In English, "then" does two jobs. It puts one event after another (We ate, then we slept), and it draws a result from a condition or a reason (If you are hungry, then eat). In Bemba (iciBemba) these two jobs go to different words. The word for "then" in a sequence of events is elyo. The word for "then" as a result, "so, therefore", is eico.
Elyo is a small word with a big job. It joins the steps of a story or of a set of instructions: first this, elyo that. In the Bemba Bible it opens sentence after sentence in a narrative. In Matthew 4 alone it opens verses 1, 3, 5 and 11: Elyo Mupashi atwele Yesu... (Then the Spirit led Jesus...). It does not change its form, and it does not show tense. The verb carries the tense, as it did with nomba in Lesson 51.
Three things are worth knowing from the start.
First, elyo places an action after the one before it. It is not a time word like lelo (today) or nomba (now). It points back at what has just been said and says: this comes next. Compare panuma, which you met in Lesson 51 and which means "after, later": panuma names a point on the clock, elyo names a step in a chain.
Second, elyo is easy to confuse with ilyo, "when". They sound almost the same and they are spelled with one letter different. Ilyo mulafuma pa ng'anda is "when you leave the house" (Lesson 1); elyo is "and then". Listen for the first vowel.
Third, we use elyo for sequence only. The Kitwe Online Bemba–English dictionary lists "Then" as Elyo and, separately, "Ninshi" as "Then / Thereupon". We found ninshi in the dictionary but not in the texts we opened, so we do not teach it here. The "then" of result, as in "it was raining, so then we stayed in", is eico (Kitwe Online lists "Therefore" as Eico / Kanshi), and we show it in example 52.10 and in Section D.
What does "then" mean in Bemba?
"Then" in a sequence of events is elyo: Twaya ku mushi, elyo twafika (We went to the village, then we arrived). "Then" meaning "therefore" is eico. "Then" meaning "later, after" is panuma. "Then" meaning "now" is nomba.
Vocabulary row for this lesson: number 52 in the Universal Language Learning list, "then", adverb, frequency rank 52, category Time, note "sequence/consequence", usage "temporal/logical". We chose elyo because Kitwe Online gives "Then" as Elyo, because the Bemba Bible uses it constantly for exactly this sense, and because Lesson 3 of this course already introduced it as "and then". We take eico as the partner word for the "consequence" half of the list note.
Key Takeaways:
- elyo = "then, and then", the next step in a sequence of actions. - Elyo does not change and does not carry tense. The verb carries the tense: past (twaya), future (tukabwela), imperative (sendama). - Elyo can open a sentence (Elyo Ciwa asha Yesu) or stand between two clauses after a comma (Maria aikele na Elisabeti..., elyo abwelelamo kumwakwe). - elyo (then) is not ilyo (when), not panuma (after, later), and not nomba (now, however). - eico = "so, therefore": the "then" of result.
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elyo /e.ljo/
- e /e/ a pure, short "e", as in Spanish me. Do not glide it into "ay" as English speakers tend to do. - ly /lj/ one smooth sound, "l" and "y" together, as in the middle of English "million". Do not put a vowel between them. - o /o/ a pure "o", as in Spanish or Italian o. Do not glide it into "oh-oo".
Syllables: e-lyo. Bemba is a tonal language, but standard spelling does not write the tones, and neither does this lesson.
eico /e.i.tʃo/ is three syllables: e-i-co. c is /tʃ/, "ch" as in "church".
Other sounds that appear in this lesson:
- sh /ʃ/ as in "shoe": mushi /mu.ʃi/ (village), Mupashi /mu.pa.ʃi/ (Spirit), asha /a.ʃa/ (he left), imyeshi /i.mje.ʃi/ (months). - b /β/ is a soft bilabial sound, made with both lips almost touching and no burst, between English "b" and "v": abana /a.βa.na/ (children), bafika /βa.fi.ka/. After m it is a hard /b/, as in nomba /no.mba/. Between vowels it stays soft, as in kabili /ka.βi.li/. - y /j/ as English "y": twaya /twa.ja/. After a consonant it gives a glide: lya /lja/, ifyakulya /i.fja.ku.lja/. - w /w/ as English "w". After a consonant it glides: twaya /twa.ja/, bwela /βwe.la/ (return). - ng before a vowel /ŋg/, as in cikanga /tʃi.ka.ŋga/ (about), and nk /ŋk/ as in kukutunkwa /ku.ku.tu.ŋkwa/ (to be tempted). - nsh /nʃ/: amenshi /a.me.nʃi/ (water).
