← Leeto la go Ithuta Seisimane
Introduction: In this first lesson we study "the", the most frequent word in English. "The" is the definite article. It stands in front of a noun and tells the listener: "you know which one I mean". English speakers use it all the time: "the book", "the door", "the sun", "the teacher".
Sepedi has no article at all. The word puku means "a book" or "the book", and the sentence and the situation show which is meant: Puku e godimo ga tafola is "The book is on the table", and Ke na le puku is "I have a book". When Sepedi needs to point to one particular thing, it uses a demonstrative, and the demonstrative changes with the class of the noun:
- puku ye (this book), puku yeo (that book, the one we spoke about), puku yela (that book over there): class 9 - dipuku tše, dipuku tšeo, dipuku tšela: class 10 - ngwana yo, ngwana yoo, ngwana yola: class 1 - sekolo se, sekolo seo, sekolo sela: class 7
English "the" is both simpler and weaker than these. It is simpler, because it never changes: the book, the books, the child, the children, the school, the schools. Learn it once and it fits every noun, singular or plural. It is weaker, because it does not say near or far: "the book" is neither puku ye nor puku yela. It says only that the speaker and the listener both know which book. The nearest Sepedi word is yeo, the demonstrative that points back to something already mentioned: Ke na le mpša. Mpša yeo ke ye ntsho. = "I have a dog. The dog is black." But English uses "the" far more often than Sepedi uses yeo. In most places where English writes "the", Sepedi writes nothing at all: Letšatši le hlaba ka bohlabela = "The sun rises in the east". For this reason Part A below often shows "-" after "the": nothing in the Sepedi sentence corresponds to it.
English uses "the":
- when the thing has been mentioned before: "a dog" the first time, "the dog" after that - when there is only one of it: the sun, the moon, the earth, the east - when the situation shows which one: "Close the door" (the door of this room) - when the rest of the sentence shows which one: "the man who lives here" - before superlatives and ordinal numbers: the first lesson, the second lesson, the biggest school - before the names of rivers, seas and mountain ranges: the Limpopo, the Olifants, the Indian Ocean, the Drakensberg
English does not use "the" before the names of people, before most names of countries, provinces, cities and towns (South Africa, Limpopo, Polokwane), or before the names of languages (English, Sepedi). Notice the difference: "the Limpopo" is the river; "Limpopo", without "the", is the province.
Etymology: "the" comes from an Old English demonstrative (se, sēo, þæt, later þe) that meant something like "that one". Over the centuries the word grew weak and became an article. So English "the" began its life as a demonstrative, just like Sepedi yeo, and the two words still do some of the same work.
"The" has a partner: the indefinite article "a" or "an" ("a book", "an apple"), which introduces something new. Sepedi has no word for this either: Ke na le mpša = "I have a dog". "A" and "an" have their own lesson; in this lesson they appear only in the examples.
What does "the" mean in Sepedi? There is no single word. Most of the time "the" is not translated at all, because the bare Sepedi noun already carries its meaning: "the book" = puku. When "the" points back to something already mentioned, the nearest Sepedi equivalent is the demonstrative of the second position: yeo, seo, yoo, tšeo and the others, chosen by the noun class.
Key Takeaways:
- "The" never changes: the book, the books, the child, the children. - Sepedi has no article; "the book" is usually just puku. - "The" is weaker than ye and yela: it means "the one we both know", not "this one" or "that one there". - A thing mentioned again takes "the": "I have a dog. The dog is black." (Mpša yeo ke ye ntsho.) - No "the" before names of people, cities, provinces and languages: Polokwane, Limpopo, Sepedi; but "the Limpopo" is the river.
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Pronunciation Guide:
the — before a consonant sound /ðə/: the book /ðə ˈbʊk/, the school /ðə ˈskuːl/; before a vowel sound /ði/: the east /ði ˈiːst/, the earth /ði ˈɜːθ/; with stress, meaning "the famous one, the real one", /ðiː/.
The first sound of "the", /ð/, does not exist in Sepedi. Put the tip of the tongue lightly between the teeth and let the air pass with voice, so that the throat buzzes. It is neither "d" nor "z". Many Sepedi speakers say "de book" or "di east": you will be understood, but it is not the standard sound. Notice also that English "th" is not Sepedi th. In Sepedi, th is a t with a strong puff of air, as in thuto and Thobela; in English, "th" is the soft sound made with the tongue between the teeth: /ð/ in "the", "this", "that", and its voiceless partner /θ/ in "thank" and "earth".
