Conjugation of the Chinyanja Verb "kufuna"
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) | ndimafuna |
| iwe (you sg.) | umafuna |
| iye (he/she) | amafuna |
| ife (we) | timafuna |
| inu (you pl.) | mumafuna |
| iwo (they) | amafuna |
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) | ndikufuna |
| iwe (you sg.) | ukufuna |
| iye (he/she) | akufuna |
| ife (we) | tikufuna |
| inu (you pl.) | mukufuna |
| iwo (they) | akufuna |
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) | ndinafuna |
| iwe (you sg.) | unafuna |
| iye (he/she) | anafuna |
| ife (we) | tinafuna |
| inu (you pl.) | munafuna |
| iwo (they) | anafuna |
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) | ndizafuna |
| iwe (you sg.) | uzafuna |
| iye (he/she) | azafuna |
| ife (we) | tizafuna |
| inu (you pl.) | muzafuna |
| iwo (they) | azafuna |
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) | ndafuna |
| iwe (you sg.) | wafuna |
| iye (he/she) | afuna |
| ife (we) | tafuna |
| inu (you pl.) | mwafuna |
| iwo (they) | afuna |
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) | sindimafuna |
| iwe (you sg.) | sumafuna |
| iye (he/she) | samafuna |
| ife (we) | sitimafuna |
| inu (you pl.) | simumafuna |
| iwo (they) | samafuna |
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 |
|---|---|
| kufunira | to want/love for (applicative) |
| kufunana | to love each other (reciprocal) |
Example Sentences (Zitsanzo)
Ndikufuna madzi.
I want water.
Amafunana kwambiri.
They love each other very much.
Kodi mukufuna chiyani?
What do you want?