In English, we often talk about something that repeats or is continuous using the same form as the present tense, with adverbs indicating how often it happens.
Notice how this is formed in Lingala. So now the verb –zal– is written as:
nazalaka
Breaking down the verb we notice first that we have the prefix na– meaning I, followed by the –zal– root and finally the suffix –aka. This gives the meaning of I always am.
Therefore, when looking at the structure of a future tense verb in Lingala we find:
PREFIX + ROOT + aka
This helps us with many expressions in Lingala where we would normally need additional adverbs in English, but in Lingala the idea is expressed completely within the verb:
| Lingala | English (meaning) | English (literal) |
|---|---|---|
| nalobaka Lingala | I speak Lingala | I speak (as a habit) Lingala |
| Jacques afandaka na ndako kuna | Jacques lives in that house there | Jacques he (always) lives with house there |
| basalaka mosala na bango | they do their job | they (always) do job of them |
| boyokaka baboti na bino te | you (plural) don’t listen to your (plural) parents | you (plural) (always) listen parents of you (plural) not |
Notice how when talking about speaking Lingala as a language (nalobaka Lingala), we use this –aka form of the word to show it is something we always do. In a similar way, we use this form for referring to where we live (afandaka na ndako kuna) to again show that it is ongoing, permanent and a habit.
Tip: Be careful when reading or listening to Lingala that you don’t confuse it with the similar sounding past tense (i.e. –aki).