Choosing the correct Verbal Extension for a given sentence, and especially using impambosi yokwenziwa or the Passive Extension (since these involve sound changes) is a part of any test involving grammar and language at school.
On this page you will find a detailed explanation of all the common izimpambosi, as well as the 6 different basic verb-types in isiZulu. You will also find links to separate pages to explain the Types, if you scroll down. But first, realexamples from the IEB Matric Papers.
From the 2024 Paper 1:
Lungisa amagama akubakaki ngokufaka impambosi efanele.
- uMandla (ucula) iqembu likamasikandi. > uculela [type C verb + object needs -EL- impambosi]
- (Uyathanda) umculo omnandi. > uyathandeka [type A verb without object needs -EK- impambosi]
- Izinsimbi (zishaya) nguBongani. > zishaywa [any verb followed by a copulative needs -W- impambosi]
From the 2021 Paper 1:
Lungisa amagama akubakaki ukuze kuvele impambosi efanele.
- Izinkomo zi(dayisa) ekhaya. > zidayiselwa [type A verb following its object and followed by a locative needs -ELW- impambosi]
- Lo mango u(zwa) umnandi kakhulu. > uzwakala [type A verb without an object needs -AKAL- impambosi]
Firstly, what is an impambosi?
- it is an extension of the meaning of a verb, through adding one or more pre-determined syllables to the end of that verb
- there is nothing similar in English, per se – although words borrowed from Latin might use prefixes to denote some of the concepts
- understanding the concept of an impambosi is very important because a verb’s meaning can change significantly from its basic meaning with the addition of a few izimpambosi
So where do we start?
Ideally, you should already have a few verbs that are familiar to you. Even if you only have about 20 verbs in your vocabulary, you can begin to experiment with izimpambosi. Before you do that, please look at the following table to see the available common izimpambosi and what they are called:
| impambosi | AKA | what does it do? |
| –isa | causative extension impambosi yokwenzisa | make an action happen make someone or something do an action |
| –ela | applied extension impambosi yokwenzela | do an action for someone or for a purpose do an action somewhere or at a place |
| –ana | reciprocal / associative extension impambosi yokwenzana | do an action with someone, or together |
| –eka –akala | neuter extension impambosi yokwenzeka impambosi yokwenzakala | an action happens, or gets done |
| –wa –iwa | passive extension impambosi yokwenziwa | experience an action happening (but don’t do it) |
| –ile | perfect / stative extension impambosi yokwenzile | an action is finished, and there is a situation or state as a result |
| –isisa | intensive extension impambosi yokwenzisisa | do an action intensely |
There are other extensions, but they are not commonly created any more. These extensions are also regularly mixed together to create even more complex verbal ideas.
At this point, you can go and check out examples of different verbs with their extensions added:
- impambosi yokwenzisa / causative
- impambosi yokwenzela / applied
- impambosi yokwenzana / reciprocal
- impambosi yokwenzisisa / intensive
- impambosi yokwenzeka / neuter
- impambosi yokwenziwa / passive
You can also consider for a moment that knowing how these work is different from knowing how to get a mark in a question relating to them. Coming soon: a section on answering these kinds of questions in your isiZulu exams and tests.
This section is all about a deeper understanding of what izimpambosi mean, and how certain types of verbs work. So if you’re up for that, continue reading.
When you learn an isiZulu verb for the first time, you need to pay attention to how the verb works. You will need to ask yourself questions, based on how you hear or see the verb being used in the sentence.
