← Isambilisho lya Chisungu ku Bashimika ChiBemba
"Have" is one of the most frequent verbs in English. It does three different jobs, and Bemba uses a different tool for each of them:
- Possession: "I have a book." In Bemba: Nkwete ibuku (from ukukwata, "to hold, to possess"), or ndi na… ("I am with…"). - The helper verb of the perfect: "We have finished." Bemba has no separate word here; the tense sits inside the verb: Twapwisha. - Obligation: "You have to help your mother." Bemba uses -fwile: Ufwile ukwafwa noko.
The forms of the verb are few: have (I, you, we, they), has (he, she, it), had (all persons, past). In speech they are often shortened: I've, she's, we'd.
What does "have" mean in Bemba? Ukukwata, -kwete ("to possess"), or ukuba na ("to be with").
Key Takeaways:
- "Have" for possession = -kwete / -li na: I have = nkwete; she has = akwete; we have = tukwete. - "Has" is used only with he, she, it and singular nouns: "She has", never "She have". - "Have" + past participle is a tense, not possession: "I have eaten" = Nalya. - "Have to" = must: "We have to go" = Tufwile ukuya. - English says "I am hungry", not "I have hunger", although Bemba says ndi ne nsala.
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have — strong form /hæv/; weak form /həv/ or /əv/ (I've /aɪv/, we've /wiːv/, they've /ðeɪv/)
has — strong form /hæz/; weak form /həz/ or /əz/ (she's /ʃiːz/, it's /ɪts/)
had — strong form /hæd/; weak form /həd/ or /əd/ (I'd /aɪd/, we'd /wiːd/)
The vowel /æ/ in "have" is not one of Bemba's five vowels (a, e, i, o, u). It is made with the mouth open as for Bemba a, but with the tongue pushed forward towards e. Bemba words end in a vowel, so learners often say "havu" or "hasi": close the word on the consonant, /hæv/, /hæz/, with no vowel after it.
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11.1 I ine have nkwete a book ibuku
11.2 She ena has akwete a dog imbwa
11.3 We ifwe have tukwete water amenshi
11.4 Do bushe you (u-) have ukwete money indalama
11.5 I (n-) do not nshi- have -kwete time inshita
11.6 They (ba-) have bakwete three batatu children abana
11.7 My father batata has bakwete many ishingi cattle ing'ombe
11.8 The teacher kafundisha has akwete many ayengi books amabuku
11.9 Have bushe you (wa-) eaten walya
11.10 We (twa-) have finished twapwisha the work incito
11.11 They (ta-ba-) do not have tabakwete shoes insapato
11.12 Our wesu village umushi has ukwete a good ilisuma school isukulu
11.13 Long ago kale we (twa-) had twalikwete a garden ibala near mupepi the river no mumana
11.14 You (u-) have to ufwile help ukwafwa your mother noko
11.15 Tomorrow mailo we (tu-) will have tukakwata visitors abeni from ukufuma Kasama ku Kasama
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11.1 I have a book. Ine nkwete ibuku.
11.2 She has a dog. Ena akwete imbwa.
11.3 We have water. Ifwe tukwete amenshi.
11.4 Do you have money? Bushe ukwete indalama?
11.5 I do not have time. Nshikwete inshita.
11.6 They have three children. Bakwete abana batatu.
11.7 My father has many cattle. Batata bakwete ing'ombe ishingi.
11.8 The teacher has many books. Kafundisha akwete amabuku ayengi.
11.9 Have you eaten? Bushe walya?
11.10 We have finished the work. Twapwisha incito.
11.11 They do not have shoes. Tabakwete insapato.
11.12 Our village has a good school. Umushi wesu ukwete isukulu ilisuma.
11.13 Long ago we had a garden near the river. Kale twalikwete ibala mupepi no mumana.
11.14 You have to help your mother. Ufwile ukwafwa noko.
11.15 Tomorrow we will have visitors from Kasama. Mailo tukakwata abeni ukufuma ku Kasama.
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11.1 I have a book.
