- The present progressive is saying phrases like "He is sitting." as opposed to "He sits.". There are two ways to form the present progressive in Bambara:
- (1) Recall the na / la ending words from the Situatives and To have sections. Just like there, you add the na / la to the end. Think of it like "He is upon the act of sitting.".
- À tɛ dɔ̀n na. : He is not dancing.
- À bɛ gafe kɔ̀rɔ sàn na. : She is buying an old book.
- N bɛ wuli la. : I'm getting up.
- (2) You can also use ka after the subject:
- À tɛ ka dɔ̀n. : He is dancing.
- À bɛ ka gafe kɔ̀rɔ san. : She is buying an old book.
- N bɛ ka wuli. : I'm getting up.