Have a look at the following table to see the questions you can ask when encountering a verb for the first time:
| Question | Example verbs | Example sentences |
| A. Is the verb followed by a noun [or does it use an object concord]? | uku-dla uku-thenga | ngidla isinkwa bayazithenga [izingubo] |
| B. Is the verb followed by a locative? | uku-ya uku-hlala | uya ekhaya? sihlala endlini. |
| C. Does the verb describe a state or situation? | uku-khathala uku-sha | ziyakhathala they are getting tired iyasha it is on fire |
| D. (1) Is the verb followed by two nouns [or does it use an object concord and have another noun]? or (2) Is the verb followed by a noun [or does it use an object concord] and a locative? | uku-tshela uku-nika or uku-faka uku-susa | ngizotshela indoda indaba banginike ithuba or luzofaka umfutho entweni bazisusa etafuleni |
| E. Is the verb followed by na*? | uku-hlangana uku-fana | angifuni ukuhlangana naye. ubaba ufana nenkunzi. |
| F. Does the verb end with -wa, followed by a copulative? | uku-kholwa | sikholwa nguye |
Each verb-type behaves differently if you add different izimpambosi, and each type changes to another type based on adding izimpambosi to them. These behaviours and changes are predictable and regular.
Here we are going to look at each type of verb in detail, and see how adding an impambosi changes them. You can also look at each type in isolation (I recommend this, particularly if this sort of thing overwhelms you), by following the links in the table below:
| Type A Verbs followed by a noun | aka Transitive Verbs | uku-bona uku-dla uku-cela uku-thenga ukw-azi |
| Type B Verbs followed by locatives | aka Locative Verbs | uku-ya uku-hlala uku-phuma uku-sala uku-ma |
| Type C Verbs describing a state or situation | aka Stative Verbs | uku-khathala uku-sha uku-hamba uku-thula uku-phola |
| Type D Verbs with two nouns following, or with a noun and a locative | aka Dative Verbs | uku-shiya uku-tshela uku-khipha uku-susa uku-nika |
| Type E Verbs followed by na*– | aka Associative Verbs | uku-fana uku-hlangana |
| Type F Verbs ending in -wa, followed by a copulative | aka Deponent Verbs | uku-kholwa uku-khohlwa |
Okay, so you’re still here. Buckle up!
Let’s start with the most common form of verb, Type A (aka Transitive Verbs) and their interactions with izimpambosi:
| Type A: verbs that are followed by nouns aka transitive verbs | what happens when you add an impambosi | example sentences |
| uku-dlisa uku-thengisa | add -isa > this is the basic coding for Type A verbs, so adding it sometimes doesn’t work well, or doesn’t make sense > generally, it allows you to make another noun do the verb or cause the action to occur > changes these verbs to Type D (1) | ngizomdlisa ushevu I shall poison him [I-shall-him-make-eat the-poison] bathengisa izingubo they sell clothes [they-cause-buying the-clothes] |
| uku-dlela uku-thengela | add –ela > allows you to add a locative or another noun as an indirect object > changes these verbs to Type B or Type D (2) | ngidlela lesi sidlo etafuleni I eat this meal at the table [I-apply-eating this meal table-place] uyithengela ubani? for whom do you buy it? [you-it-buy-apply who?] |
| uku-dlana uku-dlelana uku-dlisana | add –ana [more commonly –elana or –isana with Type A verbs, unless you are comfortable with casual cannibalism] > allows you to add someone who is doing this verb with the original subject > changes these verbs to Type E | siyadlana we are eating each other [we-do-eat-reciprocal] siyadlelana we eat from one another [we-do-eat-apply–reciprocal] siyadlisana we eat together [we-do-eat-cause–reciprocal] |
| uku-dleka uku-thengeka | add –eka or –akala > allows you to express the verb as simply happening, with no effect on another noun > changes these verbs to Type C | akudleki it’s inedible [no-it-eat-happen-not] iyathengeka it’s for sale [it-does-buying-happen-yes] |
| uku-dliwa uku-thengwa | add –wa or –iwa > makes the statement passive, i.e. the subject experiences the action, done by the agent > changes these verbs to Type F | elinye iqembu lizodliwa yithi another team will be beaten by us [other team it-future-eating-experience it-us] imoto ayithengwa ngabantwana a car is not purchased by children [the-car no-it-buying-experience it-is-children] |
| -dlile -thengile | add –ile > makes the verb into a state or a finished action > changes these verbs to Type C | ngidlile I’m full / I’m done eating [I-eating-state] bathengile they are done buying [they-buying-state] |
| uku-dlisisa uku-thengisisa | add –isisa > makes the action of these verbs more intense | abadli, bayadlisisa they don’t just eat, they devour [they-do-eat-intensive] izolo izintombi bezithengisisa! yesterday the girls were on a shopping spree! [past-they-shop-intensive] |
What you will notice is that the basic verbs undergo quite a lot of change with the addition of the extensions:
- ‘eat’ becomes ‘poison’, ‘eat at’, ‘eat together’, ‘be edible’, ‘be beaten’, ‘be full’, and ‘devour’
- ‘buy’ becomes ‘sell’, ‘buy for’, ‘be for sale’ and ‘go on a shopping spree’.
