The Past Tense: Near

This applies to events that occured in the past hour.

Modification Rules:

• When stem ends in -ba, -ma, -pa, or -na the last A becomes ye

  • -samba → -sambye (play > played)

  • -gana → -ganye (refuse > refused)

  • -funna → funnye (get > got)

• When a stem ends in -wa, or -ya they are replaced with ye

  • -tonnya → -tonnye (rain > rained)

• When a stem ends in -la, or -ra, it is replaced with dde

  • -tambula → -tambudde (walk > walked)

  • -swala → -swadde (to be ashamed > ashamed)

• When a stem ends in -da, -ga, or -ja or -la if the word is four letters, they are replaced with ze

  • -genda → -genze (go > went)

  • -kola → -koze (do > did)

  • -saaga → saaze (joke > joked)

• When the stem ends in -sa or -za and a long vowel is found, the a changes to -izza.

  • -sanyusa → -sanyusizza (to make happy > made happy)

  • -buuza → -buuzizza (to ask > asked)

• Exceptions:

  Additionally, there are verbs that are used in their past tenses when describing a present status.

• Ntudde (I am seated) → Okutuula

  • Ntuula (I am in the process of sitting down)

• Ntidde (I am scared) → Okutya

  • Totya (Do you not fear?)

• Mmanyi ( I know) → Okumanya (to know)

  • Mbadde mmanyi → I thought

• Ng’enze ( I have left) → Okugenda

  • Ng’enda waka → Im going home

• Nkooye (I am tired) → Okukoowa

  • Tokoowa → Do you not get tired?

• Mmaze (I am done/finished) → Okumala

  • Mmala (never used in the present)

• Mbuze (I have gotten lost) → Okubula

  • Mbula ( regularly getting lost)