In our previous lessons we have learned how to use verbs in Lingala, including looking at how they have prefixes or suffixes that change to reflect different tenses or persons.
Verbs in Lingala can also gain additional meaning by the use of extensions that are added to the root but before any suffixes or prefixes. Sometimes these are called infixes. Let’s look at one example we have already seen:
kokanisa
We learned previously (in Vocabulary – Part 4) that this word means to think. However this word contains an extension: –is-. This extension is causative, that the verb is forcing or causing something or that it is caused or forced. In kokanisa the real root of the word is –kan– which means to purpose or will something or even the sense of plan. In using the extension –is– we see that the verb is causing to plan, that is planning or as we better understand that meaning thinking.
Take a look at some other words that are derived from verbs in this lesson or previous lessons. Notice what the root means, and then how it changes when we add the causative –is– extension.
| kozala | to be | kozalisa | to cause to be, to create |
| komona | to see | komonisa | to make see, to show |
| kosala | to do | kosalisa | to make work, to help |
| koyeba | to know | koyebisa | to make know, to inform |
| koyoka | to hear, to feel, to smell | koyokisa | to cause to hear, to make feel, to make smell |
Many words in Lingala can have or use this causative extension. As you can see above some of the words that are created can take on a more expanded meaning than simply to cause this action. Notice kosalisa is used to help us create the idea of not just causing work to be done but also the sense of helping.
We can format causative verbs in this way:
PREFIX + ROOT + is + SUFFIX
If other extensions are used along with –is-, then –is– always comes first in the verb. Notice a few examples of these causative words in action.
| nasalisaki yo | I helped you (singular) | I made do you |
| bakomonisa biso makambo nyonso basalaki | they will show us every thing that they did | they will show us things all they did |
| tozali koyebisa bato nsango malamu | we are informing people good news | we are making know people news good |