The IPA in this lesson is a broad transcription of citation forms. It does not mark tone or vowel length.
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Examples 52.1 to 52.15. Line a gives each word with its meaning. Line b adds the pronunciation and the grammar: SM = subject marker (the verb prefix that agrees with the subject), OM = object marker, PAST = past, FUT = future, PRES = present, IMP = imperative, INF = infinitive, PASS = passive, PERF = perfect, LOC = locative linker, HON = honorific plural used to show respect (as in bamayo, "mother"), CL = noun class, SEQ = sequence marker, NARR = the narrative -la- (see Section D), Q = question word. Examples 52.11, 52.12, 52.13 and 52.14 are taken from the Bemba Bible (Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015, as published on bible.com); the rest are constructed by us from verified words and patterns.
52.1a Elyo then twaya we-went
52.1b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ twaya /twa.ja/ SM1PL-PAST-go
52.2a Elyo then bafika they-arrived
52.2b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ bafika /βa.fi.ka/ SM2-PAST-arrive
52.3a Elyo then ndeya I-am-going
52.3b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ ndeya /nde.ja/ SM1SG-PRES-go
52.4a Elyo then tukabwela we-will-return
52.4b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ tukabwela /tu.ka.βwe.la/ SM1PL-FUT-return
52.5a Lya eat! elyo then sendama sleep!
52.5b Lya /lja/ eat.IMP.SG elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ sendama /se.nda.ma/ sleep.IMP.SG
52.6a Abana children bakasambilila they-will-study ku at sukulu school elyo then bakaya they-will-go ku to mushi village
52.6b Abana /a.βa.na/ children.CL2 bakasambilila /βa.ka.sa.mbi.li.la/ SM2-FUT-learn ku /ku/ at sukulu /su.ku.lu/ school elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ bakaya /βa.ka.ja/ SM2-FUT-go ku /ku/ to mushi /mu.ʃi/ village.CL3
52.7a Bamayo mother balepika she-is-cooking ifyakulya food elyo then abana children bakalya they-will-eat
52.7b Bamayo /βa.ma.jo/ mother.HON balepika /βa.le.pi.ka/ SM2.HON-PRES-cook ifyakulya /i.fja.ku.lja/ food.CL8 elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ abana /a.βa.na/ children.CL2 bakalya /βa.ka.lja/ SM2-FUT-eat
52.8a Twaya we-went ku to mushi village elyo then twalimona we-saw bamayo mother
52.8b Twaya /twa.ja/ SM1PL-PAST-go ku /ku/ to mushi /mu.ʃi/ village.CL3 elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ twalimona /twa.li.mo.na/ SM1PL-PAST-see bamayo /βa.ma.jo/ mother.HON
52.9a Iseni come! ku to mushi village elyo then lyeni eat! ifyakulya food
52.9b Iseni /i.se.ni/ come.IMP.PL ku /ku/ to mushi /mu.ʃi/ village.CL3 elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ lyeni /lje.ni/ eat.IMP.PL ifyakulya /i.fja.ku.lja/ food.CL8
52.10a Abana children balefwaya they-want ukulya to-eat eico therefore bamayo mother balepika she-is-cooking ifyakulya food
52.10b Abana /a.βa.na/ children.CL2 balefwaya /βa.le.fwa.ja/ SM2-PRES-want ukulya /u.ku.lja/ INF-eat eico /e.i.tʃo/ therefore bamayo /βa.ma.jo/ mother.HON balepika /βa.le.pi.ka/ SM2.HON-PRES-cook ifyakulya /i.fja.ku.lja/ food.CL8
52.11a Maria Mary aikele she-stayed na with Elisabeti Elizabeth cikanga about imyeshi months itatu three elyo then abwelelamo she-went-back kumwakwe to-her-home
52.11b Maria /ma.ri.a/ Mary aikele /a.i.ke.le/ SM1-stay.PAST na /na/ with Elisabeti /e.li.sa.βe.ti/ Elizabeth cikanga /tʃi.ka.ŋga/ about imyeshi /i.mje.ʃi/ months.CL4 itatu /i.ta.tu/ three elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ abwelelamo /a.βwe.le.la.mo/ SM1-go.back.PAST-LOC kumwakwe /ku.mwa.kwe/ to.her.home
52.12a Elyo then Ciwa Devil asha he-left Yesu Jesus na and bamalaika angels baisa they-came balamutumika they-served-him
