Setswana Sentence Starters

Learn how to Start a Setswana Sentence using root phrases such as:

(All the Sentence starters are translated from English to Setswana for ease of understanding)

1. I am… (person) 

2. I am not… (person)

3. I am (something)…

4. I am not (something)… 

5. I am… (doing something)

6. I am not… (doing something)

7. I am still… (someone)

8. I still am not… (someone)

9. I am still (something)…

10. I still am not a… 

11. I am still… (doing something)- …

12. I still am not… (doing something)- 

13. I am already… (something) - 

14. I am already… (doing something)- 

15. I am not yet… (something)… 

16. I am no longer… (someone)

17. I am no longer (someone)…

18. I am no longer…(doing something)

19. I am saying… 

20. I am not saying…

21. I said…

22. I did not say…

23. I speak…

24. I do not speak…

25. I spoke…

26. I did not speak…

27. I am speaking with …

28. I am not speaking with …

29. I spoke with

30. I did not speak with…

31. I am speaking about…

32. I am not speaking about…

33. I spoke about… 

34. I did not speak about…

35. I agree with… 

36. I disagree with…

37. I agreed with…

38. I disagreed with…

39. I am trying to… 

40. I am not trying to…

41. I tried to…

42. I did not try to… 

43. I am intending to…

44. I do not intend to… 

45. I am prepared to… 

46. I am not prepared to… 

47. I am prepared for… 

48. I am not prepared for… 

49. I am like…

50. I am not like…

51. I am afraid of…

52. I am not afraid of… 

53. I am afraid to…

54. I am not afraid to…

55. I am sending…

56. I am not sending…

57. I sent…

58. I did not send… 

59. I am receiving… 

60. I am not receiving…

61. I received…

62. I did not receive…

63. I am used to… (doing something) 

64. I am not used to … (doing something)

65. I am used to… (something)… 

66. I am not used to (something)…

67. I am satisfied with…

68. I am not satisfied with…

69. I am buying… 

70. I am not buying…

71. I bought… 

72. I did not buy… 

73. I am going to… (a place) - 

74. I am not going to…- 

75. I am going to (do something)…- 

76. I am not going to… –

77. I am starting…- 

78. I am not starting…

79. I started… 

80. I did not start…-

81. I am stopping…

82. I am not stopping…- 

83. I stopped… 

84. I did not stop…

85. I am the one who…/it is me who…

86. I was the one who…/it was me who…- 

87. I was not the one who/it was not me who…

88. I was (something)…

89. I was not… (something) - 

90. I was… (doing something)- 

91. I was not… (doing something)- 

92. I was still (something)… 

93. I was still… (doing something)- 

94. I was no longer… (doing something)-

95. I was no longer (something)…

96. I was not yet (something)…

97. I was not yet… (doing something)- 

98. I will… (do something)- 

99. I will not…(do something)- 

100. I will be (something)… 

101. I will not be… (something)

102. I come from…

103. I do not come from…

104. I come from… (doing something) 

105. I do not come from (doing something)…

106. I grew up in…

107. I did not grow up in…

108. I grew up… (doing something)- 

109. I did not grow up…

110. I almost… 

111. I sometimes…

112. I always…

113. I never…- 

114. I plead for…

115. I am not pleading…

116. I plead unto…

117. I do not plead unto…

118. I pleaded unto…

119. I did not plead unto…

120. I understand… 

121. I do not understand…

122. I understood…

123. I did not understand…

124. I know…

125. I do not know…

126. I know how to…

127. Ga ke itse go… 

128. I know what is… 

129. I do not know what is…

130. I know what I … 

131. I do not know what I…

132. I know where I…

133. I do not know where I…

134. I can…- Nka…

135. I cannot…- Nka se..

136. I could… (have)

137. I could not… (have)

138. I am able to… 

139. I am not able to… 

140. I think…

141. I do not think…

142. I thought…

143. I had thought …

144. I did not think… 

145. I remember… (something) …

146. I had remembered…

147. I had not remembered…

148. I forget…

149. I do not forget…

150. I forgot…

151. I did not forget…

152. I assume/ I am assuming…

153. I assumed…

154. I have (something)…

155. I do not have (something)… 

156. I have to …

157. I do not have to… 

158. I have just… 

159. I have been…

160. I have not been…

161. I have never (done something)… 

162. I had (something) … 

163. I did not have (Something)…

164. I had to... 

165. I did not have to…

166. I need… (something) …

167. I do not need… (something) …

168. I need to … 

169. I do not need to…

170. I need to be… 

171. I do not need to be… 

172. I needed… (something)- 

173. I did not need…

174. I needed to… 

175. I did not need to…

176. I needed to be… 

177. I did not need to be…

178. I want… 

179. I do not want…

180. I want to… 

181. I do not want to… 

182. I want to be…

183. I do not want to be…

184. I want to be… (something) 

185. I do not want to be…(something)

186. I wanted…

187. I did not want…

188. I wanted to be…

189. I did not want to be…

190. I wanted to…

191. I did not want to…

192. I like… Ke rata…

193. I do not like…

194. I like to…

195. I like to be…

196. I do not like to be…

197. I liked…

198. I did not like…

199. I believe…

200. I don’t believe…

201. I believed…

202. I did not believe…

203. I do…

204. I do not do…

205. I make 

206. I do not make…

207. I made…

208. I did not make…

209. I feel…

210. I do not feel…

211. I felt…

212. I did not feel…

213. I was feeling…

214. I was not feeling…

215. I deserve…

216. I do not deserve…

217. I deserve to be…

218. I do not deserve to be…

219. I am getting used to… 

220. I am not getting used to…

221. I am used to…

222. I am not used to …

223. I was getting used to…

224. I was used to… 

225. I promise…

226. I promised…

227. I promise to…

228. I do not promise to… 

229. I promised to… 

230. I did not promise to…

231. I regret… (doing something) 

232. I regret not (doing something)…

233. I do not regret… (doing something)

234. I regretted… (doing something)

235. I did not regret…

236. I pray that…

237. I do not pray…

238. I pray for…

239. I do not pray for…

240. I expect…/I hope…

241. I do not expect…

242. I wish…

243. I do not wish

244. I wish to… 

245. I do not wish to… 

246. I had wished to… 

247. I did not wish to…

248. I worry about…

249. I do not worry about…

250. I am worried about…

251. I am not worried about…

252. I also…

253. I also do not…

254. I end up…

255. I do not end up…

256. I ended up…

257. I did not end up…