a- plur. (li/ma) shoulder blades.
a makumi ataano; ataano.
a makumi ana.
amakumi ana.
enkwakwa, amakumi.
a makumi asatu.
makumi abiri.
amayinja abiri, two stones, ensi abiri, twenty countries, amayinja amakumi abiri, twenty stones, cf. -biri.
(high tone) particle used: 1) as a preposition meaning like. Alya nga nsolo. He eats like an animal. 2) before a relative form of the verb. Yalabika ng'afumba. She seemed to be cooking, lit. like one who cooks. This is identical in form with 1), differing only in English rendition. 3) in the sense of about, approximately, abantu nga makumi abiri, about twenty people. 4) in conjunction with bwe, corresponding to the English conjunctions how or as. Kola nga (nze) bwe nkola. Do as (lit. like how) I do. 5) os an initial element in an exclamatory clause. Nga bayimba bulungi! How well they sing! (E.O.A.)
-satu numeral stem three. Initial modifications are made according to the class of the noun to which the numeral refers. Note that ssatu is used in counting (one, two, three, four, etc.) os well as with nouns of the n/n class. Under certain circumstances (for which see the grammars) amakumi asatu, 30 is abbreviated to asatu. cf. -satule, okusatu, Olwokusatu, -nsatule.
-taano numeral stem five. Initial modifications are made according to the class of the noun to which the numeral refers. Note that ttaano is used in counting (one, two, three, etc.) as well as with nouns of the lu/n and n/n classes. Under certain circumstances (for which see the grammars) amakumi ataano, 50, is abbreviated to ataano. cf. okutaano, Olwokutaano.
-biri numeral stem two. Initial modifications are made ac cording to the class of the noun to which the numeral refers. Note that bbiri is used in counting (one, two, three, etc.) as well as with nouns of the lu/n and n/n classes. Under certain circumstanc es (for which see the grammars) amakumi abiri, 20, is abbreviated to abiri. olw'ebbiri, at another time, on another occasion (olwa implies lunaku, day). Ensi emutaddeko abiri. He is the object of public attention, lit. The country has put two (amaaso, eyes, implied) on him. -biri -biri, two by two, two each. Baatambula babiribabiri. They walked two by two. Yatuwa ebitabo bibiri bibiri. He gave us two books each. cf. bbiri, okubiri, Olwokubiri, -mbi(riri).
-na numeral stem four. Initial modifications are made according to the class of the noun to which the numeral refers. Note that nnya is used in counting as well as with plural nouns of the lu/n and n/n classes. Under certain circumstances (for which see the grammars) amakumi ana (40) is abbreviated to ana. cf. okuna, Olwokuna.