52.12b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ Ciwa /tʃi.wa/ Devil asha /a.ʃa/ SM1-leave.PAST Yesu /je.su/ Jesus na /na/ and bamalaika /βa.ma.la.i.ka/ angels.CL2 baisa /βa.i.sa/ SM2-come.PAST balamutumika /βa.la.mu.tu.mi.ka/ SM2-NARR-OM1-serve
52.13a Elyo then Mupashi Spirit atwele he-led Yesu Jesus ku to matololo wilderness kukutunkwa to-be-tempted na by Ciwa Devil
52.13b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ Mupashi /mu.pa.ʃi/ Spirit.CL3 atwele /a.twe.le/ SM1-lead.PAST Yesu /je.su/ Jesus ku /ku/ to matololo /ma.to.lo.lo/ wilderness.CL6 kukutunkwa /ku.ku.tu.ŋkwa/ to.INF-tempt.PASS na /na/ by Ciwa /tʃi.wa/ Devil
52.14a Elyo then Yesu Jesus aima he-stood-up pakulya at-the-meal
52.14b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ Yesu /je.su/ Jesus aima /a.i.ma/ SM1-stand.up.PAST pakulya /pa.ku.lja/ at.INF-eat
52.15a Elyo then twafika we-arrived ku at mushi village kabili and twalya we-ate ifyakulya food
52.15b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ twafika /twa.fi.ka/ SM1PL-PAST-arrive ku /ku/ at mushi /mu.ʃi/ village.CL3 kabili /ka.βi.li/ and twalya /twa.lja/ SM1PL-PAST-eat ifyakulya /i.fja.ku.lja/ food.CL8
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52.1 Elyo twaya. → "Then we went."
52.2 Elyo bafika. → "Then they arrived."
52.3 Elyo ndeya. → "Then I am going."
52.4 Elyo tukabwela. → "Then we will return."
52.5 Lya, elyo sendama. → "Eat, then sleep."
52.6 Abana bakasambilila ku sukulu, elyo bakaya ku mushi. → "The children will study at school, then they will go to the village."
52.7 Bamayo balepika ifyakulya, elyo abana bakalya. → "Mother is cooking the food, then the children will eat."
52.8 Twaya ku mushi, elyo twalimona bamayo. → "We went to the village, then we saw mother."
52.9 Iseni ku mushi, elyo lyeni ifyakulya. → "Come to the village, then eat the food."
52.10 Abana balefwaya ukulya, eico bamayo balepika ifyakulya. → "The children want to eat, so mother is cooking the food."
52.11 Maria aikele na Elisabeti cikanga imyeshi itatu, elyo abwelelamo kumwakwe. → "Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months, and then she went back home." (Luke 1:56)
52.12 Elyo Ciwa asha Yesu, na bamalaika baisa balamutumika. → "Then the Devil left Jesus, and angels came and served him." (Matthew 4:11)
52.13 Elyo Mupashi atwele Yesu ku matololo kukutunkwa na Ciwa. → "Then the Spirit led Jesus to the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil." (Matthew 4:1)
52.14 Elyo Yesu aima pakulya. → "Then Jesus got up from the meal." (John 13:4, first sentence)
52.15 Elyo twafika ku mushi, kabili twalya ifyakulya. → "Then we arrived at the village, and we ate food."
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52.1 Elyo twaya.
52.2 Elyo bafika.
52.3 Elyo ndeya.
52.4 Elyo tukabwela.
52.5 Lya, elyo sendama.
52.6 Abana bakasambilila ku sukulu, elyo bakaya ku mushi.
52.7 Bamayo balepika ifyakulya, elyo abana bakalya.
52.8 Twaya ku mushi, elyo twalimona bamayo.
52.9 Iseni ku mushi, elyo lyeni ifyakulya.
52.10 Abana balefwaya ukulya, eico bamayo balepika ifyakulya.
52.11 Maria aikele na Elisabeti cikanga imyeshi itatu, elyo abwelelamo kumwakwe.
52.12 Elyo Ciwa asha Yesu, na bamalaika baisa balamutumika.
52.13 Elyo Mupashi atwele Yesu ku matololo kukutunkwa na Ciwa.
52.14 Elyo Yesu aima pakulya.
52.15 Elyo twafika ku mushi, kabili twalya ifyakulya.
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These are the grammar rules for elyo in Bemba:
1. Elyo is a sequence word and does not change. It has no noun-class prefix and no tense forms. It says that what follows comes after what came before: Elyo twaya (52.1), "Then we went."
