Wonani kulemba kwambula kuona kwa ChiTumbuka

== Verbs ==

=== Subject prefix ===
Viyezgo vyose vikwenera kuŵa na lizgu lakunjilira ilo likuyana na lizgu lakunjilira. Mwaciyerezgero, lizgu lakuti ciŵinda'muthondo' lili mu gulu la 7, ntheura usange ni munthu, verebu ili lili na c-:

: {{lang|tum|ciŵinda '''ci'''-ka-koma nkhalamu}} = 'the hunter killed a lion'<ref>Chavula (2016), p. 42.</ref>

It is also possible for the subject to be a locative noun (classes 16, 17, 18), in which case the verb has a locative prefix:<ref>Chavula (2016), p. 23.</ref>

: {{lang|tum|pamphasa '''pa'''-ka-khala mwana}} = 'on the mat there sat down a child'

The locative prefix ''ku-'' (class 17) is also used impersonally when discussing the weather:<ref>Chavula (2016), p. 24.</ref>

: {{lang|tum|'''ku'''kuzizima madazi ghano}} = 'it's cold these days'

When the subject is a personal pronoun, the subject prefixes are as follows (the pronoun itself may be omitted, but not the subject prefix):

: {{lang|tum|(ine) '''n'''-kha-gula}} = 'I bought' (''nkha-'' stands for ''ni-ka-'')
: {{lang|tum|(iwe) '''u'''-ka-gula}} = 'you bought' (informal, singular)
: {{lang|tum|(iyo)<ref>Chavula (2016), p. 23. But Kishindo et al. (2018), s.v. {{lang|tum|iye}}, have {{lang|tum|iye}}.</ref> '''wa'''-ka-gula}} = 'he, she bought'
: {{lang|tum|(ise) '''ti'''-ka-gula}} = 'we bought'
: {{lang|tum|(imwe) '''mu'''-ka-gula}} = 'you bought' (plural or respectful)
: {{lang|tum|(iwo) '''ŵa'''-ka-gula}} = 'they bought', 'he/she bought' (plural or respectful)

In the perfect tense, these are shortened to {{lang|tum|n-a-, w-a-, w-a-, t-a-, mw-a-, ŵ-a-}}, e.g. {{lang|tum|t-a-gula}} 'we have bought'.

In [[Karonga]] dialect, in the 3rd person singular ''a-'' is found instead of ''wa-'', and the 3rd plural is ''wa-'' instead of ''ŵa-'', except in the perfect tense, when ''wa-'' and ''ŵa-'' are used.<ref>McNicholl (2010), pp. 7–8.</ref>

=== Object-marker ===
To indicate the object, an infix can be added to the verb immediately before the verb root. Generally speaking, the object-marker is optional:<ref>Chavula (2016), pp. 51–64.</ref>

: {{lang|tum|Pokani wa('''yi''')gula galimoto}} = 'Pokani has bought a car' (class 9)
: {{lang|tum|Changa waka('''mu''')nyamula katundu}} = 'Changa carried the luggage' (class 1)

The object-marker agrees with the class of the object, as shown on the table of concords above.

The object-marker can also be a locative (classes 16, 17, or 18):<ref>Chavula (2016), p. 56.</ref>

: {{lang|tum|Kondwani wa('''pa''')kwera pa nyumba}} = 'Kondwani has climbed on top of the house'

The locative markers for personal pronouns are as follows:<ref>Chavula (2016), pp. 53–4.</ref>

: {{lang|tum|wa'''ni'''ona (ine)}} = 'he has seen me'
: {{lang|tum|wa'''ku'''ona (iwe)}} = 'he has seen you'
: {{lang|tum|wa'''mu'''ona}} = 'he has seen him/her'
: {{lang|tum|wa'''ti'''ona}} = 'he has seen us'
: {{lang|tum|wa'''mu'''ona'''ni'''}} = 'he has seen you' (plural or respectful)
: {{lang|tum|wa'''ŵa'''ona}} = 'he has seen them'

=== Tenses ===
Tenses in Tumbuka are made partly by adding infixes, and partly by suffixes. Unlike Chichewa, tones do not form any part of the distinction between one tense and another.

In the past a distinction is made between hodiernal tenses (referring to events of today) and remote tenses (referring to events of yesterday or some time ago). However, the boundary between recent and remote is not exact.<ref>Kiso (2012), p. 176.</ref>

Pali mphambano yikuru pakati pa nyengo iyo yajumpha na nyengo iyo yajumpha. Para munthu wakuyowoya mu nyengo yakufikapo, wakuyowoya kuti vinthu vicali makora, nga ni para wakuti: 'Vikondamoyo vyatandazgika mu munda.' Para munthu wakuyowoya lizgu lakuti ndakhala, wakung'anamura kuti "Nkhukhala" panji ndakondwa. Chizindikiro cha kutali chikugwiliskirika nchito pa vinthu ivyo vikacitika kale comene kweni ivyo vikucitika mazuŵa ghano, nga ni libwe lilikuwa 'libwe lawira' panji walikutayika 'wali kufwa.'<ref>Kiso (2012), pp. 171, 178.</ref><ref>Kiso (2012), p. 171, quoting Vail (1972).</ref>

