← Isambilisho lya Chisungu ku Bashimika ChiBemba
"Do" is one of the most frequent words in English. It is a verb, and it has two jobs.
The first job is the main verb "do": to carry out an action. Here "do" is Bemba ukucita:
- What are you doing? — Bushe ulecita nshi? - Do whatever he tells you. — Mucite fyonse ifyo alemweba. - They do not know what they are doing. — Tabeshibe ifyo balecita.
The second job has no Bemba word at all. "Do" is a helping verb (an auxiliary) that English needs to make questions and negatives in the simple present and the simple past:
- Question: "Do you love me?" — Bemba asks with bushe, or only with the voice: Bushe walintemwa? - Negative: "I do not know." — Bemba puts the "not" inside the verb: Nshishibe.
So when a Bemba speaker says Nshishibe, English needs three words: "I do not know". When a Bemba speaker asks Bushe ulefwaya amenshi?, English needs "do" at the front: "Do you want water?"
"Do" changes its form:
- do — I do, you do, we do, they do - does — he does, she does, it does - did — the past, for every person: I did, she did, they did - done — after have: I have done - doing — after be: I am doing
What does "do" mean in Bemba? As a main verb, ukucita. As a helping verb in a question, it matches bushe; in a negative, "do not" matches the Bemba negative prefix nshi- (for "I") or ta- (for the others).
Key Takeaways:
- "Do" as an action: "What are you doing?" = Bushe ulecita nshi? - Questions: Do/Does/Did + person + verb: "Do you want water?" "Does she know?" "Did you sell bread?" - Negatives: do not/does not/did not + verb: "I do not know" = Nshishibe. - After "does" and "did" the next verb has no ending: "Does she know?" (not "Does she knows?"), "Did you sell?" (not "Did you sold?"). - Short answers repeat "do": "Do you want water?" — "Yes, I do." / "No, I don't."
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do — strong form /duː/ (main verb, or stressed: "What do you do?" /ˈwɒt də juː ˈduː/); weak form /də/ before a consonant (Do you want…? /də juː ˈwɒnt/), /du/ before a vowel (Do I…? /du ˈaɪ/)
does — strong /dʌz/, weak /dəz/; did — /dɪd/; done — /dʌn/; doing — /ˈduːɪŋ/
don't /dəʊnt/; doesn't /ˈdʌznt/; didn't /ˈdɪdnt/
The /d/ is the same as Bemba d in ukwenda, but English /d/ is made with the tongue a little further back, on the ridge behind the top teeth.
The vowel /uː/ of "do" is long: hold it longer than Bemba u. "Do" /duː/, not a short "du".
The vowel /ʌ/ of "does" and "done" is not a Bemba sound. It is short, with the mouth half open and the lips not rounded, between Bemba a and o: /dʌz/, not "doz" and not "daz".
"Did" has the short /ɪ/, a relaxed Bemba i. Close the word on the /d/: /dɪd/, not "didi".
In questions "do" is normally weak and runs into the next word: "Do you…?" sounds like /djuː/ or /dʒuː/ in fast speech.
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15.1 What nshi are you (u-) doing bushe ulecita
15.2 I (n-) do not (nshi-) know -ishibe (Nshishibe)
15.3 Do bushe you (u-) want ulefwaya water amenshi
15.4 What nshi do bushe you (u-) want ulefwaya
15.5 Do bushe you (wa-) love walintemwa me (-n-)
15.6 Do bushe you (wa-) believe wasumina this ici
15.7 I (n-) do not (nshi-) want nshilefwaya water amenshi now nomba
15.8 Do mucite whatever fyonse ifyo he (a-) tells alemweba you (-mu-)
15.9 So kanshi do ulecita this ifyo fine and lyena you (u-) will live ukamona umweo
15.10 Teacher kafundisha what bushe ni finshi must I (n-) do ndi nokucita to inherit pakumona eternal wape life umweo
15.11 They (ba-) do not (ta-) know tabeshibe what ifyo they (ba-) are doing balecita
15.12 I (n-) have set namupeela you (-mu-) an example icilangililo that pakuti you na imwe should do mulecita as ifyo I (n-) have done for you namucitila
15.13 Father tata forgive them babeleleko uluse for pantu they (ba-) do not (ta-) know tabeshibe what ifyo they (ba-) are doing balecita
15.14 So eico kanshi in everything fyonse do to others na imwe efyo mulebacitila what ifyo you (mu-) want mufwaya people abantu to do to you ukuti balemucitila
15.15 Do bushe you (wa-) know walishiba what ifyo I (n-) want ndefwaya to do ukucita I (n-) do not (nshi-) want nshilefwaya to sleep ukulala I (n-) want ndefwaya to work ukubomba
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15.1 What are you doing? Bushe ulecita nshi?
