← Isambilisho lya Chisungu ku Bashimika ChiBemba
"We" is one of the most frequent words in English. It is a pronoun: it stands in place of the speaker and one or more other people. "Mwansa and I are at school. We are learning." Here "we" means Mwansa and I.
English changes the pronoun with its place in the sentence. Bemba changes it too, but it puts most of the pronoun inside the verb:
- we — the subject, before the verb: "We are here." — Tuli pano. - us — the object, after a verb or a preposition: "God loves us." — Lesa atutemwa. Bemba puts -tu- inside the verb. - our — the owner, before a noun: "our house" — ing'anda yesu. Bemba puts -esu after the noun. - ours — the owner, alone: "The house is ours." — Ing'anda ni yesu. - ourselves — "We ourselves are his children." — Na ifwe bene tuli bana bakwe.
What does "we" mean in Bemba? The subject prefix tu- on the verb (tuli, "we are"; tukwete, "we have"; twalishiba, "we know"); the independent pronoun ifwe, for emphasis or to stand alone; for "us", the object marker -tu- (atutemwa, "he loves us") and ifwe after a preposition (na ifwe, "with us"); for "our", -esu after the noun (wesu, yesu, cesu, bwesu), and -fwe in Shifwe, "our Father".
English cannot leave "we" out. Bemba Tuli pano has "we" inside the verb, but English must say it: "We are here", never "Are here". This is the first rule of the lesson, as it was for "he" (Lesson 16).
Key Takeaways:
- "We" is the subject, before the verb. It cannot be left out: "We know", never "Know". Bemba tu- is inside the verb. - The verb after "we" has no -s: we know, we have, we go. With "be": we are, never "we is" or "we am". - "Us" comes after a verb or a preposition: "God loves us", "with us". Never "God loves we" or "with we". - "Our" comes before the noun: "our house", "our teacher". Bemba puts -esu after the noun: ing'anda yesu, kafundisha wesu. - "Let's" is "let us": "Let's go" = Natuleya. After "let's" the verb is plain: "Let's go", never "Let's to go".
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we — strong form /wiː/ (stressed: "WE did it, not you"); weak form /wi/ (unstressed: "Where are we going?")
us /ʌs/ (weak /əs/); our /ˈaʊə/ (in fast speech often /ɑː/); ours /ˈaʊəz/; ourselves /aʊəˈselvz/
we're /wɪə/; we've /wiːv/; we'll /wiːl/ (weak /wɪl/); we'd /wiːd/; let's /lets/
The first sound, /w/, is made with the lips round and pushed forward, and then they open quickly into the vowel. Bemba has this sound (wandi, wesu), so it is not difficult; but do not put a vowel before it. Say /wiː/, not "uwi".
The vowel of "we" is /iː/, long and tense, like the vowel of "he" (Lesson 16): hold the Bemba i a little longer. "We" /wiː/ is not "will" /wɪl/, which has the short vowel /ɪ/.
"Us" has the short vowel /ʌ/, as in "up" and "but". It is not the Bemba u. Say /ʌs/, not "usu": the word ends on /s/, with no vowel after it.
"Our" has two vowels in one syllable: /aʊ/ and then a weak /ə/. It sounds like "hour". In fast speech people say /ɑː/, as in "are". "Ours" and "ourselves" have a /z/ buzz: /ˈaʊəz/, /aʊəˈselvz/, not "ourss".
In the contractions the vowel stays long: "we'll" /wiːl/, "we've" /wiːv/. "We're" is /wɪə/ and not "wire".
"We" is usually weak: "Can we go?" /kən wi ˈgəʊ/. It is strong when we contrast: "WE are ready, but THEY are not."
