Language/Tswana/Grammar/Pronouns

Tswana Grammar - Pronouns

Hi Tswana learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about pronouns in Tswana grammar. Pronouns are words that replace nouns or noun phrases in a sentence. They are essential to make our speech more concise and cohesive.

Take some time to dive into these other pages after completing this lesson: How to Use "Be", Plurals & How to Use Have.

Pronouns

Here is a list of Tswana personal pronouns:

1. First person singular (I, me): Ke (subject pronoun), nna (emphatic form), me (object pronoun)
2. First person plural (we, us): Rona (subject and object pronoun)
3. Second person singular (you): O (subject pronoun), wena (emphatic form), go (object pronoun)
4. Second person plural (you all): Lona (subject and object pronoun)
5. Third person singular masculine (he, him): O (subject pronoun), ene (emphatic form), mo (object pronoun)
6. Third person singular feminine (she, her): O (subject pronoun), ene (emphatic form), mo (object pronoun)
7. Third person plural (they, them): Bone (subject and object pronoun)

Note that in Tswana, the third person singular masculine and feminine pronouns have the same form, but the context of the sentence usually makes the meaning clear. The emphatic forms are used to put emphasis on the pronoun, often for contrast or clarification.

Subject Pronouns

Subject pronouns are used before the verb and indicate who is performing the action. Let's see some examples:

• Ke tla go bona. (/ke t͡ɬa go bo.na/) - I will see you.
• O tla bona. (/o t͡ɬa bo.na/) - You will see.
• E tla bona. (/ɛ t͡ɬa bo.na/) - He/She/It will see.
• Re tla bona. (/rɛ t͡ɬa bo.na/) - We will see.
• Le tla bona. (/lɛ t͡ɬa bo.na/) - You (plural) will see.
• Ba tla bona. (/ba t͡ɬa bo.na/) - They (animate) will see.
• Bo tla bona. (/bɔ t͡ɬa bo.na/) - They (inanimate) will see.
• Mo tla bona. (/mo t͡ɬa bo.na/) - Him/Her/It (animate) will see.
• Lo tla bona. (/lo t͡ɬa bo.na/) - It (inanimate) will see.

It is important to note that Tswana has both singular and plural "you". "O" is used for singular "you", while "Le" is used for multiple people.

Object Pronouns

Object pronouns are used after the verb and indicate who is receiving the action. Let's see some examples:

• Ke tla go bona. (/ke t͡ɬa go bo.na/) - I will see you.
• Ke tla bona yena. (/ke t͡ɬa bo.na jɛna/) - I will see him/her/it.
• Ke tla bona bone. (/ke t͡ɬa bo.na bɔnɛ/) - I will see them.

In Tswana, object pronouns are usually placed after the verb, but can also be placed at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis.

• Yena ke a mo bona. (/jɛna ke a mo bo.na/) - It is him that I will see.
• Bone re ba bona. (/bɔnɛ rɛ ba bo.na/) - It is them that we will see.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns indicate that something belongs to someone. Let's see some examples:

• Ke tla go bona. (/ke t͡ɬa go bo.na/) - I will see you.
• Ke go bona. (/ke go bo.na/) - I will see yours.
• Ke ya go bona. (/ke ja go bo.na/) - I am seeing yours.

In the above example, "go" means "yours". We can also use "me" and "we" to express mine and ours, respectively. Let's see some examples:

• Ke ya me bonang. (/ke ja mɛ bo.naŋ/) - I see mine.
• Re ya rona bonang. (/rɛ ja rɔ.na bo.naŋ/)- We see ours.

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of the sentence. In Tswana, reflexive pronouns are formed by adding "mo" to the beginning of the pronoun. Let's see some examples:

• Ke mo bona. (/ke mo bo.na/) - I see myself.
• O mo bona. (/o mo bo.na/) - You see yourself.
• E mo bona. (/ɛ mo bo.na/) - He/She/It sees itself.
• Re mo bona. (/rɛ mo bo.na/) - We see ourselves.
• Le mo bona. (/lɛ mo bo.na/) - You (plural) see yourselves.
• Ba mo bona. (/ba mo bo.na/) - They (animate) see themselves.
• Bo mo bona. (/bɔ mo bo.na/) - They (inanimate) see themselves.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns are used to point out specific people or things. Tswana has two demonstrative pronouns: "yo" and "eo", which mean "this" and "that", respectively. Let's see some examples:

• Yo ke go bona. (/jo ke go bo.na/) - This is what I see.
• Eo o bile a re file. (/ɛɔ ɔ bile a rɛ fi.lɛ/) - That is what he/she said.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. In Tswana, the interrogative pronoun is "ke mang", which means "who".

• Ke mang o tla bona? (/ke maŋ o t͡ɬa bo.na/) - Who will you see?

Dialogue

Here is a dialogue to see the pronouns in context:

• Person 1: Ke tla go bona. (/ke t͡ɬa go bo.na/) (I will see you)
• Person 2: Ke tla bona yena. (/ke t͡ɬa bo.na jɛna/) (I will see him/her/it)
• Person 1: Yena ke a mo bona (/jɛna ke a mo bo.na/) (It is him that I will see)
• Person 2: Ke ya go bona. (/ke ja go bo.na/) (I am seeing yours)

Conclusion

Congratulations, you have reached the end of this lesson on pronouns in Tswana grammar. Keep up with your studies, and remember that practice makes perfect. To improve your Tswana Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• THE SETSWANA INDEPENDENT PRONOUN, AN INTEGRAL ...

Excellent job on conquering this lesson! Consider delving into these related pages: Questions & Conditional Mood.

Other Lessons

• Negation
• Gender
• Adjectives
• Questions
• Conditional Mood
• Plurals
• How to Use Have
• How to Use Be