15.2 I do not know. Nshishibe. (Yoani 9:12, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015)
15.3 Do you want water? Bushe ulefwaya amenshi?
15.4 What do you want? Bushe ulefwaya nshi?
15.5 Do you love me? Bushe walintemwa? (Yoani 21:16, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015)
15.6 Do you believe this? Bushe wasumina ici? (Yoani 11:26, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015)
15.7 I do not want water now. Nshilefwaya amenshi nomba.
15.8 Do whatever he tells you. Mucite fyonse ifyo alemweba. (Yoani 2:5, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015)
15.9 So do this, and you will live. Kanshi ulecita ifyo fine, lyena ukamona umweo. (Luka 10:28, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015)
15.10 Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Kafundisha, bushe ni finshi ndi nokucita pakumona umweo wape? (Luka 10:25, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015)
15.11 They do not know what they are doing. Tabeshibe ifyo balecita.
15.12 I have set you an example, that you should do as I have done for you. Namupeela icilangililo, pakuti na imwe mulecita ifyo namucitila. (Yoani 13:15, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015)
15.13 Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. Tata babeleleko uluse, pantu tabeshibe ifyo balecita. (Luka 23:34, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015)
15.14 So in everything, do to others what you want people to do to you. Eico kanshi fyonse ifyo mufwaya ukuti abantu balemucitila, na imwe efyo mulebacitila. (Mateo 7:12, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015)
15.15 Do you know what I want to do? I do not want to sleep; I want to work. Bushe walishiba ifyo ndefwaya ukucita? Nshilefwaya ukulala; ndefwaya ukubomba.
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15.1 What are you doing?
15.2 I do not know.
15.3 Do you want water?
15.4 What do you want?
15.5 Do you love me?
15.6 Do you believe this?
15.7 I do not want water now.
15.8 Do whatever he tells you.
15.9 So do this, and you will live.
15.10 Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?
15.11 They do not know what they are doing.
15.12 I have set you an example, that you should do as I have done for you.
15.13 Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.
15.14 So in everything, do to others what you want people to do to you.
15.15 Do you know what I want to do? I do not want to sleep; I want to work.
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These are the grammar rules for "do" in English:
1. "Do" as a main verb = ukucita. It means to carry out an action: "What are you doing?" (15.1), "Do whatever he tells you" (15.8), "Do this" (15.9), "what they are doing" (15.11, 15.13). Its forms:
- I do, you do, we do, they do - he does, she does, it does - I did, you did, she did, they did (past, every person) - I have done (after have) - I am doing (after be)
Bemba builds its forms on one root, -cita: ulecita, balecita, mucite, namucitila. English has five separate words: do, does, did, done, doing. Learn them as a set.
2. "Do" in questions. In the simple present and the simple past, English cannot start a question with the main verb. It puts "do", "does" or "did" first:
- Do + I/you/we/they + verb: "Do you want water?" (15.3), "Do you love me?" (15.5) - Does + he/she/it + verb: "Does she want water?" - Did + any person + verb: "Did you sell bread?"
Bemba asks with bushe at the front, or with the voice alone: Bushe ulefwaya amenshi? English "do" stands in the same place as bushe, but English cannot leave it out. "You want water?" is heard in speech, but the correct question is "Do you want water?"
With a question word, "do" comes after it: "What do you want?" (15.4) = Bushe ulefwaya nshi? Bemba puts nshi at the end; English puts "what" first and "do" second.
3. "Do" in negatives. In the simple present and the simple past, "not" cannot stand alone with the main verb. English puts "do not", "does not" or "did not" before the verb:
- I do not know (15.2) — Nshishibe - I do not want water (15.7) — Nshilefwaya amenshi - They do not know (15.11) — Tabeshibe - She does not know - I did not sell
Bemba puts the negative inside the verb: nshi- for "I", ta- for the others (tabeshibe "they do not know", tawishibe "you do not know", Section F). English needs a separate word, and it is "do not", never "not" alone: not "I not know", not "I no know".
4. After "do", "does" and "did" the main verb is in its plain form. "Does" and "did" already carry the -s and the past, so the next verb does not:
- She knows. — Does she know? — She does not know. - I sold bread. — Did you sell bread? — I did not sell bread.
