Ndagukunda
To say "i love you" in Kinyarwanda, use Ndagukunda.
Ndagukunda is an affirmation of romantic feeling. While it is primarily used to express romantic love, the verb root within the word can also be used to express liking a person or a thing in a non-romantic way depending on the context.
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The word Ndagukunda is composed of the prefix Nda- (I), the object marker -gu- (you) and the verb root -kunda (love/like).
How does it change in a sentence?
Ndagukunda is in the present tense. To say "I loved you" in the past tense, you would change the prefix to Narakukundaga.
Did you know?
- In Rwanda, the phrase Ndagukunda is often expressed through indirect actions or poetry rather than being said bluntly, as traditional culture values modesty and subtlety in romantic courtship.
- The phrase Ndagukunda is a prime example of an agglutinative language, where the subject, object and verb are fused into one single word.
- The root -kunda is part of a vast linguistic network, sharing the same core meaning of 'desire' or 'love' across many Bantu languages in Central and Southern Africa.
Examples in context
- Ndagukunda cyane.I love you very much.
- Ndagukunda, rwose.I really love you.
- Ndagukunda, mugore wanjye.I love you, my wife.
Example conversation
A couple is saying goodbye before work.
- OlivierNdagukunda, Beatrice.I love you, Beatrice.
- BeatriceNawe ndagukunda, Olivier.I love you too, Olivier.
- OlivierUrazira gukora neza uyu munsi.Have a great day at work.
- BeatriceSawa, tubone bye!Okay, see you later!
