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Alphabet Parts
of Speech The
Tenses Counting Fractions/Ordinals/Quantities Time
and the Calender Speaking/Writing Luganda A Luganda Phrasebook
The Luganda alphabet is composed of twenty-four letters:
Since the last consonant does not appear on standard typewriters or computer keyboards, it is often replaced by the combination ng' - including the apostrophe! (Note that in some non-standard authographies, the apostrophe is not used, which can lead to confusion with the distinct and different sound arising from the letter combination ng). In addition, the letter combination ny is treated as a unique consonant.
Details regarding pronounciation and orthography are given in the section on speaking/writing Luganda.
The Luganda grammar recognizes the following eight different parts of speech:
One of the keys to understanding Luganda is understanding how nouns are used. For this reason, nouns will be treated in great detail in the following discussion. Nouns (amannya) are subdivided into 'proper nouns' (amannya ag'enkalakkalira) and 'common nouns' (amannya ag'olukale).
Proper nouns distinguish an individual item or person from among many. Examples include: Mukasa, Mubiru, Muteesa, Nankabirwa, Namutebi, Kampala, Mmengo, Luweero, Nalubaale, Katonga etc..
Common nouns are those given to to a class of items or beings, without intent to distinguish specific members of the class; or those used to identify any object in general. Examples include: mulenzi, mukazi, nkoko, mbuzi, muvule, kalittunsi, mugga, nyanja, kibuga, kikajjo, nswa, nseenene etc..
Proper nouns are always written with the initial letter capitalized. Common nouns on the other hand do not need to have the initial letter capitalized unless the noun happens to be the first word in a sentence.
It is crucial for the student of Luganda to understand the different noun classes used in the language, and their singular/plural forms. Below, we have given the ten classes of nouns used in Luganda. The classes are grouped by the first syllable or prefix associated with the noun class.
| Class | Singular Form | Plural Form |
|---|---|---|
| Class I* (MU-BA) | muntu, muwala, mwana (person, girl, child) |
bantu, bawala, baana (people, girls, children) |
| Class II* (MU-MI) | musege, muti, mwaka (wolf, tree, year) |
misege, miti, myaka (wolves, trees, years) |
| Class III (LI-MA) | liiso, linnyo, lyanda (eye, tooth, piece of charcoal) |
maaso, mannyo, manda (eyes, teeth, pieces of charcoal) |
| Class IV (KI-BI) | kintu, kitabo, kyangwe (thing, book, sponge) |
bintu, bitabo, byangwe (things, books, sponges) |
| Class V (KA-BU) | kati, katiko, katimba (stick, mushroom, net) |
buti, butiko, butimba (sticks, mushrooms, nets) |
| Class VI (KU-MA) | kugulu, kutu (leg, ear) |
magulu, matu (legs, ears) |
| Class VII (GU-GA) | gusajja, gusolo (man - big/ugly, beast) |
gasajja, gasolo (men, beasts) |
| Class VIII (LU-N/M) | lugoye, lupapula, luyimba (cloth, paper, song) |
ngoye, mpapula, nnyimba (clothes, papers, songs) |
| Class IX (N/M-N/M) | nkoko, nte, mbwa (hen, cow, dog) |
nkoko, nte, mbwa (hens, cows, dogs) |
| Class X (TU) | tuzzi, tuta, twenge -- no singular/plural distinction (water, milk, alcohol) - in the sense 'precious little of' |
|
* The MU prefix in the singular form appears in both classes I and II. Class I is reserved for humans while class II is for non-humans. Thus the human common noun muwala has the plural form bawala while the non-human common noun muti has the plural form miti.
