| Lingala | English |
|---|---|
| bakokufa | they will die |
| okolinga | you will love/like/want |
| tokoloba | we will say/speak |
| bokomona | you (plural) will see |
| akopesa | he/she will give |
| nakosala | I will do |
| ekosepela | it/they will enjoy |
| akotanga | he/she will read |
| nakoteya | I will teach |
| okoyeba | you will know |
Notice that we now have changed the structure of the verb again. So now the verb –zal– is written as:
nakozala
Breaking down the verb we notice first that we have the prefix na– meaning I, followed by –ko-. We then have –zal– (the root) and finally the suffix –a. This gives the meaning of I will be.
Therefore, when looking at the structure of a future tense verb in Lingala we find:
PREFIX + ko + ROOT + a
So with this information, look at a few examples of how we can use the future tense in some simple sentences:
| Lingala | English (meaning) | English (literal) |
|---|---|---|
| tokosala mingi | we will work a lot | we will work much |
| mwana mwasi na yo akokufa | your (singular) daughter will die | child woman with you he/she will die |
| nakozala monene | I will be great | I will be great |
| bokotanga buku moko ya malamu | you (plural) will read one good book | you (plural) will read book one of good |
Tip: Some have found it helpful to think of the form of the future tense verb as the prefix (i.e. na-) plus the infinitive form of a verb (i.e. koteya).
Note: The terminology used for the part –ko– is either an infix or an extension. We will learn other extensions/infixes in later lessons.