Communicative Task - Mali

)- The transitive verbs:
e.g: I bε mun kalan? What do you study?
N bε Bamanankan kalan. I study Bambara.
NB: ● bε/tε is the auxiliary element for the present in Bambara.
● In Bambara, the direct object occurs before the verb.
e.g.: ka __ kalan ka __ dun ka __ sεbεn ka __ tobi ka __ fǤǤǤǤ ka __ wele ka __ fo
Affirmative form: Negative form:
Subj + bε + Direct Object + V Subj + tε + Direct Object + V
N bε Bamanankan kalan. N tε Bamanankan mεn kǤsεbε.
I study Bambara I don’t speak Bambara very well.
Interrogative form:
Subj + bε + Direct Object + V (wa)? Subj + tε + Direct Object + V (wa)?
I bε Tubabukan mεn wa? Aw tε bamanankan fǤ?
Do you (hear)/undertand/speak French? You don’t speak Bambara?
c)- The reflexive verbs:
NB: ● Reflexive verbs or pronominal verbs always have an object pronoun that refers to the same person as the
subject. The object pronoun occurs before the verb.
e.g: N bε n ko. I wash myself
● But in Bambara, the third person object noun can be i in reflexive constructions.
e.g: A bε a sigi = A b’i sigi. He sits down.
KaramǤgǤ t’i sigi kalanso kǤnǤ. The teacher doesn’t sit down in the classroom.
e.g.: k’i ko k’i da k’i sigi k’i lafiȂȂȂȂε k’i yaala k’i ȂȂȂȂεnajε
Affirmative form: Negative form:
Suj + bε + Pron + V Suj + tε + Pron + V
N bε n ko sǤgǤma ni sufε. N tε n da joona sufε.
Interrogative form:
Suj + bε + Pron + V (wa)? Suj + tε + Pron + V (wa)?
I b'i ko sǤgǤma ni wula fε (wa)? Aw t’aw da joona sufε?
NB: ● The reflexive pronoun always immediately precedes the reflexive verb in the infinitive:
N bε taa n yaala. I am going to take a walk.
Aw bε taa aw Ȃεnajε. You are going to amuse yourself.
16