Language/Igbo/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be

Igbo Grammar - How to Use "Be"

Hi Igbo learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on the different ways to use the verb "be" in Igbo. As a language teacher with over 20 years of experience, I have designed this lesson with cultural information and interesting facts, so you can learn Igbo with joy and fun. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use the verb "be" properly and confidently. Let's get started!

Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: Negation & Pronouns.

"Be" in Igbo

The Igbo verb "be" is used to indicate existence or the state of being. In English, the infinitive form of "be" is "to be". However, in Igbo, "be" has several forms depending on the tense, the aspect, and the subject of the sentence. To simplify, we will categorize the different forms of "be" into three main types:

1. Present Tense Be 2. Past Tense Be 3. Future Tense Be

Let's see each of them in detail.

Present Tense Be

In Igbo, the present tense of "be" is used to indicate the present state of being. To form the present tense be, we use the personal pronoun and add the corresponding verb form. Here is the table of the present tense be:

Igbo	Pronunciation	English
A na-eme mụọ	/a na-e-me mu-o/	I am walking
Ị na-aga gị	/i na-a-ga gi/	You are playing
O na-anụụ nna ya	/o na-a-nu-u nna ya/	He is eating his father's food
Ebele na-elu uwa	/e-be-le na-e-lu u-wa/	Ebele is enjoying the world

Let's use them in an example:

• Person 1: Kedu nke a bụ? (What is this?)
• Person 2: O bụ machine. A na-eme ya. (This is a machine. I am operating it.)

Past Tense Be

In Igbo, the past tense of "be" is used to describe a past state of being. To form the past tense be, we use the personal pronoun and add the corresponding verb form of "be" in the past tense. Here is the table of the past tense be:

Igbo	Pronunciation	English
A bụghị emebe	/a bu-ghi e-me-be/	I was not there
Ị bụghị akwụkwọ anya	/i bu-ghi akwu-kwo a-nya/	You were not attentive
O bụghị ahụ n'anya	/o bu-ghi a-hu n'-a-nya/	He was not serious
Uche bụghị akwa mụọ	/u-che bu-ghi akwa mu-o/	Uche was not with me

Let's use them in an example:

• Person 1: Kedu ihe ị mara? (What did you see?)
• Person 2: A bụ ụlọ akụkọ a. Ị bụghị akwa mụọ. (I saw a chicken. You were not with me.)

Future Tense Be

In Igbo, the future tense of "be" is used to describe what the state of being will be at a specific time in the future. To form the future tense be, we use the personal pronoun and add the corresponding verb form of "be" in the future tense. Here is the table of the future tense be:

Igbo	Pronunciation	English
A ga-eme mụọ	/a ga-e-me mu-o/	I will be walking
Ị ga-aga gị	/i ga-a-ga gi/	You will be playing
O ga-anụụ nna ya	/o ga-a-nu-u nna ya/	He will be eating his father's food
Ifeoma ga-elu uwa	/i-fe-o-ma ga-e-lu u-wa/	Ifeoma will be enjoying the world

Let's use them in an example:

• Person 1: Kedu ka ị mere? (What will you do?)
• Person 2: A ga-eme ụda anyị. (I will be speaking our language.)

Special Cases

The verb "be" can be used in special cases in Igbo, such as the infinitive be, the progressive be, and the emphatic be. Let's see each of them in detail.

Infinitive Be

In Igbo, the infinitive be is used to indicate the purpose or intention of an action. To form the infinitive be, we use the verb stem "di" or "na" and add the particle "be" at the end. Here is the table of the infinitive be:

Igbo	Pronunciation	English
Maka na e kwesịrị ịlụọbe	/ma-ka na e kwe-si-ri i-lu-o-be/	In order to learn Igbo
Biko chọpụta be ha	/bi-ko cho-pu-ta be ha/	Please don't beat them
Eme kwanụ be ha	/e-me kwa-nu be ha/	Cook for them to eat

Let's use them in an example:

• Person 1: Kedu ihe ị bụla? (What are you looking for?)
• Person 2: A naghị ekwesi ndị Igbo be ụmụaka m. (I am looking for a way to teach Igbo to children.)

Progressive Be

In Igbo, the progressive be is used to indicate an ongoing action in the present. To form the progressive be, we use the verb "na-eme" and add the gerund form of the verb + the subject. Here is the table of the progressive be:

Igbo	Pronunciation	English
A na-eme ga-ala	/a na-e-me ga-a-la/	I am dancing
Ị na-eme tuụcha	/i na-e-me tu-u-cha/	You are washing
O na-eme gbuo	/o na-e-me gbu-o/	He is picking
Ada na-eme nyocha egwusi	/a-da na-e-me nyo-cha egwu-si/	Ada is cooking egwusi soup

Let's use them in an example:

• Person 1: Kedu nke a bụ? (What is this?)
• Person 2: O bụ akụkọ a. N'ime ụlọ na-eme tuụcha ya. (This is a chair. I am washing it in the room.)

Emphatic Be

In Igbo, the emphatic be is used to emphasize or confirm a statement. To form the emphatic be, we use the personal pronoun + the verb form "bu" or "na-eme". Here is the table of the emphatic be:

Igbo	Pronunciation	English
A bu onye Igbo	/a bu o-nye i-gbo/	I am an Igbo person
Ị na-eme n'elu uwa	/i na-e-me n'-e-lu u-wa/	You are enjoying the world
O bu nna ya	/o bu n-na ya/	He is his father's son
Ifeoma na-eme na-agba ebe onye obula aga-ebizi ya	/i-fe-o-ma na-e-me na-a-gba e-be o-nye o-bu-la a-ga-ebi-zi ya/	Ifeoma really went to the richest man's house

Let's use them in an example:

• Person 1: Ọ dịghị agbara? (Isn't it difficult?)
• Person 2: Agwụcha. A bu onye Igbo na-eme n'elu uwa. (It's easy. I am an Igbo person and I'm enjoying the world.)

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have reached the end of this lesson. Now you know how to use "be" in Igbo. To improve your Igbo grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions! Don't forget to visit the grammar section on Polyglot Club to learn more about Igbo grammar. If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Impressive work on finishing this lesson! Explore these additional pages to enhance your understanding: Give your Opinion & Plurals.

Other Lessons

• Adjectives
• Conditional Mood
• Give your Opinion
• Pronouns
• Negation
• How to Use Have
• Plurals
• Questions
• Future Tense

Sources

• Igbo language - Wikipedia
• Igbo Grammar - Igboguide.org
• A Grammar of Contemporary Igbo - Project MUSE