The vowel of "the" before a consonant, /ə/, is a short, weak sound with no stress, like the "a" at the end of "sofa". Sepedi has no such vowel: every Sepedi vowel is full and clear. Do not say "the" with a full Sepedi e; let the vowel shrink and run into the next word: the_book, on_the_table /ɒn ðə ˈteɪbl/.
Remember that the rule depends on the sound, not the letter: the hour /ði ˈaʊə/ (the h is silent, so the word begins with a vowel sound), but the university /ðə ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsəti/ (the word begins with the sound /j/, like Sepedi y).
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Part A (English and Sepedi text, word by word):
1.1 The - book puku is e on godimo ga the - table tafola.
1.2 Close tswalela the - door lebati.
1.3 The - sun letšatši rises le hlaba in ka the - east bohlabela.
1.4 Where kae is se the - school sekolo?
1.5 The - children bana are ba in ka the - house ntlong.
1.6 I ke have na le a - dog mpša. The yeo dog mpša is ke ye black ntsho.
1.7 Please ke kopa give o mphe me - the - water meetse.
1.8 The - teacher morutiši is o at - school sekolong.
1.9 Polokwane Polokwane is ke the - capital motse mošate of wa Limpopo Limpopo.
1.10 The - Limpopo Limpopo is ke a - long ye telele river noka.
1.11 I ke bought rekile a - book puku yesterday maabane. The yeo book puku is ke ye new mpsha.
1.12 The - man monna who yo a lives dulago here mo is ke a - teacher morutiši.
1.13 The - first ya pele lesson thuto is e easy bonolo.
1.14 The - people batho of ba Limpopo Limpopo speak ba bolela Sepedi Sepedi.
1.15 When ge the - sun letšatši sets le sobela, the - children bana go ba ya home gae.
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Part B (Full English sentence followed by the Sepedi translation):
1.1 The book is on the table. Puku e godimo ga tafola.
1.2 Close the door. Tswalela lebati.
1.3 The sun rises in the east. Letšatši le hlaba ka bohlabela.
1.4 Where is the school? Sekolo se kae?
1.5 The children are in the house. Bana ba ka ntlong.
1.6 I have a dog. The dog is black. Ke na le mpša. Mpša yeo ke ye ntsho.
1.7 Please give me the water. Ke kopa o mphe meetse.
1.8 The teacher is at school. Morutiši o sekolong.
1.9 Polokwane is the capital of Limpopo. Polokwane ke motse mošate wa Limpopo.
1.10 The Limpopo is a long river. Limpopo ke noka ye telele.
1.11 I bought a book yesterday. The book is new. Maabane ke rekile puku. Puku yeo ke ye mpsha.
1.12 The man who lives here is a teacher. Monna yo a dulago mo ke morutiši.
1.13 The first lesson is easy. Thuto ya pele e bonolo.
1.14 The people of Limpopo speak Sepedi. Batho ba Limpopo ba bolela Sepedi.
1.15 When the sun sets, the children go home. Ge letšatši le sobela, bana ba ya gae.
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Part C (English text only):
1.1 The book is on the table.
1.2 Close the door.
1.3 The sun rises in the east.
1.4 Where is the school?
1.5 The children are in the house.
1.6 I have a dog. The dog is black.
1.7 Please give me the water.
1.8 The teacher is at school.
1.9 Polokwane is the capital of Limpopo.
1.10 The Limpopo is a long river.
1.11 I bought a book yesterday. The book is new.
1.12 The man who lives here is a teacher.
1.13 The first lesson is easy.
1.14 The people of Limpopo speak Sepedi.
1.15 When the sun sets, the children go home.
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Part D (Grammar explanation):
These are the grammar rules for "the" in English:
1. "The" never changes. Sepedi changes the beginning of the noun and every word that agrees with it: puku, dipuku; ngwana, bana; puku ye, dipuku tše. English changes only the end of the noun, and "the" stays the same: the book, the books; the child, the children (1.5, 1.15). There is no "the" for class 9 and another for class 10: one word does all the work.
2. "The" comes first. In Sepedi the demonstrative and the adjective follow the noun: puku yeo, mpša ye ntsho, noka ye telele. In English "the" stands before the noun, and an adjective stands between "the" and the noun: the black dog, the first lesson (1.13), a long river (1.10). Never "book the" or "the dog black" for "the black dog".