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21.1 We (tu-) are -li here pano (Tuli pano)
21.2 We (ta-tu-) are not -li here pano (Tatuli pano)
21.3 We (tw-a-) know -lishiba (Twalishiba)
21.4 We (tu-) have -kwete money indalama (Tukwete indalama)
21.5 We (tu-) are -li children bana of bakwa God Lesa (Tuli bana bakwa Lesa)
21.6 We (tu-le-) want -fwaya water amenshi (Tulefwaya amenshi)
21.7 We ifwe have seen (na-tu-) -mona the Lord Imfumu (Ifwe natumona Imfumu)
21.8 Our Father Shifwe ("father of us") in wa mu heaven mulu (Shifwe wa mu mulu)
21.9 Give (u-) -peele us (-tu-) today lelo the food icakulya ("food of ours", cesu) we (tu-le-) need -kabila (Utupeele lelo icakulya cesu tulekabila)
21.10 God Lesa loves (a-) -temwa us (-tu-) (Lesa atutemwa)
21.11 To whom ni kuli ani shall we (tw-inga-) go -ya (Ni kuli ani twingaya?)
21.12 In muli God Lesa we (tw-a-) have -kwatila life umweo (Muli Lesa twakwatila umweo)
21.13 Lord We Mfumu it is good kuti cawama for us (tw-a-) to stay -ikala right here pano pene (We Mfumu, kuti cawama twaikala pano pene)
21.14 We ifwe too na ourselves bene are tuli his children bana bakwe (Na ifwe bene tuli bana bakwe)
21.15 Although nangu we (tw-a-) are -ba many abengi we (tu-) form -panga only -fye one umo body umubili in muli Christ Kristu (Nangu twaba abengi, lelo tupangafye umubili umo muli Kristu)
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21.1 We are here. Tuli pano.
21.2 We are not here. Tatuli pano.
21.3 We know. Twalishiba. (adapted from 1 Yoani 3:2, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015)
21.4 We have money. Tukwete indalama.
21.5 We are children of God. Tuli bana bakwa Lesa. (adapted from 1 Yoani 3:2, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015)
21.6 We want water. Tulefwaya amenshi.
21.7 We have seen the Lord. Ifwe natumona Imfumu. (Yoani 20:25, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015)
21.8 Our Father in heaven. Shifwe wa mu mulu. (adapted from Mateo 6:9, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015)
21.9 Give us today the food we need. Utupeele lelo icakulya cesu tulekabila. (Mateo 6:11, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015)
21.10 God loves us. Lesa atutemwa. (adapted from 1 Yoani 4:11, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015)
21.11 To whom shall we go? Ni kuli ani twingaya? (Yoani 6:68, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015)
21.12 In God we have life. Muli Lesa twakwatila umweo. (adapted from Imilimo 17:28, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015)
21.13 Lord, it is good for us to stay right here. We Mfumu, kuti cawama twaikala pano pene. (Mateo 17:4, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015; the first part of the verse)
21.14 We too are his children. Na ifwe bene tuli bana bakwe. (Imilimo 17:28, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015)
21.15 Although we are many, we form one body in Christ. Nangu twaba abengi, lelo tupangafye umubili umo muli Kristu. (Abena Roma 12:5, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015; the second sentence of the verse)
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21.1 We are here.
21.2 We are not here.
21.3 We know.
21.4 We have money.
21.5 We are children of God.
21.6 We want water.
21.7 We have seen the Lord.
21.8 Our Father in heaven.
21.9 Give us today the food we need.
21.10 God loves us.
21.11 To whom shall we go?
21.12 In God we have life.
21.13 Lord, it is good for us to stay right here.
21.14 We too are his children.
21.15 Although we are many, we form one body in Christ.
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These are the grammar rules for "we" in English:
1. "We" is a separate word, and it cannot be left out. Bemba puts the person inside the verb with tu-. English writes "we" before the verb:
- Tuli pano — We are here (21.1) - Twalishiba — We know (21.3) - Tukwete indalama — We have money (21.4) - Tulefwaya amenshi — We want water (21.6) - Natumona — we have seen (21.7)
Bemba can say Ifwe natumona Imfumu with the word ifwe in front, to make "we" strong: "WE have seen the Lord." The English for the plain Natumona is still "We have seen", with "we".
