In the previous lesson, we learned how to construct simple verbs in the affirmative for 6 verb roots. Now we will learn how to construct a verb in the negative (e.g., "I am not jumping") as well as 6 additional verb roots. Just as in the affirmative case, constructing verbs in the negative is done by combing 3 morphemes:

Subject marker + Tense marker + Verb root

However, the subject and tense markers are different than the affirmative case, as shown in the tables below. Note that in present tense, there is no tense marker.


You may have noticed that in Lesson 1, all the verb roots ended in "a", whereas with the Lesson 2 verbs we see 3 verbs that end in "i" or "u". All verbs ending in "a" are of Bantu origin, and all verbs ending int "i" or "u" are of Arabic origin. This distinction is important, becuase it dictates when to apply one exception when constructing verbs in the negative:

Exception: For Bantu verbs in the negative present tense, the "a" ending changes to "i".

Arabic verbs are unaffected by this rule and keep their "i" or "u" ending regardless of tense. That's it! Take look at the examples below before trying for yourself: