Learning Swahili from English
Created: 2020-04-21
Streak Extended: 2023-11-02
Timezone: UTC-4
Last update: 2023-11-02 14:51:28 GMT+3
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emilian · jina · juma · la · lake · lako · langu · mchina · mholanzi · mimi · mkenya · mmarekani · mtanzania · nani · ni · ninyi · rehema · sisi · wachina · waholanzi · wakenya · wamarekani · wao · watanzania · wewe · yeye
26 words
Kiswahili pronunciation is, for the most part, easy for a learner whose first language is English. The language has a five vowel system represented by the letter, a, e, i, o, and u, (like Spanish), and most of its consonants are quite similar to English ones. The following points need to be kept in mind when learning Kiswahili pronunciation:
Kiswahili words are stressed. With a few notable exceptions, stress is placed on the next-to-last (penultimate) syllable, e.g. bába father, káka brother etc. The exceptions are: lázima necessary, obligation; núsura almost, etc. (The accent ‘used here to indicate stress.)
Kiswahili vowels are pronounced as follows:
The letter a is approximately pronounced as in English father, e.g. baba-father
The letter e is approximately pronounced as in English debt, e.g. nene-fat
The letter i is approximately pronounced as in English bee, e.g. bibi-grandmother
The letter o is approximately pronounced as in English row, e.g. mtoto-child
The letter u is approximately pronounced as in English moon, e.g. bubu-dumb person
All vowels are pronounced clearly and distinctly regardless of the position of the vowel in a word. They are never pronounced reduced (i.e schwa) as the second vowel in water and butter. Double vowels as in kaa, baa, taa, etc. are pronounced long. Dissimilar vowels as in pea, paua, zuia, etc. are pronounced distinctly as separate syllables; they are not pronounced like a sequence of two vowels one blending into the other as the English diphthong which is considered to form a single syllable.
p, t, ch, k are pronounced as in English pea, tea, cheer, keep respectively, Examples are: paa-roof, taa-lamp, choo-toilet, kaa-crab
b, d, j, g are pronounced as in English big, dig, jog, give respectively. Examples are: baa-bar, dada-sister, jaa-fill, gugu-weed
m, n, are pronounced as in English. Examples are: mama-mother, nane-eight
ng’ is pronounced like ng in long, bring, sing. Examples are: ng’aa-shine, ng’ombe-cow, ng’amua-realize
ny is pronounced as ni as in the word onion. Examples are: nyanya-tomatoes, nyinyi-you all, manyunyu-drizzle
nj is pronounced like the nge sound in the word fringe. Examples are: njano-yellow, njegere-peas
th, dh are pronounced as English th in thick and this, respectively, Examples are: thelathini-thirty, dhambi-sin
s, z are pronounced as English. Examples are: saa-time, watch, clock, zaa-give birth
sh is pronounced as in English she. Examples: shangaa-be surprised, shinda-win
h is pronounced as in English he. Examples are habari-news, information
f, v are pronounced like the initial sounds in the English words fail, veil respectively, Examples are: faa-be of use, vaa-wear, dress (cloth)
r, l, w, y are pronounced as the initial sounds in the English words; rain, lawyer, way, yes, respectively. Examples are: radi-thunder, lala-sleep, wewe-you (singular), yeye-s/he.
gh is pronounced in the same position in the mouth as English g in go but with friction. Examples are ghali-expensive, ghafla-suddenly
Personal pronouns and demonstratives vary according to the noun class of the word they refer to.
| Swahili Pronoun | English Pronoun |
|---|---|
| Mimi | I/Me |
| Wewe | You |
| Yeye | He/She (Him/Her) |
| Sisi | We/Us |
| Ninyi | You (pl) |
| Wao | They/Them |
NOTE: Sometimes, you might see the second person plural written as Nyinyi, but for this course, you will see Ninyi used.
To express the concept of “being” in the present, the particles ni (positive) and si (negative) are used as shown in the following chart:
| Pronoun | Particle | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Mimi/Wewe/Yeye | ni | Mtanzania/Mmarekani/Mkenya |
| I/You/He or She | am/are/is | (a/an) Tanzanian/American/Kenyan |
| Mimi/Wewe/Yeye | si | Mtanzania/Mmarekani/Mkenya |
| I/You/He or She | am/are/is not | (a/an) Tanzanian/American/Kenyan |
| Pronoun | Particle | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Sisi/Ninyi/Wao | ni | Watanzania/Wamarekani/Wakenya |
| We/You (pl)/They | are | Tanzanians/Americans/Kenyans |
| Sisi/Ninyi/Wao | si | Watanzania/Wamarekani/Wakenya |
| We/You (pl)/They | are not | Tanzanians/Americans/Kenyans |
A common mistake for translating the word 'American' is simply changing the 'c' to 'k' - this is incorrect. The translation becomes '-marekani'
asubuhi · baba · babu · bibi · dada · habari · hajambo · hamjambo · hatujambo · hawajambo · hujambo · jioni · kaka · karibu · kazi · leo · mama · mambo · mchana · na · nyumbani · nzuri · poa · safi · salama · sijambo · umeamkaje · umelalaje · umeshindaje · usiku · ya · za
32 words
It is customary in Tanzanian culture to exchange greetings before engaging in a conversation or in any other activities, which is why ‘Greetings’ is one of the first skills of the Swahili course.
Hand shaking is used a lot. In some areas of Tanzania people kneel down or bow, or bend down a little as a sign of respect, children bow their heads for a blessing from elders. In other areas elders bow their heads for a touch from children when being greeted.
People take greetings seriously as they help to maintain good relationships.
The word habari literally means news, but it is often used to ask How is ---?.
Some Tanzanians use the greeting Jambo when greeting foreigners. In most cases Jambo is considered to be a touristic greeting. Generally foreigners are associated with tourists and for that matter this greeting is commonly used with foreigners.
When using the forms of -jambo, negative prefixes will be used (such as asking, Hujambo?). This can be translated as a way to say Hello! or How are you?. More about this will be explained in later lessons, but for now, just remember that Jambo is technically used for tourists only.
To a friend/colleague, one can say Mambo? or Salama? or Vipi?, but not to an elder or to a senior person. These phrases are slang for Hello.
Articles "a", "the", and "some" are not used in Swahili. One can say "mtoto" meaning "a" or "the" child.
asante · asubuhi njema · baadaye · esther · hodi · jioni njema · kwa heri · marahaba · mchana mwema · pole · rashidi · samahani · shikamoo · siku njema · tafadhali · tutaonana baadaye · usiku mwema
17 words
Normally older people or those considered to be of higher status are greeted first. In most cases titles would accompany the greetings Shikamoo mwalimu (teacher), mzee (old person), babu (grandfather), kaka (brother), dada (sister) etc.
Shikamoo literally translates to may I hold your feet, a greeting with Islamic roots. We can simply translate this as Hello, or I respect you. The literal translation can be a bit strange!
Similarly, the response to shikamoo, marahaba, literally means I accept. However, that can also be awkward. In this course, we've tried to come up with an acceptable translation.
Generally for Africans, the term family refers to all family and extended relatives, i.e siblings, uncles, aunties, cousins, nephew, nieces, grand fathers and mothers etc.
Family relationships take precedence over age: e.g. a stepmother, even if younger than you, will get the same respect as your mother.
Close family friends are treated and referred to as if they are relatives.
In East African, and especially Tanzanian, culture, it is very common to ask and be asked about family affairs, marital status and age, even when greeting new people.
asha · daktari · mafundi · mbaya · mdogo · mgeni · mhandisi · mhudumu · mkubwa · mkulima · mpishi · mrefu · msafiri · msichana · mtoto · mtu · muuguzi · mvulana · mwafrika · mwalimu · mwanafunzi · mwanamke · mwanaume · mzazi · mzima · mzuri · na · rafiki · saidi · seremala · si · waafrika · wabaya · wachache · wadogo · wageni · wake · wako · wakulima · walimu · wanafunzi · wanaume · wanawake · wanene · wangu · wapishi · wasafiri · watoto · watu · wavulana · wazazi · wazuri · wenu · wetu
54 words
In Swahili, nouns are grouped according to different classes. These classes have different agreements and grammatical structures in common with very few exceptions. Although learning the different rules of the noun classes can seem daunting, the patterns that each class follow become easily recognizable and mastery over noun classes will set your Swahili apart from a casual learner.
Most nouns referring to humans, animals, and insects fall into the M- WA- noun class because they take the m- prefix in the singular and the wa- prefix in the plural. For example, the word parent(s) is mzazi or wazazi. This is also generally true for adjective stems, and although we will introduce some adjectives here, we will cover adjective stems later in the course in more detail. Unlike Romance languages and others with gendered nouns, Swahili does not have gendered nouns and that distinction is only made through using adjectives.
However, it is important to note that many kinship nouns and almost all animal nouns do not take those prefixes.
There are certain words, like karibu, asante, shikamoo, or kwa heri that, when used to address more than one person, take the suffix -ni to indicate plural references. So, saying asante, or thank you, to a group of people would be asanteni. When adding syllables to the end of words, the stress still goes on the penultimate syllable once the addition is made, not the original syllable where the stress once was.
The following chart shows personal pronouns for singular and plural. These act as vowel stem adjectives and must take different agreements depending on the noun class.
| Singular | Translation | Plural | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| - angu | my/mine | - etu | our/ours |
| - ako | your/yours | - enu | your/yours (pl.) |
| - ake | his/her | - ao | their/theirs |
For the M- WA- noun class, the prefix w- is used for both singular AND plural possessive pronouns. For example, my child will be mtoto wangu and my children* will be watoto wangu**.
There is a prepositional element in Swahili that is the equivalent of saying of. It follows agreement patterns based on the noun class as well. All nouns, including the Arabic kinship nouns, in the M- WA- noun class take the agreement prefix w- for the “-a of association.” In a way, this linguistic element acts as a way to attach an adjective. See below:
| Singular Example | Translation | Plural Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mwalimu wa Kiswahili | Teacher of Swahili – Swahili Teacher | Walimu wa Kiswahili | Teachers of Swahili – Swahili Teachers |
| Msichana wa Marekani | American girl | Wasichana wa Marekani | American girls |
| Mwanafunzi wa hisabati | Math student | Wanafunzi wa hisabati | Math students |
Nouns of the M/Wa noun class take the same subject prefixes as the personal pronouns take.
| - | Pronoun | Subject Prefix |
|---|---|---|
| I | Mimi | Ni- |
| You | Wewe | U- |
| He/She | Yeye | A- |
| We | Sisi | Tu- |
| You (pl.) | Ninyi | M- |
| They | Wao | Wa- |
Examples
| Ninatoka Tanzania. | I come from Tanzania. |
| Mwalimu anapenda Kenya. | The teacher likes Kenya. |
tena
1 words
Simple Swahili sentence structure has three parts: a subject prefix, a tense marker, and the verb stem. For example Ninapika (I am cooking):
Ni- = Subject Prefix (I)
-na- = Tense Marker (Simple Present)
-pika = Verb (Cook)
This can be called verb construction or sentence structure, because in Swahili, this construction can constitute a complete sentence with a subject and a verb by itself. The structure will become longer with additional nouns or other modifiers.
In the example above, -pika is the modified verb in the present tense. If we want to talk about cooking, or if we refer to the infinitive form, to cook, then we add what we call the infinitive ku. So, to say to cook or cooking, the word is kupika. When we refer to dropping or retaining the infinitive ku, this is what will stay or go!
In Swahili, Bantu-origin verbs end in -a and Arabic/other language-origin verbs end in other vowels. Verbs in Swahili do not end in consonants.
The following chart shows sample constructions involving the subject prefixes, tense markers, and some sample verb stems:
| Pronoun | Subject Prefix | Tense Marker | Verb Stem | Construction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mimi (I) | ni- (I) | -na- (present continuous tense) | -sema (speak) | Ninasema |
| wewe (you) | u –(you) | -na- (present tense) | -lala (sleep) | Unalala |
| yeye (she/he) | a – (she/he) | -na- (present tense) | -fikiri (think) | Anafikiri |
| sisi (we) | tu – (we) | -na- (present tense) | -uliza (ask) | Tunauliza |
| ninyi (you plural) | m – (ya’ll) | -na- (present tense) | -fundisha (teach) | Mnafundisha |
| wao (they plural) | wa – (They) | -na- (present tense) | -kimbia (run) | Wanakimbia |
In these constructions, ni-, u-, a-, tu-, m-, and wa- are subject prefixes, i.e. they refer to the subject noun or pronoun.
Monosyllabic verbs retain the infinitive ku as part of the verb stem, like kula - to eat. To make a construction, the infinitive ku is retained. So, to say I eat or I am eating, the Swahili would be Ninakula.
This form of construction, or agglutination, is important in Swahili as all verbage is formed by combining subject prefixes, tense markers, and verbs at the very least, and including object infixes, relatives, and different verb endings as language ability progresses.
In negative present:
1- No tense sign is used;
2- If the last vowel is an “a”, it is changed into “i”; and
3- Negative subject prefixes are used.
The negative present can also be used for the negative continuous, ie.- I do not/am not....
Examples:
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| Ninaandika. | Siandiki. |
| I am writing. | I am not writing. |
| Unaandika. | Huandiki. |
| You are writing. | You are not writing. |
| Anaandika. | Haandiki. |
| She/He is writing. | She/He is not writing. |
| Tunaandika. | Hatuandiki. |
| We are writing. | We are not writing. |
| Mnaandika. | Hamwandiki. |
| You (pl.) are writing. | You (pl.) are not writing. |
| Wanaandika. | Hawaandiki. |
| They are writing. | They are not writing. |
Note 1: - Whenever a consonant ‘m’ precedes vowel stem verbs, -w- is inserted between the consonant and the vowels; example: Ninyi hamwandiki.
Note 2: - Monosyllabic verbs like kula, kunywa, and kuja, drop the infinitive ‘ku’ in the negative present.
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| Mimi ninakula samaki. | Mimi sili samaki. |
| I am eating fish. | I am not eating/do not eat fish. |
| Wewe unakunywa pombe. | Wewe hunywi pombe. |
| You are drinking alcohol. | You are not drinking/do not drink alcohol. |
Note 3: - Verbs with other vowel endings other than “-a” retain their endings.
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| Ninajibu swali. | Sijibu swali. |
| I am answering a question. | I am not answering/do not answer a/the question. |
| Tunadhani kwamba atafika. | Hatudhani kwamba atafika. |
| We think she/he will arrive. | We do not think she/he will arrive. |
bafu · chumba · chupa · dirisha · faridi · jamila · jiko · kikombe · meza · moto · ndoo · nguo · sabuni · sahani · sufuria · takataka · ufagio · vyombo
18 words
This lesson introduces actions and appliances common to the household, therefore the nouns in this lesson belong to an assortment of noun classes that apply to inanimate objects.
This lesson also includes common household action words such as 'cleaning' ('kusafisha')
mche · mchezo · mchoro · mchuzi · mfereji · mfuko · miavuli · mikuki · mipira · misikiti · misitu · misumari · miti · mizizi · mji · mkasi · mkeka · mkutano · mlango · mmea · mnyororo · mpaka · mradi · mti · mto · mtumbwi · muziki · mzigo · wa
29 words
The nouns in the M- MI- noun class do not have an overarching commonality like the M- WA- noun class. However, these nouns all begin with m- in the singular and mi- in the plural, so this class is referred to as the M- MI- noun class. Most trees and plants do fall into this class, though.
It is important to note that there is little to distinguish the difference between singular nouns in the M- WA- and M- MI- noun classes since singular nouns in both will start with m-. Therefore, it is necessary to know the meaning of the noun to decide to which class a noun will belong.
You'll see three patterns with the concord prefixes in this noun class:
The following chart shows personal pronouns for singular and plural. These act as vowel stem adjectives and must take different agreements depending on the noun class.
| Singular Nouns | Plural Nouns | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| wangu | yangu | my/mine |
| wako | yako | your/yours |
| wake | yake | his/her |
| wetu | yetu | our/ours |
| wenu | yenu | your/yours (pl.) |
| wao | yao | their/theirs |
The possessive pronoun that is used will depend on the agreement of the noun. When talking about a singular noun, the possessive pronoun with the prefix w- will be used. For plural nouns, the possessive pronoun with the prefix y- will be used.