2. The verb after "we" has no -s. "We" takes the same verb as "I", "you" and "they":
- We know (21.3), we have (21.4), we want (21.6). Not "we knows", "we has", "we wants". - With "be": we are (21.1, 21.5, 21.14, 21.15). Not "we is", "we am" and not "we be". - Negative: we are not (aren't) (21.2), we do not (don't) know. Bemba tatuli, tatumona. Remember Lesson 20.
3. "Us". After a verb or a preposition English uses "us", not "we":
- God loves us (21.10). Bemba -tu- is inside the verb: a-tu-temwa. - Give us today the food we need (21.9). Bemba u-tu-peele. - with us — na ifwe. After a preposition Bemba uses ifwe. English "with us", never "with we". - for us (21.13). In the Bemba verse the "us" is not a separate word: twaikala has tw- (we).
Notice 21.13: "it is good for us to stay". English "for us" (the word "for" and the pronoun "us"), then "to stay". Bemba has only twaikala.
4. "Our" and "ours". "Our" stands before the noun, and "ours" is alone:
- our house — ing'anda yesu - our teacher — kafundisha wesu - our food — icakulya cesu (21.9) - our witness — bukambone bwesu (Section F) - The house is ours. — Ing'anda ni yesu.
The Bemba -esu changes with the noun class: wesu (class 1, a person), yesu (class 9, ing'anda), cesu (class 7, icakulya), bwesu (class 14, bukambone). English "our" never changes: our teacher, our house, our food, our witness. The English "our" never has an "s" for plural nouns: "our books", not "ours books".
"Our Father" (21.8) is Bemba Shifwe: shi- ("father of") + -fwe ("us"). In English the two words are "Our" and "Father".
5. "Ourselves". English adds -selves to "our": "we ourselves", "by ourselves", "Let us help ourselves". Bemba bene (21.14) is "self, selves". In 21.14 the sentence is "We too are his children", and bene adds weight: "we ourselves, too". The usual English is "We too…". Do not say "we selves" or "ourself".
6. "Let us" and "let's". Bemba makes "let us" with natu- before the verb: Natuleya, "Let us go" or "Let's go". The English is "let's" or "let us" + the plain verb:
- Let's go. Natuleya. (Yoani 11:16: Natuleya nankwe, "Let us go with him") - Let us eat and drink. Natuipakishe no kunwa tunwe. (1 Corinthians 15:32, the Bemba Bible) - Let's not go. — "not" comes after "let's".
Never "Let's to go" and never "Let's we go".
7. "We" includes the speaker. English "we" can include the person you speak to ("We are all friends here") or leave him out ("We are going. Come with us"). English does not tell you which; the situation does. The sentence "We are many" (21.15) means all the people together.
8. Word order. "We" goes before the verb, and a question puts the helping verb first:
- We are here. — Are we here? - We know. — Do we know? - Where are we going? "Where we are going?" is wrong in a question.
9. Names with "we". When the speaker names the others, "we" is replaced by "Chanda and I": "Chanda and I go to school" (the same people as "We go to school"). The speaker puts "I" last: "Chanda and I", not "I and Chanda". "Chanda and me go" is wrong, because "me" is not for the subject. Use "me" for the object: "He gave it to Chanda and me."
Common Mistakes:
- "Are here." / "Know." Correct: We are here. / We know. English needs "we". - "We is here." / "We am here." Correct: We are here. - "We has money." / "We knows." Correct: We have money. / We know. - "God loves we." / "Give we the book." Correct: God loves us. / Give us the book. - "with we", "for we", "to we". Correct: with us, for us, to us. - "Us are happy." Correct: We are happy. "Us" is not for the subject. - "We, we know." / "We they know." Correct: We know. Bemba ifwe tulanda has "we" twice (ifwe and tu-), but English says it once. - "We not know." Correct: We do not know. / We don't know. - "Let's to go." / "Let's we go." Correct: Let's go. - "The house of us." / "Our are." Correct: our house. / Ours are… - "ourself", "ourselfs", "weself". Correct: ourselves. - "Where we are going?" Correct: Where are we going? - "I and Chanda go." Correct: Chanda and I go.