The definite article 'the' and indefinite article 'a' do not have direct equivalents in Luganda. Instead, the initial vowels a-, e-, and o- are appended to a noun to convey the meaning that would result from the use of those articles. The specific initial vowel used will depend on the class of the noun with which it is associated. Note that the initial vowel may denote singular or plural form of a noun depending on the class. However, a given initial vowel that is used for singular forms in one class can be used for plural forms in another class. The following table shows the initial vowels used with each noun class, applied to the examples used above.
| Class | Singular Form | Plural Form |
|---|---|---|
| Class I* (MU-BA) | omuntu, omuwala, omwana | abantu, abawala, abaana |
| Class II* (MU-MI) | omusege, omuti, omwaka | emisege, emiti, emyaka |
| Class III (LI-MA) | eriiso, erinnyo, eryanda | amaaso, amannyo, amanda |
| Class IV (KI-BI) | ekintu, ekitabo, ekyangwe | ebintu, ebitabo, ebyangwe |
| Class V (KA-BU) | akati, akatiko, akatimba | obuti, obutiko, obutimba |
| Class VI (KU-MA) | okugulu, okutu | amagulu, amatu |
| Class VII (GU-GA) | ogusajja, ogusolo | agasajja, agasolo |
| Class VIII (LU-N/M) | olugoye, olupapula, oluyimba | engoye, empapula, ennyimba |
| Class IX (N/M-N/M) | enkoko, ente, embwa | enkoko, ente, embwa |
| Class X (TU) | otuzzi, otuta, otwenge | |
It is wothwhile pointing out that some nouns apply to things that cannot be counted. These do not fall into any of the classes listed above, and in addition they have no singular/plural distinctions associated with them. Examples of these - shown with applicable initial vowel if any - include: amazzi (water), amata (milk) emmere (food), ennyama (meat), empewo (air), omunnyo (salt) sukaali (sugar) etc..
In many cases the root of a given noun can be combined with different prefixes to convey descriptive information about the noun. Consider the following example for 'girl'. The meaning of the root noun -wala can be coloured by using various prefixes.
mu-wala: girl, neutral form
ka-wala: girl, small (sometimes endearing form)
ki-wala: girl, big (can be endearing or unflattering depending on context)
gu-wala: girl, big and ugly (very unflattering form)
lu-wala: girl, slender (can be unflattering depending on context)
The use of different prefixes effectively changes the class of the noun. Many permutations of a noun can be obtained by this method. However, since this also conveys descriptive information about the noun, this usage achieves the same effect as the use of adjectives in English. Note should be made that the moving of nouns between classes by use of different prefixes can sometimes obscure the root noun. For example kaliba, kiriba, guliba, may not be obviuos variations of ddiba (i.e. -liba)!
An adjective is used to modify or describe a noun.
Examples:
| muti munene | large tree |
| mbuzi nsava | fat goat |
| Mukasa mumpi | Mukasa is short |
| Mubiru munafu | Mubiru is lazy |
| Nankabirwa mulungi | Nankabirwa is beautiful |
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun that is not used explicitly, or which has been referred to previously. Luganda pronouns can be classified as independent and dependent.
The independent pronouns can stand on their own - in English, these are referred to as personal pronouns.
Examples:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| Nze (I) | Ffe (We) |
| Ggwe (You) | Mmwe (You) |
| Ye (He/She) | Bo (They) |
| Yo, kyo, ... (It) | Zo, byo, ... (They) |
The dependent pronouns are used in combination with a verb as in the following examples:
ayimba (the one or any one singing)
abalya (those eating)
edduka (the one running - not human)
eziyimiridde (those standing).
The specific pronoun used depends on the class of the noun it is replacing. A complete list is given in he following table, using the verb tambula (walk).
| Noun Class | Singular Form | Plural Form |
|---|---|---|
| Class I (MU-BA) | atambula | abatambula |
| Class II (MU-MI) | ogutambula | egitambula |
| Class III (LI-MA) | eritambula | agatambula |
| Class IV (KI-BI) | ekitambula | ebitambula |
| Class V (KA-BU) | akatambula | obutambula |
| Class VI (KU-MA) | okutambula | agatambula |
| Class VII (GU-GA) | ogutambula | agatambula |
| Class VIII (LU-N/M) | olutambula | ezitambula |
| Class IX (N/M-N/M) | etambula | ezitambula |
| Class X (TU) | otutambula (no singular/plural distinction) | |
This is used to describe an action.
