Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Subordinate Clauses

§220. PREPOSITIONS ku = to, toward, at, from (with verbs of motion): u-aenda kimbo = he went to the village u-atunda k'ofeka iaie = he came from his country (ku indicates both destination and origin, distinguished by verb meaning) pa = at, to (place where or toward which): u-akala pa-li = he remained there mu / vu = in, within (location without motion): u-akala m'onjo = he stayed in the house u-akala v'imbo = he stayed in the village lu = with (instrument, manner), by, during, because of: u-atila l'usumba = he fled from fear / with fear u-ea l'eteke = he came by day / during the day etu tu-iongola oku-popia l'osoma = we desire to speak with the king te = until, except, save: te nda i-iela = unless/until it is white a = of (genitive particle, always preceded by pronominal prefix — see §216) LOCATIVE ADVERBIALS (preposition + noun combinations): k'ilu = above, on top of, over (ku + ilu = sky) k'ovasu = before, in front of (ku + ovasu = eyes) k'onhima = behind, in back of (ku + onhima = back) p'osi = below, under, on the ground (pa + osi = ground) m'okati = within, in the middle (mu + okati = center) p'okati = between, among (pa + okati) §221. CONJUNCTIONS COPULATIVE: la = and (also repeated: la... la... = both... and...) -le (enclitic suffix) = also, too: l'ame-le = and I also -vo (verb suffix) = also, too: u-aenda-vo = he also went SUBORDINATING: okuti = that (introduces indirect statement; infinitive of oku-ti = to say) nda = if, as (conditional) echi = when (temporal) te = until (temporal) ocho = therefore, so (illative) ndanho = although, yet, nevertheless (concessive) mekonda = because, on account of (causal) puai = but, however (adversative) puamue = or (disjunctive) §222. FINAL CLAUSES (PURPOSE) No special conjunction. The present or future indicative follows: ndi-enda, hatala = I go (in order) to see (I go to see) When main verb is past, use future compound in purpose clause: nd'-aenda, nd'-aka-tala = I went to see Infinitive as purpose clause: u-asoka oku-loia = he intended to shoot oku-pitila, tu-katunga = upon arriving, we shall work §223. OBJECT CLAUSES Introduced by oku-ti (=that, saying): u-akuniha oku-ti, m'onjila mu-kasi evita = he knew that in the road there is war For direct quotation: hati (he said that), v'ati (they said that): u-afuka, hati, u-akuatele ongombe = he confessed, saying: he had stolen the ox §224. CONDITIONAL CLAUSES Conjunction nda (if, as, so): nda o-tu-veta, tu-tila = if he beats us, we flee nda u-a-tu-vetele, nda tu-atila = if he had beaten us, we would have fled (Repeated nda marks contrary-to-fact condition) ombela nda i-loka, onjo nda i-fa = if it rains, the house will fall Elliptical conditions (condition alone = question): nda u-tale? = (what) if you look? = do you see? §225. TEMPORAL CLAUSES echi + verb = when: echi tu-pitila, tu-katunga = when we arrive, we shall work eteke tu-apitila = on the day we arrived Infinitive as temporal: oku-pitila, tu-atungile = upon arriving, we worked §226. CONCESSIVE CLAUSES ndanho + verb = although, even if: tu-chi-lia, ndanho chi-lula = we eat it, although it is bitter §227. CAUSAL CLAUSES mekonda + verb or infinitive: nd'-apitila eteke likuavo, mekonda li'oku-pitisa pvimbulu = I arrived the next day, because of having made the donkeys leave (mekonda = mu + ekonda; the following infinitive is in genitive with li'-)