Examples:
| Swahili Singular | Swahili Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| Mfano wangu | Mifano yangu | My example(s) |
| Mshahara wangu | Mishahara yangu | My salary(ies) |
| Mguu wangu | Miguu yangu | My leg(s) |
Similar to the prefix for the possessive pronouns, the prefixes for the “-a of association” for the M- MI- noun class are w- for the singular nouns and y- for the plural nouns.
| Singular Example | Translation | Plural Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mshahara wa mwezi | Salary of the month – Monthly salary | Mishahara ya mwaka | Salaries of the year – Yearly salaries |
| Mlango wa nyumba | House door | Milango ya nyumba | House doors |
| Mtihani wa shule | School exam | Mitihanti ya shule | School exams |
Subject Prefixes:
For the M/Mi noun class, subject prefixes are U as singular and I as plural
bia · chai · chakula · chipsi · juisi · kahawa · karoti · kila · kuku · machungwa · maembe · maharage · maji · maparachichi · matunda · mayai · maziwa · mboga · mbuzi · mkate · ndizi · ng'ombe · nguruwe · nyama ya · nyanya · pilipili hoho · samaki · ugali · viazi · vinywaji · vitunguu · vitunguu saumu · wali
33 words
In the Food skill, animals such as cow, pig etc are mentioned when referring to meat from the animals. For example:
nyama ya ng'ombe = Beef
nyama ya nguruwe = Pork
There are specific Swahili words that are used for some popular foods in East Africa. Translations in English do not necessarily exist and are usually just descriptors, so for this course, you can use either the Swahili word in your English exercises, or the descriptor, though it would be better for you to leave the Swahili word as is. For example:
Ugali most closely translates to stiff porridge in English, but this is still an inaccurate description, so the translation ugali still applies. The most basic recipe consists of hot water and corn flour. Water is brought to a boil, and corn flour is gradually mixed in until it goes from a gooey consistency to a play-dough consistency. It's typically prepared with a wooden spoon that has a flat, wide head (no bowl). The mixture must be continuously folded with the wooden spoon to prevent chunks of raw flour in the center. Definitely an arm workout!
Note: although they are conceptually similar, East African ugali and West African fufu are not the same thing!
Pilau is a spiced rice, but you can just call it pilau.
Nyama choma is literally barbecued meat, but made in a special, smoked manner, so it can simply be referred to as nyama choma.
Mtori is literally a banana soup made with green bananas, but that is a long descriptor, so mtori is acceptable!
hana · hatuna · hawana · huna · sina
5 words
When expressing the concept “to have” in the present, we use the element ‘–na’ which forms the verb kuwa na, literally meaning to be with but used for the English phrase “to have”. The following are affirmative examples:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| nina - I have | tuna – we have |
| una - you have | mna - you (pl) have |
| ana – she/he has | wana - they have |
This is how it is used:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Sasa nina kalamu moja. | Now I have one pen. |
| Sasa una bustani. | Now you have a garden. |
| Ana malaria. | She/He has malaria. |
| Leo tuna mgeni. | Today we have a guest. |
| Mna shida? | Do you (plural) have a problem? |
| Wana maembe mengi! | They have a lot of mangoes! |
To negate the sentence, use negative subject prefixes:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Sina bustani. | I don’t have a garden. |
| Huna shida. | You don’t have a problem. |
| Hana virusi. | She/He doesn’t have a virus. |
| Hatuna malaria. | We don’t have malaria. |
| Hamna kalamu. | You (pl) don’t have a pen. |
| Hawana chakula. | They don’t have food. |
This lesson introduces more verbs in the present tense! These consist of present-tense verbs in the active voice, with examples of different persons as the doer
cha · chakula · chandarua · choo · chuo · kiatu · kijiko · kingereza · kisima · kisiwa · kisu · kiswahili · kitabu · kitanda · kiti · viatu · vijiko · visu · vitabu · vitanda · viti · vyakula
22 words
The KI- VI- noun class is probably the easiest to recognize. All of the nouns will either start with ki- in the singular or vi- in the plural, unless the stem begins with a vowel. In that case, the concords will be ch- and vy-.
Common KI- VI- nouns:
| Singular | Plural | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Kiatu | Viatu | Shoe(s) |
| Kichwa | Vichwa | Head(s) |
| Kidole | Vidole | Finger(s) |
| Kijiji | Vijiji | Village(s) |
| Kijiko | Vijiko | Spoon(s) |
| Kikombe | Vikombe | Cup(s) |
| Kitanda | Vitanda | Bed(s) |
| Kisima | Visima | Water well(s) |
| Kisu | Visu | Knife(ves) |
| Kitabu | Vitabu | Book(s) |
| Chakula | Vyakula | Food(s) |
| Choo | Vyoo | Toilet(s) |
| Chuo | Vyuo | College(s) |
| Chumba | Vyumba | Room(s) |
The following chart shows personal pronouns for singular and plural. These act as vowel stem adjectives and must take different agreements depending on the noun class.
| Singular Nouns | Plural Nouns | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| changu | vyangu | my/mine |
| chako | vyako | your/yours |
| chake | vyake | his/her |
| chetu | vyetu | our/ours |
| chenu | vyenu | your/yours (pl.) |
| chao | vyao | their/theirs |
The possessive pronoun that is used will depend on the agreement of the noun. When talking about a singular noun, the possessive pronoun with the prefix ch- will be used. For plural nouns, the possessive pronoun with the prefix vy- will be used.
Examples:
| Swahili Singular | Swahili Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| Kitabu changu | Vitabu vyangu | My book(s) |
| Kitambaa changu | Vitambaa vyangu | My cloth material(s) |
| Kioo changu | Vioo vyangu | My mirror(s) |
Similar to the prefix for the possessive pronouns, the prefixes for the “-a of association” for the KI- VI- noun class are ch- for the singular nouns and vy- for the plural nouns.
| Singular Example | Translation | Plural Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kipimo cha kichwa | Measurement of the head – Head measurement | Vipimo vya mwili | Measurements of the body – Body measurements |
| Chumba cha nyumba | House room – Room of the house | Vyumba vya nyumba | House rooms – Rooms of the house |
| Kioo cha choo | Bathroom mirror | Vioo vya choo | Bathroom mirrors |
barua · barua pepe · bustani · chumvi · dawa ya wadudu · familia · kalamu · kamera · karatasi · kompyuta · nchi · nyota · nyumba · ofisi · pesa · picha · pombe · shule · simu · taa · tanzania · zanzibar · zawadi
23 words
The N/N noun class features nouns that are generally taken from other languages, like Arabic, English, German, Portuguese, etc. This is the largest noun class in Swahili and there are also few Bantu-origin words found in the noun class.
Indeed, it can be observed that Swahili in Kenya, Uganda, and other countries adopt a two-noun class type of Swahili, with M- WA- and N/N classes being the only classes used.
The biggest note for this noun class is that there is no distinguishing concord between singular and plural nouns. This can sometimes be confusing for Swahili learners, but often the context or the adjectives used with the noun will reflect whether it is singular or plural. The following examples can be either singular or plural.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Bahati | Luck |
| Barabara | Road(s) |
| Baridi | Cold/Coldness |
| Barua | Letter/Mail |
| Bia | Beer |
| Bei | Price |
| Chai | Tea |
| Chumvi | Salt |
| Chupa | Bottle(s) |
| Dakika | Minute(s) |
| Dawa | Medicine(s) |
| Kahawa | Coffee |
| Kalamu | Pen(s) |
| Kazi | Work |
| Meza | Table(s) |
| Nafasi | Opportunity/Space |
| Panga | Machete |
| Pasi | Iron |
| Pesa | Money |
| Rafiki | Friend |
| Sababu | Reason(s) |
| Sabuni | Soap(s) |
| Shida | Problem/Difficulty |
| Siagi | Butter |
| Suruali | Trousers |
| Takataka | Rubbish/Trash |
The following chart shows personal pronouns for singular and plural. These act as vowel stem adjectives and must take different agreements depending on the noun class.
| Singular Nouns | Plural Nouns | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| yangu | zangu | my/mine |
| yako | zako | your/yours |
| yake | zake | his/her |
| yetu | zetu | our/ours |
| yenu | zenu | your/yours (pl.) |
| yao | zao | their/theirs |
The possessive pronoun that is used will depend on the agreement of the noun. When talking about a singular noun, the possessive pronoun with the prefix y- will be used. For plural nouns, the possessive pronoun with the prefix z- will be used.
Examples:
| Swahili Singular | Swahili Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| Nguo yangu | Nguo zangu | My clothes |
| Nyumba yangu | Nyumba zangu | My house(s) |
| Kalamu yangu | Kalamu zangu | My pen(s) |
Similar to the prefix for the possessive pronouns, the prefixes for the “-a of association” for the N/N noun class are y- for the singular nouns and z- for the plural nouns.
| Singular Example | Translation | Plural Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bia ya baridi | Beer of the cold – cold beer | Bia za baridi | Cold beers |
| Dawa ya homa | Fever medication/medicine | Dawa za nyumba | Fever medications/medicines |
| Habari ya taifa | National news | Habari za mataifa | International news |
Subject Prefixes for this noun class are I and Zi in the affirmative sentences.
For example:
Barua hii inatoka Zanzibar. This letter comes from Zanzibar.
Barua hizi zinatoka Zanzibar. These letters come from Zanzibar.
In the negative sentences, the Subject Prefixes are Hai and Hazi.
For example:
Barua hii haitoki Zanzibar. This letter does not come from Zanzibar.
Barua hizi hazitoki Zanzibar. These letters do not come from Zanzibar.
Demonstratives:
Hii ni barua. This is a letter. Hizi ni barua. These are letters.
Ile ni barua. That is a letter. Zile ni barua. Those are letters.
blanketi · embe · maarifa · mabadiliko · maendeleo · mafuta · matope · mawe · mazingira · mazungumzo · taifa
11 words
The JI- MA- noun class takes its name from the fact that there are some nouns that, in the singular form, take the concord ji- at the beginning. However, most of the nouns in this class do not, but in the plural, all of the nouns will take the ma- concord. There are some patterns, though:
The following chart shows personal pronouns for singular and plural. These act as vowel stem adjectives and must take different agreements depending on the noun class.
| Singular Nouns | Plural Nouns | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| langu | yangu | my/mine |
| lako | yako | your/yours |
| lake | yake | his/her |
| letu | yetu | our/ours |
| lenu | yenu | your/yours (pl.) |
| lao | yao | their/theirs |
The possessive pronoun that is used will depend on the agreement of the noun. When talking about a singular noun, the possessive pronoun with the prefix l- will be used. For plural nouns, the possessive pronoun with the prefix y- will be used.
Examples:
| Swahili Singular | Swahili Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| Gari langu | Magari yangu | My car(s) |
| Pipa langu | Mapipa yangu | My barrel(s) |
| Shauri langu | Mashauri yangu | My advice |
Similar to the prefix for the possessive pronouns, the prefixes for the “-a of association” for the JI- MA- noun class are l- for the singular nouns and y- for the plural nouns.
| Singular Example | Translation | Plural Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kanisa la Wakristo | Christian church – Church of the Christians | Makanisa ya Wakristo | Christian churches – Churches of the Christians |
| Zulia la kitanzania | Tanzanian carpet | Mazulia ya kitanzania | Tanzanian carpets |
| Jiko la shule | School kitchen | Majiko ya shule | School kitchens |
ghali · maridadi · maskini · pia · rahisi · safi · tajiri
7 words
We've introduced a few adjectives in previous lessons, but here, we will delve deeper into the grammatical structure of adjectives. In Swahili, there are three main types of adjectives:
Vowel and consonant stem adjectives must take an agreeing concord depending on the noun class. Arabic-origin nouns do not take any form of agreement.
Adjectives must always follow the nouns they modify. They do not come first, like in English. For example, mtu mpole would be a polite person. The order is switched.
For vowel stem adjectives, the agreeing concord is fairly simple and follows a regular pattern. Though we have not introduced all of the classes yet, we will provide a full chart with all of the classes here that can be used for reference later.
| Noun Class | Agreement | Vowel Stem Concord |
|---|---|---|
| M- WA- | Singular | mw- |
| M- WA- | Plural | w- |
| M- MI- | Singular | mw- |
| M- MI- | Plural | my- |
| KI- VI- | Singular | ch- |
| KI- VI- | Plural | vy- |
| N/N | Singular | ny- |
| N/N | Plural | ny- |
| JI- MA- | Singular | j- |
| JI- MA- | Plural | m- |
| U/N | Singular | mw- |
| U/N | Plural | ny- |
| Mahali | M- | m(w)- |
| Mahali | PA- | p- |
| Mahali | KU- | kw- |
Mifano:
| Vowel Stem Adjective | Swahili | English |
|---|---|---|
| -embamba | Mwanafunzi mwembamba | Skinny student |
| -aminifu | Wazazi waminifu | Honest parents |
| -erevu | Mtoto mwerevu | Clever child |
| -ekundu | Kisu chekundu | Red knife |
| -ingi | Barua nyingi | A lot of letters |
| -ingine | Mananasi mengine | Other pineapples |
As mentioned above, adjectives that originate from Arabic do not take any forms of agreement.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Bora | Best |
| Bure | Free/Useless |
| Ghali | Expensive |
| Kamili | Complete |
| Kila | Each/Every |
| Laini | Smooth/Soft |
| Maskini | Poor |
| Rahisi | Easy/Cheap |
| Safi | Clean/Good |
| Sawa | Equal/Alike |
| Tayari | Ready |
| Wazi | Open |
However, in conversation, some Swahili speakers might add agreements to these adjectives. For example, to say clean water, a Swahili speaker might say maji masafi.
Here are some examples of Bantu-origin consonant stem adjectives:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| -baya | bad |
| -chache | few |
| -dogo | little/small |
| -fupi | short |
| -kali | sharp/fierce/strict |
| -kubwa | big/large |
| -pya | new |
| -refu | tall/long |
| -tamu | sweet |
| -zima | whole/complete |
| -zito | heavy |
There are special rules for different noun classes when it comes to consonant stem adjectives of Bantu origin. Some of the classes follow a normal pattern of agreement whereas others have special concords depending on the consonant that the adjective begins with. The normal patterned noun classes are shown in the chart below.
| Noun Class | Agreement | Consonant Stem Concord |
|---|---|---|
| M- WA- | Singular | m- |
| M- WA- | Plural | wa- |
| M- MI- | Singular | m- |
| M- MI- | Plural | mi- |
| KI- VI- | Singular | ki- |
| KI- VI- | Plural | vi- |
| JI- MA- | Plural | ma- |
| U/N | Singular | m- |
| Mahali | M- | mu- |
| Mahali | PA- | pa- |
| Mahali | KU- | ku- |
For the other noun classes, there are certain rules to follow:
1- In front of adjectives beginning with D, G, and Z, the concord n- is used. Example: ndogo, ngumu, nzito
2- In front of adjectives beginning with B, V, and P when monosyllabic, the concord m- is used. Example: mbaya, mvivu, mpya
3- In front of other consonants, no concord is used. Example: chache, chafu, pana
4- Exceptions are for the adjectives -ema which becomes njema, -refu which becomes ndefu, and -wili which becomes mbili.
For the U/N noun class, plural nouns take the same rules as the N/N noun class.
For the most part, JI- MA- nouns do not take concords with consonant stem adjectives EXCEPT for monosyllabic adjectives such as -pya. With these adjectives, the concord is ji-, so the adjective for this class in the singular form would be jipya.
arobaini · elfu · hamsini · ishirini · kumi · kwanza · laki · mia · milioni · mwaka · mwisho · saba · sabini · sita · sitini · tano · thelathini · themanini · tisa · tisini
20 words
Note: when translating from English to Swahili, numbers should be written in words. Unfortunately, most numbers past 99 are too long to fit in the hints, so those will not be included
1 - moja; 2 - mbili; 3 - tatu; 4 - nne; 5 - tano; 6 - sita; 7 - saba; 8 - nane; 9 - tisa; 10 -kumi; 11 - kumi na moja
20 - ishirini; 21 - ishirini na moja 30 - thelathini; 40 - arobaini; 50 - hamsini; 60 - sitini; 70 - sabini; 80 - themanini; 90 - tisini; 100 - mia moja;
1,000 -elfu moja; 10,000 - elfu kumi; 100,000 - laki moja; 1,000,000 - milioni moja; 10,000,000 - milioni kumi; 1,000,000,000 - bilioni moja;
Note: the numbers sita, saba, tisa and kumi never take on noun prefixes i.e. 'Watu saba', 'Viti kumi', etc.
(na)* - not necessary
5.63 - tano nukta sita tatu
21.5 - ishirini na moja nukta tano
amka · andikeni · angalia · angalieni · beba · bila · cheza · chukua · fanya kazi · furaha · furahi · hapa · haraka · imbeni · ingia · jaribu · jibu · jibuni · kaa · kimbia · kula · kunyweni · lala · lete · nenda · njoo · njooni · nunua · nunueni · oga · ogeni · polepole · rudi · sasa · sema · semeni · soma · someni · tembea · tembeeni · weka
41 words
To give a simple command in Swahili, verb stems are used alone without any subject or object concords.