11.2 She has a dog.
11.3 We have water.
11.4 Do you have money?
11.5 I do not have time.
11.6 They have three children.
11.7 My father has many cattle.
11.8 The teacher has many books.
11.9 Have you eaten?
11.10 We have finished the work.
11.11 They do not have shoes.
11.12 Our village has a good school.
11.13 Long ago we had a garden near the river.
11.14 You have to help your mother.
11.15 Tomorrow we will have visitors from Kasama.
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These are the grammar rules for "have" in English:
1. The forms. English "have" changes very little, unlike Bemba -kwete, which takes a prefix for every person:
- I have — nkwete - you have — ukwete (one person); mukwete (several, or respect) - he / she has — akwete - we have — tukwete - they have — bakwete - past, every person: had — nalikwete (I had), twalikwete (we had), balikwete (they had) - future: will have — nkakwata (I will have), tukakwata (we will have)
2. "Has" with he, she, it. Only the third person singular takes "has": "She has a dog" (11.2), "The teacher has many books" (11.8), "Our village has a good school" (11.12). A Bemba noun of any class (imbwa, umushi, isukulu) is still "it" in English, and takes "has".
3. Respect is not grammar in English. Bemba says batata bakwete, with the plural prefix ba- out of respect for a father. English uses the singular: "My father has", never "My father have" (11.7).
4. Questions and negatives use "do". "Do you have money?" (11.4) — Bushe ukwete indalama? "I do not have time" (11.5) — Nshikwete inshita. With he or she: "Does she have a dog?", "She does not have a dog" — after "does", the verb goes back to "have", never "Does she has".
5. "Have" as a helper (the present perfect). Have/has + past participle makes a tense: "Have you eaten?" (11.9), "We have finished the work" (11.10). Here "have" means nothing about possession; Bemba puts this meaning in the verb itself: walya, twapwisha.
6. "Have to" = must. "You have to help your mother" (11.14) = Ufwile ukwafwa noko. "Have to" and "must" are close; "have to" is more usual in speech.
Common Mistakes:
- "She have a car." Correct: She has a car. - "Does she has a car?" Correct: Does she have a car? - "I am having three children." Correct: I have three children. Possession does not take -ing. - "I have hunger" (from ndi ne nsala). Correct: I am hungry. Likewise: I am thirsty, I am afraid. - "I have finished it yesterday." With a finished time (yesterday, last year) English uses the simple past: I finished it yesterday. - Dropping the final consonant or adding a vowel: "ha" or "havu". Say /hæv/.
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"Have" is among the ten most frequent words of English, mostly because of its work as a helper verb in the perfect tenses ("I have seen", "she has gone").
Family words. Bemba builds the owner into some family words: batata (my father), noko (your mother). English always says the owner separately: my father, your mother, her brother (11.7, 11.14).
British and American English. In Britain people also say "I have got a book" or "I've got a book"; in America "I have a book" is more usual, and "Have you got…?" sounds British. Both are correct. In this course we use the plain form "have", which is understood everywhere, including in Zambian English.
Polite questions. In a shop or office in Zambia, English questions with "have" are common: "Do you have change?", "Do you have a pen?" A "please" at the end makes them polite.
Idioms with "have":
- have a good day — a greeting on parting - have breakfast / lunch / supper — to eat a meal - have a look — to look quickly at something - have a rest — to rest for a while
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Acts 3:6, the words of Peter to the lame man at the temple gate. English: King James Version (1611). Bemba: Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa (2015).
"Silver and gold ndalama have I none nshikwete; but such as ico I have nkwete give I thee nalakupafye" - Acts 3:6 (KJV)
"Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee." "Ine ndalama nshikwete. Nalakupafye ico nkwete." (Imilimo 3:6, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015)
The sentence turns on one verb used twice: what Peter does not have (money) and what he does have (the power to heal, given in the next words of the verse). The Bemba translation does the same with nshikwete and nkwete, the negative and positive forms of one verb. It also translates the meaning rather than the words: "silver and gold" becomes ndalama, money.
- "Have I none" is old English word order. Today we say: "I have no silver and gold" or "I do not have any silver or gold." - "Such as I have" means "what I have" = ico nkwete. - "Give I thee" is old order for "I give you"; "thee" is the old object form of "you". - Compare the negative: nshikwete = "I do not have", the same form as in 11.5.
