“Just,” “Merely,” or “Simply” in Luganda

How to use

Luganda has a special grammatical structure for communicating that something has just, or simply, happened, or that something merely exists. This form can be applied to verbs or to nouns.

In English, this looks like “I am just waiting,” “It is merely a cat,” or “They are just thinking.” This tense is not used when describing something that has recently happened, as in “We have just arrived.”

How to create

Nouns

To create this meaning for a noun, simply state the noun, and then repeat it but add the prefix “bu.”

For example:

• Kappa bukappa (just a cat)
• Enjuba bujuba (just the sun)
• Abavubuka buvubuka (merely young people)

Verbs

To create this form, first conjugate the subject and verb in whatever tense you are hoping to describe. Then, repeat the root, and the prefix -bu, and change the ending as follows:

If the verb ends in la, ra, da, or ga, change that syllable to “zi”

If the verb ends in ta or ka, change that syllable to “si”

If the verb ends in ya, change that syallable to “i”

Any others, change the final “a” to “i.”

For example:

• Ntuula butuuzi. (I am just sitting.)
• Tubuuza bubuuzi. (We are just asking.)
• Bakola bukozi. (They are just working.)
• Yayimba buyimbi. (She was just singing.)
• Mulya buli. (You are just eating.)

Practice!

Practice creating the “just” form for verbs with this worksheet!