5. "Do" + "do". The helping verb and the main verb can stand together: "What do you do?" "What did you do today?" "I did not do it." The first "do" makes the question or the negative; the second is the action, ukucita.
6. Short answers. English answers a "do" question with "do", not with the main verb alone:
- "Do you want water?" — "Yes, I do." / "No, I don't." - "Does he know?" — "Yes, he does." / "No, he doesn't."
Bemba repeats the main verb: Ee, ndefwaya. English repeats "do".
7. Contractions. In speech and informal writing: do not = don't, does not = doesn't, did not = didn't. "I don't know." "She doesn't know." "I didn't sell it."
8. Where "do" is not used. Not with "be" (Lesson 2), not with "can", "will", "must":
- "Are you a teacher?" — not "Do you are a teacher?" - "I am not tired." — not "I do not am tired." - "Can you come?" — not "Do you can come?"
9. "Do" and "make". Bemba ukucita covers both. English says "do" for work and tasks (do work, do your homework, do the washing, do good), and "make" for things that come into being (make bread, make a house, make noise). Bemba often says ukubomba incito, "to work work"; English says "do the work".
Common Mistakes:
- "You want water?" Correct: Do you want water? Every simple-present question needs "do" or "does". - "I not know." / "I no know." Correct: I do not know. / I don't know. - "Does she knows?" Correct: Does she know? After "does" the verb has no -s. - "Did you sold the bread?" Correct: Did you sell the bread? After "did" the verb is in its plain form. - "He don't know." Correct: He doesn't know. With he, she, it, use "does". - "What you want?" Correct: What do you want? - "Yes, I want." (as a short answer) Correct: Yes, I do.
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"Do" is among the fifteen most frequent words of English, mostly because of its work as a helping verb. A learner hears it in nearly every question: "Do you speak English?", "Where do you live?", "What do you do?"
"What do you do?" means "What is your work?" In Zambia, as in Britain, a stranger may ask this to begin a conversation: "What do you do?" — "I am a teacher." "I work at a shop."
"How do you do?" is an old, formal greeting in British English. The answer is the same words: "How do you do?" It is not a question about your health. In everyday English today, people say "How are you?"
Politeness. "Do" can make a request or an invitation warm: "Do come in!" "Do sit down." Here "do" is stressed /duː/ and means "please, really". It is also used for emphasis: "I do love you" means "I really love you".
The old English of the Bible. The King James Version (1611) often makes questions and negatives without "do": "Lovest thou me?" (John 21:16), "they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34), "Believest thou this?" (John 11:26). Modern English says "Do you love me?", "they do not know what they are doing", "Do you believe this?" Learners should use the modern forms. The Bemba Bible, like all Bemba, uses no extra word: Bushe walintemwa? Tabeshibe ifyo balecita.
Common expressions with "do":
- I don't know — Nshishibe - Do your best — try as hard as you can - That will do — that is enough - do the dishes — wash the plates and pots - How do you do? — a formal greeting
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John 13:7, Jesus's words to Peter when he washes the disciples' feet. English: King James Version (1611). Bemba: Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa (2015), Yoani 13:7.
"Jesus Yesu answered amwasuka and said unto him ati What ico I (n-) do ndecita thou knowest not tawishibe now pa nshita ino but thou (u-) shalt know ukeshiba hereafter limbi" - John 13:7 (KJV)
"Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter." "Yesu amwasuka ati, 'Pa nshita ino tawishibe ico ndecita, ukeshiba limbi.'" (Yoani 13:7, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015)
At the last supper Jesus kneels and washes his disciples' feet, the work of a servant. Peter does not understand, and Jesus answers him with this verse. The sentence turns on two times: "now", when Peter does not know, and "hereafter", when he will. The Bemba follows the same shape: pa nshita ino, "at this time", and limbi, "later". "Do" stands at the centre: "What I do" is the action, ndecita, which Peter can see but cannot yet understand. Bemba ico ndecita, "that which I am doing", is the same pattern as ifyo balecita, "what they are doing", in Luke 23:34 (15.13). In both verses the people do not know what is being done; the Bemba puts that "not" inside the verb (tawishibe, tabeshibe).