Normally, these commands are used when one orders a person to do something. The monosyllabic verbs retain their infinitives ku-. However, the verbs kuja-to come, kuleta-to bring, and kwenda-to go do not retain the ku. Also, kupa-to give requires an object prefix. See below.
Examples:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Kula! | Eat! |
| Lala! | Sleep! |
| Kunywa! | Drink! |
| Amka! | Wake up! |
| Fagia! | Sweep! |
Irregular Verbs:
| Infinitive | Swahili Command | English |
|---|---|---|
| Kuja | Njoo! | Come! |
| Kwenda | Nenda! | Go! |
| Kuleta | Lete! | Bring (it)! |
| Kupa | Nipe! | Give it to me! |
To make the plural commands, the infinitive ku- is dropped, but the suffix -a is replaced by the suffix -eni.
Thus we get;
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Fanyeni! | Do! |
| Laleni! | Sleep! |
| Kunyweni! | Drink! |
| Kuleni! | Eat! |
| Someni! | Read! |
Other commands that end with vowels e, i, o, and u; add the suffix ni to get its plural form. Thus ;
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Fikirini! | Think! |
| Leteni! | Bring! |
| Njooni! | Come! |
| Jibuni! | Answer! |
In the imperative, one is always addressing someone/people directly, so the 'you' is not included (it is known as (you) understood). However, sometimes, "you" is included when used as a noun of direct address. An example of a noun of direct address used in the imperative is:
"John, bring me my phone." - "John, niletee simu yangu."
John is the noun of direct address. Similarly, "you" can be used in the same way, although like in English, it is considered more abrasive to address someone in such a way:
Note that "you" as a noun of direct address is always followed by a comma; "you give me my phone" is a declarative sentence (i.e. statement of fact), and not a command.
Without context it is near impossible to decipher if a command in English is meant for one person or more than one; for this reason, both singular and plural translations in Swahili are accepted.
This form has relatively much simpler rules:
| Singular | Plural | Infinitive verb |
|---|---|---|
| Usile! | Msile! | Kula |
| Usilale! | Msilale! | Kulala |
| Usinywe! | Msinywe! | Kunywa |
| Usifikiri! | Msifikiri! | Kufikiri |
| Usijibu! | Msijibu! | Kujibu |
As for the irregular verb examples above:
| Singular | Plural | Infinitive verb |
|---|---|---|
| Usije! | Msije! | Kuja |
| Usiende! | Msiende! | Kwenda |
| Usilete! | Msilete! | Kuleta |
| Usinipe! | Msinipe! | Kupa |
You will notice that the negative imperative forms follow a pretty consistent pattern compared to their affirmative counterparts
Note: There is no such thing as "usinjoo" or "usinende"
bangili · blauzi · chupi · fulana · gauni · hereni · kanga · kanzu · kaptura · kikoi · kilemba · kitenge · kofia · koti · pete · saa · shanga · shati · sketi · soksi · suruali · suti · tai
23 words
This lesson is an introduction to different articles of clothing in the Swahili language. You will find that a number of these nouns are derived from their English counterparts - these are typically more traditionally Western clothing such as a coat (koti), suit (suti), shirt (shati), tie (tai), etc.
A common pattern with English-derived Swahili words is that they fall into the N/N noun class, therefore their plural nouns do not change. Hence, without affixes, determining their quantity requires context.
On the other hand, some clothing is inherent/very specific to African culture that they do not have an English translation, e.g. 'kikoi', 'kitenge' and 'kanga'. A suggestion would be to Google these terms to get a better understanding of the items, the fabric with which they're made and how they are worn.
From Wikipedia:
gani? · kwa nini · lini? · mbona · nani? · nini? · vipi? · wapi?
8 words
In Swahili, as in any language, there are different question words which are used to ask questions. When asking a question without a question word in spoken Swahili, intonation changes by raising the voice at the end of the sentence.
The following chart shows examples of question words used in sentences:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Wapi? | Where? |
| Unatoka wapi? | Where are you from? |
| Unakaa wapi sasa? | Where are you staying now? |
| Gani? | What sort? Which? What kind? |
| Unapenda chakula gani? | What food do you like? What sort of food do you like? |
| Unatoka nchi gani? | Which country are you from? |
| Nini? | What? (used for objects only) |
| Unataka nini? | What do you want? |
| Unafanya nini? | What are you doing? |
| Nani? | Who? Whom? |
| Nani anafundisha Kiswahili? | Who is teaching Swahili? |
| Nani anatoka Marekani? | Who is from America? |
| -ngapi? (Takes the stem of the noun class) | How many? How much? |
| Soda moja ni shilingi ngapi? | How much is a soda? |
| Una watoto wangapi? | How many children do you have? |
| Lini? | When? |
| Lini utasafiri? | When are you going to travelling? |
| Utaanza kufanya kazi lini? | When will you start working? |
| Kwa nini? | Why? For what? |
| Kwa nini unajifunza Kiswahili? | Why are you learning Swahili? |
| Kwa nini unapenda Tanzania? | Why do you like Tanzania? |
| Mbona? | How come? (stronger meaning than ‘why?’) |
| Mbona unalia? | How come you are crying? |
| Mbona unakimbia? | How come you are running? |
| Vipi? | How? |
| Unapika ugali vipi? | How do you cook ugali? |
| Unaenda nyumbani vipi? | How do you go home? |
| Namna gani? | How is…? (not with people) |
| Maisha namna gani?/Namna gani maisha? | How is life? |
| Kazi namna gani rafiki yangu? | How is the work my friend? |
When ‘je’ is used at the beginning of the sentence it draws attention i.e. a question is coming. It usually precedes a yes/no question.
Mfano: Je, unakwenda mjini leo?-Are you going to town today?
When ‘je’ is used at the end of the verb it means ’how’.
Mfano: Unapikaje wali na samaki?-How do you cook rice and fish?
When ‘je’ is used at the end of the noun, it means what about/how about, but it should be preceded by a phrase giving prior information.
Mfano: Sisi tunakwenda sokoni leo, na wao je?-We are going to the market today what about them?
Mfano: Mimi ninatoka Tanzania, wewe je (/je wewe)?-I am from Tanzania,what about you?
funguo · kuta · nyimbo · nyufa · nyuso · nyuzi · ubaya · uchafu · uchumi · ufa · ufunguo · ukarimu · ukurasa · ukuta · umeme · upendo · upishi · upole · uso · uzi · uzuri · wembe · wimbo
23 words
In the U/N noun class, nouns in the singular form will likely begin with u-, though there are a handful that begin with w-. Many nouns in this class do not have plurals, either, and some have singular forms but are mainly used in the plural form with the concords ny-, n-, or no concord.
Abstract nouns are the first type of nouns in the U/N class. These nouns do not have plural forms and almost all begin with u-.
Common abstract nouns:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Uaminifu | Trustworthiness |
| Uhodari | Effectiveness |
| Umoja | Unity |
| Upendo | Love |
| Uchafu | Dirtiness |
| Urefu | Height/Length |
| Usafi | Cleanliness |
| Uvivu | Laziness |
| Utajiri | Wealth |
| Uzito | Weight |
| Ujana | Youth |
| Uzee | Old age |
| Uzuri | Beauty |
There are also some uncountable nouns in the U/N class that do not take plural forms.
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Udongo | Soil |
| Ugali | Stiff porridge |
| Umeme | Electricity |
| Usingizi | Sleepiness |
| Wino | Ink |
| Wali | Cooked rice |
The other nouns in the U/N class will begin with either u- or w-. Plurals will either begin with ny- or a consonant.
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Ndevu | Beard - plural form |
| Ufunguo | Key |
| Funguo | Keys |
| Kuni | Firewood - plural form |
| Ulimi | Tongue |
| Ndimi | Tongues |
| Nywele | Hair - plural form |
| Upepo | Wind |
| Wakati | Period/Time |
| Nyakati | Periods/Times |
Country names are often given the u- prefix, but their agreements will take those of the N/N class.
| Swahili Name | English Name |
|---|---|
| Uingereza | England |
| Ureno | Portugal |
| Ufaransa | France |
| Ulaya | Europe |
| Uhindi | India |
The following chart shows personal pronouns for singular and plural. These act as vowel stem adjectives and must take different agreements depending on the noun class.
| Singular Nouns | Plural Nouns | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| wangu | zangu | my/mine |
| wako | zako | your/yours |
| wake | zake | his/her |
| wetu | zetu | our/ours |
| wenu | zenu | your/yours (pl.) |
| wao | zao | their/theirs |
The possessive pronoun that is used will depend on the agreement of the noun. When talking about a singular noun, the possessive pronoun with the prefix w- will be used. For plural nouns, the possessive pronoun with the prefix z- will be used.
Examples:
| Swahili | |
|---|---|
| Ubunifu wako | Your creativity |
| Wali wake | His/Her rice |
| Nywele zangu | My hair |
Similar to the prefix for the possessive pronouns, the prefixes for the “-a of association” for the U/N noun class are w- for the singular nouns and z- for the plural nouns.
| Swahili Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| Uchafu wa chumba | Dirtiness of the room |
| Umeme wa shule | School's electricity |
| Uwezo wa wanafunzi | Ability of the students |
| Kuta za nyumba | House walls |
kuwa
1 words
This lesson introduces additional verbs as well as different contexts for the verbs, including conjugations and how verbs are used as gerund nouns.
Verb conjugations that turn affirmative statements to the negative in the present tense are done so using the following affixes:
| English | Swahili |
|---|---|
| I don't want food (to want) | Sitaki chakula (kutaka) |
| We are not leaving (to leave) | Hatuondoki (kuondoka) |
| You are not traveling today (to travel) | Husafiri leo (kusafiri) |
| They don't like bananas (to like) | Hawapendi ndizi (kupenda) |
| She is not entering the kitchen (to enter) | Haingii jikoni (kuingia) |
A more detailed list of examples can be found on this discussion post
Passive verbs are words used to describe actions being done for/to/on behalf of the object noun. As a reminder, noun prefixes are considered standalone representatives of nouns in Swahili. Some examples are included below:
| English | Swahili |
|---|---|
| The food is being cooked | Chakula kinapikwa |
| It is broken | Limevunjika * |
Gerund nouns are verbs ending in -ing that are used as nouns. In Swahili, gerund nouns are denoted by the prefix ku-.
| English | Swahili |
|---|---|
| I want to start reading now | Ninataka kuanza kusoma sasa |
| Esther likes running | Esther anapenda kukimbia |
| Cooking is easy! | Kupika ni rahisi! |
buibui · chui · duma · farasi · inzi · jongoo · kiboko · kifaru · kombakoche · kondoo · konokono · mamba · mbwa · mdudu · mende · mkunga · mnyama · ng'e · ngisi · nyangumi · nyati · nyigu · nyoka · nyuki · nyumbu · paa · paka · panya · papa · pomboo · pundamilia · pweza · samaki · simba · tembo · twiga · uduvi · vifaru · wadudu · wanyama
40 words
Animals follow the same agreements as the M- WA- noun class! Even if the noun words themselves have different conjugations in singular and plural, all of the subject prefix, object infix, and adjective agreements will be from the M- WA- class, e.g.
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Kifaru huyu ni mdogo | This rhino is small |
| Vifaru hawa ni wadogo | These rhinos are small |
bei · fungu · ghali · jumla · kilo · mchele · mnunuzi · mteja · muuzaji · sembe · shilingi · sukari · tambi · unga wa ngano · viungo · wanunuzi · wateja · wauzaji
18 words
Shopping in Tanzania is mainly done at local markets and shops. Only in bigger cities are there walk-in stores with fixed prices. Most local areas will have store fronts that sell the basic necessities.
Though there are generally accepted prices for most commodities, bargaining is very common in the marketplace.
In rural communities, there are frequent minada or open-space markets which are either weekly or monthly. These often travel from village to village and many items, from food to animals to clothes to housewares to fabrics, can be bought.
Culturally, a buyer is not expected to smell/sniff market items while buying items such as fruit. This is a sign of mistrust by assuming that the items a vendor is selling are rotten. Smelling is accepted when one is buying aromatic items like spices, rice etc.
Remember to check the quality of the items-e.g. the expiry date.
It’s common to ask for availability of items and prices at the shop. This is due to the fact that in most shops items do not have price tags and buyers do not have an opportunity of walking through shops to explore the available items. Window shopping is not a widely practiced thing in Tanzania!
jana · juzi · mwaka uliopita · mwezi uliopita · usiku uliopita · wiki iliyopita
6 words
The past tense affirmative constructions are formed with the tense marker -li- and it is inserted between a subject prefix and a verb stem.
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nilijifunza Kiswahili. | I learned Kiswahili. |
| Ulijifunza Kiswahili. | You learned Kiswahili. |
| Alijifunza Kiswahili. | S/He learned Kiswahili. |
| Tulijifunza Kiswahili. | We learned Kiswahili. |
| Mlijifunza Kiswahili. | You (pl.) learned Kiswahili. |
| Walijifunza Kiswahili. | They learned Kiswahili. |
The verb “kuwa”-“to be” in the past is used as a normal verb. It behaves regularly; ie- the infinitive ku is not dropped when constructing a sentence.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nilikuwa mwalimu. | I was a teacher. |
| Ulikuwa daktari. | You were a doctor. |
| Alikuwa mwalimu. | S/He was a teacher. |
| Tulikuwa watoto. | We were children. |
| Mlikuwa walimu. | You were teachers |
| Walikuwa wakulima. | They were farmers. |
In the past, kuwa na is used for the verb “to have”. It behaves regularly as well.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Jana nilikuwa na shida. | Yesterday I had a problem. |
| Juzi nilikuwa na kitabu. | The day before yesterday I had a book. |
| Nilikuwa na wanafunzi wanne. | I had four students. |
| Alikuwa na rafiki mmoja. | S/He had one friend. |
| Walikuwa na matatizo ya afya. | They had health problems. |
To form the negative simple past in Swahili:
Mifano:
| Affirmative Past | Negative Past |
|---|---|
| Nilipika ugali. | Sikupika ugali. |
| Ulisikiliza redio. | Hukusikiliza redio. |
| Alijifunza Kiswahili. | Hakujifunza Kiswahili. |
| Tulizungumza pole pole. | Hatukuzungumza pole pole. |
| Mlipumzika Jumamosi. | Hamkupumzika Jumamosi. |
| Walifurahi sana. | Hawakufurahi sana. |
| Nilikula wali. | Sikula wali. |
| Ulikwenda sokoni. | Hukuenda sokoni. |
| Alikunywa bia. | Hakunywa bia. |
Although the verb “kuwa na” - “to have” keeps “ku-” in the affirmative past, the negative form of kuwa na in the past takes characteristics of the other monosyllabic verbs - it drops its infinitive “ku-”. However, because the negative past tense marker is “-ku-”, it gives the illusion that it has not dropped the infinitive ku-. Again, these should not be confused.
Mifano:
| Affirmative Past | Negative Past |
|---|---|
| Nilikuwa na gari. | Sikuwa na gari. |
| Ulikuwa na shida. | Hukuwa na shida. |
| Alikuwa na matunda. | Hakuwa na matunda. |
| Tulikuwa na watoto. | Hatukuwa na watoto. |
| Mlikuwa na nyumba. | Hamkuwa na nyumba. |
alhamisi · dakika · ijumaa · jumamosi · jumanne · jumapili · jumatano · jumatatu · kalenda · kamili · kasoro · kwa · likizo · miezi · nusu · robo · saa · saa ngapi · sasa · siku · tarehe · wiki
22 words
In English, the morning starts after 12:00 am while in Swahili it starts after 6:00 am, hence a difference of six hours. In other words, the day is considered to be from sunrise to sunset. The night starts from sunset to sunrise.
Swahili speakers use asubuhi, mchana, jioni and usiku to be more specific on the time they are referring to if it is not clear by context. However, these words will more often than not be included whenever a Swahili speaker is talking about time.
In Swahili, 6 AM would be “saa 12 asubuhi”, 7 AM would be “saa 1 asubuhi”, etc.
To indicate minutes, the word “dakika” and then the amount is added. 7:23 AM would be “saa 1 na dakika ishirini na tatu asubuhi”. Similarly, quarter and half hours can be used.
After the half-hour mark, the word “kasoro” can be used as “less”. For example, 8:48 AM might be said as “saa 3 kasoro dakika kumi na mbili asubuhi.”
In Swahili, dates are indicated by the ordinary numbers whereby one tells the date first then the month, and lastly the year. The word “tarehe” comes before the numbers. For example, the 8th of July 1994 would be “tarehe nane, mwezi wa saba, mwaka elfu moja mia tisa tisini na nne.”
