immediate) FUTURE:
| bageenda | [IMM.] |
| bazoogeenda | [FUT.] |
| tuzooshika | [FUT.] |
For purposes of this synopsis, the persistive, inceptive, and conditional forms will be omitted.
Dimension 4: Imperfective vs. perfective aspect. This is a two-way contrast. The overt representation of the contrast is found at the very end of the verb form: each imperfective ends in some consonant plus /—a/, while the corresponding perfective ends in /—e/; this /—e/ is preceded either by a consonant different from that of the imperfective, or by the imperfective consonant plus /y/. Some verbs have irregularly formed perfectives, however. Perfective forms are used when the action is regarded as being complete, imperfectives are used for actions in progress, or actions mentioned without regard to completeness, but the English translation is not a reliable guide as to which actions are 'considered complete' in Kirundi. In all, 44 sets are committed on this dimension; the sets that are not are the inceptives and the futures (Dimension 3), which have the consonants and final vowels of the imperfectives.
State whether each of these verbs is PERFECTIVE, or
| IMPERFECTIVE: | ||
| ndahageze | 'I've arrived here' | [PERF.] |
| urakeneye | 'you need' | [PERF.] |
| uzootaangura | 'you will begin' | [IMPERF.] |
| ndoondera | 'I'm looking for' | [IMPERF.] |
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