2. Where it stands. It often opens the sentence, as in the Bible narrative: Elyo Ciwa asha Yesu (52.12), Elyo Mupashi atwele Yesu (52.13). It can also stand between two clauses, after a comma, as the joint of the chain: Maria aikele na Elisabeti cikanga imyeshi itatu, elyo abwelelamo kumwakwe (52.11), and in our own sentences 52.5 to 52.9. In every example we found it stands before the verb or before the subject of the second clause, never at the very end of the sentence, which is where nomba likes to go.
3. The verb carries the tense. Whatever the tense of the verb, elyo goes with it:
- Past: with the plural subject markers the plain past has the marker -a-, so tu- + -a- + -ya gives twaya (we went), and ba- + -a- + -fika gives bafika (they arrived, 52.2). The third-person singular forms in the Bible examples are given as the text has them: asha (he left, 52.12), atwele (he led, 52.13), aima (he stood up, 52.14), aikele (she stayed, 52.11). - Future: the marker -ka-: tukabwela (we will return, 52.4), bakasambilila (they will study, 52.6), bakalya (they will eat, 52.7). - Present: the marker -le-: ndeya (I am going, 52.3), balepika (she is cooking, 52.7). - Imperative: lya, sendama, iseni, lyeni (52.5, 52.9). These you met in Lesson 51; singular and plural (the plural is also the polite form).
4. The narrative -la-. In 52.12, balamutumika is ba- (they) + -la- + -mu- (him) + -tumika (serve). In Bible narrative a verb with -la- often follows a verb of arrival or action and describes what then took place. We gloss it NARR and do not claim more than that for it: we found it in the passages cited here (52.12, and alayakumuna in Section F), and we did not find a grammar that states its full range.
5. Elyo, panuma and nomba. The three can all be translated "then", and they are not the same:
- elyo: the next step in a chain of events (Twaya ku mushi, elyo twafika). - panuma: after, later, a point on the timeline. With the linker ya and an infinitive it means "after doing": panuma yakulya "after eating" (Lesson 1). The Bemba Bible opens Matthew 4:2 with Panuma yakufunga ukulya... "After fasting...". - nomba: now, and also "but, however" (Lesson 51).
6. Elyo and ilyo. Ilyo is "when" and introduces a clause that sets the time: Kokola geti ilyo mulafuma pa ng'anda (Lesson 1, "Lock the gate when you leave the house"). Elyo is "and then" and joins a new action. One vowel apart, and the meaning changes: ilyo bafika "when they arrived"; elyo bafika "then they arrived".
7. Eico, the then of result. For a result, Bemba uses eico (therefore, so): Abana balefwaya ukulya, eico bamayo balepika ifyakulya (52.10). The same word appears in the Article 1 text quoted in Lesson 51: Balikwata amano nokutontonkanya, eico bafwile ukulacita... "They have reason and conscience, therefore they ought to act...". Kitwe Online lists "Therefore" as Eico / Kanshi. Use elyo for what comes next, and eico for what follows from a reason.
8. Joining two verbs with kabili. When the second step is added with "and", as in 52.15, Bemba can pair elyo with kabili (and, also): Elyo twafika ku mushi, kabili twalya ifyakulya. The two words do different work: elyo says "afterwards", kabili adds.
Common Mistakes
- Using nomba for "then". Nomba is "now" and "but". "Then we went" is Elyo twaya, never Nomba twaya, which means "Now we went" or "But we went". - Using panuma to join steps. Panuma is a point in time ("later", "after"). To chain one step to the next, use elyo. - Mixing up elyo (then) and ilyo (when). Check the first vowel. - Asking elyo to carry the tense. The adverb never changes: the tense is in the verb (twaya, tukabwela). - Using elyo for "if ... then". We did not find elyo in that use, so we do not teach it here. For a result, use eico. - Using elyo for "at that time" ("back then"). We did not find it used so; it is the sequence word. - Splitting the ly: elyo is said as one smooth e-lyo, with ly a single sound. Do not say e-li-yo.