Examples:
tuula (sit), lya (eat), tambula (walk), yimirira (stand)
woggana (shout), yamba (help), vuga (drive)
Adverbs are used to modify a verb, adjective, or another adverb. In Luganda adverbs may be classified as follows:
| Mukasa ayimba bulungi | Mukasa sings well |
| Mubiru atambula kasoobo | Mubiru walks slowly |
| Nankabirwa alya aswankula | Nankabirwa eats noisily |
| Namutebi atuyamba bulijjo | Namutebi helps us regularly |
| Nalukenge asoma bbalirirwe | Nalukenge reads very rarely |
| Omusawo amukebera buli lunaku | The doctor examines him (her) daily |
| Kitwale wali | Take it there |
| Kiteeke muno | Put it in here |
| Ayingidde omwo | He (She) has entered in there |
| Ntudde wano | I am seated here |
| Akooye nnyo | He (She) is very tired |
| Aludde bulala | He (She) has delayed a great deal |
| Alimidde ddala | He (She) has hoed indeed |
| Yayita kubanga mugezi | He (She) passed because he (she) is bright |
| Ayimuse kubanga bamuyise | He (She) has got up because he (she) has been called |
| Akozze lwa kuba mulwadde | He (She) has lost weight because he (she) is sick |
| Bwe tunatuuka nga tulya | When we arrive we shall eat |
| Bwe mumulaba mumugamba | When you see him (her) tell him (her) |
The proposition is used to indicate the relation of a noun or pronoun to some other word in a sentence. In Luganda, prepositions are mostly used to indicate position.
Examples:
| Emmese eyingidde mu kituli | The rat has entered into the hole |
| Entamu eri ku masiga | The cooking pot is on the hearth stones |
| Ettaala eri wansi wa mmeeza | The lamp is under the table |
| Ayimiridde wakati | He (She) is standing in the middle |
A word used to connect words or phrases is called a conjunction.
| Mirembe ne Nakubulwa batuuse | Mirembe and Nakubulwa have arrived |
| Namubiru afumba bulungi naye mujama | Namubiru is a good cook but she is untidy |
| Olugendo luwanvu toolusobole mpozzi nga ovuze kagaali | The journey is long, you will not manage it unless you ride a bicycle |
| Nakitto ayimba bulungi kyokka okuzina kwamulema | Nakitto sings well however she is unable to dance |
| Omwana ayagala okusoma ate muwulize | The child likes school and is good mannered |
| Nannono atunga bulungi wabula tamanyi kuluka bibbo | Nannono is a good seamstress however she does not know how to weave baskets |
Exclamatory word(s) used to express feelings such as wonder, pity, sorrow, joy etc..
Examples:
| Expression | Sense Conveyed |
|---|---|
| Wo wo wo! | wonder |
| Kitalo! | condolence |
| Bambi! | sympathy |
| Woowe! | pain |
| Yaaye! | pain |
| Mukadde! | enviousness |
| Kitawe! | condescension |
| Baabuwe! | condescension |
| Swaga! | congratulation |
| Owange! | bewilderment |
| Maama! | enviousness |
Back to Parts of Speech
Back to outline
There are seven tenses used in Luganda. In the table below, we show usages of the various tenses with the three verbs 'tambula' (walk), 'soma' (read) and 'jja' (come) with the third-person singular form.
