Chapter 5: Doubling, Negation and the Future
Don’t and Stop: Kik and Wek
Tell someone not to do something with kik, or to stop with wek: kik ichiem, wek chiemo.
📚 Theory: More on Negation
The word ‘kik’ goes before a verb to form a negative imperative, that is, to tell someone not to do something.
| Dholuo | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| kik ichiem | Do not eat | |
| kik iywag | Do not cry | The verb ‘ywak’ is ‘to cry’ |
| kik gibi | Let them not come | The verb ‘bi’ is ‘to come’. It’s the short form of the verb ‘biro’ |
| kik wadhi | Let us not go |
Grammar note: Let’s see how this works in practice.
📚 Theory: Negation
The word ‘wek’ or ‘we’ goes before a verb when telling someone to stop doing that verb.
| Dholuo | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wek chiemo | Stop eating | |
| Wek ng’iya | Stop looking at me | From the verb ‘ng’iyo’ which means ‘to look’ |
| We kwecho | Stop begging | From the verb ‘kwecho’ which is ‘to beg’ |
Grammar note: Let’s see how this works in practice.
💬 Conversation Practice
Yambo
Kik iket sukari ei chiemo
Do not + you put + sugar + in + food
Don’t you put sugar in food.
Akinyi
We dhawo koda.
Stop + quarelling + with me
Stop quarelling with me.
Yambo
Wek wuoyo koda.
Stop + speaking + with me.
Stop speaking with me.
📚 Vocabulary from the Conversation
| Dholuo | English | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Dhawo | To quarell | Verb |
| Wuoyo | To speak | Verb |
🎯 Practice Exercises
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