Zulu

Conjugate Verbs

Introduction

The language of the Zulu people is Zulu or isiZulu, a Bantu language. Zulu is the most widely spoken language in South Africa, with more than half of the South African population able to understand it. Many Zulu people also speak English, Portuguese, Shangaan, Sesotho and others from among South Africa's 11 official languages.

The Zulu Verb

Zulu verbs are formed by adding prefixes to a basic stem. However, the prefixes are not a fixed part of the verb, but indicate subject, object and various other nuances. Different stems and prefixes are used to indicate different tenses and moods.

The general linguistic structure of the isiZulu verb has the following set of 'slots' of the verb's basic components:

[NEG] [SC] [T/A] [MOD] [OC] [VR] [C] [A] [R] [P] [FV]    

with the following meanings:

• NEG: negative marker
• SC: subject concord
• T/A: tense/aspect
• MOD: mood
• OC: object concord
• VR: verb root, the dictionary lookup word
• C: Causative, is
• A: applicative, el
• R: reciprocal, an
• P: passive, w
• FV: final vowel

Verblist

aba, abela, ahlula, akha, akhiwa, ala, amba, ambatha, ambathisa, amuka, amukela, anda, andisa, andula, anela, anelisa, anga, aphuka, aphula, ayina, azi, azisa, ba, baba, bala, baleka, balela, balisa, bamba, banda, banga, basa, baza, be, beka, bekela, beletha, betha, bhabha, bhaka, bhakela, bhala, bhalela, bhalisa, bheca, bheda, bheja, bheka, bhekana, bhekela, bhema, bhenywa, bhidlika, bhidliza, bhodla, bhonga, bhongola, bhosha, bhubha, bhukha, bhukuda, bhula, bhuqa, bika, bila, bilisa, bingelela, biza, bohla, bola, boleka, bona, bonakala, bonana, bonela, bonga, bonisa, bonisisa, bonwa, bopha, buka, bukeka, bukela, bukeza, bulala, bulisa, bumba, buna, busisa, buya, buyela, buyisa, buyisana, buyisela, buza, cabanga, cambalala, canda, cathula, ceba, cela, chama, chathaza, chaza, chela, chelela, chicha, chichima, chilizela, chitha, chitheka, chokoloza, chukuluza, cika, cikeka, cima, cindezela, cinga, cisha, cubungula, cula, cunula, cupha, cwala, cwecwa, cwila, cwilisa, dabuka, dabula, daka, dakwa, dala, dalisa, dana, dansa, dayisa, dazuka, dazula, de, dedela, deka, dela, delela, delisa, dibana, dibanisa, didiyela, diliza, dina, dinga, dinisa, dinwa, dla, dlala, dlela, dlisa, dlula, dlwengula, doba, doda, donsa, dovoza, duba, dubula, duda, dudula, dula, duma, dumala, dumaza, dumisa, duna, duva, dweba, eba, ebuka, ebula, ebuza, edlula, edlulisa, eduka, ehla, ehlisa, ehluka, ehlukana, ehluleka, ehlulela, ejwayela, eluka, elusa, embatha, emuka, enaba, enda, endlala, engeza, enza, enzakala, enzakalisa, enzeka, ephuka, ephulela, eqa, esaba, eshwama, ethemba, ethuka, ethwasa, eya, fa, faka, fana, fanela, fanisa, feketha, fela, feza, fihla, fika, finyela, finyelela, finyeza, fisa, foloza, fowuna, fowunela, fudumala, fudumeza, fulela, fumana, funa, funda, fundisa, funeka, futha, fuya, gabha, gada, gana, ganga, gawula, gaxa, gaya, gcaba, gcina, gcinile, gcoba, gcona, gcwala, gcwalisa, geja, geza, giba, gibela, gida, gijima, giya, goba, gobhoza, godola, goduka, gomonqa, goqa, govoza, gqagqa, gqagqaza, gqaja, gqama, gqamisa, gqamuka, gqekeza, gqiba, gqilaza, gqoka, gqola, gqoma, gqula, gqwala, gqwalisa, gubha, guga, gula, gulisa, gunda, guquka, guqula, gwadlula, gwansa, gwavuma, gwaza, gweba, gwedla, gwema, gwinqa, gwinya, gxeka, gxila, gxiviza, gxiza, gxuma, halalisela, hamba, hambela, hla, hlaba, hlabelela, hlafuna, hlakanipha, hlakula, hlala, hlalisa, hlamba, hlangana, hlanganisa, hlanya, hlanza, hlasela, hlaza, hlaziya, hleba, hlehla, hleka, hlekisa, hlela, hlenga, hlephula, hlikihla, hlinza, hlinzeka, hloba, hlobisa, hlobonga, hlofa, hlohla, hlokoloza, hlola, hloma, hlomisa, hlonipha, hlosa, hluba, hlukumeza, hlukuza, hlupha, hlupheka, hlwa, hlwaya, hola, huba, humusha, huzula, hweba, jabha, jabhisa, jabula, jabulela, jabulisa, jaha, jika, jikaza, jikela, jikijela, jola, jova, joyina, jula, juluka, jwayela, kade, kala, ke, kha, khaba, khahlela, khala, khalipha, khama