Luganda
The Reciprocal in Luganda
How to use the reciprocal
The reciprocal is used when something is done reciprocally, or between two people. The form is used when you want to things like “They hurt one another” “We see each other” or “They agree with one another.”
How to construct the reciprocal
Making the a verb reciprocal is fairly simple. You just take the verb stem and add the reciprocal suffix to it. For the most part, the suffix is -gana or -ganya.
okulaba (to see) –> okulabagana (to see each other)
okwagala (to like) –> okwagalagana (to like each other)
okusamba (to kick) –> okusambagana (to kick one another)
When using the reciprocal with a prepositional verb, the suffix becomes -ganya.
okuwulira (to hear) –> okuwuliraganya (to communicate)
okukkiriza (to agree) –> okukkiriziganya (to agree with one another)
To practice using the reciprocal, check out this worksheet.