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Frequency and register. Elyo is an everyday word with no formal or informal form of its own. It is found in teaching materials, in the dictionary, and in written Bemba of the formal register. It is frequent in connected narrative, where it holds a story together. We found no source that restricts it to any social group or region. What changes with the social setting is the verb: with elders and strangers, speakers use the plural (mu-, ba-), as in Iseni and Bamayo balepika.
Telling a story. Bible narrative in Bemba moves by a chain of short clauses, several of them opened by elyo: in Matthew 4, verses 1, 3, 5 and 11 begin with Elyo, and John 13:4 and 5 do the same. English tends to avoid repeating "then" and varies it ("after that", "next", "so"). In these passages the repetition is plain: elyo is a signpost that the story has moved on. We have not studied spoken storytelling, so we do not say how far this holds outside written narrative. When you tell a story in Bemba, try elyo where English would start a new sentence.
Variety. This lesson follows the written standard used in the dictionary and teaching materials we consulted, and the spelling of the Bemba Bible published as Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa (2015). Bemba is spoken across Zambia's Northern, Luapula, Muchinga and Copperbelt provinces and beyond. We did not find a source that says whether elyo differs from region to region, and we do not claim that it does.
Sequence and result. For the learner, the pair elyo and eico is a useful picture of how Bemba thinks about order: what comes next in time is not the same thing as what follows from a reason, and the language gives each its own word.
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The passage chosen for this section is John 13:5 in Bemba (Yoani 13:5), from the Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa (2015) text published on bible.com. It tells how Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, and it has elyo twice in a single verse, each time at the turn from one action to the next. The glosses are ours; the English in F-B is our own rendering, not a quotation.
F.1a Elyo then aitila he-poured amenshi water mu in musambilo basin atampa he-began no and kulasamba to-wash amakasa feet ya of basambi disciples bakwe his
F.1b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ aitila /a.i.ti.la/ SM1-pour.PAST amenshi /a.me.nʃi/ water.CL6 mu /mu/ in musambilo /mu.sa.mbi.lo/ basin.CL3 atampa /a.ta.mpa/ SM1-begin.PAST no /no/ and kulasamba /ku.la.sa.mba/ INF-wash amakasa /a.ma.ka.sa/ feet.CL6 ya /ja/ of basambi /βa.sa.mbi/ disciples.CL2 bakwe /βa.kwe/ his.CL2
F.2a Elyo then alayakumuna he-wiped-them na with ku INF-LOC nsalu towel akakile he-had-tied mu at musana waist
F.2b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ alayakumuna /a.la.ja.ku.mu.na/ SM1-NARR-OM6-wipe na /na/ with ku /ku/ LOC nsalu /nsa.lu/ towel.CL9 akakile /a.ka.ki.le/ SM1-tie.PERF mu /mu/ at musana /mu.sa.na/ waist
F.1 Elyo aitila amenshi mu musambilo, atampa no kulasamba amakasa ya basambi bakwe. → "Then he poured water into the basin and began to wash his disciples' feet."
F.2 Elyo alayakumuna na ku nsalu akakile mu musana. → "Then he wiped them with the towel he had tied at his waist."
F.1 Elyo aitila amenshi mu musambilo, atampa no kulasamba amakasa ya basambi bakwe.
F.2 Elyo alayakumuna na ku nsalu akakile mu musana.
Look at how the two sentences work. Each begins with Elyo, and each one reports a new action by Jesus: pouring, washing, wiping. The verse is a list of steps in the order they happened, and elyo is the hinge between them. There is no time word and no panuma, because nothing here is about the clock. It is about order.
In F.1, aitila is the plain past (a- + -itila), and atampa no kulasamba is the "begin to" pattern, atampa (he began) joined by no to the infinitive kulasamba (to wash). The words are glossed one by one, in the Duplex manner, but in use atampa no ku- is a fixed way to say "begin to". Amakasa ya basambi bakwe is a noun phrase: amakasa (feet, class 6), the linker ya, basambi (disciples, class 2), and bakwe (his). In F.2, alayakumuna is a- (he) + -la- (narrative, see Section D 4) + -ya- (them, the object marker for the feet, class 6) + -kumuna (wipe). Akakile is the perfect of "tie" and gives the sense "had tied". Mu musana is glossed "at the waist" because that is how the English rendering of the verse has it; we did not confirm musana independently in a dictionary, and a learner should check it before using it for the body.