| Tense | Sample Usage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Distant Past | yatambula | yasoma | yajja |
| 2. Past | yatambudde | yasomye | yazze |
| 3. Immediate past | atambudde | asomye | azze |
| 4. Now | atambula | asoma | ajja |
| 5. Ongoing | atambula | asoma | ajja |
| 6. Immediate Future | anaatambula | anaasoma | anajja |
| 7. Future | alitambula | alisoma | alijja |
Today...................Leero
This morning.........Enkya ya leero
This afternoon.......Eggulo lya leero
Tonight.................Ekiro kya leero
This week.............Wiiki/sabbiti eno
This month...........Omwezi guno
This year..............Omwaka guno
Now.....................Kati
Immediately..........Mangu ago
Just Now..............Kaakati
Yesterday......................Jjo
Day before yesterday.....Kwosa jjo
Yesterday morning.........Jjo ku makya
Yesterday afternoon.......Olweggulo lwa jjo
Last night.......................Ekiro kya jjo
Last week.......................Sabbiiti ewedde
Last month.....................Omwezi oguwedde
Last year........................Omwaka oguwedde
Ago................................Egyayita
Tomorrow........................Enkya
Tomorrow morning...........Enkya ku makya
Tomorrow evening............Enkya akawungeezi
Day after tomorrow...........Kwosa enkya
Next week........................Sabbiiti ejja
Next Month......................Omwezi ogujja
Next year..........................Omwaka ogujja
Later.................................Oluvannyuma
After.................................Oluvannyuma lwa
As soon as possible.........Amangu ddala nga bwe kisoboka
A while ago.....................Akabanga kaweze
A moment...................... Akaseera
After...............................Oluvannyuma
Always............................Bulijjo
Before.............................Kusooka
Century...........................Kyasa
Early...............................Kukeera
Everyday.........................Buli lunaku
Forever...........................Mirembe na mirembe
Long ago.........................Edda ennyo
Month.............................Mwezi
Never..............................Butabangawo
Not any more..................Butakyabeerawo
Not yet...........................Butannabaawo
Recently..........................Kyakabeerawo
Sometimes.......................Oluusi
Soon................................Mangu
| Digit | Name | Variation used with noun (depends on noun class) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | zeero | none |
| 1 | emu | omu gumu limu kimu kamu kumu gumu lumu emu |
| 2 | bbiri | babiri ebiri abiri bibiri bubiri abiri abiri bbiri bbiri |
| 3 | ssatu | basatu esatu asatu bisatu busatu asatu asatu ssatu ssatu |
| 4 | nnya | bana ena ana bina buna ana ana nnya nnya |
| 5 | ttaano | bataano etano ataano bitaano butaano ataano ataano ttaano ttaano |
| 6 | mukaaga | none |
| 7 | musanvu | none |
| 8 | munaana | none |
| 9 | mwenda | none |
Note that the variations beginning with a can have other meanings as will be seen below. The appropriate interpretation will depend on the context. For example abiri could mean twenty or two things! Where confusion is still possible the term 'amakumi abiri' would be used for twenty to distinguish it from two.
10 kkumi
20 amakumi abiri (literally two tens, often shortened to 'abiri')
30 amakumi asatu (literally three tens, often shortened to 'asatu')
40 amakumi ana (literally four tens, often shortened to 'ana')
50 amakumi ataano (literally five tens, often shortened to 'ataano')
60 nkaaga
70 nsanvu
80 kinaana
90 kyenda
11 kkumi n'emu (literally ten and one)
12 kkumi na bbiri (literally ten and two)
21 abiri mu emu (longer form 'amakumi abiri mu emu')
22 abiri mu bbiri (longer form 'amakumi abiri mu bbiri')
The pattern used with the twenties is applied to all the thirties - nineties
100 kikumi
200 bikumi bibiri (literally two hundreds, often shortened to 'bibiri')
300 bikumi bisatu (literally three hundreds, often shortened to 'bisatu')
400 bikumi bina (literally four hundreds, often shortened to 'bina')
500 bikumi bitaano (literally five hundreds, often shortened to 'bitaano')
600 lukaaga
700 lusanvu
800 lunaana
900 lwenda
102 kikumi mu bbiri
112 kikumi mu kkumi na bbiri
122 kikumi mu abiri mu bbiri
152 kikumi mu ataano mu bbiri
182 kikumi mu kinaana mu bbiri
202 bibiri mu bbiri
212 bibiri mu kkumi na bbiri
232 bibiri mu asatu mu bbiri
602 lukaaga mu bbiri
642 lukaaga mu ana mu bbiri
672 lukaaga mu nsanvu mu bbiri
1000 lukumi
2000 nkumi bbiri
3000 nkumi ssatu
4000 nkumi nnya
5000 nkumi ttaano
6000 kakaaga
7000 kasanvu
8000 kanaana
9000 kenda
1002 lukumi mu bbiri
2034 nkumi bbiri mu asatu mu nnya
3765 nkumi ssatu mu lusanvu mu nkaaga mu ttaano
6233 kakaaga mu bibiri mu asatu mu ssatu
8892 kanaana mu lunaana mu kyenda mu bbiri
9999 kenda mu lwenda mu kyenda mu mwenda
These and larger numbers are mixed using the mu pattern seen above.