In Swahili, people tell months by saying which number month it is. For example, May would be “mwezi wa tano”, or the 5th month. Anglicized versions of the months do exist, but are not widely used. The anglicized months are: Januari, Februari, Machi, Aprili, Mei, Juni, Julai, Agosti, Septemba, Oktoba, Novemba, Desemba.
Traditionally in many East African cultures, relationships (either professional or social) are more valued than time. More time is always available – hence the popular saying, “Haraka haraka haina baraka!” - Haste has no blessing!
Note Numerical dates i.e. date, month, year, will have the words tarehe, mwezi, mwaka preceding them. Otherwise, the meaning becomes ambiguous. e.g.
| Date | Tarehe |
|---|---|
| Tenth of May | Tarehe kumi mwezi wa tano |
| 2019 | Mwaka elfu mbili na kumi na tisa |
| March | Mwezi wa tatu |
kesho · kesho kutwa
2 words
The future tense marker is -ta-. As it is with the past tense, it is also inserted between a subject prefix and a verb stem.
Mifano :
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nitajifunza Kiswahili. | I will learn Swahili. |
| Utajifunza Kiswahili. | You will learn Swahili. |
| Atajifunza Kiswahili. | S/He will learn Swahili. |
| Tutajifunza Kiswahili. | We will learn Swahili. |
| Mtajifunza Kiswahili. | You (pl.) will learn Swahili. |
| Watajifunza Kiswahili. | They will learn Swahili. |
The verb kuwa to be in the future follows the same rules as in the past. It is also a regular pattern. The same is true with kuwa na. Neither drops the infinitive ku and they keep the same -ta- tense marker.
Mifano ya Kuwa:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nitakuwa mwalimu. | I will be a teacher. |
| Utakuwa mwanamazingira. | You (sing.) will be an environmentalist. |
| Atakuwa mkulima. | S/He will be a peasant. |
| Tutakuwa madaktari. | We will be doctors. |
| Mtakuwa wanafunzi. | You (pl.) will be students. |
| Watakuwa wanamazingira. | They will be environmentalists. |
Mifano ya Kuwa na:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nitakuwa na kitabu. | I will have a book. |
| Utakuwa na shida. | You will have a problem. |
| Atakuwa na chakula. | S/He will have food. |
| Tutakuwa na muda. | We will have time. |
| Mtakuwa na muda. | You (pl.) will have time. |
| Watakuwa na nyumba. | They will have a house. |
If you want to make negative statements in Kiswahili in the future: Change the positive subject prefixes into negative subject prefixes. Retain the future tense marker -ta- and retain the infinitive ku-in monosyllabic and irregular verbs (kula, kunywa, kuja, kufa, kwenda).
Mifano:
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| Nitapika ugali. | Sitapika ugali. |
| I will cook stiff porridge. | I will not cook stiff porridge. |
| Utaandika barua. | Hutaandika barua. |
| You will write a letter. | You will not write a letter. |
| Atauliza maswali. | Hatauliza maswali. |
| S/He will ask questions. | S/He will not ask questions. |
| Tutacheza mpira wa miguu. | Hatutacheza mpira wa miguu. |
| We will play soccer. | We will not play soccer. |
| Mtalalamika sana. | Hamtalalamika sana. |
| You (pl.) will complain a lot. | You (pl.) will not complain a lot. |
| Watasoma barua pepe. | Hawatasoma barua pepe. |
| They will read emails. | They will not read emails. |
| Nitakunywa soda baridi. | Sitakunywa soda baridi. |
| I will drink a cold soda. | I will not drink a cold soda. |
| Utakuja shuleni kesho. | Hutakuja shuleni kesho. |
| You will come to school tomorrow. | You will not come to school tomorrow. |
| Atakula wali na samaki. | Hatakula wali na samaki. |
| S/He will eat rice and fish. | S/He will not eat rice and fish. |
The negative of the verb kuwa na in the future takes negative prefixes and the tense marker -ta- is inserted between the negative prefixes and the verb.
Mifano:
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| Nitakuwa na gari. | Sitakuwa na gari. |
| I will have a car. | I will not have a car. |
| Utakuwa na shida. | Hutakuwa na shida. |
| You will have a problem. | You will not have a problem. |
| Atakuwa na watoto. | Hatakuwa na watoto. |
| S/He will have children. | S/He will not have children. |
| Tutakuwa na baiskeli. | Hatutakuwa na baiskeli. |
| We will have bicycles. | We will not have bicycles. |
| Mtakuwa na muda. | Hamtakuwa na muda. |
| You (pl.) will have time. | You (pl.) will not have time. |
| Watakuwa na nyumba. | Hawatakuwa na nyumba. |
| They will have a house. | They will not have a house. |
To express things that happened in the immediate past, the tense particle -me- is used after any action which has just been completed. It is used interchangeably with the -li- tense marker in conversation. Generally, people will use -me- when there has not been discernible time between the action and the time of conversation.
Examples:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nimeandika. | I have written. |
| Nimesema. | I have said. |
| Nimesikia. | I have heard. |
| Umesikia. | You have heard. |
| Amesikia. | S/He has heard. |
| Tumesikia. | We have heard. |
| Mmesikia. | You (pl) have heard. |
| Wamesikia. | They have heard. |
Similarly, the -me- tense is used with immediate states of being. There are some verbs that, grammatically, can use the present -na-, but generally must be used with -me-. These include kuchoka - to be tired (to become tired), kuchelewa - to be late (to have been made late), and kushiba - to be satisfied/full (to have been made satisfied/full)*. However, in English, they will take the present tense.
Examples:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nimechoka. | I am tired |
| Umechoka. | You are tired. |
| Amechelewa. | He/She is late. |
| Tumechelewa. | We are late. |
| Mmeshiba. | You (pl) are full. |
| Wameshiba. | They are full. |
To form the negative immediate past tense in Swahili:
Mifano:
| Affirmative Past | Negative Past |
|---|---|
| Nimepika chakula. | Sijapika chakula. |
| Umefagia nyumba. | Hujafagia nyumba. |
| Amejifunza Kiswahili. | Hajajifunza Kiswahili. |
| Tumezungumza pole pole. | Hatujazungumza pole pole. |
| Mmepumzika Jumamosi. | Hamjapumzika Jumamosi. |
| Wamefurahi sana. | Hawajafurahi sana. |
| Nimekula wali. | Sijala wali. |
| Umekwenda sokoni. | Hujaenda sokoni. |
| Amekunywa bia. | Hajanywa bia. |
bega · chembechembe · damu · ini · jicho · jino · kichwa · kidole · kinywa · mabega · macho · masikio · mdomo · meno · mguu · miguu · misuli · mkono · mwili · nywele · pua · shingo · sikio · tumbo · ulimi · uso · uti wa mgongo · vidole
28 words
This lesson is an introduction to parts of the body. These feature nouns belonging to different noun classes.
Passive forms of verbs are used to reflect a condition and are more indirect than active verbs. In Swahili, various forms of verbs can be changed into the passive form by inserting the infix “-w-” before the last vowel of the verb. Because these verbs are passive, they are usually being done by someone; we reflect this in Swahili by following the verb with na to show by who the action is being performed.
| Active Form | Passive Form |
|---|---|
| - angalia (look at) | - angaliwa (be looked at) |
| - andika (write) | - andikwa (be written) |
| - pima (examine) | - pimwa (be examined) |
| - choma (inject) | - chomwa (be injected) |
| - pika (look) | - pikwa (be cooked) |
| - cheka (laugh) | - chekwa (be laughed at) |
| - piga (beat) | - pigwa (be beaten) |
| - saidia (help) | - saidiwa (be helped) |
The passive form of verbs ending in the double vowels “–aa“ and “-ua” is formed by inserting “-liw-” before the last vowel.
| Active Form | Passive Form |
|---|---|
| - zaa (give birth) | - zaliwa (be born) |
| - fua (wash materials) | - fuliwa (be washed) |
The passive form of verbs ending in the double vowels ”-oa” is formed by inserting “-lew-” before the last vowel.
| Active Form | Passive Form |
|---|---|
| - oa (marry) | - olewa (be married) |
| - zoa (collect) | - zolewa (be collected) |
| - toa (pull out, offer) | - tolewa (be pulled out, be offered) |
The passive form of the verbs ending in vowels “–i” and “–u” is made by dropping the last vowel and adding “-iwa” at the end of the verb.
| Active Form | Passive Form |
|---|---|
| - hitaji (need) | - hitajiwa (be needed) |
| - amini (believe) | - aminiwa (be believed) |
| - sifu (praise) | - sifiwa (be praised) |
| - salimu (greet) |
The passive form of the verbs ending in double vowels “–au” is formed by adding “-liwa” at the end of the verbs.
| Active Form | Passive Form |
|---|---|
| - sahau (forget) | - sahauliwa (be forgotten) |
| - dharau (despise) | - dharauliwa (be despised) |
The passive forms of the monosyllabic verbs behave irregularly.
| Active Form | Passive Form |
|---|---|
| kunywa (to drink) | kunywewa (to be drunken) |
| kupa (to give) | kupewa (to be given) |
| kula (to eat) | kuliwa (to be eaten) |
| kufa (to die) | kufiwa (to bereaved) |
The passive form of the verbs kuua and kusamehe are formed by adding “-wa” on them.
| Active Form | Passive Form |
|---|---|
| - ua (kill) | - uawa (be killed) |
| - samehe (forgive) | - samehewa (be forgiven) |
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Mtoto alipigwa na mama yake. | The child was beaten by his/her mother. |
| Mgonjwa atachomwa sindano. | The patient will be given an injection. |
| Emma alifiwa na mama yake. | Emma was bereaved by her mother. |
| Chakula kimepikwa na mimi. | The food was cooked by me. |
| Kazi ya nyumbani imesahauliwa na Robert. | The homework was forgotten by Robert. |
| Hilo embe limeliwa na wewe? | Was that mango eaten by you? |
chini ya · dodoma · juu ya · kando ya · kati ya · katikati · kuna · mbele ya · mna · ndani · ng'ambo ya · nje · nyuma ya
13 words
In Swahili, the locations are shown by the suffixes -ko, -po, and -mo depending on the location to which one is referring. If a location referred to is an indefinite one, the suffix -ko is used. If a location referred to is a definite one, then the suffix -po is used. If it is inside or in an enclosed location, the suffix -mo is used.
For all noun classes, the subject prefix will be used followed by the locative suffix. The personal pronoun can be used in front of the locative, or omitted as well once it becomes clear to whom the locative is referring. To negate, the negative subject prefix is used.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Mimi niko Tanzania. | I am in Tanzania. |
| Nipo Dar es Salaam. | I am in Dar es Salaam. |
| Mimi nimo ofisini. | I am in the office. |
| Yeye yuko Tanzania. | S/He is in Tanzania. |
| Yeye yupo Dar es Salaam. | S/He is in Dar es Salaam. |
| Yumo ofisini. | S/He is in the office. |
| Sisi tuko shuleni. | We are at school. |
| Visu viko wapi? | Where are the knives? |
| Wazazi wangu wapo New York. | My parents are in New York. |
| Maembe yangu yamo jikoni. | My mangoes are in the kitchen. |
| Funguo za ofisi zipo mezani. | The office keys are on the table. |
| Mimi sipo shuleni. | I am not at school. |
| Chakula hakipo sokoni. | The food is not at the market. |
| Mama hayumo chumbani kwake. | Mother is not in her room. |
| Vifaa vya kulima havipo shambani sasa, | The farming tools are not at the farm right now. |
In Swahili, some common nouns can be suffixed by –ni to form locations which mean: in, on, at, and to, as seen in some of the examples above. Proper nouns are not suffixed by the suffix –ni, like countries.
The demonstrative forms of the Mahali class are actually locatives as well and are used in a lot of question/answer phrases regarding location.
| Indefinite (ku) | Definite (pa) | Inside (mu) |
|---|---|---|
| huku - here/hereabouts | hapa - here/right here | humu - here inside |
| huko - there/over there | hapo - there/just there | humo - there inside |
| kule - there/in the distance | pale – there/over there | mle - there in |
Mfano:
Kisu kiko wapi? - Kisu kipo hapa. : Where is the knife? - The knife is (definitely) here.
Note the agreement with the locative for kisu and the locative demonstrative of position for the work here. Both are the definite pa construction.
Kaskazini - North
Mashariki - East
Kusini - South
Magharibi - West
Mbele ya - In front of
Nyuma ya - Behind
Juu ya - On top of, on, above
Chini ya - Under, below
Mfano:
Gari liko wapi? - Gari lipo nyuma ya nyumba. : Where is the car? - The car is behind the house.
baridi · hali ya hewa · inanyesha · joto · jua · kiangazi · kipupwe · masika · mawingu · mvua · ngurumo · radi · theluji · upepo · vuli
15 words
The majority of East Africans practice farming activities to generate income.
Cultural activities and ceremonies sometimes depend on the seasons. For example, hunting takes place after the rainy season.
Some infectious diseases are more prevalent depending on the season. During dry and windy season, cold and flu are both common. During the rainy season, cholera, diarrhea, and malaria become more common throughout East Africa.
bado · ghafla · halafu · hasa · hivyo · kidogo · kwa bahati · kwa hiyo · kwa kawaida · kwa kifupi · kwa kusudi · kwa kweli · kwa sababu · labda · mapema · mno · polepole · sana · sikuzote · taratibu · tu · upesi · vigumu · vilevile · vizuri
25 words
Just as in English, adverbs are sometimes created from adjectives. In Swahili, there are some adverbs that take on what appears to be agreement with the KI- VI- noun class.
Vibaya - badly
Kidogo - a little, slightly
Vigumu - difficult
Vizuri - well, nicely
However, a lot of examples exist only in adverbial form.
Baadaye - later, afterwards
Bado - not yet, still
Halafu - then, afterwards
Hasa - especially
Labda - maybe, perhaps
Pia - as well, also, too
Tu - only, just
Some adverbs are also preceded by the word kwa.
Kwa bahati - luckily
Kwa haraka - quickly
Kwa kawaida - usually
Kwa kusudi - purposely, on purpose
Kwa hiyo - therefore
Kwa sababu - because
Adverbs usually come after the noun, but sometimes with the kwa constructions, they might come before the main clause.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Uliamka mapema. | You woke up early. |
| Fanya vizuri! | Do it properly! |
| Kwa kweli, umenidanganya sana. | Truthfully, you really deceived me. |
| Ninasikia vibaya. | I feel bad. |
| Bado hajarudi nyumbani? | S/He still has not returned home? |
| Wanaelewa vigumu, wanafunzi hawa! | It is difficult for them to understand, those students! |
| Acha tu! | Just stop! |
| Nilimpiga teke kwa kusudi. | I kicked him/her on purpose. |
If you haven't noticed yet, Swahili doesn't have articles. Words like “the,” “a/an,” or “it” don't exist, at least not in isolation. Therefore, in order to express a a direct or indirect object in Swahili, object infixes must be used. In this course, English articles could be added through implication, but they are truly present when the object infix is included. If you want to say you are looking at “me”, for example, an object infix for me - “-ni-” - must be inserted after the tense but before the verb stem. Therefore, “you are looking at me” becomes “unaniangalia”.
The object infixes for the M- WA- noun class are as follows:
| Singular Pronoun | Infix | Plural Pronoun | Infix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mimi | -ni- | Sisi | -tu- |
| Wewe | -ku- | Ninyi | -wa- |
| Yeye | -m-/-mw- | Wao | -wa- |
Notes:
The object infixes for the other noun classes are the same as the subject prefixes but are placed between the tense marker and the verb.
| Noun Class | Agreement | Object Infix |
|---|---|---|
| M- MI- | Singular | -u- |
| M- MI- | Plural | -i- |
| KI- VI- | Singular | -ki- |
| KI- VI- | Plural | -vi- |
| N/N | Singular | -i- |
| N/N | Plural | -zi- |
| JI- MA- | Singular | -li- |
| JI- MA- | Plural | -ya- |
| U/N | Singular | -u- |
| U/N | Plural | -zi- |
| Mahali | M- | -m(w)- |
| Mahali | PA- | -pa- |
| Mahali | KU- | -ku- |
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Uilete sasa. | Bring it now. |
| Hapa ni kisu ulikiomba. | Here is the knife you asked for |
| Wanavisoma vitabu. | They are reading the books. |
| Amezichukua. | She took them. |
| Nitayakula maembe yote. | I am going to eat all of the mangoes. |
| Ninahitaji kujisaidia! | I have to help myself (to go to the bathroom)! |
| Mnajiandaa? | Are you preparing yourselves? |
baiskeli · bandari · barabara · basi · boti · dereva · gari · kituo cha basi · kondakta · meli · nauli · ndege · pikipiki · reli · siti · stesheni · tiketi · treni · usafiri · uwanja wa ndege
20 words
East Africa has an extensive transportation system based on buses and smaller forms of transport.