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"We" is among the most frequent words of English. It is heard in every home and school: "We are late", "We can go", "Shall we go?", "What shall we do?".
Speech. In speech "we" nearly always joins the next word: "we're" (we are), "we've" (we have), "we'll" (we will), "we'd" (we would or we had). The apostrophe takes the place of letters left out. In a letter, a notice or an examination answer, write the full forms: "we are", "we have". "Let's" is "let us", but we write "let's" in everyday speech, and "let us" in prayers and formal words: "Let us pray."
Being together. "We" makes a group. A teacher says "Today we are going to read", and means the pupils, with the teacher. A guide says "Now we are at the river". A nurse or a doctor may say "How are we today?" and means "you": English speakers can find this kind of "we" too soft, and it is not for learners to copy. A king or queen once said "We" for "I". This "royal we" is now only a joke, or a quotation from history.
"We" at the head of a text. Many famous English texts begin with "we": "We the People of the United States…" is the first line of the Constitution of the United States (1787). The Lord's Prayer in English begins "Our Father which art in heaven" (King James Version, Matthew 6:9) or "Our Father in heaven" (modern versions). The Bemba Bible begins the same prayer with We Shifwe wa mu mulu (Mateo 6:9). A prayer is spoken by many people in one voice, and for this reason the pronouns are "we", "us", "our": "Give us today our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11). The Bemba of the same verse is Utupeele lelo icakulya cesu tulekabila.
Old English of the Bible. The King James Version (1611) speaks of "ye" (you, many people) and "thee" (you, one person), and it keeps "we" and "us": "Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life" (John 6:68). Today we say "Lord, who else can we go to?" or "To whom shall we go?" Bemba ni kuli ani twingaya? asks the same question.
Politeness. When two people meet, "we" brings them together: "We met last year", "Shall we sit?". When asking a favour, "Can we…?" is gentle: "Can we come in?", "Can we have some water?". In Bemba a gentle request can be made with napapata (Lesson 19). In English use "please" and "Can we…?".
Common expressions with "we":
- We'll see. — I do not know yet. - Shall we? — a polite question: "Shall we go?" "Shall we begin?" - Let's see. — I will look at it. - all of us — "All of us are here." - between us — "It is a secret between us." - us two, the two of us — "The two of us went to the market."
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John 3:11, from the night talk between Jesus and Nicodemus. English: King James Version (1611). Bemba: Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa (2015), Yoani 3:11.
"Verily, verily Mu cine cine, I say ndekweba ("I am telling you") unto thee (-ku-), We ifwe speak tulanda ("we speak") that we do know ifyo twaishiba ("what we have known"), and kabili testify tupeela bukambone ("we give testimony") that we have seen pafyo twamona ("about what we saw"); and nomba ye imwe receive not tamusumina ("you do not believe") our bwesu witness bukambone." - John 3:11 (KJV)
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness." "Ndekweba mu cine cine, ifwe tulanda ifyo twaishiba, kabili tupeela bukambone pafyo twamona. Nomba imwe tamusumina bukambone bwesu." (Yoani 3:11, Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015)
Jesus speaks to Nicodemus alone, and he begins with "I": "I say unto thee". Then the sentence turns, and "we" enters: "We speak that we do know." After "we" comes "ye", and "our": "ye receive not our witness." So the verse has three groups of pronouns: "I", "thee" (one person); "we", "our" (those who speak); "ye" (those who do not receive). The turn from "I" to "we" is the strangest thing in the verse, and readers explain it in different ways; the Bemba keeps it exactly: Ndekweba (I tell you), ifwe tulanda (we speak). The learner does not need to settle the explanation to learn the lesson: the verse shows "we" doing three things: "speak" and "know" are in the present, and "have seen" is the perfect, the form for what has happened and still matters. And it shows that "we" stands against "ye": a group who speaks, and a group who hears. The last words, "our witness", say that what "we" have seen belongs to "us". The verse ends with "not": ye receive not. Compare Lesson 20.
