Bemba Lab – Sentence Builder Game

How to Play

Objective

Build Bemba sentences by correctly translating English sentences. Fill in the 4 grammatical slots (Who, When, What, Whom) with the correct Bemba words to form a complete sentence.

Game Layout

1. TOP SECTION: English sentence you need to translate
2. MIDDLE SECTION: 4 empty slots to fill (Who, When, What, Whom)
3. BOTTOM SECTION: Color-coded Bemba sentence forms as you play
4. CONTROLS: Reset, Show Me, and Next Sentence buttons

Step-by-Step Gameplay

1. Start a New Sentence

• The game begins with “You now drink water”
• You can:
  • Click RANDOMIZE to get a new English sentence
  • Use the dropdown menus to create your own English sentence

2. Fill the Bemba Slots

Click on any of the 4 colored slots:

• 🟡 WHO (Yellow): Subject prefix (n, u, a, ba, tu, mu)
• 🔵 WHEN (Cyan): Time marker (le, ka, ali, la, de, etc.)
• 🔴 WHAT (Red): Action verb (nwa, lya, mona, ya, belenga)
• 🟣 WHOM (Purple): Object (amenshi, ifyakulya, icitabo, kuŋanda)

When you click a slot:

• A choice modal opens with 8 options
• Choose the correct Bemba word for that slot
• If correct: Slot locks and turns white
• If wrong: Slot shakes (try again!)

3. Watch the Bemba Sentence Form

Below the 4 slots, you’ll see the Bemba sentence build:

• Gray text: Not yet filled (n ... ... ...)
• Colored text: Correctly filled
• Example progression:
  • Start: n ... ... ... (all gray)
  • Fill WHO: u ... ... ... (WHO turns yellow)
  • Fill WHEN: u le ... ... (WHEN turns cyan)
  • Fill WHAT: u le nwa ... (WHAT turns red)
  • Fill WHOM: u le nwa amenshi (WHOM turns purple, all colored!)

4. Complete the Sentence

• When all 4 slots are correct:
  • Score increases by 10 points
  • Streak increases by 1
  • “NEXT SENTENCE” button appears
  • The complete Bemba sentence pulses with all colors

5. Continue Playing

• Click NEXT SENTENCE for a new challenge
• Try to beat your high score and longest streak!

Game Controls

Buttons:

• RANDOMIZE: Get a random English sentence
• (Deconstruct) = RESET ROUND: Clear all Bemba slots and start over
• (Blueprint) = SHOW ME: Reveal all correct answers (resets streak)
• NEXT SENTENCE: Appears when sentence is complete

Keyboard Shortcuts:

• Escape (ESC): Close choice modal
• Numbers 1-8: Select choices when modal is open
• R: Reset the current round
• S: Show all answers

Scoring System

• +10 points for each complete sentence
• Streak: Consecutive correct sentences
• Best: Your highest streak record
• Note: Wrong answers reset your streak to 0

Bemba Grammar Guide

WHO Prefixes:

• I = n (Ine)
• You = u (Iwe)
• We = tu (Ifwe)
• He/She = a (Uyu)
• They = ba (Aba)
• You (plural) = mu (Imwe)

WHEN Markers:

• Now = le or de (depends on subject)
• Yesterday = ali or li (depends on subject)
• Everyday = la or da (depends on subject)
• Tomorrow = ka (same for all)

WHAT Actions:

• drink = nwa
• eat = lya
• see = mona
• go = ya
• read = belenga

WHOM Objects:

• water = amenshi
• food = ifyakulya
• book = icitabo
• home = kuŋanda

Tips for Success

1. Start with WHO: The WHO prefix determines the correct WHEN marker
2. Check compatibility: Some verbs only go with certain objects (e.g., “drink” only goes with “water”)
3. Use color coding: The colors help you remember which part is which
4. Build gradually: Watch the sentence form below as you fill slots
5. Practice patterns: Notice how WHO affects WHEN markers

Common Sentence Examples

1. I now eat food
   • WHO: n (I)
   • WHEN: de (now for “I”)
   • WHAT: lya (eat)
   • WHOM: ifyakulya (food)
   • Bemba: n de lya ifyakulya
2. You yesterday saw water
   • WHO: u (you)
   • WHEN: ali (yesterday for “you”)
   • WHAT: mona (see)
   • WHOM: amenshi (water)
   • Bemba: u ali mona amenshi
3. We tomorrow go home
   • WHO: tu (we)
   • WHEN: ka (tomorrow)
   • WHAT: ya (go)
   • WHOM: kuŋanda (home)
   • Bemba: tu ka ya kuŋanda

Learning Goals

1. Vocabulary: Learn Bemba words for common actions and objects
2. Grammar: Understand subject prefixes and time markers
3. Sentence structure: Learn Bemba word order
4. Pattern recognition: See how grammatical elements work together

Troubleshooting

If the game isn’t working:

• Refresh the page (F5)
• Make sure JavaScript is enabled
• Try a different browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge work best)

If colors aren’t showing:

• The sentence below should turn from gray to colors as you play
• If not, click “SHOW ME” to see what it should look like

Educational Value

This game helps you:

• Learn Bemba vocabulary in context
• Practice grammatical patterns
• Build sentences step-by-step
• Reinforce learning through immediate feedback
• Track your progress with scores and streaks

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Ready to play? Start by clicking on the yellow WHO slot and choose the correct prefix for “You”! Remember: the colors will guide you as the Bemba sentence forms below. Good luck! 

You can look at this cheat sheet if you get stuck.

You can also watch the video (Bemba Lesson 38) explaining how the Bemba Sentence Builder Chart works to help you work out the structure of a sentence.

For your feedback. or if you have any ideas on how we can make this easier and better, please leave a comment below.