Conjugation of the Kirundi Verb "kunywa"

Present Tense (-ra-)

Used for current actions, habits, and general truths. Formed with the present marker -ra- between the subject prefix and the verb stem.

Recent Past (Hodiernal) (-a-...-ye)

Used for actions completed today or recently. The perfective suffix -ye triggers consonant changes in the stem (e.g., -r- → -z-, -t- → -sh-, -k- → -ts-).

Remote Past (-a-ra-...-ye)

Used for actions completed before today. Adds -ra- to the recent past pattern, indicating greater temporal distance.

Future Tense (-zo-)

Used for future actions. Formed with the future marker -zo- between the subject prefix and the verb stem.

Negative Present (si-/nti-)

Negation uses si- for first person singular and nti- combined with modified subject prefixes for other persons. The -ra- present marker is typically dropped.

Imperative (Itegeko)

Direct commands. The singular uses the bare stem. The plural/polite form uses nimu- + subjunctive stem (final vowel -e).

Verb Extensions (Inyongera)

Bantu verb extensions modify the stem to create related meanings — applicative (-ir-), causative (-ish-/-esh-), reciprocal (-an-), passive (-w-), and stative (-ek-).

Example Sentences (Ingero)