Xhosa Verbs

Welcome to the 10th lesson about verbs in Xhosa. We will first learn about the present tense, followed by the past tense, and future tense. We will also analyze some grammar rules, and finally practice how to ask for direction in Xhosa.

Verbs are used to express an action (I swim) or a state of being (I am). The present tense in Xhosa conveys a situation or event in the present time. Here are some examples:

Present Tense - Xhosa
I speak English ndithetha isingesi
you speak French uthetha isiFrench
he speaks German Uthetha isiJamani
she speaks Italian Uthetha isinTaliyane
we speak Arabic sithetha isiArabhu
they speak Chinese bathetha isiChina

The past tense in Xhosa conveys a situation or event in the past time. Here are some examples:

Past Tense - Xhosa
I visited France ndityelele eFrance
you visited Italy utyelele eItali
he visited Morocco utyelele eMoroko
she visited China utyelele eChina
we visited Mexico sityelele eMexico
they visited Kenya Batyelele eKenya

The future tense in Xhosa conveys a situation or event which is anticipated to happen in the future. Here are some examples:

Future Tense - Xhosa
I will drink milk ndizosela ubisi
you will drink coffee uzosela ikofi
he will drink tea uzosela iti
she will drink water uzosela amanzi
we will drink apple juice sizosela ijusi ye-apile
they will drink tea bazosela iti

Now let's take a break and refresh our vocabulary by learning the body parts.

ear indlebe

eye iliso

mouth umlomo

nose impumlo

hair inwele

face ubuso

head intloko

heart intliziyo

hand isandla

fingers iminwe

leg umlenze

feet iinyawo

Travel Phrases in Xhosa

Imagine yourself in some Xhosa speaking country. The following travel phrases are highly important and can help you avoid misunderstanding. Try to memorize them and practice!

English - Xhosa
Can you help me? ungandinceda?
Can I help you? ndingakunceda?
Where is the airport? liphi iziko lenqwelo moya?
Go straight hamba ngqo
Then uze
Turn left ujike ngasekhohlo
Turn right ujike ngasekunene

I hope this lesson about the verbs in Xhosa was not hard for you. Please check out our main menu here for more lessons: homepage. To see the full menu, you can also click on the "Menu" icon on the left side.