Conjugation of the Chinyanja Verb "kuchita"
Present Habitual (-ma-)
Used for regular actions, habits, and general truths. Formed with the habitual marker -ma- between the subject prefix and the verb stem.
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| ine (I) | ndimachita |
| iwe (you sg.) | umachita |
| iye (he/she) | amachita |
| ife (we) | timachita |
| inu (you pl.) | mumachita |
| iwo (they) | amachita |
Present Progressive (-ku-)
Used for actions happening right now. Formed with the progressive marker -ku- between the subject prefix and the verb stem.
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| ine (I) | ndikuchita |
| iwe (you sg.) | ukuchita |
| iye (he/she) | akuchita |
| ife (we) | tikuchita |
| inu (you pl.) | mukuchita |
| iwo (they) | akuchita |
Past Tense (-na-)
Used for completed actions in the past. Formed with the past marker -na- between the subject prefix and the verb stem.
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| ine (I) | ndinachita |
| iwe (you sg.) | unachita |
| iye (he/she) | anachita |
| ife (we) | tinachita |
| inu (you pl.) | munachita |
| iwo (they) | anachita |
Future Tense (-dza-/-za-)
Used for actions that will happen. Formed with the future marker -dza- (or contracted -za-) between the subject prefix and the verb stem.
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| ine (I) | ndizachita |
| iwe (you sg.) | uzachita |
| iye (he/she) | azachita |
| ife (we) | tizachita |
| inu (you pl.) | muzachita |
| iwo (they) | azachita |
Perfect Tense (-a-)
Used for completed actions with present relevance ("have done"). The subject prefix merges with the marker -a-, creating contracted forms (ndi+a → nda-, u+a → wa-, ti+a → ta-).
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| ine (I) | ndachita |
| iwe (you sg.) | wachita |
| iye (he/she) | achita |
| ife (we) | tachita |
| inu (you pl.) | mwachita |
| iwo (they) | achita |
Negative (si-)
Negation is formed by adding the prefix si- before the subject prefix (si+ndi → sindi-, si+u → su-, si+a → sa-, si+ti → siti-, si+mu → simu-).
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| ine (I) | sindimachita |
| iwe (you sg.) | sumachita |
| iye (he/she) | samachita |
| ife (we) | sitimachita |
| inu (you pl.) | simumachita |
| iwo (they) | samachita |
Imperative (Lamulo)
Direct commands. The plural/polite form adds -ni to the singular form.
| Form | Command |
|---|---|
| Singular (iwe) | chita! |
| Plural / Polite (inu) | chitani! |
Verb Extensions (Zowonjezera)
Bantu verb extensions modify the verb stem to create related meanings — applicative (-ir-), causative (-its-/-ets-), reciprocal (-an-), passive (-idw-/-edw-), and stative (-ek-).
| Extended Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| kuchitira | to do for (applicative) |
| kuchitidwa | to be done (passive) |
| kuchitisa | to cause to do (causative) |
Example Sentences (Zitsanzo)
Mukuchita chiyani?
What are you doing?
Ndachita bwino.
I have done well.
Chitani bwino!
Do well! (plural/polite)