For long distance routes, there are normally bus charts for assigned seating and it is recommended to book tickets 2-3 days in advance.
In major towns, there will be a bus stand - stendi - where many people, especially youth, try to carry luggage for money or pedal goods and food.
It is generally recommended to cross-check the cost of the fare and information about buses and schedules from colleagues, neighbors, friends, or other resources before going to the stendi to purchase a ticket.
Other forms of transportation around East Africa include bajajis, which are similar to tuktuks, and motorcycles, or pikipikis, which are commonly used as forms of public transportation.
Small buses range in sizes - in increasingly size, you might hear the words noah, daladala, coasta, or basi being used.
ama · au · baada ya · badala ya · basi · hata · ila · ingawa · kabla ya · katika · kisha · kwa · kwa ajili ya · kwa maana ya · kwamba · lakini · licha ya · mbalimbali · sawasawa · toka · wala · zaidi ya
22 words
In Swahili, there are a lot of different prepositions and conjunctions that can be used. The most interesting is the preposition “kwa”. Other prepositions indicate location and are fairly easy to use, but kwa can be slightly confusing. When “kwa“ is used in different sentences, it has different uses like at, by, on, of, from, for, to and with – all depending on the context!
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nitakwenda mjini kwa baiskeli. | I will go to town by bicycle. |
| Nililala kwa nusu saa. | I slept for half an hour. |
| Nitapiga simu kwa mama. | I will phone (to) my mother. |
| Tulifua nguo kwa sabuni. | We washed clothes with soap. |
| Waliishi nyumbani kwa mjomba wao. | They lived at their uncle’s home. |
| Watakufa kwa njaa. | They will die of hunger. |
| Anatoka kwa jirani. | She is (coming) from the neighbor's (house). |
As seen in the previous lessons, adjectives have to agree with the nouns they modify. The particle -ote- is used to express the concept of all/whole in Swahili.
The particle -ote is prefixed with respective noun class prefix in order to maintain agreements between the noun and the adjectival particle. Examples of agreement are vyakula vyote - all foods, or watu wote - all people.
Because -ote begins with a vowel, it takes the vowel stem adjective agreements listed in the previous adjective lesson.
| Noun Class | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| M- WA- | Mzima | Wote |
| M- MI- | Wote | Yote |
| KI- VI- | Chote | Vyote |
| N/N | Yote | Zote |
| JI- MA- | Lote | Yote |
| U/N | Wote | Zote |
| Mahali | M- | Mwote |
| Mahali | PA- | Pote |
| Mahali | KU- | Kote |
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Watanzania wote wanaweza kusema Kiswahili. | All Tanzanians can speak Kiswahili. |
| Wanafunzi walisoma vitabu vyote. | Students read all of the books. |
| Tulisafisha vyumba vyote. | We cleaned all of the rooms. |
| Walikula mikate yote. | They ate all of the bread. |
| Nilipoteza funguo zote. | I lost all of the keys. |
| Tulilima shamba lote. | We ploughed the whole farm. |
| Mti wote uliungua. | The whole tree was burned. |
| Tulibomoa nyumba yote. | We demolished the whole house. |
The concord prefix to be used with adjective root “–o –ote” in a sentence or phrase has to agree with the noun in modifies.
| Noun Class | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| M- WA- | Yeyote | Wowote |
| M- MI- | Wowote | Yoyote |
| KI- VI- | Chochote | Vyovyote |
| N/N | Yoyote | Zozote |
| JI- MA- | Lolote | Yoyote |
| U/N | Wowote | Zozote |
| Mahali | M- | Mwomwote |
| Mahali | PA- | Popote |
| Mahali | KU- | Kokote |
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Pesa yoyote | any money |
| Fomu yoyote | any form |
| Kiwango chochote | any rate |
| Wakati wowote | any time |
| Mtu wowote | any person |
Ingi and -engi in Swahili mean many, a lot, or plenty, but the agreements differ according to the noun classes they modify. Usually, this adjective only occurs in the plural form, though some classes do take singular agreements.
| Noun Class | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| M- WA- | no form | Wengi |
| M- MI- | Mwingi | Mingi |
| KI- VI- | Kingi | Vingi |
| N/N | no form | Nyingi |
| JI- MA- | no form | Mengi |
| U/N | Mwingi | Nyingi |
| Mahali | M- | no form |
| Mahali | PA- | Pengi |
| Mahali | KU- | no form |
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Wanafunzi wengi | Many students |
| Matunda mengi | Many fruits |
| Miti mingi | A lot of trees |
| Vyumba vingi | Plenty of rooms |
| Nyumba nyingi | Many houses |
| Funguo nyingi | A lot of keys |
| Mahali pengi | Many places |
If one wants to say other or another in Swahili, the use of adjective particles -ingine or –engine is unavoidable. These adjective particles always take agreement from the nouns they describe as shown in the chart below.
| Noun Class | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| M- WA- | Mwingine | Wengine |
| M- MI- | Mwingine | Mingine |
| KI- VI- | Kingine | Vingine |
| N/N | Nyingine | Nyingine/Zingine |
| JI- MA- | Lingine/Jingine | Mengine |
| U/N | Mwingine | Nyingine/Zingine |
| Mahali | M- | no form |
| Mahali | PA- | Pengine |
| Mahali | KU- | Pengine |
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Mtu mwingine | Another person |
| Kitu kingine | Another thing |
| Viatu vingine | Other shoes |
| Jambo lingine | Other issue |
| Mashoka mengine | Other axes |
| Nyumba nyingine | Another house |
| Mahali pengine | Other places |
-Enye and -Enyewe are two other adjectives that take concords depending on the noun class.
-Enye is used to mean with, and -enyewe is used to mean itself/themselves. They follow normal vowel stem adjective agreements.
| Hisia | Emotions |
|---|---|
| Kushangaa | To be amazed |
| Kukasirika | To be angry |
| Kusikitika | To be disappointed/sorry |
| Kuhuzunika | To bereave |
| Kushtuka | To be startled/shocked |
| Kufurahi | To be happy |
| Kuudhika | To be annoyed |
| Kufadhaika | To be depressed/perplexed |
The following verbs act as emotions as they are forms of conditions:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Kushiba | To be full (food) |
| Kuchoka | To be tired |
| Kulewa | To be drunk |
| Kuchelewa | To be late |
The above verbs are used with immediate -me- tense or the -ja- tense for positive or negative clauses.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Tumelewa. | We are drunk. |
| Wamechoka. | They are tired. |
| Nimekasirika sana kwa sababu mwizi ameiba pesa zangu. | I am very angry because a thief stole my money. |
| Umefurahi sana kupata zawadi nzuri. | You are very happy to get a nice gift. |
| Amehuzunika mno kwa sababu mama yake alifariki jana. | He is very bereaved because his mother died yesterday. |
| Bob hajafurahi kwa sababu amekula ugali baridi. | Bob is not happy because he ate cold stiff porridge. |
| Dora na Bob hawajashangaa kuwaona twiga Mikumi. | Dora and Bob were not shocked to see giraffes in Mikumi. |
hawa · haya · hii · hiki · hili · hivi · hizi · huu · huyu · ile · kile · lile · ule · vile · wale · yale · yule · zile
18 words
Demonstratives refer to words like this or that indicating a particular noun object as opposed to others. Though Swahili does not use regular articles like a/an or the, demonstratives are frequently used in speech to construct well-structured sentences. The two demonstratives will depend on the proximity to the speaker and the context of the sentence. Just as in English, certain contexts will require the word this whereas others will require that.
In Swahili, the root for this begins with h and is followed by an agreeing suffix depending on the noun class. For that, the agreement takes the suffix -le. See the chart for the demonstratives of each class.
| Noun Class | Agreement | This | That |
|---|---|---|---|
| M- WA- | Singular | Huyu | Yule |
| M- WA- | Plural | Hawa | Wale |
| M- MI- | Singular | Huu | Ule |
| M- MI- | Plural | Hii | Ile |
| KI- VI- | Singular | Hiki | Kile |
| KI- VI- | Plural | Hivi | Vile |
| N/N | Singular | Hii | Ile |
| N/N | Plural | Hizi | Zile |
| JI- MA- | Singular | Hili | Lile |
| JI- MA- | Plural | Haya | Yale |
| U/N | Singular | Huu | Ule |
| U/N | Plural | Hizi | Zile |
| Mahali | M- | Humu | Mle |
| Mahali | PA- | Hapa | Pale |
| Mahali | KU- | Huku | Kule |
In terms of order, the demonstrative can come after the noun, just as other adjectives, if referring to a noun. It can also precede the noun as well. The order will largely depend on the context of the sentence, but with practice, a speaker will understand where in the sentence to place the demonstrative.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Huyu ni mwalimu wangu wa Kiswahili. | This is my Swahili teacher. |
| Hawa ni walimu wetu wa Kiswahili. | These are our Kiswahili teachers. |
| Nimeshamwambia yule! | I already told him/her (ie- that person). |
| Unataka viti vile? | Do you want those chairs? |
| Maembe hayo yameharibika. | Those mangoes have spoiled. |
| Ninahitaji kutumia ufunguo huu? | Do I need to use this key? |
| Alipoteza barua zile zamani. | S/He lost those letters a long time ago. |
andalio la somo · bendera ya taifa · jumlisha · kipindi · kiranja · mkuu wa shule · mtihani · mwalimu mkuu · mwalimu wa darasa · mwalimu wa zamu · somo la baiolojia · somo la fizikia · somo la hisabati · somo la jiografia · somo la kemia · somo la kingereza · somo la kiswahili · somo la sayansi · somo la uraia · wimbo wa taifa · zamu
21 words
The education system in Tanzania is managed by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training.
The Tanzanian education system is a remnant of the German and British colonial school systems.
The first level of education is at the pre-primary level. Attendance is not compulsory for students and it lasts for two years (ages 5 and 6).
The first compulsory level of education is the primary level. Grade levels are called standards and there are seven standards in primary school. The language of instruction is Swahili. Students must pass an exam at Standard Four to continue to Standard Five and then another exam at Standard Seven in order to complete primary school and advance to secondary school.
Secondary school is divided into two levels, Ordinary Level (O-Level) and Advanced Level (A-Level). Forms 1-4 are O-Level and Forms 5-6 are A-Level. Once students pass Standard 7, they can enroll in secondary school as a Form 1 student. Students must pass a Form 2 exam to continue to Form 3. In order to progress to A-Levels, a student must pass a Form 4 exam. The language of instruction is English.
If a student passes his/her Form 4 exam, he/she can enroll in A-Level school to continue to advanced studies and then to university. If a student fails, he/she has the option to enroll in a vocational college or a teachers' college to teach at the primary school level.
The language of instruction is a subject of much debate in Tanzania as the switch from Swahili to English comes after the critical brain development stage when language learning is much easier. The abrupt switch also results in high rates of failure from secondary school as students are unable to master English and therefore other subjects.
Lack of proper study environments, poor nutrition, health, and sanitation, economic hardships, and the language of instruction are the major obstacles for Tanzanian students.
Corporal punishment is still widely used in Tanzanian schools and is also a major impediment to learning and a common source of gender-based violence in Tanzania.
The education system in Kenya is managed by the Ministry of Education.
The Kenya education system is a remnant of the British colonial school systems. All primary and secondary schools mandate school uniforms.
The first level of education is at the pre-primary/kindergarten level. Attendance is not compulsory for students and it lasts for 1-2 years. Over the years, preschool for children aged 2-4 has gained popularity.
The first compulsory level of education is the primary level, which the government provides for free. Grade levels are called standards and there are eight standards in primary school. The language of instruction is English, with Swahili taught from standard one. Students must pass an exam at Standard Eight to continue to secondary school.
Secondary school consists of Forms 1-4. Once students pass Standard 8, they can enroll in secondary school as a Form 1 student. The language of instruction is English.
From primary to secondary school, Mathematics, English and Swahili are mandated by law to be taught in all schools. Both Christian and Islamic religious education are commonly taught in primary school, but are often optional in secondary school. Secondary schools decide what subjects in the sciences and humanities are mandatory for their students, and which they can select to drop.
If a student passes their national Form 4 exam, they can enroll in university for their selected vocation (interestingly, these selections are made before the exam is taken) - this is completely dependent on their grade. If a student fails, they have the option to enroll in a vocational college or parallel degree programs (C+ minimum required).
A significant disparity exists in the quality of education, more so in the secondary school level, where a hierarchy of school "elite" status is maintained as only Standard 8 students with the highest scores are admitted to certain schools. The emphasis on academic prowess during primary and secondary education discourages students from pursuing artistic talents and interests.
Corporal punishment is still widely used in Kenyan schools and is also a major impediment to learning.
Learn more about the historical progression of the Kenyan education system here
bluu · dhahabu · kijani · kijivu · njano · pinki · rangi · zambarau
8 words
This lesson introduces colors in Swahili. You'll notice that many of these color names are adopted from their English counterparts! Can you guess what 'buluu' is? Other colors are named after items that naturally have these colors, e.g. 'green' is kijani, which literally translates to 'leaf-like'. 'Gray' is kijivu, which translates to 'ash-like' (ash is gray)
arusha · dar es salaam · florida · kenya · marekani
5 words
Ku-, pa-, and m(u)- are prefixes of the locative class, also referred to as the Mahali class. The class itself has one “primary “ noun, mahali, sometimes heard as pahali, mahala, or pahala, all meaning place in English. However, many nouns from other classes are capable of becoming locative nouns by use of the suffix -ni, e.g. nyumbani at home). chumbani (in the room), etc.
The ku-, pa-, and m(u)- prefixes are traditionally been associated with the following meanings:
Mifano :
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Kuna wanyama wengi Tanzania. | There are many animals in Tanzania. |
| Pana wanyama wachache Muheza. | There are few animals in Muheza. |
| Mna mnyama mmoja zizizni. | There is one animal in the cow shed. |
| Mahali hapo palikuwa na watu wengi. | That place had many people. |
| Mezani palijaa na uchafu. | The table was full of dirt. |
| Kijijini kulikuwa na mbuzi wengi. | In the village there were many goats. |
| Nchini kuna njaa. | In the country there is hunger. |
| Chumbani mlikuwa na viti viwili. | In the room there were two chairs. |
| Kabatini mlikuwa na sahani nyeupe. | in the cupboard there were white plates. |
Possessives:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Mahali pake | His/her place |
| Nyumbani kwake | His/Her home |
| Mahali penu | Your (pl.) place |
| Nyumbani kwenu | Your (pl.) home |
| Chumbani mwao | Their room |
bahari · hamia · ikiwa · kama · lisipo · mtaona · nikinunua · nikipata · pasipo · tayari · tutaenda · ukijifunza · ukinywa · ukisoma · utalewa · wakienda · wataleta · ziki
18 words
Conditional sentences in Kiswahili can be expressed by the word kama, which is followed by the future form in the second part of the sentence. Kama is not a particle.
Note: kama is synonymous to ikiwa and ijapo
Examples:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Kama utajifunza Kiswahili, utaweza kuzungumza na watanzania. | If you learn Kiswahili, you will be able to speak with Tanzanians |
| Kama tutapata pesa, tutaenda Ulaya. | If we get money, we will go to Europe. |
| Kama tutakula ugali, tutashiba. | If we eat ugali (porridge), we will be full. |
Conditional sentences in Kiswahili can also be formed by including the tense particle -ki- between the subject prefix and the verb. It is followed by the future form in the second part of the sentence.
When -ki- is used with monosyllabic verbs, the infinitive ku- is dropped.
Examples:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Ukijifunza Kiswahili, utaweza kuzungumza na watanzania. | If you learn Kiswahili, you will be able to speak with Tanzanians. |
| Tukipata pesa, tutaenda Ulaya. | If we get money, we will go to Europe. |
| Tukila ugali, tutashiba. | If we eat ugali (porridge), we will be full. |
Note that for (near) future conditional tenses, the use of '-ki-' can be ambiguous in whether it means 'when' vs 'if' e.g.