In general, there are about six different shades of meaning for each verb, and sometimes these mean that a different translation is required in English. It also means that translating more complex English verbs into isiZulu requires breaking them down into simpler verbs first, then extending them.
Okay, here’s a look at Type B (aka Locative Verbs):
| Type B: verbs that are followed by locatives aka locative verbs | what happens when you add an impambosi | example sentences |
| uku-yisa uku-hlalisa | add -isa > allows you to add an object that you make do (or cause to do) the action > changes these verbs to Type A | ngizoliyisa endlini I shall send itto the room [I-shall-it-make-go-to room-place] sihlalisa abantu lapho we seat people there [we-cause-sitting the-people there] |
| uku-yela uku-hlalela | add –ela > since Type B verbs are already coded with -el- in their basic meaning, this extension doesn’t always occur for them > allows you to add a purpose or indirect object to the action, or add another location > changes these verbs to Type B or Type D (2) | uyelani? why do you go there? [you-apply-going-to-for-what?] sihlalela ovalweni we are living [here] in fear [we-stay-at-apply fear-place] |
| uku- uku-yisana uku- uku-hlalisana uku-hlalelana | add –ana [only possible with compound impambosi, –isana or –elana with Type B verbs] > allows you to add someone who is doing this verb with the original subject > changes these verbs to Type E | siyayisana we go [there] together [we-do-go-cause-reciprocal] kunokuhlalelana it’s crowded / people sit on top of each other [situation-has-sitting-apply-reciprocal] |
| uku-yeka uku-hlaleka | add –eka or –akala > allows you to express the verb as simply happening, with no effect on another noun > most often has a connotation of ‘able to…’ > changes these verbs to Type C | akuyeki it’s inaccesible / unreachable / impenetrable / forbidden [no-it-go-to-happen-not] iyahlaleka one can sit there [it-does-sitting-happen-yes] |
| uku-yiwa uku-hlalwa | add –wa or –iwa > makes the statement passive, i.e. the subject experiences the action, done by the agent > this usually means ‘someone is doing this action there’ > changes these verbs to Type F | kuyiwa khona njalo ekuseni someone goes there every morning [it-going-to-experiences location always morning-place] akuhlalwa khona no sitting there [no-it-sitting-experience location] |
| -yile. -ye… – -hleli -hlezi | add –ile > makes the verb into a state or a finished action > note that a few verbs in Type B have irregular perfect forms > changes these verbs to Type C | ngiyile I’ve been [there] [I-going-state] bahlezi they are seated [they-sitting-state] |
| uku-hlalisisa | add –isisa > makes the action of these verbs more intense | abantu bakhona bayahlalisisa! people there just sit around constantly [they-sit-intensive] |
Now it’s time for Type C: verbs describing states or situations.
