kama: Instead

Level 4

action one + kama + infinitive.

How It Works

Kama names the thing that did not happen.

Say	Meaning
Ọ gara ahịa kama ịgụ akwụkwọ.	He or she went to the market instead of reading.
Ọ nọrọ n'ụlọ kama ịga ahịa.	He or she stayed at home instead of going to the market.
Rie nri kama ịṅụ mmiri.	Eat food instead of drinking water.

The infinitive after kama keeps its object.

Ọ gara ahịa kama ịgụ akwụkwọ.
He or she went to the market instead of reading.
Kama plus ịgụ.
Ọ nọrọ n'ụlọ kama ịga ahịa.
He or she stayed at home instead of going to the market.
Nọrọ is stayed.
Rie nri kama ịṅụ mmiri.
Eat food instead of drinking water.
A command.

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

kama: InsteadLevel 4

Kama is followed by the infinitive, so the infinitive comes first.

kama

Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Igbo lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.