Things and plants: classes 3 and 4
Classes 3 and 4 (Chatelain's class II): mu- in the singular, mi- in the plural.
After this unit
Form the plural of a class 3 noun, and tell it apart from a word for a person.
Class 3 holds things and plants
Chatelain puts the names of things in the second class of his scheme, which is class 3 and 4 in the standard numbering. He adds that it covers almost all names of trees and plants. In the singular, these nouns begin with mu-. To make the plural, change mu- to mi-. The plural belongs to class 4.
Singular and plural
| Singular (mu-) | Plural (mi-) | Singular means |
|---|---|---|
| Mukanda | Mikanda | letter, written paper |
| Mukolo | Mikolo | rope |
| Mulundu | Milundu | mountain, hill |
| Mukoko | Mikoko | coconut palm |
| Mulele | Milele | cloth, fabric |
| Mukasu | Mikasu | eyebrow |
The stem stays the same. Only the prefix changes. Open a word to see every meaning it has.
Tell class 3 from class 1
Both classes begin with mu- in the singular. The plural tells them apart: a- means a person, and mi- means a thing or a plant. The unit on words for people shows the first kind.
Back to words for peopleOne person word in class 3
Chatelain names one exception to “things”. The word below means a white person, and it takes mi- in the plural.
Mundele → mindele · white person
Where this comes from
- Chatelain, Grammatica elementar do Kimbundu (Loanda, 1889), printed page 2 — class II, mu- to mi-, the exception mundele
- The 1940s Kimbundu–Portuguese dictionary this site is built from — every example word