Akipiga simu, nitakuambia
This can be interpreted as:
ananipikia · ananipokelea · ninawaandikia · tunawasomea · walimchukulia
5 words
When you do something for/ to/at or on behalf of someone, you have to use the prepositional form of verbs. These are also generally used with object infixes to clearly show for whom an action is being performed. There are some rules when it comes to forming the prepositional form of verbs:
Mifano:
Pika becomes Pikia - cook for/to/on behalf of
Andika becomes Andikia - write to /for/on behalf of
Mifano:
Nunua becomes Nunulia - buy for
Chukua becomes Chukulia - take for
Mifano:
Soma becomes Somea - read to /for/on behalf of
Peleka becomes Pelekea - send to /for /on behalf of
Mifano:
Toa becomes Tolea - give for/to/on behalf of
Pokea becomes Pokelea - receive for
Mifano ya Utumizi:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nitakupikia ugali. | I will cook ugali for you. |
| Watamwandikia. | They will write to him. |
| Unamchukulia? | Are you taking it for her? |
| Mwalimu wao anawasomea. | Their teacher is reading to them. |
| Tunakutolea hela. | We are giving money on behalf of you. |
afya · ajali · chanjo · cheti cha daktari · cheti cha kifo · cheti cha kuzaliwa · dalili · dawa · homa ya matumbo · jeraha · jikondesha · jipu · kichomi · kipindupindu · konda · kuambukizwa · kunenepa · lishe · maambukizo · malaria · mgonjwa · mwuguzi · nenepesha · sindano · sumu · surua · ugonjwa · unene · upasuaji · utapiamlo · vimba · wasichana · zahanati · zuia
34 words
Inquiring about each other's general health is a normal aspect of Tanzanian/Kenyan life and comprises a set of common greetings between people.
However, when someone is suffering from a disease of a discrete nature, there are ways to tell "white lies" to avoid details; saying one as a fever, or homa, is a cover-all for most diseases or infections. Similarly, saying ninaumwa tumbo, or "my stomach hurts", can cover many afflictions as well. Mental health awareness has only recently been voiced, particularly on social media, but has a long way to go towards breaking away from the stigma surrounding mental health.
Expressing sympathy for the sick is one of the most important aspects of social interaction. In Kenya and Tanzania, people prefer to be visited when sick, which is very much contrary to Western culture. People try their best to visit sick friends, relatives, colleagues, neighbors, etc, and never with empty hands - it is common to give money or food to sick friends, reflecting the communalism inherent in East African culture.
Generally, talking about STDs including HIV/AIDS is not talked about publicly. Private parts of the body are collectively called sehemu za siri and are not talked about either as they are considered immodest, taboo subjects in normal conversation.
bao · filimbi · goli · imefunga · imeshinda · kiwanja cha michezo · kuruka kamba · kushinda · ligi · magoli · mashindano · mchezaji · mchezo wa bao · mchezo wa karata · mechi · mieleka · mlifungwa · mmefunga · mpira wa kikapu · mpira wa meza · mpira wa miguu · mpira wa pete · mpira wa wavu · mwamuzi · nilishindwa · timu · tumefungwa · tumeshinda · tunashindwa · wachezaji · walifunga
31 words
Football, or soccer, is the most popular sport in Tanzania. Even in extremely rural villages, TV sets powered by solar panels can be found in areas where locals will gather to watch games for a fee. Tanzanians are big fans of the English Premier League, especially!
In Tanzania, there is a nation-wide football league, but the two biggest clubs are the Young African Sports Club (Yanga) and the Simba Sports Club (Simba).
The Tanzanian National Team - Taifa Stars - has never qualified for a FIFA World Cup.
Other popular sports in Tanzania include basketball, netball, volleyball, handball, and rugby.
Tanzania has had two Olympic medalists in the past and competes in the Commonwealth Games and the African Championships in Athletics.
amepiga miyayo · anapiga deki · anapiga mbizi · anapiga picha · atapiga pasi · mlipiga magoti · mlipiga mluzi · mnapiga teke · nilipiga chenga · nilipiga kengele · nilipiga simu · nilipiga teke · ninapiga mbizi · nitapiga makofi · tulipiga chafya · tulipiga pasi · ulipiga ngumi · umepiga chafya · umepiga kelele · utapiga kengele · utapiga magoti
21 words
While the verb “kupiga” in Swahili literally means to beat or to hit, it is often used as an idiom. When paired with various nouns, it actually translates to a different verb in English. This makes the verb kupiga the most versatile in Swahili!
Mifano:
| Piga Idiom | Translation |
|---|---|
| Kupiga pasi | To iron clothes |
| Kupiga simu | To make a telephone call |
| Kupiga kengele | To ring a bell |
| Kupiga kelele | To make noise/To shout |
| Kupiga chafya | To sneeze |
| Kupiga chenga | To dodge/To avoid/To evade/To sidestep |
| Kupiga magoti | To kneel down |
| Kupiga mbizi | To dive |
| Kupiga miayo | To yawn |
| Kupiga teke | To kick |
| Kupiga ngumi | To punch (with a fist) |
| Kupiga mluzi | To whistle |
| Kupiga makofi | To clap |
| Kupiga picha | To take a picture/photograph |
| Kupiga deki | To mop |
| Kupiga kofi | To slap |
Note: when an object is involved, there are two ways to construct the sentence:
Simple SVO:
Sentences with clauses following the object:
afadhali · aje · asiandike · asicheze · asome · heri · inafaa · lazima · leta · lime · mle · mlipe · mpike · msinunue · mwite · ni bora · niambie · niamke · niite · nile · nipe · nisifagie · nisisome · nywe · sharti · tafadhali · tucheze · tuje · tusiamke · tusilipe · uandike · ununue · waambie · wafagie · waje · wale · wape · wasipike
38 words
Subjunctive is often used when:
In Swahili, the subjunctive is constructed by changing the last vowel “a” of the verb stem into “ e”. The subject prefixes remain at their positions but without tense markers. Words like bora and tafadhali should be used although in practice they are sometimes omitted. These obligatory words will require subjunctive be used.
Positive Subjunctives
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Tafadhali unisaidie. | Please help me. |
| Lazima uende sokoni | You must go to the market. |
| Ni bora ujifunze Kiswahili. | It is better (that) you learn Kiswahili. |
| Inafaa upumzike leo. | It is better (that) you have a rest today. |
| Heri uende nyumbani. | It is better (that) you go home. |
| Kabla ya kula sharti unawe. | Before eating you must wash your hands. |
| Afadhali uende hospitali. | It’s better (that) you go to hospital. |
Negative Subjunctives: The negative subjunctives are made by inserting -si- between the subject prefixes and the stems of the verbs. This is also the way to construct negative commands.
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Usipige picha hapa. | Don’t take photographs here. |
| Usipike ugali leo. | Don’t cook ugali today. |
| Usiendeshe baiskeli. | Don’t ride a bicycle. |
| Msiende shuleni. | Don’t go to school. |
| Msifanye ngono zembe. | Don’t practice unprotected sex. |
Prepositional Subjunctive: This form of the verb means to do something for/ to/on behalf of somebody. In order to get this form of the verb you need to change the verb into a propositional form first and then to subjunctive form.
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Tafadhali unipikie ugali kwa samaki leo. | Please cook ugali and fish for me today. |
| Tafadhali waletee maji ya kunywa. | Please bring them some drinking water. |
amini · chinja · dhambi · ibada · imani · kafara · kuabudu · kubatizwa · kusaliwa · madhabahu · majini · malaika · mapepo · mashetani · matambiko · mimbari · motoni · msahafu · msalaba · mswala · mtakatifu · mtume muhamad · mungu · mzimu · peponi · rogwa · roho · sadaka · sali · tasbihi · thawabu · uchawi · uislamu · ukristo · ushirikina · waislamu · wakristo · yesu kristo
38 words
Religious surveys have not been conducted in Tanzania since 1967 and Tanzania observes freedom of religion. However, it is widely accepted that Tanzania is approximately 50/50 split between Muslims and Christians, though there are small populations of individuals from others faiths, including Hindus, in Tanzania.
In general, it is very easy to see the mix of Islamic and Christian faiths in Tanzania and the two major religions co-exist fairly peacefully.
In some areas, one of the two major religions is clearly dominant. For example, Zanzibar is almost exclusively Muslim, while Christianity is the dominant faith in the interior of the country (Southern Highlands) where missionary activity during colonialism was high.
In rural areas, traditional, more animistic beliefs are still common, though these have often been incorporated in some form into the two major religions.
Atheism is not common and is sometimes not/misunderstood. Asking the religion of a new acquaintance is not considered rude or impolite.
askari · balozi · bunge · demokrasia · diwani · hotuba · kampeni · kenyata · kura · mapinduzi · mbunge · meya · mwanasiasa · nitachagua · nyerere · rais · serikali · siasa · ubalozi · uchaguzi · usalama · vita · wananchi · waziri · wizara
25 words
Tanzania is a unitary presidential democratic republic between mainland Tanzania, formerly Tanganyika, and Zanzibar.
Tanganyika, also known as German East Africa, was both a German and a British colony during the period of European colonialism.
Tanganyika gained independence from Great Britain in 1961 and existed as a sovereign nation from 1962-1964.
In 1964, Tanganyika joined with Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania.
The first president of Tanzania was Julius Kambarage Nyerere. He was known as Mwalimu, or teacher, and was a very popular leader in Africa and a proponent of African socialism.
Tanzania was a one-party state from 1961-1980s, with Chama cha Mapinduzi, or Party of the Revolution, holding power. Even until the present day, CCM has been the only party in power since independence.
Tanzania's executive branch is headed by a President who appoints a Prime Minister to serve as a the government's leader in the National Assembly.
The legislative branch of Tanzania is called the Bunge. It is unicameral and parliamentarians, or wabunge, serve 5 year terms.
Tanzania's judiciary is made up of five levels which all incorporate tribal, Islamic, and British common law.
As Zanzibar was once a sovereign nation itself, there exists a precarious relationship between Mainland Tanzania and the Islands. Zanzibar has its own Head of Government, its own Parliament, and special judiciary courts. However, the President of the United Republic of Tanzania is still the Head of State for the Republic as a whole. The issue of Zanzibari autonomy has been a common political point in recent elections.
Administratively, Tanzania has 26 regions which are divided into districts. Districts are then divided into wards and wards into villages. Various levels of government exist between these levels.
andikiana · chezeana · nunuliana · oana · pigiana · rudiana · toleana
7 words
The reciprocal form of the verb is formed by suffixing -na- to the verb root (simple or extended). It expresses the idea reciprocating an action for one another.
It is important to distinguish verbs that can take –na- directly after the simple root.
Mifano:
| Simple Root – Swahili | Simple Root – English | Reciprocal Form – Swahili | Reciprocal Form - English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kupenda | To love | Kupendana | To love each other |
| Kukuta | To find | Kukutana | To find each other – To meet up |
| Kutembelea | To visit | Kutembeleana | To visit each other |
| Kuamkia | To greet | Kuamkiana | To greet each other |
However, some verbs need to be derived into other forms of the verbs before they are put into the reciprocal. Usually, this form will be the prepositional form as all verbs, including Arabic-origin verbs, will take an -a- ending in the prepositional form. This will accommodate for the -na- reciprocal suffix.
Mifano:
| Prepositional Root – Swahili | Prepositional Root – English | Prepositional Root – Swahili | Prepositional Root – English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kupikia | To cook for | Kupikiana | To cook for each other |
| Kusomea | To read for | Kusomeana | To read to each other |
| Kuandikia | To write for | Kuandikiana | To write for each other |
| Kusaidia | To help | Kusaidiana | To help each other |
| Kukubalia | To agree | Kukubaliana | To agree with each other – To be in agreement |
| Kusalimia | To greet | Kusalimiana | To greet each other |
Negative constructions would simply be made by using negative subject prefixes and changing the end of the verb as usual.. The reciprocal form can take subjunctive endings as well.
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Tutakutana kesho? | Are we going to meet (up) tomorrow? |
| Wanasaidiana kujenga nyumba zote. | They are helping each other to build all the houses. |
| Ukienda kumwona bibi yangu, ni lazima mwamkiane. | If you go to see my grandmother, you have to greet each other. |
asidi · atomu · elektroni · elementi · fomyula · gesi · haidrojeni · hewa · jaribio · kaboni · kemikali · kisayansi · maabara · maonesho · molekuli · mvutano · nadharia · nadharia tete · nishati · nishati tuli · nitrojeni · nutroni · nyukliasi · oksijeni · pima afya · protoni · roketi · sayansi · teknolojia · tungamo · uchanganuzi · ulinganifu · uwiano · uzito
34 words
darubini · iba · kibali cha kazi · kupanda · maasai mara · manyara · mbuga · mizigo · mlima kilimanjaro · mtalii · mtembeza watalii · mwizi · ngorongoro · nitapanda · nyaraka · pasipoti · polisi · pora · serengeti · uhamiaji · ukaguzi · utalii · viza · watalii
24 words
Tourism is a huge portion of income for Tanzania. With over 35% of its land protected for conservation, 16 national parks, over 25 game reserves, and many controlled conservation areas, Tanzania is widely recognized as one of the top tourist destinations in Africa.
Tanzania is home to Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa.
Some of the most popular safari destinations in Tanzania include the Serengeti, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
In the Kigoma region, Gombe National Park is where Jane Goodall conducted her famous survey of chimpanzees.
The semi-autonomous region of Zanzibar is home to Stone Town, the former capital of the Sultanate of Zanzibar and colonial Oman. It is a United Nations UNESCO World Heritage site, along with the Kilwa ruins and the Kondoa Cave Painting sites. There is also world-class scuba diving available off of Pemba and Zanzibar and an annual whale shark migration off of Mafia Island.
amsha · benki · fahamisha · kataza · kaza · kopesha · mkanda · pasha · tayarisha
9 words
Causative verbs express the idea of something having caused something else to happen; ie- cause and effect. Causative verbs in Swahili are derivatives of other verbs, nouns, or adjectives. There are a wide variety of ways in which causative verbs can be formed in Swahili, so instead of recognizing patterns or memorizing rules to form causative verbs, understanding the theory and memorizing the verbs themselves is often more helpful. General derivations are often formed by adding -sha or -za as suffixes to verbs, but this is not always the case.
For verbs containing A, I, or U as the last vowel, the verb stem will become -isha at the end. For example:
Though it sounds strange in English, the best way to literally translate a causative verb would be “to cause to --”. Kurudi means to return in the active sense of the verb, as in Ninarudi nyumbani (I return home). But the causative form will be Kurudisha, as in Ninarudisha vitu vyako (I return your things).
For verbs containing E or O, the verb stem will become -esha at the end. For example:
Some verbs will take the verb stem -za without following the previous two rules. The endings will either be -iza or -eza. For example:
Verbs with double vowels will usually take a -z- in between them to form the causative verb. For example:
Many verbs that end in -ka or -ta will change the ends to -sha. For example:
Some nouns and adjectives can be turned into causative verbs. For example:
Invariably, there are a lot of exceptions to these rules when forming causative verbs. It will take some memorization and familiarization to recognize the causative forms, but repetitive use will help understand the formation and use of causative verbs.
Common Causative Verbs:
| Active Form/Noun | Translation | Causative Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kuamka | To wake up | Kuamsha | To wake (someone else) up |
| Kuanguka | To fall | Kuangusha | To fell (cause to fall) |
| Kuchemka | To be boiled | Kuchemsha | To boil |
| Kuchoka | To be tired | Kuchokesha | To tire |
| Hakika | Certainty | Kuhakikisha | To ensure/make certain |
| Kuingia | To enter | Kuingiza | To put inside/enter |
| Kula | To eat | Kulisha | To feed |
| Kupotea | To be lost | Kupoteza | To lose |
| Kusikia | To hear | Kusikiliza | To listen |
| Tayari | Ready | Kutayarisha | To prepare |
eleweki · fahamiki · fanyiki · hai · hazi · ime · inasemekana · julikani · onekana · patikana · pokeleka · sahaulika · someka · someki · wezekani · zoleki
16 words
Stative verbs are similar to passive verbs in describing the state of a noun. Passive verbs must say by whom to action was done, however, and stative verbs do not. They express a state instead of an action. The stative stem is a variation of -k-, either as it is or in the form of -ika- or -eka-.
