Conjugation of the Chinyanja Verb "kuwerenga"
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) | ndimawerenga |
| iwe (you sg.) | umawerenga |
| iye (he/she) | amawerenga |
| ife (we) | timawerenga |
| inu (you pl.) | mumawerenga |
| iwo (they) | amawerenga |
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) | ndikuwerenga |
| iwe (you sg.) | ukuwerenga |
| iye (he/she) | akuwerenga |
| ife (we) | tikuwerenga |
| inu (you pl.) | mukuwerenga |
| iwo (they) | akuwerenga |
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) | ndinawerenga |
| iwe (you sg.) | unawerenga |
| iye (he/she) | anawerenga |
| ife (we) | tinawerenga |
| inu (you pl.) | munawerenga |
| iwo (they) | anawerenga |
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) | ndizawerenga |
| iwe (you sg.) | uzawerenga |
| iye (he/she) | azawerenga |
| ife (we) | tizawerenga |
| inu (you pl.) | muzawerenga |
| iwo (they) | azawerenga |
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) | ndawerenga |
| iwe (you sg.) | wawerenga |
| iye (he/she) | awerenga |
| ife (we) | tawerenga |
| inu (you pl.) | mwawerenga |
| iwo (they) | awerenga |
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) | sindimawerenga |
| iwe (you sg.) | sumawerenga |
| iye (he/she) | samawerenga |
| ife (we) | sitimawerenga |
| inu (you pl.) | simumawerenga |
| iwo (they) | samawerenga |
Imperative (Lamulo)
Direct commands. The plural/polite form adds -ni to the singular form.
| Form | Command |
|---|---|
| Singular (iwe) | werenga! |
| Plural / Polite (inu) | werengani! |
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 |
|---|---|
| kuwerengera | to read for / count for (applicative) |
| kuwerengeka | to be readable / countable (stative) |
Example Sentences (Zitsanzo)
Ndikuwerenga buku.
I am reading a book.
Werenga mawu awa.
Read these words.
Anawerenga ndalama zake.
He/she counted his/her money.