- "What I do" — "do" here is the main verb, ukucita. Today we say "What I am doing": "You do not understand now what I am doing" (modern translations say much the same). - "Thou knowest not" is old English for "you do not know". In 1611 English could put "not" after the main verb; modern English cannot, and must use "do": "you do not know", "you don't know". Bemba tawishibe has ta-, "not", inside the verb. - "Thou" is old English for "you" (one person); "knowest" and "shalt" are its old verb forms. Today: "you know", "you will know". - "Hereafter" means "later, after this". Bemba limbi. - Word order: the KJV puts the object first for emphasis, "What I do thou knowest not". Modern English puts the object after the verb: "You do not know what I am doing." The Bemba also puts it after: tawishibe ico ndecita.
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15.16 In the morning ulucelo Chanda Chanda went aya to ku Mr Banda's ya ba Banda shop sitolo to do ukubomba his work incito yakwe
15.17 Mr ba Banda Banda asked him bamwipusha abati Do bushe you (wa-) know walishiba this iyi work ncito
15.18 Chanda Chanda answered abasuka ati No awe I (n-) do not (nshi-) know -ishibe (nshishibe) but nomba I (n-) want ndefwaya to learn ukusambilila
15.19 Mr ba Banda Banda said basosa abati Good cisuma Do cita what ifyo I (n-) tell ndekweba you (-ku-)
15.20 Chanda Chanda asked aipusha ati What bushe ni finshi must I (n-) do ndi nokucita
15.21 Mr ba Banda Banda said basosa abati Do cita this ici sell shitisha bread umukate and ne sugar sukali to the people abantu
15.22 A woman umwanakashi came aisa and asked aipusha ati Do bushe you (u-) have ukwete sugar isukali
15.23 Chanda Chanda answered amwasuka ati Yes ee I do ndikwete
15.24 The woman umwanakashi said asosa ati I (n-) do not (nshi-) want nshilefwaya much ilingi sugar isukali I (n-) want ndefwaya only fye a little panono
15.25 In the evening icungulo Mr ba Banda Banda asked bamwipusha abati What nshi did you (wa-) do wacita today ilelo
15.26 Chanda Chanda answered abasuka ati I (n-) did nacita what ifyo you (mu-) told me mwanjeba I (n-) sold nashitisha bread umukate and ne sugar sukali
15.27 Mr ba Banda Banda said basosa abati You (wa-) did wacita well bwino Do bushe you (u-) want ulefwaya to work ukubomba here pano tomorrow mailo too na
15.28 Chanda Chanda said asosa ati Yes ee I do ndefwaya Thank you natotela Mr ba Banda Banda
15.29 At home ku ng'anda Mutale Mutale asked aipusha ati What bushe nshi did you (wa-) do wacita at ku the shop sitolo
15.30 Chanda Chanda answered amwasuka ati I (n-) did nacita many ifingi things ifintu Tomorrow mailo I (n-) will go nkaya again (na, "also")
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15.16 In the morning Chanda went to Mr Banda's shop to do his work. Ulucelo Chanda aya ku sitolo ya ba Banda ukubomba incito yakwe.
15.17 Mr Banda asked him, "Do you know this work?" Ba Banda bamwipusha abati, "Bushe walishiba iyi ncito?"
15.18 Chanda answered, "No, I do not know it, but I want to learn." Chanda abasuka ati, "Awe, nshishibe, nomba ndefwaya ukusambilila."
15.19 Mr Banda said, "Good. Do what I tell you." Ba Banda basosa abati, "Cisuma. Cita ifyo ndekweba."
15.20 Chanda asked, "What must I do?" Chanda aipusha ati, "Bushe ni finshi ndi nokucita?"
15.21 Mr Banda said, "Do this: sell bread and sugar to the people." Ba Banda basosa abati, "Cita ici: shitisha abantu umukate ne sukali."
15.22 A woman came and asked, "Do you have sugar?" Umwanakashi aisa, aipusha ati, "Bushe ukwete isukali?"
15.23 Chanda answered, "Yes, I do." Chanda amwasuka ati, "Ee, ndikwete."
15.24 The woman said, "I do not want much sugar. I want only a little." Umwanakashi asosa ati, "Nshilefwaya isukali ilingi. Ndefwaya fye panono."
15.25 In the evening Mr Banda asked, "What did you do today?" Icungulo ba Banda bamwipusha abati, "Ilelo wacita nshi?"
15.26 Chanda answered, "I did what you told me. I sold bread and sugar." Chanda abasuka ati, "Nacita ifyo mwanjeba. Nashitisha umukate ne sukali."
15.27 Mr Banda said, "You did well. Do you want to work here tomorrow too?" Ba Banda basosa abati, "Wacita bwino. Bushe ulefwaya ukubomba pano na mailo?"
