Lingala grammar, step by step
A guided tour through Lingala grammar with glossed examples that show how each piece of a sentence fits together.
Grammar Walkthrough
Discover how the language works through examples
Lingala is a Bantu language that chooses SVO word order and a simplified noun class system, making it the lingua franca across DR Congo and the Republic of Congo.
Nouns carry their own category
noun classes| Class | Singular prefix | Plural prefix | Meaning area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 | mo- | ba- | people, persons |
| 3/4 | mo- | mi- | plants, some objects |
| 5/6 | li- | ma- | body parts, some objects |
| 7/8 | e- | bi- | various objects |
| 9/10 | n- / — | n- / — | loanwords, animals |
| 15 | ko- | — | infinitives (verbal nouns) |
The words for "person" and "people" do not just add an -s — the beginning of the word changes. What do you notice about how the prefix shifts?
Lingala nouns belong to classes marked by prefixes. The most common class pairs people: mo- in the singular and ba- in the plural. The prefix is part of the noun itself, and every word that refers to that noun must show the same class prefix.
Subject, then verb, then object
SVO word orderWhere does the verb sit — at the beginning, middle, or end? Try to identify subject, verb, and object in each example.
Lingala follows Subject–Verb–Object (SVO) order. The verb comes after the subject and before the object.
The verb wears its subject
subject agreement prefixes| Person | Prefix | Example (speak) | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | na- | nalobí | I speak |
| you (sg) | o- | olobí | you speak |
| he / she / they (sg) | a- | alobí | he/she/they speaks |
| we | to- | tolobí | we speak |
| you (pl) | bo- | bolobí | you all speak |
| they (pl) | ba- | balobí | they speak |
The front of the verb changes with every subject. Can you match each short prefix to the person it represents?
Every Lingala verb starts with a subject agreement prefix that matches who is acting. These prefixes are always present — you cannot drop them the way you can drop a separate subject pronoun.
The present tense: a high-toned ending
present tense -íThe verb ends in -í with a high tone mark. Is there any other way the verb can end, and what would that mean?
The present / recent-past tense in Lingala is formed with a high-toned suffix -í on the verb stem. The bare infinitive ends in -a (koloba = "to speak") — adding -í gives the completed-action or present-state meaning.
Pitch changes meaning
lexical tonesThese two words look similar in spelling but have different marks above the vowels. Why would pitch matter?
Lingala is a tonal language: the pitch of a syllable (high or low) is part of the word's meaning. A high tone is often written with an acute accent (á), a low tone is unmarked or written with a grave (à). Different tones on the same consonants and vowels make different words.
Habitual action: -aka
habitual aspect -akaThis verb form ends in -aka instead of -í. What kind of action does that suggest — a single event, or something repeated?
The suffix -aka marks habitual or continuous aspect: an action done regularly, as a habit, or always true. It replaces the -í ending on the verb stem.
Future: slot in -ko-
future tense na-ko-lobaCompare the present and future forms side by side. What extra piece appears in the middle of the future verb?
The future tense inserts the infix -ko- between the subject prefix and the verb stem. The stem then takes its base vowel -a (not the present -í). So na- + ko- + loba = nakoloba (I will speak).
Negation: just add te at the end
negation teThe positive and negative sentences look almost identical — one small word appears at the end of the negative. Can you find it?
Lingala negation is simple: add the particle te after the verb (or at the end of the verb phrase). Nothing else in the sentence changes — no prefix, no change to the verb stem.
Asking questions
questions + question words| Question word | Lingala | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| what (thing) | nini | what |
| who | nani | who |
| where | wapi | where |
| when | ntango nini | when (lit. time-what) |
| why | mpo na nini | why (lit. because of what) |
| how many | boni | how many |
The yes/no question looks identical to the statement. What makes it a question? And where do the question words appear?
Yes/no questions are formed with rising intonation alone — the word order does not change. Question words (nini, nani, wapi…) appear in the position of the thing they ask about, not moved to the front.
Pointing things out
demonstratives oyo / wanaThe word oyo appears after the noun. Does it come before or after? And does it change form to match the noun class?
Lingala demonstratives follow the noun they modify. Oyo means "this" (near) and wana means "that" (farther away). They agree with the noun's class in some dialects but are often invariable in everyday speech.
Linking possessor to noun with ya
possession with yaThere is no single possessive suffix like -'s. Instead, a short word sits between the noun and its possessor. What is that word?
Possession is expressed with the linking particle ya between the possessed noun and the possessor. The word order is POSSESSED ya POSSESSOR — the opposite of English 's constructions.
Verbs agree with noun class
noun class verb agreementWhen the subject is a person, the verb starts with a-. When the subject is a thing, the verb starts with something different. What controls which prefix the verb takes?
In Lingala the verb's subject prefix must agree with the noun class of its subject. Class 1 (mo-/person nouns) triggers a- on the verb; other classes trigger different prefixes — e- for class 7, li- for class 5, etc.
Plural noun classes
plural prefixes| Singular | Plural | Example SG | Example PL |
|---|---|---|---|
| mo- (CL1) | ba- (CL2) | moto (person) | bato (people) |
| mo- (CL3) | mi- (CL4) | mobali (man) | mibali (men) |
| li- (CL5) | ma- (CL6) | liino (tooth) | maino (teeth) |
| e- (CL7) | bi- (CL8) | eloko (thing) | biloko (things) |
Each singular noun class pairs with a plural class. Can you spot the pattern — which prefix becomes which in the plural?
Noun class pairs work in singular–plural sets: mo-/ba- (people), mo-/mi- (plants/objects), li-/ma- (augmentatives), e-/bi- (things). The plural prefix replaces the singular prefix; the stem stays the same.
Repeating a word to intensify it
reduplicationPart of the word appears twice. Does that mean the same thing twice, or does the doubling add a new shade of meaning?
Reduplication in Lingala — repeating a verb or adjective root — intensifies meaning, signals continuous action, or emphasizes completeness. The doubled form is felt as a single grammatical unit.
Two verbs, no connector
serial verbsTwo verbs appear in the sentence without any word like "and" or "then" between them. How are their meanings combined?
Lingala uses serial verb constructions: two or more verbs placed in sequence share the same subject and together describe a single complex event. No conjunction is needed — proximity is enough.
The full picture
putting it togetherHow many patterns from earlier steps can you identify in these sentences? Try naming each one.
Lingala grammar is built from layered, regular patterns: noun classes set the framework, subject prefixes fuse with verbs, tense and aspect slot in between, and particles like ya and te handle possession and negation.