, khamisa, khanda, khangela, khangisa, khanuka, khanya, khanyisa, khathala, khathaza, khathazeka, khawuleza, khela, khetha, khethisa, khinga, khinsela, khipha, khiqiza, khithika, khiya, khiza, khohlisa, khohlwa, khokha, khokhela, kholwa, khomba, khombisa, khonkotha, khononda, khonza, khonzela, khotha, khula, khuleka, khulela, khulelwa, khulisa, khulula, khululeka, khuluma, khumbula, khumbuza, khumuka, khumula, khuphuka, khuphula, khuthala, khuthaza, khuza, khwabanisa, khwehlela, khwela, khweza, khwezela, kleza, klwebha, kweleta, lahla, lahleka, lala, lalela, lalisa, lalwa, lamba, landa, landela, layela, lele, lenga, letha, lethela, lethisa, libala, lila, lima, limaza, limisa, linda, linga, lingana, lingisa, loba, lobela, lobola, londa, lotha, luka, luma, lunga, lungela, lungisa, lwa, ma, mangala, mangalisa, mba, mboza, mema, mi, minza, mosha, mpempeza, muka, munca, munya, na, naba, naka, namatha, ncama, nceda, ncedisa, ncela, ncelisa, ncenga, ncibilika, ncika, ncintisana, ncipha, nciphisa, ncokola, ncoma, ncomeka, ndiza, netha, ngcola, ngcolisa, ngcwaba, ngcwelisa, ngeke, ngena, ngenisa, ngqofa, ngqofoza, ngqongqoza, ngqubuza, ngxolombisa, nika, nqaba, nqabela, nqaka, nqamuka, nqamula, nqanda, nqekuza, nqikaza, nqoba, nquma, nqwabela, ntaza, ntshontsha, ntweza, nuka, nxiba, nxusa, nya, nyakaza, nyakazisa, nyala, nyamalala, nyenyeza, nyumba, oda, oma, ona, onda, ondla, onga, opha, osa, otha, paka, pela, penda, pha, phahla, phaka, phakama, phakamisa, phalaza, phambuka, phapha, phasa, phatha, phawula, phazamisa, phefumula, pheka, phekela, phela, phelela, phemba, phenduka, phendula, phepha, phephela, phetha, phika, phikisa, phikisana, phila, philisa, phimisa, phinda, phinde, phisa, phithizela, phola, phonsa, phoqa, phoqelela, phoqoka, phoqoza, phosa, phothula, phoxa, phoxeka, phuca, phucula, phucuza, phuka, phula, phulula, phuma, phumela, phumelela, phumula, phupha, phutha, phuthuma, phuza, popola, qabatheka, qabuka, qabula, qagela, qala, qalaza, qaleka, qalisa, qamba, qamela, qanda, qaphela, qaqa, qaqamba, qasha, qathaka, qeda, qedakala, qeqebula, qeqesha, qeqesheka, qethuka, qhakaza, qhamuka, qhanyela, qhaqha, qhaqhazela, qhasha, qhatha, qhathanisa, qhebeza, qhela, qhelisa, qhephuka, qhephula, qhesha, qhina, qhiyama, qhuba, qhubeka, qhuma, qhumbuza, qhumisa, qhutha, qhuthula, qhwaga, qhwakela, qhwaya, qhweba, qimba, qina, qinisa, qinisekisa, qinisela, qoba, qoka, qokelela, qoma, qomisa, qonda, qondisa, qondisisa, qopha, qoqa, qotha, quba, quleka, qumba, qwasha, qwashaza, sa, saba, sala, sayina, sebenza, sebenzisa, senga, sha, shabalala, shada, shanela, shanyela, shaqa, shaqeka, shaya, shayela, shayisa, shaywa, shela, shesha, shicilela, shintsha, shisa, shiya, sho, shona, shukuma, shukumisa, shumayela, shumayeza, shunqa, shunqisa, shushisa, shwabana, sika, sina, sinda, singa, siza, soka, sola, sombuluka, sombulula, sondela, suka, sukela, sukuma, sula, sunduza, sutha, suza, swaca, swakama, swela, swelakala, tapa, tatamisa, tatazela, teleka, tenga, tetema, tha, thakatha, thanda, thandana, thandaza, thandeka, thatha, thela, themba, thembisa, thenga, thengisa, thetha, thi, thinta, thokoza, thokozela, thokozisa, thola, tholakala, thomba, thosa, thuka, thukuthela, thula, thulisa, thuma, thumela, thunga, thusa, thutha, thuthuka, thwala, thwasa, tshala, tshela, tshengisa, twikiza, vakasha, vakashela, vala, valelisa, vama, vamisa, vela, veza, vikela, vilapha, vimba, vimbela, viyoza, vota, vuka, vula, vuleka, vulekile, vuliwe, vulwa, vuma, vumela, vuna, vunguza, vusa, vutha, vuthwa, vuvuka, vuvukala, vuya, vuza, wa, wisa, xabana, xazulula, xega, xegisa, xhapha, xhasa, xhawulisana, xhegula, xhosha, xhuga, xhuma, xhumana, xhumanisa, xokozela, xola, xolela, xolisa, xoxa, xoxela, xuba, xubana, xubha, xwaya, xwayisa, ya, yala, yalela, yeka, za, zala, zama, ze, zila, zinga, zingela, zinza, zisa, zonda, zungeza, zwa, zwakala.

References

• Doke, Philip M.. Textbook of Zulu grammar. The University of the Witwatersrand. Cape Town, 1992.