15.28 Chanda said, "Yes, I do! Thank you, Mr Banda." Chanda asosa ati, "Ee, ndefwaya! Natotela, ba Banda."
15.29 At home Mutale asked, "What did you do at the shop?" Ku ng'anda Mutale aipusha ati, "Bushe wacita nshi ku sitolo?"
15.30 Chanda answered, "I did many things. Tomorrow I will go again." Chanda amwasuka ati, "Nacita ifintu ifingi. Na mailo nkaya."
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15.16 In the morning Chanda went to Mr Banda's shop to do his work.
15.17 Mr Banda asked him, "Do you know this work?"
15.18 Chanda answered, "No, I do not know it, but I want to learn."
15.19 Mr Banda said, "Good. Do what I tell you."
15.20 Chanda asked, "What must I do?"
15.21 Mr Banda said, "Do this: sell bread and sugar to the people."
15.22 A woman came and asked, "Do you have sugar?"
15.23 Chanda answered, "Yes, I do."
15.24 The woman said, "I do not want much sugar. I want only a little."
15.25 In the evening Mr Banda asked, "What did you do today?"
15.26 Chanda answered, "I did what you told me. I sold bread and sugar."
15.27 Mr Banda said, "You did well. Do you want to work here tomorrow too?"
15.28 Chanda said, "Yes, I do! Thank you, Mr Banda."
15.29 At home Mutale asked, "What did you do at the shop?"
15.30 Chanda answered, "I did many things. Tomorrow I will go again."
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The story continues Lesson 14: Mr Banda gave Chanda work at his shop for three days, and this is the first day. It uses every job of "do":
- Main verb, ukucita: "Do what I tell you" (15.19), "What must I do?" (15.20), "Do this" (15.21), "I did what you told me" (15.26), "You did well" (15.27), "I did many things" (15.30). - Questions with "do": "Do you know this work?" (15.17), "Do you have sugar?" (15.22), "Do you want to work here tomorrow too?" (15.27). Bemba: bushe. - Negatives with "do": "I do not know it" (15.18), "I do not want much sugar" (15.24). Bemba: nshishibe, nshilefwaya. - Short answers: "Yes, I do" (15.23, 15.28). Bemba repeats the verb: ndikwete, ndefwaya. - "Did" + "do" in past questions: "What did you do today?" (15.25), "What did you do at the shop?" (15.29). The first "did" makes the question; the second "do" is the action. After "did", "do" stays in its plain form: not "What did you did?"
A story in the past. The narrative is told in the past tense: went, asked, answered, said, came, sold, did. Bemba tells it with the narrative forms aya, aipusha, asosa, amwasuka, the same forms the Bemba Bible uses ("Yesu amwasuka ati", Section F). In English the past questions and negatives need "did": "What did you do?", "I did not sell it."
"Do work" and ukubomba. In 15.16 English says "to do his work"; Bemba says ukubomba incito yakwe, "to work his work". English uses "do" with work, jobs and tasks.
Respect. Mr Banda is spoken of with the respect plural in Bemba (ba Banda basosa, bamwipusha), and Chanda answers him with abasuka and mwanjeba, as he did in Lesson 14 (nkabalembela). English uses the title "Mr" and the singular "he" and "you".
Direct speech. The words spoken go inside quotation marks, after "asked", "said" or "answered" and a comma: Mr Banda asked him, "Do you know this work?" Bemba marks the words with ati or abati.
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- Weak and strong: "Do you want water?" /də juː ˈwɒnt ˈwɔːtə/ — "do" weak at the start of a question; "Yes, I do" /ˈjes aɪ ˈduː/ — strong at the end of a short answer. - "What did you do?" /ˈwɒt dɪd juː ˈduː/: in fast speech "did you" becomes /ˈdɪdʒuː/. - "Don't" /dəʊnt/ has the vowel of "go", not of "do". "Do not" /duː ˈnɒt/ → "don't" /dəʊnt/. - "Does" /dʌz/ is spelled with o-e-s but has the vowel /ʌ/ of "but"; do not say "doz" or "do-es". - "Done" /dʌn/ rhymes with "sun", not with "bone". - Spelling: do, does, did, done, doing. The apostrophe in don't, doesn't and didn't stands for the missing o of "not": do not → don't. Never write "dont" or "do'nt". - In formal writing use the full forms: "I do not know"; in letters to friends and in speech, "I don't know".
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