Nyengo zakunthazi nazo zikupambaniska pakati pa vyakuchitika vyapafupi na vyakutali. Vinyake vikulongora kuti cakucitika ici cizamucitikira kunyake, nga ni ndamukuchezga 'Nizamuluta kukacezga.'<ref>Kiso (2012), p. 184, quoting Vail (1972).</ref>

Compound tenses are also found in Tumbuka, such as {{lang|tum|wati wagona}} 'he had slept', {{lang|tum|wakaŵa kuti wafumapo}} 'he had just left' and {{lang|tum|wazamukuŵa waguliska}} 'he will have sold'.<ref>Kiso (2012), pp. 172, 182, 184, quoting Vail (1972).</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left"
|+Some Tumbuka tenses<ref>Kiso (2012), pp. 163–192.</ref>
!Tense
!Tense marker
!Example
!Translation
|-
!Present infinitive
|ku-
|{{lang|tum|'''ku'''-luta}}
|‘to go'
|-
!
|-
!Present simple
| -ku-
|{{lang|tum|wa-'''ku'''-luta}}
|‘he/she goes/is going’
|-
!Present habitual
| -ku-...-anga
|{{lang|tum|wa-'''ku'''-lut-'''anga'''}}
|‘he/she goes’ (some speakers only)
|-
!
|-
!Present perfect
| -a-
|{{lang|tum|w-'''a'''-luta}}
|‘he/she has gone’
|-
!Present perfect continuous
| -a-...-anga
|{{lang|tum|w-'''a'''-lut-'''anga'''}}
|‘he/she has been going'
|-
!Remote perfect
| -liku-
|{{lang|tum|wa-'''liku'''-luta}}
|‘he/she has gone’
|-
!
|-
!Recent past simple
| -angu-
|{{lang|tum|w-'''angu'''-luta}}
|‘he/she went’ (today)
|-
!Recent past continuous
| -angu-...-anga
|{{lang|tum|w-'''angu'''-lut-'''anga'''}}
|‘he/she was going' (today)
|-
!Remote past simple
| -ka-
|{{lang|tum|wa-'''ka'''-luta}}
|‘he/she went’
|-
!Remote past continuous
| -ka-...-anga
|{{lang|tum|wa-'''ka'''-lut-'''anga'''}}
|‘he/she was going/used to go'
|-
!
|-
![[Near future (grammar)|Near future]]
|...-enge
|{{lang|tum|wa-lut-'''enge'''}}
|'he will go' (now or today)
|-
!Emphatic future<ref>Kiso (2012), p. 183, quoting Vail (1972).</ref>
| -ti-...-enge
|{{lang|tum|wa-'''ti'''-lut-'''enge'''}}
|'he will certainly go'
|-
!Distal future<ref>Kiso (2012), p. 184, 185, quoting Vail (1972). For the term 'distal', see Botne (1999).</ref>
| -amu-(ku)-
|{{lang|tum|w-'''amuku'''-gula}}
|‘he/she will buy’ (elsewhere)
|-
!Remote future
| -zamu-(ku)-
|{{lang|tum|wa-'''zamu'''-luta}}
|‘he/she will go’ (tomorrow or later)
|-
!Remote future continuous
| -zamu-...-anga
|{{lang|tum|wa-'''zamu'''-lut-'''anga'''}}
|‘he/she will be going' (tomorrow or later)
|-
!
|-
!Present subjunctive
| -e
|{{lang|tum|ti-lut-'''e'''}}
|‘let's go'
|-
!Distal subjunctive
| -ka-...-e
|{{lang|tum|wa-'''ka'''-gul-'''e'''}}
|‘so that he can buy (elsewhere)'
|-
!Potential
| -nga-
|{{lang|tum|wa-'''nga'''-luta}}
|'he can go'<ref>McNicholl (2010), p. 8.</ref>
|}

Other future tenses are given by Vail (1972) and others.<ref>See Kiso (2012) pp. 182–188.</ref>

In the 1st person singular, ''ni-ku-'' and ''ni-ka-'' are shortened to ''nkhu-'' and ''nkha-'': {{lang|tum|nkhuluta}} 'I am going', 'I go', {{lang|tum|nkhalutanga}} 'I used to go'.<ref>Kiso (2012), pp. 163, 173.</ref>

=== Negative verbs ===
To make the negative of a verb in Tumbuka, the word {{lang|tum|yayi}} or {{lang|tum|cha(ra)}} is added at or near the end of the clause. It seems that {{lang|tum|yayi}} is preferred by younger speakers:<ref>Kiso (2012), p. 190.</ref>

: {{lang|tum|wakulemba kalata '''yayi'''}}
: 'he is not writing a letter'

: {{lang|tum|tizamugwira ntchito '''cha''' machero}}
: 'we will not work tomorrow'

With the present perfect tense, however, a separate form exists, adding ''-nda-'' and ending in ''-e'':<ref>Kiso (2012), p. 191.</ref>

: {{lang|tum|enya, n'''a'''kumana nawo}}
: 'yes, I have met him'

: {{lang|tum|yayi, ni'''nda'''kuman'''e''' nawo}}
: 'no, I haven't met him'