| Type C: verbs that describe states or situations aka stative or perfect verbs | what happens when you add an impambosi | example sentences |
uku-khathaza uku-shisa | add -isa > allows you to add an object that you make do (or cause to do) the action > many stative verbs end in -ala, and these then replace the L with a Z (when other verbs add IS) > changes these verbs to Type A | uyangikhathaza you exhaust me [you-me-make-tire] ilanga liyashisa the sun is hot [it-cause-burning] |
| uku-khathalela uku-shela | add –ela > allows you to add a purpose or indirect object to the action, or add a location > changes these verbs to Type B or Type D (2) | bayasikhathalela they are worried about us [they-us-apply-tiring] indoda ithanda ukushela the man likes to court / woo / chat people up [act-burning-apply ] |
| uku- uku-khathazana uku-khathalelana uku- uku-shisana uku-shelana | add –ana [only possible with compound impambosi, –isana or –elana with Type C verbs] > allows you to add someone who is doing this verb with the original subject > changes these verbs to Type E | izelamani ziyakhathazana the siblings irritate each other [they-do-tire-cause-reciprocal] bayashelana they court each other [they-do-burn-apply-reciprocal] |
| uku-khathazeka uku-shiseka | add –eka or –akala > since Type C verbs are like this in their basic state, this extension allows you to express extended versions of the basic verb as simply happening, with no effect on another noun > most often has a connotation of ‘able to…’ > changes extensions of these verbs back to Type C | ungakhathazeki don’t worry [you-should-tire-cause–happen-not] akushiseki it’s not flammable [no-it-burning-cause–happen-no] |
uku-khathazwa uku-khathalelwa uku-shiswa uku-shelwa | add –wa or –iwa > this is very close to the basic coding of Type C verbs, and almost never occurs in their unextended form > makes the statement passive, i.e. the subject experiences the action, done by the agent > changes these verbs to Type F | ukhathazwa yini? what’s troubling you? [you-tire-experience it-what?] igudu lishelwa ngamanzi the smoking horn has burnt dry [it-burning-apply-experiences] |
| – -khathele -shile | add –ile > makes the verb into a state or a finished action > many stative verbs end in -ALA, and these then replace the A with an E to make the stative or perfect impambosi > changes these verbs to a more polished or finished Type C | ngikhathele I’m tired [I-tire-state] ishile it’s burnt [it-burning-state] |
| uku-shisisa | add –isisa > makes the action of these verbs more intense | ilanga alishisi, liyashisisa! the sun isn’t hot, it’s scorching! [it-burn-intensive] |
Let’s have a look at Type D Verbs, which could be called Dative or Indirect-Object Verbs:
| Type D: Verbs with two objects, or with an object and a locative aka dative verbs | what happens when you add an impambosi | example sentences |
| uku- uku- | add -isa > does not usually or regularly work for this type of verb, as this is part of their basic coding | |
| uku-nikela uku-khiphela | add –ela > does not usually work for this type of verb, but can in some instances > allows you to add a purpose to the action, or add another location > changes these verbs to Type B or Type D (2) | umphakathi unikela isonto ngemali eningi the community donates a lot of money to the church [it-apply-give-to] isoka lami lingikhiphela njalo ngoMgqibelo my boyfriend always takes me out (somewhere) on Saturday [he-take-out-apply] |
| uku-tshelana uku-fakana | add –ana > allows you to add someone who is doing this verb with the original subject > changes these verbs to Type E | abangana batshelana izindaba the friends share stories [they-tell-to-reciprocal] ayafakana umfutho they energize each other [they-do-insert-reciprocal] |
| uku-tsheleka uku-khipheka | add –eka or –akala > adding this extension allows you to express versions of the basic verb as simply happening, with no effect on another noun > most often has a connotation of ‘able to…’ > changes these verbs to Type C | azitsheleki these [stories] are not to be told [no-they-telling-happen-not] ikhipheka kalula it’s easily removed [it-removal-happen] |
| uku-nikwa uku-khishwa | add –wa or –iwa > makes the statement passive, i.e. the subject experiences the action, done by the agent > be careful of all verbs that end with bilabial consonants, because the passive form is going to change the sound to a palatal noise [scroll down to see the full explanation] > changes these verbs to Type F | unikwe ngubani lokhu? who gave you that? [you-giving-to-experience it-who this-thing?] isikhishwe yimi khona it was removed by me from there [it-removal-experienced] |
| – -nike… – -khiphe | add –ile > makes the verb into a state or a finished action > because these verbs always have something else after them, you will hardly ever find them in the long form of this impambosi > changes these verbs to a more polished or finished Type C | kade ngimnike imali I’ve given him money long ago already [I-give-state] |
| uku-tshelisisa | add –isisa > makes the action of these verbs more intense | kufanele umtshelisise le nto you have to tell her this thing a million times! [you-person-tell-intensive-should] |
The short story for Type E Verbs: everything is possible except adding -AN-, mostly because it’s part of the basic coding.
