Editing Tswana language (section)

== Grammar ==

=== Nouns ===
[[Noun]]s in Tswana are grouped into nine [[noun class]]es and one subclass, each having different [[prefix]]es.  The nine classes and their respective prefixes can be seen below, along with a short note regarding the common characteristics of most nouns within their respective classes.<ref>{{Harvnb|Cole|1955|pp=68–69}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Class
! Singular
! Plural
! Characteristics
|-
! 1.
| mo-
| ba-
| align="left" | ''Persons''
|-
! 1a.
| –
| bô-
| align="left" | ''Names, kinship, animals''
|-
! 2.
| mo-
| me-<br />ma-
| rowspan="3" align="left" | ''Miscellaneous<br />(including bodyparts, tools,<br />instruments, animals, trees, plants)''
|-
! 3.
| le-
| ma-
|-
! 4.
| se-
| di-
|-
! 5.
| n-<br />m-<br />ny-<br />ng-
| rowspan="2" | din-<br />dim-<br />diny-<br />ding-
| align="left" | ''Animals<br />(but also miscellaneous)''
|-
! 6.
| lo-
| align="left" | ''Miscellaneous<br />(including a number of collective nouns)''
|-
! 7.
| bo-
| ma-
| align="left" | ''Abstract nouns''
|-
! 8.
| colspan="2" | go-
| align="left" | ''Infinitive forms of verbs''
|-
! 9.
| colspan="2" | fa-<br />go-<br />mo-
| align="left" | ''Adverbs''
|}

Some nouns may be found in several classes.  For instance, many class 1 nouns are also found in class 1a, class 3, class 4, and class 5.<ref>{{Harvnb|Cole|1955|p=70}}</ref>