Welcome to Lesson 48 of the Latinum Institute Bemba language course. This lesson focuses on ukumona, the infinitive verb meaning “to see.” In Bemba, this verb is fundamental to expressing visual perception, understanding, and observation.
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Ukumona is the infinitive form meaning “to see” in Bemba (iciBemba), a Bantu language spoken primarily in Zambia. The verb root is -mona, which combines with various prefixes and suffixes to express different subjects, tenses, and aspects. Unlike English, Bemba is an agglutinative language where grammatical information is conveyed through affixes rather than word order changes.
The verb demonstrates the typical Bantu structure: a verb root (-mona) modified by subject prefixes (na-, u-/mu-, a-, tu-/twa-, mu-, ba-), tense markers (-le-, -li-, -ka-), and aspect suffixes. The reciprocal form ukumonana means “to see each other,” showing the productive morphological system.
This lesson will explore how ukumona functions in natural Bemba sentences, progressing from simple present tense constructions to more complex temporal and aspectual expressions.
Key Takeaways: -
Ukumona (infinitive “to see”) consists of uku- prefix + -mona root -
The verb root -mona never changes; only prefixes and suffixes modify -
Subject prefixes: na- (I), u-/mu- (you sg.), a- (he/she), tu-/twa- (we), mu- (you pl.), ba- (they) -
Tense markers integrate between subject prefix and root: -le- (progressive), -li- (past), -ka-/-ya- (future) -
The reciprocal form ukumonana means “to see each other”
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48.1a Namona umwana 48.1b Namona (naˈmona) I-see umwana (uˈmʷana) child
48.2a Umona inkoko 48.2b Umona (uˈmona) you-see inkoko (iˈŋkoko) chicken
48.3a Amona abantu 48.3b Amona (aˈmona) he/she-sees abantu (abaˈntu) people
48.4a Tumona ifyuma 48.4b Tumona (tuˈmona) we-see ifyuma (iˈfjuma) things
48.5a Mumona icitabo 48.5b Mumona (muˈmona) you(pl)-see icitabo (iciˈtabo) book
48.6a Bamona ng’anda 48.6b Bamona (baˈmona) they-see ng’anda (ˈŋaːnda) house
48.7a Ndefwa insansa ukumimona 48.7b Ndefwa (ndeˈfʷa) I-am-happy insansa (insaˈnsa) happiness ukumimona (ukumiˈmona) to-see-you(OBJ)
48.8a Alemona ubusuma 48.8b Alemona (aleˈmona) he/she-is-seeing ubusuma (ubuˈsuma) flour/porridge
48.9a Nalimona umuti 48.9b Nalimona (naliˈmona) I-saw umuti (uˈmuti) tree/medicine
48.10a Nkamona umwine 48.10b Nkamona (ŋkaˈmona) I-will-see umwine (uˈmʷine) owner
48.11a Ukumona kuli kwa kosa 48.11b Ukumona (ukuˈmona) to-see kuli (ˈkuli) is kwa (kʷa) of kosa (ˈkosa) important
48.12a Naya mukumona inkoko 48.12b Naya (ˈnaja) I-go mukumona (mukuˈmona) to-see(TRANS) inkoko (iˈŋkoko) chicken
48.13a Twakamona ifi 48.13b Twakamona (tʷakaˈmona) we-will-see ifi (ˈifi) these
48.14a Nalimwene ukuti ali bwino 48.14b Nalimwene (naliˈmʷene) I-saw ukuti (uˈkuti) that ali (ˈali) he-is bwino (ˈbʷino) well
48.15a Nkayaleya ukumona abalwele mu cipatala 48.15b Nkayaleya (ŋkajaˈleja) I-will-be-going ukumona (ukuˈmona) to-see abalwele (abalu̯ˈele) sick-people mu (mu) in cipatala (cipaˈtala) hospital
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48.1 Namona umwana “I see a child”
48.2 Umona inkoko “You see a chicken”
48.3 Amona abantu “He/She sees people”
48.4 Tumona ifyuma “We see things”
48.5 Mumona icitabo “You (plural) see a book”
48.6 Bamona ng’anda “They see a house”
48.7 Ndefwa insansa ukumimona “I’m happy to see you”
48.8 Alemona ubusuma “He/She is seeing the porridge”
48.9 Nalimona umuti “I saw a tree”
48.10 Nkamona umwine “I will see the owner”
48.11 Ukumona kuli kwa kosa “Seeing is important”
48.12 Naya mukumona inkoko “I go to see the chickens”
48.13 Twakamona ifi “We will see these”
48.14 Nalimwene ukuti ali bwino “I saw that he is well”
48.15 Nkayaleya ukumona abalwele mu cipatala “I will be going to see sick people in the hospital”
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48.1 Namona umwana
48.2 Umona inkoko
48.3 Amona abantu
48.4 Tumona ifyuma
48.5 Mumona icitabo