- "We speak that we do know" is old English. Today: "We speak of what we know." The verb is "speak" without -s, after "we". "Do know" is an emphatic form of "know"; in modern English use "do" only in questions and negatives, or to give force: "We DO know". Bemba twaishiba has tw-a- ("we have") + -ishiba ("know"). Compare twalishiba in 1 Yoani 3:2 and in 21.3. - "Testify that we have seen": "we have seen" is "have" + the past participle, as in 21.7 ("We have seen the Lord"). Bemba twamona has tw-a- + -mona. - "Ye receive not our witness" is old English: "ye" is "you" for many people, "receive not" has "not" after the verb (Lesson 20). Today: "You do not accept our testimony." Bemba tamusumina has ta- (not) + mu- (you, many) + -sumina (believe, accept). Imwe is "you" and is the same as ifwe in its job: the word that stands alone for emphasis. - "Our witness": "our" comes before the noun. Bemba bukambone bwesu has -esu after the noun, in class 14: bukambone + bw-esu. English "our witness" or "our testimony". "Witness" here is what a witness says; Bemba bukambone also means "testimony". - "Thee" is the old word for "you" when one person is spoken to. Bemba shows the same in ndekweba, where -ku- means "you" (one person), and in imwe, which is more than one. - "Verily, verily" means "truly, truly". Bemba mu cine cine, "in truth, truth".
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21.16 Mutale says ati madam mukwai we (tu-) are -li hungry ne nsala ("with hunger") (Mukwai, tuli ne nsala)
21.17 The teacher's wife says umukashi wa kafundisha ati yes ee we (tu-) have -kwete food icakulya (Ee, tukwete icakulya)
21.18 Bupe says ati thank you natotela we (tu-le-) want -fwaya water amenshi too kabili (Natotela. Kabili tulefwaya amenshi)
21.19 The teacher's wife says ati today ilelo we (tu-la-) eat -lya in mu the house ng'anda (Ilelo tulalya mu ng'anda)
21.20 Chanda says ati Mwansa Mwansa the cat pushi is ali with na us ifwe (Mwansa, pushi ali na ifwe)
21.21 Mwansa says ati the cat pushi likes (a-la-) -temwa us (-tu-) (Pushi alatutemwa)
21.22 Mutale says ati we (tu-la-) eat -lya the bread umukate and (no word) we (tu-la-) drink -nwa water amenshi (Tulalya umukate, tulanwa amenshi)
21.23 Bupe says ati thank you natotela madam mukwai we (tu-) are -li glad ne nsansa ("with joy") (Natotela, mukwai. Tuli ne nsansa)
21.24 The teacher's wife says ati welcome mwaiseni our yesu house ing'anda is ni your yenu house ing'anda (Mwaiseni. Ing'anda yesu ni ing'anda yenu)
21.25 Chanda says ati our wesu teacher kafundisha is ali in mu the garden ibala (Kafundisha wesu ali mwibala)
21.26 Bupe says ati let us (natu-) go -leya with na the teacher kafundisha (Natuleya na kafundisha)
21.27 Mwansa says ati we (tu-la-) take -senda the cat pushi (Tulasenda pushi)
21.28 Chanda says ati now nomba we (tu-) are -li in mu the garden ibala (Nomba tuli mwibala)
21.29 Bupe says ati today ilelo we (tu-) are -li many abengi in mu the garden ibala (Ilelo tuli abengi mwibala)
21.30 Mwansa says ati sir mukwai we ifwe too na (tu-la-) like -temwa the cat pushi (Mukwai, na ifwe tulatemwa pushi)
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21.16 Mutale: "Madam, we are hungry." Mutale: "Mukwai, tuli ne nsala."