10,000 mutwalo gumu
20,000 mitwalo ebiri
30,000 mitwalo esatu
60,000 mitwalo mukaaga
90,000 mitwalo mwenda
100,000 mitwalo kkumi (less used alternate: kasiriivu kamu)
200,000 mitwalo abiri (busiriivu bubiri)
300,000 mitwalo asatu (busiriivu busatu)
600,000 mitwalo nkaaga (busiriivu mukaaga)
700,000 mitwalo nsanvu (busiriivu musanvu)
900,000 mitwalo kyenda (busiriivu mwenda)
1,000,000 kakadde kamu
2,000,000 bukadde bubiri
5,000,000 bukadde butaano
6,000,000 bukadde mukaaga
9,000,000 bukadde mwenda
1,000,000,000,000 kawumbi kamu
2,000,000,000,000 buwumbi bubiri
6,000,000,000,000 buwumbi mukaaga
9,000,000,000,000 buwumbi mwenda
1,000,000,000,000,000,000 kafukunya kamu
2,000,000,000,000,000,000 bufukunya bubiri
6,000,000,000,000,000,000 bufukunya mukaaga
9,000,000,000,000,000,000 bufukunya mwenda
1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kasedde kamu
2,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 busedde bubiri
6,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 busedde mukaaga
9,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 busedde mwenda
Back to Counting
Back to outline
1/2...................Kimu kya kubiri
1/3...................Kimu kya kusatu
1/4...................Kimu kya kuna
3/4...................Bisatu bya kuna
1st.....................Esooka
2nd....................Eyokubiri
3rd.................... Eyokusatu
4th.....................Eyokuna
5th.....................Eyokutaano
6th.....................Eyomukaaga
7th.....................Eyomusanvu
8th.....................Eyomunaana
9th.....................Eyomwenda
10th...................Eyekkumi
The first car...............Emmotoka esooka
The fourth Building.....Ekizimbe Ekyokuna
About.....................Nga
A little (amount)......Butono
To count.................Kubala
A dozen..................Daziini
Enough....................Kimala
Few........................Bitono
Many......................Bingi
Minus.....................Toolako
More......................Singako
Number..................Muwendo
One more...............Yongerako kamu/emu
Plus........................Gattako
Percent...................Ku buli kikumi
Quantity..................Obungi
Too expensive........Buseere obuyitiridde
Very expensive.......Buseere nnyo
Interested in a Luganda Calendar? Contact Ebika by'Abaganda mu Sweden.