If a Bantu-origin verb ends in double vowels, then just the -k- is inserted between them. For example:
If a Bantu-origin verb ends in double a's, then -lik- is inserted between the two a's. For example:
Arabic-origin verbs ending in double vowels take the suffix -lika at the end. For example:
Common Stative Verbs:
| Active Form | Translation | Stative Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kubadili | To change | Kubadilika | To be changed |
| Kufunga | To close | Kufungika | To be closed |
| Kuharibu | To destroy | Kuharibika | To be destroyed |
| Kukata | To cut | Kukatika | To be cut |
| Kukubali | To agree | Kukubalika | To be agreed |
| Kuvunja | To break | Kuvunjika | To be broken |
| Kula | To eat | Kulika | To be edible |
| Kuona | To see | Kuonekana | To be seen |
| Kupata | To get | Kupatikana | To be obtainable/available |
| Kuweza | To be able | Kuwezekana | To be possible |
asipo · choka · lisipo · yasipochemka
4 words
When negating the conditional sentences with “kama”, follow the procedure of negative future:
Mifano:
| Swahili | English | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Kama hatutapata pesa, hatutaenda Ulaya. | If we don’t get money, we will not go to Europe. | ||
| Kama hatutakula ugali, hatutashiba. | If we don’t eat ugali, we will not be full |
When negating the conditional tense “-ki-”, it must be replaced by the particle “-sipo-” and then the second half of the sentence takes the appropriate negative prefixes. However, sometimes the second clause does not have to be negative depending on the clause itself; ie- not doing one thing will result in something else happening. With monosyllabic verbs, the infinitive ”ku-” is retained.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Usipojifunza Kiswahili, hutaweza kuzungumza na watanzania. | If you don’t learn Kiswahili, you will not be able to speak with Tanzanians |
| Tusipopata pesa, hatutaenda Ulaya. | If we don’t get money, we will not go to Europe. |
| Tusipokula ugali, hatutafurahi. | If we don’t eat ugali, we will not be happy. |
| Usipokwenda baharini, hutaogelea. | If you don’t go to the sea you won’t swim. |
| Asipokuja Tanzania, atakwenda Uganda. | If s/he doesn’t come to Tanzania, s/he will go to Uganda |
| Usipokula mayai, hutapata protini. | If you don’t eat eggs, you won’t get protein. |
huandika · hucheza · huchora · huimba · huishi · huja · hujifunza · hukimbia · hula · hulala · hunywa · hupenda · hupika · husafiri · husafisha · husikiliza · husoma · hutayarisha · hutengeneza · kila siku · kila wakati
21 words
The hu- aspect marker expresses a habitual action.
Unlike -na- tense, the hu- aspect marker does not take a subject prefix instead it must be preceeded by a noun or a personal pronoun.
It is important to note that hu- is the typical habitual marker, and -na- the typical present tense and progressive aspect marker. When one uses -na - as a habitual marker, it is appropriate to use it with the expressions,such as kila asubuhi-every morning. However, hu- can also be used with those expressions.
When hu- is used with monsyllabic verbs, the infinitive ku- is dropped.
Examples:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Baraka huamka saa kumi na moja alfajiri. | Baraka wakes up at five o’clock in the morning. |
| Yeye huandika barua kila siku. | She/He writes letters every day. |
| Mimi hula chakula kila siku. | I usually eat food everyday. |
| Wewe huja shuleni kila asubuhi. | You usually come to school every morning. |
kaingie · kanunue · katoke · nika · vuna
5 words
The time infix -ka- is used to describe a series of past events. When we use -ka-, the -li- tense appears first at the beginning of the sentence with the first verb and then it is replaced with the -ka- infix in the next verbs in order to denote that the narrative is in past tense. Hence, using -ka- in this sense is called the narrative tense.
Note: Monosyllabic verbs drop in infinitive ku- when used with -ka- infix.
Mfano:
Wikiendi, Mkude alipokwenda kwa dada yake kumtembelea, akampikia chakula. Baadaye wakala, wakazungumza, halafu wakaenda Mjini.
This weekend, when Mkude went to visit her sister, she cooked her food. Later they ate, they talked, and then they went to town.
The infix -ka- can also be used in the form of an expeditious command when combined with the subjunctive. Generally, subject pronouns will be dropped before the -ka- as well as the commands are directed at a specific audience. Sometimes, phrases will be preceded by normal commands, such as nenda. As with the narrative tense, monosyllabic verbs drop the infinitive ku-.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Kalale! | Go sleep! |
| Kalete kalamu yangu. | Go bring my pen. |
| Kale chakula chako sasa hivi. | Go eat your food right now. |
| Nenda kaombe ruhusa! | Go and ask for permission! |
ange · asinge · isinge · kisinge · mnge · msinge · ninge · ningekuja · ningemwona · ningepika · singe · tunge · tusinge · ungekwenda · ungemwona · usinge · wange · wasinge · zisinge
19 words
The-nge- form is used to express a hypothetical condition tense in present. -Ngali- is used for the past. Generally, both clauses in a sentence using the hypothetical conditional will use the form as the tense marker.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Ungekuja hapa sasa, ungemwona. | If you came here now, you would see him. |
| Wangekuwa mjini sasa, wangenunua nguo. | If they were in town now, they would buy clothes. |
| Ningalimwona jana, ningaliongea naye. | If I had seen her yesterday, I would have talked to her. |
| Kama angalijua kwamba unakuja, angalipika chakula kingi. | If she had known that you were coming, she would have prepared a lot of food. |
The negative constructions are formed with insertion of the –si- negative marker which is inserted before -nge- or -ngali-. Positive and negative hypothetical conditional tenses can be combined.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Asingepata mwaliko asingekwenda kwenye harusi. | If he had not been invited, he would have not gone to the wedding. |
| Barua isingalifika, nisingalifika msibani. | If the letter had not arrived, I would not have been at the funeral. |
| Tusingeimba vibaya, angefurahi sana. | If we did not sing poorly, he would be very happy. |
harusi · idd el fitr · iddi-el-hadj · ijumaa kuu · jando · krismasi · maulid · maulidi · mei mosi · muungano · mwaka mpya · nanenane · pasaka · sherehe · sikukuu · unyago
16 words
In Tanzania, Christian and Islamic religious holidays are observed as public holidays by all Tanzanians. This is similar in other East African countries as well.
Celebrations of religious festivals are featured with new clothes for children, relatives inviting one another to eat with a wide variety of food and drinks, and general relaxation.
Many Islamic holidays depend on the sighting of the moon - like Eid-el-Fitri.
During the month of Ramadhan, people do not eat or drink in public, especially on Zanzibar. Normally, in the evening Muslims will break their fasts by eating outside on mats and inviting passersby to partake in iftar, or the breaking of the fast.
Traditionally, circumcision is also widely celebrated according to various tribal customs. Local governments will observe these celebrations.
At funerals, women of all religions generally wear khanga and cover their heads.
Women do not go to the graves on burial days for Muslims.
Relatives, friends, neighbors, and bereaved colleagues normally visit the family to give their condolences, or rambirambi.
For weddings in East Africa, it is common to give contributions, or mchango, for the wedding party as it is seen as a more communal celebration than in Western culture.
Send-off parties are common in urban areas, as are kitchen parties for the bride to be taught about marital affairs by elder women and given household gifts, much like a bachelorette party with a more domestic focus.
Numerical dates i.e. date, month, year, will have the words tarehe, mwezi, mwaka preceding them. e.g.
| Date | Tarehe |
|---|---|
| Tenth of May | Tarehe kumi mwezi wa tano |
| 2019 | Mwaka elfu mbili na kumi na tisa |
| March | Mwezi wa tatu |
alishakufa · anapofundisha · hadithi · ipi · kwisha · lipi · ndiye · ndiyo · nilishapika · panda · po · sha · tulishakula · tumeshamaliza · upi · vipi · wameshaenda · yapi · yupi
19 words
Are you ready for this skill? There are four main areas of advanced grammar that will be explored here that will really embellish your Swahili.
An emphatic is a word used to add stress to a noun. In English, we usually say “indeed” or “the very” to emphasize a noun, though this is not commonly used. However, in Swahili, it is indeed very important! The word for yes - ndiyo - is derived from the emphatic form.
The stem for an emphatic is “ndi- and it takes the relative agreement depending on the noun class.
| Noun Class | Emphatic | Agreement |
|---|---|---|
| M- WA- | Ndiye | Singular |
| M- WA- | Ndio | Plural |
| M- MI- | Ndio | Singular |
| M- MI- | Ndiyo | Plural |
| KI- VI- | Ndicho | Singular |
| KI- VI- | Ndivyo | Plural |
| N/N | Ndiyo | Singular |
| N/N | Ndizo | Plural |
| JI- MA- | Ndilo | Singular |
| JI- MA- | Ndiyo | Plural |
| U/N | Ndio | Singular |
| U/N | Ndizo | Plural |
| Mahali | Ndimo | Inside Locative |
| Mahali | Ndipo | Specific Place Locative |
| Mahali | Ndiko | Unspecific Place Locative |
Personal pronouns in the singular form also have emphatics. Plurals are proceeded by ndio followed by the personal pronoun.
| Pronoun | Emphatic | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Mimi | Ndimi | Indeed I/me |
| Wewe | Ndiwe | Indeed you |
| Yeye | Ndiye | Indeed he/she or him/her |
| Sisi | Ndio sisi | Indeed us/we |
| Ninyi | Ndio ninyi | Indeed you (pl.) |
| Wao | Ndio wao | Indeed they/them |
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Huyu ndiye mwalimu mzuri aliyenifundisha. | This is indeed the good teacher who taught me. |
| Ndicho hicho! | Indeed that one! |
| Embe hilo ndilo zuri sana! | That mango is indeed very good! |
| Ndiwe utakayekwenda huko. | It is indeed you who will go there. |
For the interrogative form of “which”, a word can be used with the subject prefix and the stem -“pi”. This must be used in relation to a noun with some degree of specificity, otherwise the relative “which” - gani - can be used. Technically, gani is literally translated as “what sort?”, but it is colloquially and commonly used for “which” nowadays. However, using this form will enhance a learner's Swahili.
| Noun Class | Interrogative -pi | Agreement |
|---|---|---|
| M- WA- | Yupi? | Singular |
| M- WA- | Wepi? | Plural |
| M- MI- | Upi? | Singular |
| M- MI- | Ipi? | Plural |
| KI- VI- | Kipi? | Singular |
| KI- VI- | Vipi? | Plural |
| N/N | Ipi? | Singular |
| N/N | Zipi? | Plural |
| JI- MA- | Lipi? | Singular |
| JI- MA- | Yapi? | Plural |
| U/N | Upi? | Singular |
| U/N | Zipi? | Plural |
| Mahali | Kupi? | Singular – Only form of Mahali that takes -pi |
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Unataka parachichi lipi? | You want which avocado? |
| Anakaa nyumba ipi? | He lives in which house? |
| Tukununulie viatu vipi? | We should buy you which shoes? |
“-Kwisha-” is literally translated as “already”. It is one of the Kiswahili constructions which describes complete events. Also, it is the most emphatic.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nimekwishaandika barua. | I have already written a letter. |
| Umekwishaandika barua. | You have already written a letter. |
| Tumekwishaandika barua. | We have already written a letter. |
| Wamekwishaandika barua. | They have already written a letter. |
However, in many parts of Tanzania and East Africa as a whole, the “kw-” or kwi- is dropped in sentences without changing the meanings. Indeed, using only -sha- is becoming the most popular form of this construction.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nimeishaenda dukani. | I have already gone to the store. |
| Ulishawahi kula nge? | Have you already tried to eat scorpion? |
| Wameshafika Marekani. | They have already arrived in America. |
This form is also commonly used with the conditional -ki- to indicate conditional future tenses in conversation.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nikishamaliza kazi yangu, nitaenda kucheza mpira. | Once I have finished my work, I will go play soccer. |
| Ukishasafisha chumbani kwako, osha vyombo. | Once you have cleaned your room, wash the dishes. |
| Tukishazungumza naye, tutakuambia. | Once we have talked with her, we will tell you. |
In Swahili, “when” is indicated by the question word “lini”. But, “lini” is used only when one is asking a question. In a statement of fact, instead of using “lini”, the relative marker of time “-po-” is used. The marker “-po-” is not used with “hu-” or “-me-” tenses, only with simple present, past, and future. However, with the future, instead of “-ta-”, the tense marker becomes “taka”.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Tulipoenda Morogoro, tulijifunza Kiswahili. | When we went to Morogoro, we learned Swahili. |
| Ninapozungumza Kiswahili, ninaeleweka. | When I speak Swahili, I am understood. |
| Mama atakapofika nyumbani, atapika wali. | When mother arrives at home, she will cook rice. |
alivyokuja · ambacho · ambao · ambapo · ambayo · kisipoletwa · mlipofika · mtakapomaliza · unavyocheza · usipolala
10 words
The amba relative means “who”, “whom”, “that”, or “which”. It is suffixed with respective relative marker from each noun class.
The amba relative takes a suffix depending on the noun class.
| Noun Class | Agreement | Amba Relative |
|---|---|---|
| M- WA- | Singular | Ambaye |
| M- WA- | Plural | Ambao |
| M- MI- | Singular | Ambao |
| M- MI- | Plural | Ambayo |
| KI- VI- | Singular | Ambacho |
| KI- VI- | Plural | Ambavyo |
| N/N | Singular | Ambayo |
| N/N | Plural | Ambazo |
| JI- MA- | Singular | Ambalo |
| JI- MA- | Plural | Ambayo |
| U/N | Singular | Ambao |
| U/N | Plural | Ambazo |
| Mahali | M- | Ambamo |
| Mahali | PA- | Ambapo |
| Mahali | KU- | Ambako |
In Kiswahili there are three types of relative clause constructions:
1- The amba- relative clause; e.g. Basi ambalo linakwenda Arusha – The bus that goes to Arusha.
2- The infix relative clause with the marker -lo-, or the amba suffix, before the verb root; e,g. Basi linalokwenda Arusha – The bus that goes to Arusha.
3- The suffixal relative clause with the relative suffix after the verb stem but without the tense marker; e.g. Basi liendalo Arusha – The bus that goes to Arusha.
All of the three forms above are commonly used. The following points need to be noted in relation to the use of these forms of relative clause:
The prefixal relative marker is used with the past, present and future tense markers. When used with the future tense, the marker -taka- is used instead of -ta-.; e.g. Basi litakaloenda Arusha. - The bus that will go to Arusha.
All verbal constructions with the tense markers –me-, -mesha-, and -ja- use the amba relative preceeding the verb construction.; e.g. Basi ambalo limekwenda Arusha. - The bus that went to Arusha.
The suffixal relative does not take tense markers and has a general meaning, as mentioned above.; e.g. Basi liendalo Arusha. - The bus that goes to Arusha.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Huyu ni voluntia ambaye anatoka Marekani. | This is a volunteer who comes from America. |
| Wale ni mavoluntia ambao wanatoka Marekani. | Those are volunteers who come from America. |
| Huyu ni mtoto ambaye anaumwa malaria. | This is the chilld who is suffering from malaria. |
| Hawa ni vijana ambao wana kazi nyingi. | These are youth who have a lot of work. |
| Yule ni mzee ambaye ana bustani kubwa ya mboga. | That is the old man who has a big vegetable garden. |
| Hii ni barua ya voluntia ambayo inatoka Marekani. | This is a volunteer’s letter that comes from America. |
| Zile ni barua za voluntia ambazo zinatoka Marekani. | These are volunteers’ letters that come from America. |
| Ile ni saa yangu ndogo ya mezani ambayo niliinunua Uingereza. | That is my small table clock which I bought in England. |
| Zile ni saa zangu ndogo za mezani ambazo nilizinunua Uingereza. | These are my small table clocks which I bought in England. |
| Alitumia vifaa vilivyovunjika. | S/He used tools which broke. |
| Nitapika chakula kitamu kinachotoka Uhindi. | I am going to cook good food which comes from India. |
| Popote uendapo! | Wherever you go! |
“-Vyo-“ is a relative marker infix which is used to express the manner through which something is done or how action is taking place. In most cases, the verb that takes the infix “-vyo-“ is proceeded by words like “jinsi” or ”namna”which literally mean “how”. The use of the infix “-vyo-“ in a verb can also mean “as far as”.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nitakufundisha jinsi ninavyofanya kazi yangu. | I will teach you how I do my work. |
| Utaona jinsi watu wanavyochoma moto misitu. | You will see how people set fire in forests. |
| Utaelewa jinsi vijana wasivyojali afya zao. | You will understand how youths do not care about their health. |
| Nilifanya vyote nilivyoweza. | I did as much as I could. |
angali · asingali · ingali · kisingali · lingali · mngali · mngalilewa · msingali · ningali · nisingali · tungali · tusingali · ungali · usingali · wangali · wasingali · wasingalifurahi
17 words
The-nge- form is in conditional clauses for events that can be changed. -Ngali- is used for conditional clauses expressing events that cannot be changed. Generally, both clauses in a sentence using the hypothetical conditional will use the form as the tense marker.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Ungekuja hapa sasa, ungemwona. | If you came here now, you would see him. |
| Wangekuwa mjini sasa, wangenunua nguo. | If they were in town now, they would buy clothes. |
| Ningalimwona jana, ningaliongea naye. | If I had seen her yesterday, I would have talked to her. |
| Angalijua kwamba unakuja, angalipika chakula kingi. | If she had known that you were coming, she would have prepared a lot of food. |
The negative constructions are formed with insertion of the –si- negative marker which is inserted before -nge- or -ngali-. Positive and negative hypothetical conditional tenses can be combined.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Asingepata mwaliko asingekwenda kwenye harusi. | If he had not been invited, he would have not gone to the wedding. |
| Barua isingalifika, nisingalifika msibani. | If the letter had not arrived, I would not have been at the funeral. |
| Tusingeimba vibaya, angefurahi sana. | If we did not sing poorly, he would be very happy. |
Sometimes, these two infixes are used interchangeably
kuliko · sawa na · zaidi
3 words
Comparison in Swahili is very different from English. There are no adjectives for comparative or superlative degrees like adding “-er” or “-est”. Instead, comparative words are used in Swahili after adjectives.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Bustani yangu ni nzuri kama yako. | My garden is as good as yours. |
| Kijiji chetu ni sawa na chenu. | Our village is the same as yours. |
| Mashamba yeti ni makubwa kuliko yenu. | Our farms are bigger than your farms. |
| Shamba lake ni zuri kuliko langu. | His farm is nicer than mine. |
| Twiga ni mrefu zaidi ya simba. | The giraffe is taller than the lion. |
When making a superlative construction, use the same words as in comparative construction, except that the adjective “–ote” - all or whole - with correct agreement marker of the noun used comes at the end. This signifies that the comparison is made with all other types of that particular noun being compared.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Wakenya wanapendelea kukumbia kuliko wote. | Kenyans love to run more than anyone. |
| Chakula kinapikwa na mama yangu ni kitamu kupita vyote. | Food cooked by my mother is better than all other (food). |
| Matikitimaji kutoka Tanzania ni makubwa kushinda yote mengine. | Watermelons from Tanzania are bigger than all others. |
aga dunia · amekuwa popo · anguka pa! · bwana ni jabali langu · chemsha bongo · chungulia kaburi · fyata mkia · hana kaba ya ulimi · jiwe lile likasema · jua limesimama · kata choo · kula vumbi · kumeza maneno · kumkalia mtu kitako · kwenda msalani · lia kwi kwi kwi! · lila na fila · mito inaimba · mkono wa birika · mwalimu wetu ni simba · pua na mdomo · sina hali · tamathali ya usemi · tamathali za usemi · tamu kama sukari · uzi na sindano · vunjika moyo
27 words
Here is a brief overview of different types of figures of speech in this lesson. Some phrases in Swahili lose meaning when directly translated to English, but sometimes one can infer the intended meaning through the reference used.