21.17 The teacher's wife: "Yes, we have food." Umukashi wa kafundisha: "Ee, tukwete icakulya."
21.18 Bupe: "Thank you. We want water, too." Bupe: "Natotela. Kabili tulefwaya amenshi."
21.19 The teacher's wife: "Today we eat in the house." Umukashi wa kafundisha: "Ilelo tulalya mu ng'anda."
21.20 Chanda: "Mwansa, the cat is with us." Chanda: "Mwansa, pushi ali na ifwe."
21.21 Mwansa: "The cat likes us." Mwansa: "Pushi alatutemwa."
21.22 Mutale: "We eat the bread and we drink water." Mutale: "Tulalya umukate, tulanwa amenshi."
21.23 Bupe: "Thank you, madam. We are glad." Bupe: "Natotela, mukwai. Tuli ne nsansa."
21.24 The teacher's wife: "Welcome. Our house is your house." Umukashi wa kafundisha: "Mwaiseni. Ing'anda yesu ni ing'anda yenu."
21.25 Chanda: "Our teacher is in the garden." Chanda: "Kafundisha wesu ali mwibala."
21.26 Bupe: "Let's go with the teacher." Bupe: "Natuleya na kafundisha."
21.27 Mwansa: "We take the cat." Mwansa: "Tulasenda pushi."
21.28 Chanda: "Now we are in the garden." Chanda: "Nomba tuli mwibala."
21.29 Bupe: "Today we are many in the garden." Bupe: "Ilelo tuli abengi mwibala."
21.30 Mwansa: "Sir, we like the cat, too." Mwansa: "Mukwai, na ifwe tulatemwa pushi."
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21.16 Mutale: "Madam, we are hungry."
21.17 The teacher's wife: "Yes, we have food."
21.18 Bupe: "Thank you. We want water, too."
21.19 The teacher's wife: "Today we eat in the house."
21.20 Chanda: "Mwansa, the cat is with us."
21.21 Mwansa: "The cat likes us."
21.22 Mutale: "We eat the bread and we drink water."
21.23 Bupe: "Thank you, madam. We are glad."
21.24 The teacher's wife: "Welcome. Our house is your house."
21.25 Chanda: "Our teacher is in the garden."
21.26 Bupe: "Let's go with the teacher."
21.27 Mwansa: "We take the cat."
21.28 Chanda: "Now we are in the garden."
21.29 Bupe: "Today we are many in the garden."
21.30 Mwansa: "Sir, we like the cat, too."
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The dialogue continues Lesson 20. It is still Saturday in the teacher's house. The cat has been found in the garden, and the children, who are hungry, are now at table with the teacher's wife. In nearly every line someone says "we", "us" or "our", and so the dialogue shows how the family of "we" words work together.