A caution about the glosses: the particle ku in na ku nsalu has no stand-alone English meaning here; we mark it LOC. The English renderings in F-B are ours.
The same Gospel sets the previous verse (John 13:4) opening with Elyo Yesu aima pakulya (52.14). So the reader sees the washing begin with one elyo and go on, step by step, through a chain of them.
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Examples 52.16 to 52.30. A short story of a day in the village, told in the past with a plain elyo between the steps. Bamayo (mother) takes the honorific plural throughout, and bati is "said" in the same respectful form. A speech is introduced with bati. The story is constructed by us from verified words.
52.16a Lelo today twaya we-went ku to mushi village
52.16b Lelo /le.lo/ today twaya /twa.ja/ SM1PL-PAST-go ku /ku/ to mushi /mu.ʃi/ village.CL3
52.17a Elyo then twafika we-arrived
52.17b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ twafika /twa.fi.ka/ SM1PL-PAST-arrive
52.18a Twalimona we-saw bamayo mother
52.18b Twalimona /twa.li.mo.na/ SM1PL-PAST-see bamayo /βa.ma.jo/ mother.HON
52.19a Elyo then bamayo mother bati she-said iseni come!
52.19b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ bamayo /βa.ma.jo/ mother.HON bati /βa.ti/ SM2.HON-say iseni /i.se.ni/ come.IMP.PL
52.20a Twaya we-went kuli to bamayo mother
52.20b Twaya /twa.ja/ SM1PL-PAST-go kuli /ku.li/ to bamayo /βa.ma.jo/ mother.HON
52.21a Elyo then twalya we-ate ifyakulya food
52.21b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ twalya /twa.lja/ SM1PL-PAST-eat ifyakulya /i.fja.ku.lja/ food.CL8
52.22a Twanwa we-drank amenshi water
52.22b Twanwa /twa.nwa/ SM1PL-PAST-drink amenshi /a.me.nʃi/ water.CL6
52.23a Elyo then twalanda we-talked panono a-little
52.23b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ twalanda /twa.la.nda/ SM1PL-PAST-talk panono /pa.no.no/ a.little
52.24a Bamayo mother bati she-said nga if mulefwaya you-want sendameni sleep!
52.24b Bamayo /βa.ma.jo/ mother.HON bati /βa.ti/ SM2.HON-say nga /ŋga/ if mulefwaya /mu.le.fwa.ja/ SM2PL-PRES-want sendameni /se.nda.me.ni/ sleep.IMP.PL
52.25a Elyo then abana children basendama they-slept
52.25b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ abana /a.βa.na/ children.CL2 basendama /βa.se.nda.ma/ SM2-PAST-sleep
52.26a Panuma later bamayo mother basendama she-slept
52.26b Panuma /pa.nu.ma/ later bamayo /βa.ma.jo/ mother.HON basendama /βa.se.nda.ma/ SM2.HON-PAST-sleep
52.27a Nomba now bonse all balesendama they-are-sleeping
52.27b Nomba /no.mba/ now bonse /βo.nse/ all.CL2 balesendama /βa.le.se.nda.ma/ SM2-PRES-sleep
52.28a Mailo tomorrow tukabwela we-will-return ku to sukulu school
52.28b Mailo /mai.lo/ tomorrow tukabwela /tu.ka.βwe.la/ SM1PL-FUT-return ku /ku/ to sukulu /su.ku.lu/ school
52.29a Elyo then abana children bakasambilila they-will-study
52.29b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ abana /a.βa.na/ children.CL2 bakasambilila /βa.ka.sa.mbi.li.la/ SM2-FUT-learn
52.30a Elyo then bamayo mother bakabomba she-will-work mu in munda field
52.30b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ bamayo /βa.ma.jo/ mother.HON bakabomba /βa.ka.βo.mba/ SM2.HON-FUT-work mu /mu/ in munda /mu.nda/ field
