Sotho verbs Verbal derivatives Verb derivations using the root 
  
 -qet- The traditional verb root used to demonstrate these derivations (and form their traditional names; by using the class 5 noun prefix 
 le- 
 and changing the final vowel to 
 -i 
 ) is 
 -ets- 
 (do, act, make). The problem with this root is that the 
 ts 
 consonant tends to greatly complicate the forms of the derivatives (due to 
 alveolarization 
 ), and it has been felt wise in this table to use a verb root with more neutral sounds. Note that the 
 e 
 in 
  
 -qet- regularly undergoes 
 vowel raising 
 when followed by certain vowels and consonants, but this is a simpler and more predictable phenomenon than the various complications brought on by the 
 ts 
 consonant. Compare this with the situation in 
 Arabic 
 where the verb فَعَلَ (Faʿala "he did") traditionally used to indicated the various verb forms often confuses non-native learners due to the 
 ʿAin 
 ع sound being confused with that of the 
 Hamza 
 ء that appears in some forms (such as the causative stem IV أَفْعَلََ 'Afʿala).

| Type_ | Suffix | Valency_change | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | -a | 0 | -qeta | finish |
| Passive | -wa | –1 | -qetwa | be finished |
| Passive | -uwa | –1 | -qetuwa | be finished |
| Neutro-active | -ahala | intr. | -qetahala | finishable |
| Neutro-passive | -eha | intr. | -qeteha | finishable |
| Applied | -ela | +1 | -qetela | finished for |
| Causative | -isa | +1 | -qetisa | cause to finish |
| Intensive | -isisa | 0 | -qetisisa | finish intensely |
| Perfective | -ella | 0 | -qetella | finish completely |
| Reciprocal | -ana | –1 | -qetana | finish each other |
| Associative | -ahana | –1 | -qetahana | (be finished together) |
| Reversive | -olla | 0 | -qetolla | unfinish |
| Augmentative | -olla | 0 | -qetolla | (finish extensively) |
| Extensive | -aka | 0 | -qetaka | (finish repeatedly and extensively) |
| Diminutive | (see text) | 0 | -qeta-qeta | finish a little |