- "We" with "be": we are hungry (21.16), we are glad (21.23), we are in the garden (21.28), we are many (21.29). Bemba: tuli ne nsala, tuli ne nsansa, tuli mwibala, tuli abengi. English always has "are" with "we", and "hungry" and "glad" are adjectives: Bemba says "we are with hunger", "we are with joy", and English says "we are hungry", "we are glad" (Lesson 19). - "We" with other verbs: we have (21.17), we want (21.18), we eat (21.19, 21.22), we drink (21.22), we take (21.27), we like (21.30). The verb has no -s. Bemba: tukwete, tulefwaya, tulalya, tulanwa, tulasenda, tulatemwa. The English present "we eat" is for a habit, a fact or a plan. For something happening at this moment, English says "we are eating": "We are eating the bread." - "Us": with us (21.20), likes us (21.21). Bemba: na ifwe, alatutemwa. The cat "likes us"; it does not "like we". After "with" use "us". - "Our" and "your": our house is your house (21.24), our teacher (21.25). Bemba: ing'anda yesu, ing'anda yenu, kafundisha wesu. The teacher's wife says "our house" for her family's house, and "your house" for the children's, as a kind welcome. The English "your" is the same for one or many (Lesson 18). The English sentence is a common saying of welcome. - "Let's" (21.26): Natuleya na kafundisha is "Let's go with the teacher". "Let's go" + "with" + the person: the verb after "let's" is plain. - "Too" (21.18, 21.30). Bemba kabili and na ifwe both mean "too" here. English puts "too" at the end, after a comma: "We want water, too." "Too" is also the word in "too many" ("more than is good"): there "too" comes before the adjective. These are different uses; here it means "also". - "Welcome" (21.24). The teacher's wife uses Mwaiseni (Lessons 18 and 19). English says "Welcome" or "You are welcome here". - "The bread" (21.22). In Lesson 19 Chanda cut this bread. English says "the bread" for the bread we have already seen, and "bread" without "the" for bread in general: "We eat bread every day". - "Sir" (21.30). Bemba mukwai is for a man and for a woman; English "madam" is for a woman and "sir" for a man.
About the Bemba of this genre section. The Bemba of 21.16 to 21.30 is pedagogical: it is built on forms which are in the Bemba Bible (Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015), and is not copied from it: tuli (1 Yoani 3:2), tukwete (the same form as nshikwete, Imilimo 3:6), tatuli (the we-form of tauli and tabuli, Yoani 18:17, 18:36), alatutemwa (atutemwa, 1 Yoani 4:11), tulekabila (Mateo 6:11), tulalya, tulanwa and tulasenda (tulasenda is already in Lessons 2 and 4; "nwa" is in the Bemba of 1 Corinthians 15:32, kunwa tunwe), natuleya (Yoani 11:16), na ifwe (Imilimo 17:28), abengi (Abena Roma 12:5), cesu (Mateo 6:11) and bwesu (Yoani 3:11); wesu and yesu already occur in earlier lessons of this course. The nouns (pushi, icakulya, amenshi, umukate, ing'anda, kafundisha, mwibala, ne nsala, ne nsansa, mukwai, natotela, mwaiseni) are the words of earlier lessons of this course.
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- "We" /wiː/ and "wee" /wiː/ sound the same, but "wee" means very small ("a wee bit", Scottish English). "We" and "me" /miː/ and "he" /hiː/ differ only in the first sound: do not say "me" for "we". - "We" /wiː/ and "will" /wɪl/ have different vowels, as do "we'll" /wiːl/ and "will" /wɪl/. In writing, "we'll" has an apostrophe and "will" does not. - "We're", "were" and "where" are three words: "we're" /wɪə/ means "we are"; "were" /wɜː/ is the past of "are" ("they were"); "where" /weə/ asks about a place. Write the apostrophe in "we're". Do not write "were" for "we are". - "Us" /ʌs/ and "as" /æz/ are different words: the vowel is different, and "as" ends in /z/. - "Our" /ˈaʊə/ and "hour" /ˈaʊə/ sound the same, but "hour" begins with a silent h. "Our" and "are" /ɑː/ are very close in fast speech: write "our" before a noun, and "are" after "we", "you" and "they". - "Our" has no apostrophe, and "ours" has none either: "ours", not "our's". The apostrophe is for letters left out, as in "we're", "we've", "we'll", "we'd" and "let's". - "Ourselves" ends in -selves, with the plural -ves, not "ourselfs" or "ourself". The singular is "myself", "himself" (Lesson 16). - "We" has no capital letter in the middle of a sentence. It has one only at the start of a sentence or in a title. In English the word "I" always has a capital letter; "we" does not. - Bemba writes ifwe, with the e at the end of the word; the English word "we" has no vowel before the w. Do not write "ifwe" for "we" in English.
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