48.6 Bamona ng’anda
48.7 Ndefwa insansa ukumimona
48.8 Alemona ubusuma
48.9 Nalimona umuti
48.10 Nkamona umwine
48.11 Ukumona kuli kwa kosa
48.12 Naya mukumona inkoko
48.13 Twakamona ifi
48.14 Nalimwene ukuti ali bwino
48.15 Nkayaleya ukumona abalwele mu cipatala
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These are the grammar rules for ukumona in Bemba:
Bemba is an agglutinative language with a highly systematic verb structure. The verb “to see” demonstrates this clearly:
Infinitive: ukumona = uku- (infinitive prefix) + -mona (root) Root: -mona (never changes form) Reciprocal: ukumonana = uku- + -mona + -na (reciprocal suffix meaning “each other”)
The subject is indicated by prefixes attached to the verb root: -
na- = I (1st person singular): namona = “I see” -
u-/mu- = you (2nd person singular): umona/mumona = “you see” -
a- = he/she (3rd person singular): amona = “he/she sees” -
tu-/twa- = we (1st person plural): tumona/twamona = “we see” -
mu- = you (2nd person plural/honorific): mumona = “you (plural) see” -
ba- = they (3rd person plural): bamona = “they see”
Tense is expressed through infixes between the subject prefix and the verb root:
Present Progressive: -le- marker -
alemona = a-le-mona = “he/she is seeing”
Past: -li- marker -
nalimona = na-li-mona = “I saw” -
nalimwene = na-li-mwene = “I saw” (perfective form with vowel fusion)
Future: -ka-/-ya- marker -
nkamona = n-ka-mona = “I will see” -
nkayaleya = n-ka-ya-leya = “I will be going”
Perfective: -ile suffix replaces root-final vowel -
mwene (from mona) = “saw”
When two vowels meet in Bemba, they often fuse: -
mona + inkoko → mone nkoko (a + i → e) -
This is natural in speech but optional in writing
Basic form (mona): bare root used in certain constructions Infinitive (ukumona): the act of seeing, used with purpose/intention Transitive (mukumona): indicates speaker’s direct involvement in the action
Example contrast: -
Naya mone nkoko = “I go see chickens” (bare form) -
Naya mukumona inkoko = “I go to see chickens” (transitive, speaker-involved)
Negation uses the ta- prefix before the subject marker: -
Tatumona = ta-tu-mona = “We don’t see” -
Tandimonena = ta-ndi-mone-na = “I don’t see it”
Object prefixes can be incorporated: -
ukumimona = uku-mi-mona = “to see you” (mi- = you as object)
Ukumona commonly appears with ukuti (that) in perception clauses: -
Nalimwene ukuti ali bwino = “I saw that he is well”
English Interference: -
Incorrect: Ndi mona umwana (trying to use copula) -
Correct: Namona umwana (subject prefix directly on verb)
Tense Confusion: -
Incorrect: Namona yesterday (mixing English and Bemba tense) -
Correct: Nalimona = “I saw” (use proper past tense marker -li-)
Missing Subject Prefix: -
Incorrect: Mona inkoko (missing subject) -
Correct: Umona inkoko = “You see a chicken” or Namona inkoko = “I see a chicken”
Honorific Forms: -
Remember mu- prefix can indicate respect for singular “you” as well as plural -
Context determines whether mumona = “you (plural)” or “you (respectful)”
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Ukumona is an extremely common verb in everyday Bemba, used in all registers from casual conversation to formal speech. It appears in greetings, expressions of happiness, and descriptions of experience.
Greeting context: -
“Ndefwa insansa ukumimona” = “I’m happy to see you” (common greeting between friends) -
This expression shows how ukumona integrates with emotional states
Practical usage: -
Hospital visits: “ukumona abalwele” = “to see the sick” -
Social visits: “ukumona abantu” = “to see people” -
Visual verification: “tumona ifi” = “we see these”
Bemba does not distinguish gender in third person pronouns: -
Amona = “he sees” OR “she sees” (context determines) -
This is typical of Bantu languages
The mu- prefix serves dual purpose: -
Plural “you” (addressing multiple people) -
Respectful singular “you” (addressing elders, superiors)
Using mumona instead of umona shows respect when speaking to someone of higher social status or age.