3. A thing mentioned again takes "the". The first time, English says "a"; after that, "the": "I have a dog. The dog is black" (1.6); "I bought a book yesterday. The book is new" (1.11). Here Sepedi uses yeo, the demonstrative that points back: Mpša yeo, Puku yeo. This is the one place where Sepedi and English do almost the same thing.
4. "The" before what is clear from the situation. "Close the door" (1.2) means the door of this room; "Where is the school?" (1.4) means the school of this place; "Please give me the water" (1.7) means the water on this table. Sepedi says lebati, sekolo, meetse with no extra word; English must say "the".
5. "The" before what is unique. There is only one sun and one east: the sun, the east (1.3, 1.15). Sepedi says letšatši, bohlabela. English almost never says "sun" or "east" alone.
6. "The" before a noun made clear by the rest of the sentence: "the man who lives here" (1.12), "the people of Limpopo" (1.14), "the capital of Limpopo" (1.9). The words after the noun ("who lives here", "of Limpopo") show which one, so the noun takes "the". Notice that English "who" does the work of Sepedi yo a … -go (yo a dulago), and English "of" does the work of wa, ba, ya and the other possessive concords.
7. "The" before ordinals and superlatives: the first lesson (1.13), the second lesson, the biggest school. Sepedi says thuto ya pele, with no article; English cannot say "first lesson is easy".
8. Places. Rivers take "the": the Limpopo (1.10), the Olifants. Provinces, cities and countries do not: Limpopo, Polokwane (1.9), South Africa. Languages do not: Sepedi (1.14), English.
9. No "the" in some fixed phrases: "at school" (1.8), "go home" (1.15), "at home", "go to church", "go to bed". Here English uses no article, and the Sepedi locatives sekolong and gae have no article either.
10. "The" often hides inside a Sepedi locative. Sepedi adds -ng to a noun to say "in" or "at": ntlo, ntlong ("in the house", 1.5); sekolo, sekolong ("at school", 1.8). One Sepedi word becomes two or three English words: "in the house". Do not forget "the".
Common mistakes:
- ✗ Sun rises in east. ✓ The sun rises in the east. (Sepedi has no article, so it is easy to leave "the" out.) - ✗ This book is on table. ✓ The book is on the table. (Do not use "this" or "that" for every Sepedi ye or yeo: "the" is the usual word.) - ✗ The dog black. ✓ The dog is black. Or: the black dog. (English needs "is"; and the adjective stands before the noun.) - ✗ The books is on the table. / ✗ The book are on the table. ✓ The book is on the table. ✓ The books are on the table. ("The" does not change, but "is" and "are" do.) - ✗ The Polokwane is the capital of the Limpopo. ✓ Polokwane is the capital of Limpopo. (No "the" before cities and provinces.) - ✗ The people of Limpopo speak the Sepedi. ✓ The people of Limpopo speak Sepedi. (No "the" before languages.) - ✗ The teacher is at the school. (when you mean "at work, teaching") ✓ The teacher is at school. - ✗ de book, di east ✓ the book /ðə/, the east /ði/
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Part E (Cultural context):
English and Sepedi live side by side in South Africa. In many schools in Limpopo children learn first in Sepedi and then move to English as the language of their lessons, so most Sepedi speakers meet "the" every school day. Sepedi calls the English language Seisimane, and the same prefix se- names Sepedi itself, Setswana, Sesotho, Sezulu and the other languages of the country.
The language itself has more than one name. The English text of the Constitution of South Africa lists Sepedi among the official languages; the Northern Sotho text of the same Constitution says Sesotho sa Leboa ("the Sotho of the North"). Speakers of the smaller varieties, such as Khelobedu, often prefer the wider name, and the question is still discussed. This course says "Northern Sotho (Sepedi)", as the course title does.
The difference between "the Limpopo" and "Limpopo" is a good place to see the article at work in South African English. The province took its name from the river; in English, the river keeps "the" and the province does not. In the same way English says "the Olifants", the river that Sepedi calls Lepelle, and "the Drakensberg", but "Polokwane", "Tzaneen" and "Mpumalanga".
The Sepedi greeting Thobela, used to an elder or a teacher, has no article in it, and neither does its English equivalent: "Good morning, Teacher!" English does not say "Good morning, the teacher!" When you speak to someone, there is no "the" before the word you call them by.