| second | tikitiki |
| minute | ddakiika |
| hour | ssaawa |
| day | lunaku |
| week | sabbiiti |
| month | mwezi |
| year | mwaka |
| century | kyasa |
| Day time | Misana |
| Dawn | Matulutulu |
| Early morning | Kinywambogo |
| Morning | Makya |
| Late morning | Kalasamayanzi |
| Mid-day | Ttuntu |
| Afternoon | Lwaggulo |
| Dusk | Kalabirizabazaana |
| Evening | Kawungeezi |
| Night time | Kiro |
| Early night | Kawozamasiga |
| Mid-night | Ttumbi |
| Late night | Mattansejjere |
The day is considered to start at dawn (not midnight). Time is thus counted with the first hour considered to be the hour of dawn. Thus time would be read as follows:
| 6:00 A.M. | 12:00 ez'okumakya |
| 7:00 A.M. | 1:00 ey'okumakya |
| 8:00 A.M. | 2:00 ez'okumakya |
| 9:00 A.M. | 3:00 ez'okumakya |
| 10:00 A.M. | 4:00 ez'okumakya |
| 11:00 A.M. | 5:00 ez'okumakya |
| 12:00 NOON | 6:00 TTUNTU |
| 1:00 P.M. | 7:00 ez'olweggulo |
| 2:00 P.M. | 8:00 ez'olweggulo |
| 3:00 P.M. | 9:00 ez'olweggulo |
| 4:00 P.M. | 10:00 ez'olweggulo |
| 5:00 P.M. | 11:00 ez'olweggulo |
| 6:00 P.M. | 12:00 ez'akawungeezi |
| 7:00 P.M. | 1:00 ey'ekiro |
| 8:00 P.M. | 2:00 ez'ekiro |
| 9:00 P.M. | 3:00 ez'ekiro |
| 10:00 P.M. | 4:00 ez'ekiro |
| 11:00 P.M. | 5:00 ez'ekiro |
| 12:00 MIDNIGHT | 6:00 TTUMBI |
| 1:00 A.M. | 7:00 ez'ekiro |
| 2:00 A.M. | 8:00 ez'ekiro |
| 3:00 A.M. | 9:00 ez'ekiro |
| 4:00 A.M. | 10:00 ez'ekiro |
| 5:00 A.M. | 11:00 ez'ekiro |
What time is it?................Ssaawa mmeka
It is two o'clock...............Ssaawa munaana
It is a quarter to four.........Ebula kumi na ttaano okuwera ekumi
It is a qaurter past one......Edakiika kumi na ttaano eziyise ku musanvu
It is ten past four...............Kumi ne ddakiika kumi
It is four-thirty...................Kumi kitundu
One/an hour....................Ssaawa emu
Two hours.......................Ssaawa bbiri
Three hours.....................Ssaawa satu
What the date today?...........Ennaku z'omwezi mmeka olwa leero?
It is 31st July.......................Ziri asatu mu lumu ogwomusanvu
When did you arrive in Uganda?............Watuuka ddi mu Yuganda?
Two weeks ago.....................................Sabbiiti bbiri eziyise
How long will you stay?.........................Onobeerawo kumala banga
ki?
I'll be staying about two weeks...............Nja kumala wiiki nga bbiri
Note: the week starts on Monday!
| Day | Classical Name | Alternate Name |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Kazooba | Bbalaza |
| Tuesday | Walumbe | Lwakubiri |
| Wednsday | Mukasa | Lwakusatu |
| Thursday | Kiwanuka | Lwakuna |
| Friday | Nnagawonye | Lwakutaano |
| Saturday | Wamunyi | Lwamukaaga |
| Sunday | Wangu | Ssande |
| Month | Classical Name | Alternate Name |
|---|---|---|
| January | Gatonnya | Ogusooka |
| February | Mukutulansanja | Ogwokubiri |
| March | Mugulansigo | Ogwokusatu |
| April | Kafuumuulampawu | Ogwokuna |
| May | Muzigo | Ogwokutaano |
| June | Sseebaaseka | Ogwomukaaga |
| July | Kasambula | Ogwomusanvu |
| August | Muwakanya | Ogwomunaana |
| September | Mutunda | Ogwomwenda |
| October | Mukulukusa | Ogwekkumi |
| November | Museenene | Ogwekkuminogumu |
| December | Ntenvu | Ogwekkuminebiri |
Dates are given in the form dd/mm/(yy)yy
Examples:
February 1, 1950 is written 1/2/1950 or 1/2/50
In words "Lumu, Mukutulansanja (Ogwokubiri), lukumi mu lwenda ataano"
March 22, 1966 is written 22/3/1966 or 22/3/66
In words "Abiri mu bbiri Mugulansigo (Ogwokusatu), lukumi mu lwenda
nkaaga mu mukaaga"
Notice that with years, the mu joining the hudreds to the tens is usually omitted.