And the short story for Type F Verbs? Well, they are basically Passive, so you can have a look at the rest of this page to find out more…
imPambosi yokwenziwa: the Passive Verbal Extension
Using Copulatives
When you use a passive verb in isiZulu, the verb must be followed by a copulative.
isibonelo:
ngikhahlelwe yihhashi lami :: I was kicked by my horse ::: I was kicked (it is the horse of mine)
sishaywe ngamadoda :: We were hit by the men
Y: for nouns starting with I-
yihhashi lami ::: it’s my horse
yihhashi ::: it’s (a/the) horse
yimali yakho ::: it’s your money
imali yakho ::: your money
yimicabango-nje ::: they’re just thoughts
yizindaba zabantu ::: it’s the stories of the people
yisithupha ::: it is 6 / it is the thumb on the right hand
yisikhombisa ::: it is 7 / it is the index finger on the right hand
yishumi ::: it is 10 / completeness
yikhulu ::: it is 100
yinkulungwane ::: it is 1000
yinkosi ::: it is the king
bangaki abantu? ::: how many people?
abayisithupha ::: people who are 6
bayisithupha ::: they are 6
bayishumi ::: they are 10
bayishumi nanhlanu ::: they are 15
bayikhulu ::: they are 100
NG: for nouns starting with A- or U-
ngamadoda ::: it is the men / they are the men
ngubani? ::: it is who?
ngumama ::: it is my mother
ngubaba ::: it is my father
ngunina ::: it is her mother
nguyise ::: it is his father
ngubaba wakhe ::: it is his father
ngabafana bakhe ::: they are his sons / his boys / her sons
ngamanzi angcolile ::: it is polluted water / the water is polluted
ngumoya wokuthula ::: it is the spirit of peace
ngumona ::: it is jealousy
ngumonakalo omkhulu ::: it is vast destruction
ngamashumi amabili ::: it is twenty
ngamakhulu amathathu ::: it is 300
ngamakhosi ::: they are the kings
Passives
Switching the object and subject.
NB: isiZulu loves using impersonal passives. beware sound-changes
hamba > hanjwa >> hanjiwe
thamba > thanjwa >> thanjiwe
bamba > banjwa >> banjiwe
vuma > vunywa >> vunyiwe
qoma > qonywa >> qonyiwe
hluma > hlunywa >> hlunyiwe
bopha > bo-sh-w-a >> boshiwe
hlonipha > hlonishwa >> hlonishiwe
azi > aziwa >> aziwe
dla > dliwa >> dliwe
kha > khiwa >> khiwe
Traditional Passives (personal)
Ngikhahlele ibhola > ibhola likhahlelwe yimi
I kicked the ball > the ball was kicked by me (the-ball it-kicked-was it-is-me)
imali itholwe ngumfana < umfana uthole imali
the money was got by the boy < the boy got the money
itiye lithelwe ngumngane wami < umngane wami uthele itiye
the tea was poured by my friend < my friend poured the tea
ukudla kudliwa ngabantu < abantu badla ukudla
the food is being eaten by the people < the people are eating the food
kuyadliwa < siyadla
it is being eaten / one is eating < we’re eating
kuyafundwa < siyafunda
it is being read / learned / studied < we’re reading / learning
kuyahanjwa < siyahamba
it is being walked / traveled < we’re walking
akuhanjwa < asihambi
it is not being walked / one does not walk < we don’t walk
akuvunyelwe ukungena la < abasivumeli ukungena la
it is not being said ‘yes’ to enter here (No entry permitted) < they don’t assent to us entering here
akungenwa = No entry (it is not being entered)
akudliwa = (it is not being eaten) No eating
akuphuzwa = (it is not being drunk) No drinking
akubangwa umsindo = (it is not made, the noise) No noise