Tumbuka have to agree with the noun referred to. This is done by means of prefixes, infixes, or suffixes called 'concords' which differ according to the class of noun. Class 1 has the greatest variety of concords, differing for pronouns, subject prefix, object infix, numbers, adjectives, and possessives: = this child = one child = that child = the whole child = every child = the child saw him = the small child = Khumbo's child = my child = the child has seen Other noun classes have a smaller variety of concords, as can be seen from the table below: Sample phrases and text The following is a list of phrases that can be used when one visits a region whose primary language is Tumbuka: Verbs Subject prefix All verbs must have a subject prefix, which agrees with the subject noun. For example, the word 'hunter' is class 7, so if it is subject, the verb has the prefix ci-: = 'the hunter killed a lion' It is also possible for the subject to be a locative noun (classes 16, 17, 18), in which case the verb has a locative prefix: = 'on the mat there sat down a child' The locative prefix ku- (class 17) is also used impersonally when discussing the weather: = 'it's cold these days' When the subject is a personal pronoun, the subject prefixes are as follows (the pronoun itself may be omitted, but not the subject prefix): = 'I bought' (nkha- stands for ni-ka-) = 'you bought' (informal, singular) = 'he, she bought' = 'we bought' = 'you bought' (plural or respectful) = 'they bought', 'he/she bought' (plural or respectful) In the perfect tense, these are shortened to , e.g. 'we have bought'. In Karonga dialect, in the 3rd person singular a- is found instead of wa-, and the 3rd plural is wa- instead of ŵa-, except in the perfect tense, when wa- and ŵa- are used. Object-marker To indicate the object, an infix can be added to the verb immediately before the verb root. Generally speaking, the object-marker is optional: = 'Pokani has bought a car' (class 9) = 'Changa carried the luggage' (class 1) The object-marker agrees with the class of the object, as shown on the table of concords above. The object-marker can also be a locative (classes 16, 17, or 18): = 'Kondwani has climbed on top of the