52.16 Lelo twaya ku mushi. → "Today we went to the village."
52.17 Elyo twafika. → "Then we arrived."
52.18 Twalimona bamayo. → "We saw mother."
52.19 Elyo bamayo bati, "Iseni." → "Then mother said, 'Come.'"
52.20 Twaya kuli bamayo. → "We went to mother."
52.21 Elyo twalya ifyakulya. → "Then we ate food."
52.22 Twanwa amenshi. → "We drank water."
52.23 Elyo twalanda panono. → "Then we talked a little."
52.24 Bamayo bati, "Nga mulefwaya, sendameni." → "Mother said, 'If you want to, sleep.'"
52.25 Elyo abana basendama. → "Then the children slept."
52.26 Panuma bamayo basendama. → "Later mother slept."
52.27 Nomba bonse balesendama. → "Now they are all asleep."
52.28 Mailo tukabwela ku sukulu. → "Tomorrow we will return to school."
52.29 Elyo abana bakasambilila. → "Then the children will study."
52.30 Elyo bamayo bakabomba mu munda. → "Then mother will work in the field."
52.16 Lelo twaya ku mushi.
52.17 Elyo twafika.
52.18 Twalimona bamayo.
52.19 Elyo bamayo bati, "Iseni."
52.20 Twaya kuli bamayo.
52.21 Elyo twalya ifyakulya.
52.22 Twanwa amenshi.
52.23 Elyo twalanda panono.
52.24 Bamayo bati, "Nga mulefwaya, sendameni."
52.25 Elyo abana basendama.
52.26 Panuma bamayo basendama.
52.27 Nomba bonse balesendama.
52.28 Mailo tukabwela ku sukulu.
52.29 Elyo abana bakasambilila.
52.30 Elyo bamayo bakabomba mu munda.
The story's chain. The story runs from lelo (today, 52.16) through a chain of past verbs to nomba (now, 52.27) and out to mailo (tomorrow, 52.28). Where elyo stands (52.17, 52.19, 52.21, 52.23, 52.25) the story takes its next step. Where it does not stand (52.18, 52.20, 52.22), two actions are tied closely enough that no signpost is needed. A storyteller decides how often to say it.
Elyo, panuma and nomba side by side. In 52.25 elyo gives the next step ("then the children slept"); in 52.26 panuma gives a later point ("later mother slept"); in 52.27 nomba gives the present ("now all are sleeping"). In 52.29 and 52.30 elyo comes back after mailo (tomorrow), to chain the future steps.
Tense in the story. Past: twaya, twafika, twalimona, twalya, twanwa, twalanda, basendama, formed with -a- after tu- and ba- (Section D 3), except twalimona, which is the form already used in this course (Lesson 21). Present: balesendama (-le-, 52.27). Future: tukabwela, bakasambilila, bakabomba (-ka-). Imperative: iseni, sendameni (plural, polite).
Respect. Bamayo is "mother" with the respectful ba-, and everything that goes with it takes the ba- of class 2: bati, basendama, bakabomba. The children take the same ba-, and only the nouns tell you who is meant.
Speech. Bati opens a quotation (52.19, 52.24). The speaker's words follow in the imperative for orders (iseni, sendameni).
Word order. Subject, verb, object, with the time word (lelo, panuma, nomba, mailo) at the start. Elyo comes first in its clause.
Useful vocabulary: ukuya (to go), ukufika (to arrive), ukumona (to see), ukulya (to eat), ukunwa (to drink), ukulanda (to talk), ukusendama (to sleep), ukubwela (to return), ukubomba (to work), ukusambilila (to study).
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- elyo /e.ljo/: ly is one sound. eico /e.i.tʃo/. - Do not confuse elyo (then) with ilyo /i.ljo/ (when). - Digraphs: sh /ʃ/, ng /ŋg/, nsh /nʃ/, c /tʃ/. The letter b is /β/ except after m. - Doubled vowels in spelling (balepeela) show a long vowel. Standard spelling does not mark tone. - Capitals: Elyo at the start of a sentence, elyo elsewhere. The name of the language is written iciBemba (the Bemba language), or simply Bemba in English. - The infinitive prefix is uku- (ukulya), and before a vowel root it becomes ukw- (ukwisa, to come). The perfect ending is -ile (akakile). - Spelling of the Bible text: we have kept the spelling of Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa (2015) exactly (Ciwa, Mupashi, bamalaika).
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