Ikhaya isiZulu kuya eIsiNgisi -ke

Kukhona izihumusho eziyinhloko ezingu-2 zokuthi -ke ku-isiZulu

: -ke1-ke2

-ke1

then

ingxenye

  • 1

    then
    well then
    ‘Yiso-ke lesi isifo ebesiphethe uJali’ — This, then, is the ailment that Jali suffered from

Usage

The enclitic -ke (which can be attached to any word) is often found in narratives.

Kukhona izihumusho eziyinhloko ezingu-2 zokuthi -ke ku-isiZulu

: -ke1-ke2

-ke2

do sometimes

auxiliary verb

  • 1

    do sometimes
    (marks occasional action) do every now and then
    ‘Ngike ngisukume, ngibone sengizula nendlu yonke’ — I sometimes stand up and find myself wandering through the whole house
    ‘Uthi uke wadla nje fana?’ — Are you saying that you merely ate every now and then, my boy?

  • 2

    have … ever
    has … ever
    ‘Uke wahlangana noyihlo?’ — Have you ever met your father?