme a- to the subject morpheme. The categorial morpheme
remains unchanged but the future tense morpheme -yo- changes to -yu(ku)-.
• Examples: Angiyukuhamba
• Abayukukuthatha lutho lapha.
• Asiyukuhlala
• Asiyukuwudla

23. THE NEGATIVE OF THE REMOTE FUTURE TENSE
MORPHOLOGICAL STRUCTURE:
• Use the above examples to fill in the table below:
Negative
morpheme:
a-
Subject
morpheme
Negative
future tense
morpheme: -
yu(ku)-
Object
morpheme
Verb root Categorial
morpheme: -
a