Lesson 12 – Pronouns (Part 2)

In Lesson 11 – Pronouns we learned some Singular pronouns. Singular pronouns in English include ‘I, me, you, he, she, it’. These pronouns stand for one person, animal or thing.

In this lesson we will learn the Dual and Plural pronouns. Dual pronouns stand for two people, animals or things. Dual pronouns in English include ‘We two, you two, they two’.

Plural pronouns stand for more than two things. Plural pronouns in English include ‘We, you all, they’.

Remember that pronouns in Tanganekald change form depending on how they are used in a sentence, so you’ll need to learn the different forms and understand how to pick the right one for your sentence.

Let’s learn four different forms of the Dual and Plural pronouns in Tanganekald: nominative, ergative, accusative and possessive forms.

Nominative Pronouns

Nominative pronouns are used in sentences which have a subject (a person or thing which is doing the action of the sentence) and a verb (the action of the sentence), or a subject and an adjective (describing word).

Dual

ngela

us two, we two

ngol, ngola, ngolei

you two

kuka

they two

NOTE: You may notice there are sometimes multiple forms of the Tanganekald word listed, for example ‘ngol, ngola, ngolei’. There are no distinct differences between these and they all share the same meaning, so you may choose any form that you prefer.

Plural

ngun

us (all), we (all)

ngona

you (all), yous, you mob

karra, karei

they (all), them mob

Sentence examples

Ngela lelawun.

We two are sitting about.

Ngol lelawun.

You two are sitting about.

Kuka lelawun.

Them two are sitting about.

Ngun lelawun.

We are sitting about.

Ngona lelawun.

You mob are sitting about.

Karra lelawun.

Them mob are sitting about.

Ergative pronouns

Ergative pronouns are used in sentences which have a subject (a person or thing doing the action), a verb (the action of the sentence) and an object (a person or thing that is receiving the action of the sentence). The Ergative is used as the subject of this type of sentence.

The only Ergative Dual pronoun in Tanganekald is ‘they two’. There are no Ergative Plural pronouns. Instead, the Nominative forms of Dual and Plural pronouns are used as the subject of the sentence.

Dual

kengkul

they two

Sentence example

Kengkul kin mupun.

They are looking out for him.

Accusative pronouns

Accusative pronouns are used in sentences which have a subject (a person or thing doing the action), a verb (the action of the sentence) and an object (a person or thing that is receiving the action of the sentence). The Accusative is used as the object of this type of sentence.

Dual

lam

us two