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Part F (Literary citation):
Genesis 1:1–2, in the English King James Version (1611); Sepedi translation from the Bibele of the Bible Society of South Africa (Sesotho sa Leboa, 1951, in the orthography of 1986).
F-A (English and Sepedi text, word by word):
"In - the - beginning mathomong God Modimo created o hlodile the - heaven legodimo and le the - earth lefase. And - the - earth lefase was le be le without - form gobelane, and - void le se na selo; and - darkness leswiswi was go le upon godimo ga the - face - of - the - deep bodiba. And - the - Spirit moya of wa God Modimo moved upon o alametše the - face - of - the - waters meetse."
F-B (Original text followed by the Sepedi translation):
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."
"Mathomong Modimo o hlodile legodimo le lefase. Lefase le be le gobelane le se na selo; godimo ga bodiba go le leswiswi; moya wa Modimo o alametše meetse."
F-C (English text only):
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."
F-D (Grammar and literary commentary):
These are the first words of the Bible in the King James Version, the English translation of 1611 that has shaped the English language for four centuries. The sentences are short and joined again and again by "and", and "the" appears nine times in two verses: the beginning, the heaven, the earth, the face, the deep, the Spirit, the waters. Every time it points to one particular thing that the reader is to take as known and unique: not "a beginning" but the beginning, not "an earth" but this earth.
Now look at the Sepedi. Not one of those nine "the"s has a word of its own. Mathomong, legodimo, lefase, bodiba, meetse: each bare noun already carries the meaning. Mathomong is mathomo ("beginning") with the locative -ng, so one Sepedi word holds three English words, "in the beginning", exactly as ntlong holds "in the house" (Part D, rule 10).
- the beginning, the heaven, the earth: unique things (Part D, rule 5). - God: a name, so no "the". But the Spirit of God: "the" + noun + "of" + noun; the words after "of" show which spirit (rule 6). Sepedi says moya wa Modimo, with the possessive wa where English has "of". - darkness: no "the", because it speaks of darkness in general. - the face of the deep, the waters: old Bible English. "The deep" is "the" + an adjective used as a noun (the deep water, the sea); "waters" is a plural that modern English rarely uses. The Sepedi translators wrote simply bodiba and meetse. - was without form, and void: English needs "was" (le be le in the Sepedi). - and: Sepedi le joins nouns (legodimo le lefase, "the heaven and the earth"), as English "and" does. The same le appears in ke na le ("I have", 1.6).
The newer Sepedi Bible of the Bible Society, Bibele Taba yea Botse (2000), translates the second verse more freely: "Lefase le be le sa dulwe, le se na selo" ("the earth was not lived in, it had nothing"). The older translation quoted here follows the English sentence more closely, and so it is easier to read word by word.
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Thabo is a pupil at a school in Polokwane. It is the first English lesson of the year, and he speaks with his teacher. Thabo speaks in 1.16, 1.18, 1.21 and 1.28; the teacher speaks in 1.17, 1.19, 1.20, 1.22, 1.23, 1.29 and 1.30; sentences 1.24 to 1.27 tell what happens in the classroom.
Part A (English and Sepedi text, word by word):