When the subject is a noun (not pronoun), the verb prefix must agree with the noun’s class: -
Umwana (child, class 1) → amona (class 1 agreement) -
Abantu (people, class 2) → bamona (class 2 agreement) -
Icitabo (book, class 7) → cimona (class 7 agreement)
Bemba is spoken primarily in the Copperbelt and Northern provinces of Zambia, with some dialectal variation. The verb ukumona is standard across all varieties, though pronunciation may vary slightly in different regions.
Vision verbs in Bantu languages often extend metaphorically to “understanding” and “knowing.” While ukumona primarily means physical seeing, it can also imply comprehension in context.
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Contemporary Bemba proverb:
F.1a Ukumona tali ukumwishibisha F.1b Ukumona (ukuˈmona) to-see tali (ˈtali) is-not ukumwishibisha (ukumʷiʃiˈbiʃa) to-understand
F.2a Amona nomba taashibisha F.2b Amona (aˈmona) he-sees nomba (ˈnomba) but taashibisha (taːʃiˈbiʃa) he-doesn’t-understand
F.1 Ukumona tali ukumwishibisha “To see is not to understand”
F.2 Amona nomba taashibisha “He sees but doesn’t understand”
F.1 Ukumona tali ukumwishibisha
F.2 Amona nomba taashibisha
tali = “is not” (negative copula) ukumwishibisha = “to understand” (uku- infinitive + -mwishibisha root) nomba = “but” (contrastive conjunction) taashibisha = ta-a-shibisha = “he doesn’t understand” (negative + subject + verb)
This proverb illustrates the philosophical depth of Bemba proverbial literature. It uses parallel infinitive constructions (ukumona... ukumwishibisha) to contrast physical perception with mental comprehension.
This traditional Bemba saying emphasizes the distinction between surface observation and deep understanding. It’s commonly used in educational contexts to remind learners that memorization (seeing the words) differs from comprehension (understanding the meaning).
The proverb demonstrates typical Bemba rhetorical structure: state a principle using infinitives, then illustrate with a concrete example using finite verbs. This pedagogical technique is found throughout Bemba oral literature.
Source: Traditional Bemba proverb, widely used in educational settings across Zambia
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48.16a Mwende, namona ifyuma fingi pano 48.16b Mwende (ˈmʷende) Mwende namona (naˈmona) I-see ifyuma (iˈfjuma) things fingi (ˈfiŋgi) many pano (ˈpano) here
48.17a Eya, mumona ifi fipya sana 48.17b Eya (ˈeja) yes mumona (muˈmona) you-see ifi (ˈifi) these fipya (ˈfipja) new sana (ˈsana) very
48.18a Nkamona inshima shili shende 48.18b Nkamona (ŋkaˈmona) I-will-see inshima (inˈʃima) fish shili (ˈʃili) which shende (ˈʃende) good
48.19a Alemona umushitala wakwe 48.19b Alemona (aleˈmona) he-is-seeing umushitala (umuʃiˈtala) seller wakwe (ˈwakʷe) his/her
48.20a Twamona ifyakudya ifyasuma 48.20b Twamona (tʷaˈmona) we-saw ifyakudya (ifjakuˈdja) food ifyasuma (ifjaˈsuma) expensive
48.21a Bamona ukuti tuletumfwa 48.21b Bamona (baˈmona) they-see ukuti (uˈkuti) that tuletumfwa (tuletuˈmfʷa) we-are-buying
48.22a Umona amasheke ayesha 48.22b Umona (uˈmona) you-see amasheke (amaˈʃeke) potatoes ayesha (aˈjeʃa) many
48.23a Nalimona amatunda abili 48.23b Nalimona (naliˈmona) I-saw amatunda (amaˈtunda) fruits abili (aˈbili) two
48.24a Mumone ici cikulu 48.24b Mumone (muˈmone) you(pl)-see ici (ˈici) this cikulu (ciˈkulu) big
48.25a Nkayaleya ukumona umusumba wamo 48.25b Nkayaleya (ŋkajaˈleja) I-will-go ukumona (ukuˈmona) to-see umusumba (umuˈsumba) market wamo (ˈwamo) tomorrow
48.26a Alemona abashita bakosa 48.26b Alemona (aleˈmona) he-sees abashita (abaˈʃita) sellers bakosa (baˈkosa) important
48.27a Tumona ukuti umusumba uli uweme 48.27b Tumona (tuˈmona) we-see ukuti (uˈkuti) that umusumba (umuˈsumba) market uli (ˈuli) is uweme (uˈweme) full
48.28a Bamona abantu abengi sana 48.28b Bamona (baˈmona) they-see abantu (abaˈntu) people abengi (abeˈŋgi) many sana (ˈsana) very
