Two useful words nde and ata will allow us to expand even more the conversations we can have in Lingala.
The word ata simply means even or even though. It is used very similarly to how we use it in English:
ata ntango akotala buku oyo, akotanga yango te
Here we use it to mean even at the time he/she sees this book, they won’t read it. We can also combine the word ata with eloko and moko to create some useful expressions:
| ata eloko moko te | nothing | even thing one not |
| ata moko te | no one | even one not |
| ata moto moko te | nobody | even person one not |
These expressions are used regularly in Lingala and add a little more naturalness to the sound of our Lingala when we use them correctly.
The second word, nde, is also very useful to Lingala speakers. It basically means then, but is used in a number of interesting ways. Notice some:
| Luka azali koyangela te, nde Marc mokonzi ya ekolo oyo | Luke isn’t ruling, then it is Mark is the king of this nation | Luke he is ruling not, then Mark king of nation this |
| ezali bato nde oyo bazali na esengo | then it is the people who are happy | it is people then this they are with joy |
| Justine nde ayebaki yango | it is then Justine that knew it | Justine then she knew it |
Look out for how nde is used and you will see the interesting ways that it emphasizes the content of the sentence.