1.16 Good morning thobela, Teacher morutiši!
1.17 Good morning thobela, Thabo Thabo. Where kae is e the - book puku?
1.18 The - book puku is ke here ye, on godimo ga the - table tafola.
1.19 Open bula the - book puku at - the - first ya pele lesson thutong.
1.20 The - first ya pele lesson thuto is e about bolela ka the - word lentšu "the" "the".
1.21 Teacher morutiši, Sepedi Sepedi has no ga se na word lentšu "the" "the".
1.22 Yes ee. In ka Sepedi Sepedi we re say re "puku ye" "puku ye" or goba "puku yeo" "puku yeo".
1.23 In ka English Seisimane we re say re "the book" "the book".
1.24 The - children bana read ba bala the - lesson thuto.
1.25 Thabo Thabo writes o ngwala the - words mantšu in ka the - book pukung.
1.26 The - teacher morutiši closes o tswalela the - door lebati.
1.27 The - lesson thuto is over e fedile.
1.28 Thank you ke a leboga, Teacher morutiši! I ke like rata the - first ya pele lesson thuto.
1.29 The - second ya bobedi lesson thuto is e about bolela ka the - word lentšu "be" "be".
1.30 Go well sepela gabotse, Thabo Thabo. We re will tla read bala the - second ya bobedi lesson thuto together mmogo.
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Part B (Full English sentence followed by the Sepedi translation):
1.16 Good morning, Teacher! Thobela, morutiši!
1.17 Good morning, Thabo. Where is the book? Thobela, Thabo. Puku e kae?
1.18 The book is here, on the table. Puku ke ye, godimo ga tafola.
1.19 Open the book at the first lesson. Bula puku thutong ya pele.
1.20 The first lesson is about the word "the". Thuto ya pele e bolela ka lentšu "the".
1.21 Teacher, Sepedi has no word "the". Morutiši, Sepedi ga se na lentšu "the".
1.22 Yes. In Sepedi we say "puku ye" or "puku yeo". Ee. Ka Sepedi re re "puku ye" goba "puku yeo".
1.23 In English we say "the book". Ka Seisimane re re "the book".
1.24 The children read the lesson. Bana ba bala thuto.
1.25 Thabo writes the words in the book. Thabo o ngwala mantšu ka pukung.
1.26 The teacher closes the door. Morutiši o tswalela lebati.
1.27 The lesson is over. Thuto e fedile.
1.28 Thank you, Teacher! I like the first lesson. Ke a leboga, morutiši! Ke rata thuto ya pele.
1.29 The second lesson is about the word "be". Thuto ya bobedi e bolela ka lentšu "be".
1.30 Go well, Thabo. We will read the second lesson together. Sepela gabotse, Thabo. Re tla bala thuto ya bobedi mmogo.
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Part C (English text only):
1.16 Good morning, Teacher!
1.17 Good morning, Thabo. Where is the book?
1.18 The book is here, on the table.
1.19 Open the book at the first lesson.
1.20 The first lesson is about the word "the".
1.21 Teacher, Sepedi has no word "the".
1.22 Yes. In Sepedi we say "puku ye" or "puku yeo".
1.23 In English we say "the book".
1.24 The children read the lesson.
1.25 Thabo writes the words in the book.
1.26 The teacher closes the door.
1.27 The lesson is over.
1.28 Thank you, Teacher! I like the first lesson.
1.29 The second lesson is about the word "be".
1.30 Go well, Thabo. We will read the second lesson together.
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Part D (Grammar explanation):
The dialogue is in the simple present (is, read, writes, closes, like), with one future at the end ("we will read", 1.30, Sepedi re tla bala). Its grammatical thread is "the" with things that the situation makes clear (Part D, rule 4): the book, the table, the door, the lesson, the words, the children. Everyone in the classroom knows which book, which door, which children, so English says "the" every time, and Sepedi says only puku, lebati, thuto, mantšu, bana.
- Ordinals: the first lesson (1.19, 1.20, 1.28), the second lesson (1.29, 1.30), Sepedi thuto ya pele, thuto ya bobedi (rule 7). - The word "the" (1.20), the word "be" (1.29): the noun "word" takes "the" because the quoted word that follows shows which one (rule 6). - No "the" before a name or a language: Thabo, Sepedi (1.21, 1.22), English (1.23) (rule 8). - No "the" when you speak to someone: "Good morning, Teacher!" (1.16), "Thank you, Teacher!" (1.28). "Teacher" is written here with a capital, because it is used like a name. - "Here" in 1.18: Sepedi says Puku ke ye ("here is the book", "the book, this one"), using the copula ke with the demonstrative. English says "The book is here": "the" for the book both people know, and "here" for the place. - "Sepedi has no word 'the'" (1.21): Sepedi ga se na, "it does not have". English puts "no" before the noun: "has no word". - "In the book" (1.25): Sepedi ka pukung, with the locative -ng (rule 10). One Sepedi word, three English words. - "The lesson is over" (1.27): Sepedi e fedile, a verb ("it has finished"); English uses "is" with "over".
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Pronunciation and Orthography Notes:
- the — /ðə/ before a consonant sound, /ði/ before a vowel sound, /ðiː/ when stressed. Unstressed, short, and joined to the next word. - /ð/ is made with the tongue between the teeth and voice in the throat. It is not Sepedi d, and it is not Sepedi th (the t with a puff of air in thuto). - Spelling: t-h-e, always the same, for singular and plural and for every kind of noun. - Sepedi letters to watch when comparing: š is the sound of English "sh" (letšatši, morutiši); English writes that sound "sh", never š. - Capital letters: English writes the names of languages and peoples with capitals: English, Sepedi, Setswana. It does not write "the" with a capital except at the start of a sentence or as the first word of a title (The Lion King).
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