48.29a Ndefwa insansa ukumimona muli umusumba 48.29b Ndefwa (ndeˈfʷa) I-am-happy insansa (insaˈnsa) happiness ukumimona (ukumiˈmona) to-see-you muli (ˈmuli) in umusumba (umuˈsumba) market
48.30a Nayo nalimona ifyuma fya kosa 48.30b Nayo (ˈnajo) I-also nalimona (naliˈmona) I-saw ifyuma (iˈfjuma) things fya (fja) of kosa (ˈkosa) importance
48.16 Mwende, namona ifyuma fingi pano “Mwende, I see many things here”
48.17 Eya, mumona ifi fipya sana “Yes, you see these very new ones”
48.18 Nkamona inshima shili shende “I will see which fish is good”
48.19 Alemona umushitala wakwe “He/She is seeing his/her seller”
48.20 Twamona ifyakudya ifyasuma “We saw expensive food”
48.21 Bamona ukuti tuletumfwa “They see that we are buying”
48.22 Umona amasheke ayesha “You see many potatoes”
48.23 Nalimona amatunda abili “I saw two fruits”
48.24 Mumone ici cikulu “You (plural) see this big one”
48.25 Nkayaleya ukumona umusumba wamo “I will go to see the market tomorrow”
48.26 Alemona abashita bakosa “He/She sees important sellers”
48.27 Tumona ukuti umusumba uli uweme “We see that the market is full”
48.28 Bamona abantu abengi sana “They see very many people”
48.29 Ndefwa insansa ukumimona muli umusumba “I’m happy to see you in the market”
48.30 Nayo nalimona ifyuma fya kosa “I also saw important things”
48.16 Mwende, namona ifyuma fingi pano
48.17 Eya, mumona ifi fipya sana
48.18 Nkamona inshima shili shende
48.19 Alemona umushitala wakwe
48.20 Twamona ifyakudya ifyasuma
48.21 Bamona ukuti tuletumfwa
48.22 Umona amasheke ayesha
48.23 Nalimona amatunda abili
48.24 Mumone ici cikulu
48.25 Nkayaleya ukumona umusumba wamo
48.26 Alemona abashita bakosa
48.27 Tumona ukuti umusumba uli uweme
48.28 Bamona abantu abengi sana
48.29 Ndefwa insansa ukumimona muli umusumba
48.30 Nayo nalimona ifyuma fya kosa
This market dialogue demonstrates several important features of conversational Bemba:
Noun Class Agreement: -
ifyuma fingi (class 8: things many) - fi- prefix matches -
inshima shili shende (class 9: fish which good) - shi- prefix matches -
ici cikulu (class 7: this big) - ci- prefix matches
Demonstratives: -
ifi (these - class 8), ici (this - class 7) -
Demonstratives must agree with noun class
Tense Variation: The dialogue uses multiple tenses naturally: -
Present: namona (I see), alemona (is seeing) -
Past: nalimona (I saw), twamona (we saw) -
Future: nkamona (I will see), nkayaleya (I will go)
Complement Clauses: -
ukuti introduces embedded clauses: “Bamona ukuti tuletumfwa” = “They see that we are buying”
Possessive Agreement: -
wakwe (his/her) - agrees with class of possessed item
This natural conversation shows how ukumona integrates seamlessly with other grammatical elements in authentic Bemba discourse.
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The Latinum Institute has been creating online language learning materials since 2006, with a proven methodology based on frequency-ranked vocabulary acquisition and authentic native usage. This Bemba course uses the Universal Language Learning CSV system, teaching the 1000 most common words in systematic order.
Each lesson focuses on one high-frequency word, presenting it through: -
Granular interlinear glossing for precise understanding -
Natural sentence translations for authentic usage -
Pure target language practice for reading fluency -
Comprehensive grammar explanations -
Cultural and contextual information -
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Bemba (iciBemba) is a major Bantu language of Zambia with approximately 4 million speakers. This course provides practical communication skills through authentic materials and systematic vocabulary building, helping learners achieve functional proficiency through evidence-based language pedagogy.
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