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11.16 Mwila Mwila has akwete a shop isitolo in ku Kasama Kasama
11.17 The shop isitolo has likwete bread umukate sugar isukali and salt no mucele
11.18 Mwila Mwila has akwete two babili children abana
11.19 His wakwe son umwana umwaume has akwete a bicycle incinga
11.20 His wakwe daughter umwana umwanakashi has akwete a good umusuma teacher kafundisha
11.21 Today ilelo the shop isitolo has no talikwete sugar isukali
11.22 Mwila Mwila has to afwile go ukuya to ku town tauni
11.23 He (ta-a-) does not have takwete a car imotoka
11.24 His wakwe neighbour umupalamani has akwete a car imotoka
11.25 Mwila Mwila said atile do bushe you (u-) have ukwete time inshita today ilelo
11.26 The neighbour umupalamani said atile yes ee I (n-) have nkwete time inshita
11.27 In ku town tauni they (ba-) had balikwete much ishingi work incito
11.28 Now nomba the shop isitolo has likwete sugar isukali again kabili
11.29 Mwila Mwila said atile to ku his bakwe children bana we (tu-) have tukwete good abasuma neighbours abapalamani
11.30 The children abana have learned basambilila to help ukwafwa other bambi people abantu
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11.16 Mwila has a shop in Kasama. Mwila akwete isitolo ku Kasama.
11.17 The shop has bread, sugar and salt. Isitolo likwete umukate, isukali no mucele.
11.18 Mwila has two children. Mwila akwete abana babili.
11.19 His son has a bicycle. Umwana wakwe umwaume akwete incinga.
11.20 His daughter has a good teacher. Umwana wakwe umwanakashi akwete kafundisha umusuma.
11.21 Today the shop has no sugar. Ilelo isitolo talikwete isukali.
11.22 Mwila has to go to town. Mwila afwile ukuya ku tauni.
11.23 He does not have a car. Takwete imotoka.
11.24 His neighbour has a car. Umupalamani wakwe akwete imotoka.
11.25 Mwila said, "Do you have time today?" Mwila atile, "Bushe ukwete inshita ilelo?"
11.26 The neighbour said, "Yes, I have time." Umupalamani atile, "Ee, nkwete inshita."
11.27 In town they had a lot of work. Ku tauni balikwete incito ishingi.
11.28 Now the shop has sugar again. Nomba isitolo likwete isukali kabili.
11.29 Mwila said to his children, "We have good neighbours." Mwila atile ku bana bakwe, "Tukwete abapalamani abasuma."
11.30 The children have learned to help other people. Abana basambilila ukwafwa abantu bambi.
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11.16 Mwila has a shop in Kasama.
11.17 The shop has bread, sugar and salt.
11.18 Mwila has two children.
11.19 His son has a bicycle.
11.20 His daughter has a good teacher.
11.21 Today the shop has no sugar.
11.22 Mwila has to go to town.
11.23 He does not have a car.
11.24 His neighbour has a car.
11.25 Mwila said, "Do you have time today?"
11.26 The neighbour said, "Yes, I have time."
11.27 In town they had a lot of work.
11.28 Now the shop has sugar again.
11.29 Mwila said to his children, "We have good neighbours."
11.30 The children have learned to help other people.
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The story uses all three jobs of "have":
- Possession, present: "Mwila has a shop" (11.16), "The shop has bread" (11.17), "We have good neighbours" (11.29). - Possession, past: "In town they had a lot of work" (11.27). "Had" serves every person: I had, she had, they had. - Possession, negative: "the shop has no sugar" (11.21) and "He does not have a car" (11.23) mean the same thing. "Has no" + noun is shorter; "does not have" is more usual in speech. - Obligation: "Mwila has to go to town" (11.22) = afwile ukuya. - Perfect: "The children have learned" (11.30) — the learning is finished, and its result is still true now.
Telling a story with "have": a story in the past normally uses "had" ("Mwila had a shop"); here the story is told in the present, so it uses "has". Choose one time and keep it through the story.
Reported speech. In 11.25, 11.26 and 11.29 the exact words are put in quotation marks after "said". Bemba does the same with atile.
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- Weak forms: in "Do you have time?" the "have" is strong /hæv/; in "We have finished" it is weak: /wiː həv ˈfɪnɪʃt/, or short: "We've finished" /wiːv/. - "Has to" and "have to" are pronounced /ˈhæs tə/ and /ˈhæf tə/: the v becomes f before "to". - The contraction 's can mean "is" or "has": "She's a teacher" (is), "She's got a car" (has). The words after it tell you which. - Spelling: have, has, had, having (the e is dropped before -ing).
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