a kamwa.
carelessness, inevitability (in the sense of being obliged to do what one does not want to do) and even sheer exasperation. Tumaze ga- gendayo. We sent there just for the sake of going. Mumale gaddamu, temulowooza. Just give an answer, don't think about it first. Mala gakola. Just go ahead and do it. Don't spend too much time on it. Among the younger generation there is a tendency to drop the verbal stem which normally follows ga-. The meaning is implied from context, e.g., Twamala ga-. We simply went there (or simply did something else, dep ending on previous context).
tear up, tear off; scratch; scrape; fig. assail verbally, excoriate/reproach, cf. ekikonjobole; kolobola.
assault; assail verbally; go to a place to obtain. Emirimu ennaku zino tugirumba Kampala. We go to Kampala these days to get jobs.
complete; use up, consume; spend (time); satisfy, be sufficient for. v.i. suffice, be sufficient; be adequate; be enough. As an auxiliary verb mala has the following uses (adapted from Ashton's Luganda Grammar): 1) To denote completed action mala is followed by the main verb in the inf. Twamaze okusamba omupiira ng'obudde buzibye. We finished playing ball by the end of the day. 2) Followed by an inf. without the I.V., mala stresses the completion of an action before another action begins. Onoomala kuleeta mazzi. You will first bring water. 3) Followed by ga- and a verbal stem, mala expresses inevitability, obligation or simple carelessness. Tumaze gagendayo. We simply had to go there. Bamala gakomaga mbugo zityo. They just beat out the bark in any old way. 4) Followed by the neg. of the ne tense, mala indicates a reversal of decision.
inside, within. It is used with verbs, nouns and adjectives. With adjectives it weakens the force of the primary meaning. forehead, ekyenyi ky'empumi, projecting forehead. Wa mpumi. He has a projecting forehead, cf. 2e|tjwumj,
leave (on a trip), v.tr. lift, raise, okusitula olutalo, to start a fight/battle, okusitula oluyombo/empaka, to start or. argument/verbal conflict, okusitula enkundi, to raise a fuss, start quarreling, ‘raise hell.' okusitula embeera z'abantu, to improve the conditions/raise the standards of the people, okusitula ebbala, to look well, ekyuma ekisitula, elevator, lift.
is also used as the first element of hundreds of verb-noun phrases in which it loses its primary meaning and serves merely to give verbal force to the following noun. A few illustrative examples are given here, but since a complete listing would be unwieldy, even if possible, the compounds are listed under their final or noun element. akalulu, vote; okukuba akalulu, to vote, ekikonde, fist; okukuba ebikonde, to box.
(low tone) particle used: 1) as the introductory element in the second of two closely related clauses. The corresponding English may be a verbal participle; in other cases nga may be rendered how, how much. Mbalaba nga batambula mu kkubo. I see them walking in the road. Bwe yalaba ng'akooye n'asaba okuwummula. When he saw how tired he was, he asked to rest. 2) as the equivalent of the English conjunction if. Nga tebatuuse ku ssaawa bbiri, tobalindirira. If they have not arrived by eight o'clock, do not wait for them. 3) as the equivalent of the English conjunction when. Ng'otuuse obandabiranga. When you arrive give them my regards. 4) in conjunction with bwe, meaning while, as. Tunyumye nga bwe tuwaata. Let us converse as/while we are peeling. 5) as the introductory element in a ‘not yet' clause (= neg. + -nna-). Toweereza bbaluwa ezo nga sinnakugamba. Do not send off the letters before I tell you. 6) as an untranslatable element in some compound tenses. Babadde nga bayimba we nnagendeddeyo. They were singing when I went there. (E.O.A.)
an anomalous verbal root which always takes the subject prefix ka- {the implied noun subject is akabi) and a direct object (usually p ronominal). In meaning it corresponds most closely to Eng. dare, singa kantanda ne nzita ku kamu ku busolo obwo, if I dared kill one of these little animals. Nyjende? Teka- kutanda. Shall I go? Don't you dare.
v.tr. attack. Yansakatta n'ebigambo. He attacked me verbally.
v.i. recip. go at each other (often in a verbal or physical fight).
-egambulula (-egambuludde) v.i. conv. 2 refl. become unstuck; peel off. Note: gambulula resembles gamba in form but not in meaning; they may both be derived from the same verbal root.
assail each other verbally.