The ‘ya’ rule [34]

When the above prefixes are added to a verb such as I
learn: ndi+funda = ndifunda, and it stands alone as a
sentence in itself, in other words there are no other
words in the sentence, a ya is placed inbetween:

Ndiyafunda

NB. The ya is only ever used when the action word is
in the present and positive. You know this because
they end in –a (see all above).
Examples:
learn - funda I am learning - ndiyafunda
praise - bulela I am praising - ndiyabulela
go home - goduka I am going home - ndiyagoduka
try - zama You are trying - uyazama
help - nceda He is helping - uyanceda
listen - mamela We are listening - siyamamela
Note: Ya does not translate as ‘am’/’are’/’is’.

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