This is an outline of the major characteristics of sentences like "Ali alikuwa mwalimu" (Ali was a teacher), "Ali ni mwalimu" (Ali is a teacher), and the numerous pattern variations demonstrated by such sentences. Constructions of this kind are traditionally called copula constructions, and have been classified in terms of (1) predication with a verb, and (2) predication without a verb. The purpose of this study is primarily to investigate whether the elements mentioned under (2) are in fact sufficient to account for copula constructions without the morpheme "-w-," and what combinations of elements are possible. The second part of this outline discusses the structure of and restrictions on nominal expressions in copula sentences. The third part deals with word order, and the fourth with intonation patterns. (AMM)