a.k.a. Tashbihi, Tashbiha. These have the same form as they do in English, i.e. adjective-preposition-noun. Some English similes translate to their Swahili counterparts e.g.
| Similes | Tashbihi |
|---|---|
| Black as coal | -eusi kama makaa |
| Cold as ice | baridi kama barafu |
| Thin as a needle | -embamba mithili ya sindano |
Note: kama and mithili ya mean the same thing
Other Swahili similes are not quite used as-is when directly translated to English e.g.
| Tashbihi | Translation |
|---|---|
| Adhimu kama maziwa ya kuku | Rare as chicken's milk |
| Mlafi kama fisi | Greedy as a hyena |
| Mrefu kama mlingoti | Tall as a pole |
These are used, as in English, to substitute words or expressions that are considered harsh or improper
| Tafsida | Direct translation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Kujifungua | To open onself up | To give birth |
| Kujisaidia | To help oneself | To use the bathroom |
| Kuaga dunia | To say goodbye to the earth | To die |
a.k.a. Istiari, Istiara. These are similar to similes, but rather than describing someone/thing to be 'like' something else, they are described as that thing.
| Sitiari | Metaphor | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Rashidi ni kobe | Rashidi is a tortoise | Rashidi is slow |
| Amekuwa popo | He's become a bat | He's become a turncoat |
| Juma ni chiriku | Juma is a canary | Juma is a chatterbox |
These are common phrases that are widely understood or whose meaning/reference is easy to understand.
| Semi | Sayings | Meaning/use |
|---|---|---|
| Shingo upande | Bent neck | Be reluctant/do something reluctantly |
| Pua na mdomo | Nose and mouth | Very close |
| Lila na fila | Good and evil | For better or worse |
a.k.a. uhaishaji. These are phrases that give inanimate objects human attributes e.g. the wind is whistling
| Tashihisi | Translation |
|---|---|
| Picha inanikodolea macho | The picture is looking at me |
| Fikira zangu zinazunguka | My thoughts are swirling |
| Muda unakimbia | Time is running |
a.k.a. Milio. These are words that mimic sound or how an action is performed. These sounds are typically used to either emphasize or exaggerate a sound or action. Note that not all actions are assigned these sounds.
Often, they appear at the end of the sentence, and are followed by are an excalamation mark, though this is not required.
| Mlio | Action |
|---|---|
| Cheka kwa kwa kwa! | Laugh (loudly) |
| Mweusi tititi | Very dark |
| Tumbukia majini chubwi | Fall into water |
| Shusha pumzi hufyu | Loud/big sigh |
These are phrases/sayings that always contain verbs. Like euphemisms, they are used to soften harsh words. Often, direct translations will not make much sense
| Nahau | Translation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Piga hatua | Make steps | Move forward/Progress |
| Meza maneno | Swallow words | Keep a secret |
| Pigwa kalamu | Have one's pen hit | Lose one's job |
ilikuwa imejengwa · kilikuwa kimepikwa · mlikuwa mmekwenda · ulikuwa umekatwa · walikuwa wamepumzika
5 words
The pluperfect construction is a fancy way of saying that something has been done or completed. It is also called past perfect in English. It combines the past tense with the condition of being perfect, which, from its Latin derivative, means that it is complete - or completely finished!
In Swahili, this construction is made by combining the simple past with the immediate past. Pretty easy! This is true for both affirmative and negative sentences.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nilikuwa nimefanya kazi nyingi. | I had done a lot of work. |
| Alikuwa ameenda nyumbani. | S/He had gone home. |
| Tulikuwa tumekubali kusafirisha mizigo yote. | We had agreed to transport all of the packages. |
| Hukuwa umemaliza kuandika barua. | You had not finished writing the letter. |
| Hawakuwa wamechoma takataka shimoni. | They had not burned all of the trash in the hole. |
alikuwa alianza kujifunza kiswahili · ki
2 words
Participles can be tricky, even in English. In Swahili, they aren't commonly used in normal speech, but it is possible to find them used in writing or in very formal settings.
To form participial phrases, the conditional -ki is used, although it occurs in the second verb of the sentence instead of the first. It can be used with any tense marker.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Niliwaona wakitembea. | I saw them walking. |
| Alifika akibeba mizigo. | He arrived carrying luggage. |
| Watakuwa wakicheza. | They will be playing. |
| Nimekuwa nikuumwa. | I was sick. |
| Ulikuwa ukinifundisha kupiga mbizi baharini. | You were teaching me how to dive in the ocean. |
Similarly, these constructions can be made using conditional forms as the main verb in the participial phrase: ie - -nge-, -singe-, -ngali-, and -singali-.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Ningekuwa Marekani sasa, ningekuwa nikisoma chuoni. | If I were in America right now, I would be studying at university. |
| Ningalisoma historia, ningalikuwa nikiishi Ugiriki kufundisha akiolojia. | If I had studied history, I would have been living in Greece to teach archaeology. |
| Usingefika mapema, usingekuwa ukinisaidia. | If you had not arrived early, you would not be helping me. |
| Tungalioana mwaka uliopita, usingalikuwa ukiweza kupata kazi hiyo nzuri. | If we had married each other last year, you would not have been able to get that good job. |
Kiswahili pronunciation is, for the most part, easy for a learner whose first language is English. The language has a five vowel system represented by the letter, a, e, i, o, and u, (like Spanish), and most of its consonants are quite similar to English ones. The following points need to be kept in mind when learning Kiswahili pronunciation:
Kiswahili words are stressed. With a few notable exceptions, stress is placed on the next-to-last (penultimate) syllable, e.g. bába father, káka brother etc. The exceptions are: lázima necessary, obligation; núsura almost, etc. (The accent ‘used here to indicate stress.)
Kiswahili vowels are pronounced as follows:
The letter a is approximately pronounced as in English father, e.g. baba-father
The letter e is approximately pronounced as in English debt, e.g. nene-fat
The letter i is approximately pronounced as in English bee, e.g. bibi-grandmother
The letter o is approximately pronounced as in English row, e.g. mtoto-child
The letter u is approximately pronounced as in English moon, e.g. bubu-dumb person
All vowels are pronounced clearly and distinctly regardless of the position of the vowel in a word. They are never pronounced reduced (i.e schwa) as the second vowel in water and butter. Double vowels as in kaa, baa, taa, etc. are pronounced long. Dissimilar vowels as in pea, paua, zuia, etc. are pronounced distinctly as separate syllables; they are not pronounced like a sequence of two vowels one blending into the other as the English diphthong which is considered to form a single syllable.
p, t, ch, k are pronounced as in English pea, tea, cheer, keep respectively, Examples are: paa-roof, taa-lamp, choo-toilet, kaa-crab
b, d, j, g are pronounced as in English big, dig, jog, give respectively. Examples are: baa-bar, dada-sister, jaa-fill, gugu-weed
m, n, are pronounced as in English. Examples are: mama-mother, nane-eight
ng’ is pronounced like ng in long, bring, sing. Examples are: ng’aa-shine, ng’ombe-cow, ng’amua-realize
ny is pronounced as ni as in the word onion. Examples are: nyanya-tomatoes, nyinyi-you all, manyunyu-drizzle
nj is pronounced like the nge sound in the word fringe. Examples are: njano-yellow, njegere-peas
th, dh are pronounced as English th in thick and this, respectively, Examples are: thelathini-thirty, dhambi-sin
s, z are pronounced as English. Examples are: saa-time, watch, clock, zaa-give birth
sh is pronounced as in English she. Examples: shangaa-be surprised, shinda-win
h is pronounced as in English he. Examples are habari-news, information
f, v are pronounced like the initial sounds in the English words fail, veil respectively, Examples are: faa-be of use, vaa-wear, dress (cloth)
r, l, w, y are pronounced as the initial sounds in the English words; rain, lawyer, way, yes, respectively. Examples are: radi-thunder, lala-sleep, wewe-you (singular), yeye-s/he.
gh is pronounced in the same position in the mouth as English g in go but with friction. Examples are ghali-expensive, ghafla-suddenly
Personal pronouns and demonstratives vary according to the noun class of the word they refer to.
| Swahili Pronoun | English Pronoun |
|---|---|
| Mimi | I/Me |
| Wewe | You |
| Yeye | He/She (Him/Her) |
| Sisi | We/Us |
| Ninyi | You (pl) |
| Wao | They/Them |
NOTE: Sometimes, you might see the second person plural written as Nyinyi, but for this course, you will see Ninyi used.
To express the concept of “being” in the present, the particles ni (positive) and si (negative) are used as shown in the following chart:
| Pronoun | Particle | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Mimi/Wewe/Yeye | ni | Mtanzania/Mmarekani/Mkenya |
| I/You/He or She | am/are/is | (a/an) Tanzanian/American/Kenyan |
| Mimi/Wewe/Yeye | si | Mtanzania/Mmarekani/Mkenya |
| I/You/He or She | am/are/is not | (a/an) Tanzanian/American/Kenyan |
| Pronoun | Particle | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Sisi/Ninyi/Wao | ni | Watanzania/Wamarekani/Wakenya |
| We/You (pl)/They | are | Tanzanians/Americans/Kenyans |
| Sisi/Ninyi/Wao | si | Watanzania/Wamarekani/Wakenya |
| We/You (pl)/They | are not | Tanzanians/Americans/Kenyans |
A common mistake for translating the word 'American' is simply changing the 'c' to 'k' - this is incorrect. The translation becomes '-marekani'
It is customary in Tanzanian culture to exchange greetings before engaging in a conversation or in any other activities, which is why ‘Greetings’ is one of the first skills of the Swahili course.
Hand shaking is used a lot. In some areas of Tanzania people kneel down or bow, or bend down a little as a sign of respect, children bow their heads for a blessing from elders. In other areas elders bow their heads for a touch from children when being greeted.
People take greetings seriously as they help to maintain good relationships.
The word habari literally means news, but it is often used to ask How is ---?.
Some Tanzanians use the greeting Jambo when greeting foreigners. In most cases Jambo is considered to be a touristic greeting. Generally foreigners are associated with tourists and for that matter this greeting is commonly used with foreigners.
When using the forms of -jambo, negative prefixes will be used (such as asking, Hujambo?). This can be translated as a way to say Hello! or How are you?. More about this will be explained in later lessons, but for now, just remember that Jambo is technically used for tourists only.
To a friend/colleague, one can say Mambo? or Salama? or Vipi?, but not to an elder or to a senior person. These phrases are slang for Hello.
Articles "a", "the", and "some" are not used in Swahili. One can say "mtoto" meaning "a" or "the" child.
Normally older people or those considered to be of higher status are greeted first. In most cases titles would accompany the greetings Shikamoo mwalimu (teacher), mzee (old person), babu (grandfather), kaka (brother), dada (sister) etc.
Shikamoo literally translates to may I hold your feet, a greeting with Islamic roots. We can simply translate this as Hello, or I respect you. The literal translation can be a bit strange!
Similarly, the response to shikamoo, marahaba, literally means I accept. However, that can also be awkward. In this course, we've tried to come up with an acceptable translation.
Generally for Africans, the term family refers to all family and extended relatives, i.e siblings, uncles, aunties, cousins, nephew, nieces, grand fathers and mothers etc.
Family relationships take precedence over age: e.g. a stepmother, even if younger than you, will get the same respect as your mother.
Close family friends are treated and referred to as if they are relatives.
In East African, and especially Tanzanian, culture, it is very common to ask and be asked about family affairs, marital status and age, even when greeting new people.
In Swahili, nouns are grouped according to different classes. These classes have different agreements and grammatical structures in common with very few exceptions. Although learning the different rules of the noun classes can seem daunting, the patterns that each class follow become easily recognizable and mastery over noun classes will set your Swahili apart from a casual learner.
Most nouns referring to humans, animals, and insects fall into the M- WA- noun class because they take the m- prefix in the singular and the wa- prefix in the plural. For example, the word parent(s) is mzazi or wazazi. This is also generally true for adjective stems, and although we will introduce some adjectives here, we will cover adjective stems later in the course in more detail. Unlike Romance languages and others with gendered nouns, Swahili does not have gendered nouns and that distinction is only made through using adjectives.
However, it is important to note that many kinship nouns and almost all animal nouns do not take those prefixes.
There are certain words, like karibu, asante, shikamoo, or kwa heri that, when used to address more than one person, take the suffix -ni to indicate plural references. So, saying asante, or thank you, to a group of people would be asanteni. When adding syllables to the end of words, the stress still goes on the penultimate syllable once the addition is made, not the original syllable where the stress once was.
The following chart shows personal pronouns for singular and plural. These act as vowel stem adjectives and must take different agreements depending on the noun class.
| Singular | Translation | Plural | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| - angu | my/mine | - etu | our/ours |
| - ako | your/yours | - enu | your/yours (pl.) |
| - ake | his/her | - ao | their/theirs |
For the M- WA- noun class, the prefix w- is used for both singular AND plural possessive pronouns. For example, my child will be mtoto wangu and my children* will be watoto wangu**.
There is a prepositional element in Swahili that is the equivalent of saying of. It follows agreement patterns based on the noun class as well. All nouns, including the Arabic kinship nouns, in the M- WA- noun class take the agreement prefix w- for the “-a of association.” In a way, this linguistic element acts as a way to attach an adjective. See below:
| Singular Example | Translation | Plural Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mwalimu wa Kiswahili | Teacher of Swahili – Swahili Teacher | Walimu wa Kiswahili | Teachers of Swahili – Swahili Teachers |
| Msichana wa Marekani | American girl | Wasichana wa Marekani | American girls |
| Mwanafunzi wa hisabati | Math student | Wanafunzi wa hisabati | Math students |
Nouns of the M/Wa noun class take the same subject prefixes as the personal pronouns take.
| - | Pronoun | Subject Prefix |
|---|---|---|
| I | Mimi | Ni- |
| You | Wewe | U- |
| He/She | Yeye | A- |
| We | Sisi | Tu- |
| You (pl.) | Ninyi | M- |
| They | Wao | Wa- |
Examples
| Ninatoka Tanzania. | I come from Tanzania. |
| Mwalimu anapenda Kenya. | The teacher likes Kenya. |
this lesson covers some conversational sentences one might use to get to know someone, such as where they're from.
This lesson also includes a cursory introduction to Swahili words for other languages. Traditionally they're written with the prefix Ki-:
This lesson is an introduction to different occupations in Swahili. More traditionally blue-collar/manual jobs are commonplace in Africa in general as technical colleges are a widespread option for people to learn these skills and venture into these careers.
Some of these nouns do not follow traditional noun class prefixes in singular and plural, but because they only apply to people, their modifiers use affixes from the M/Wa noun class:
Simple Swahili sentence structure has three parts: a subject prefix, a tense marker, and the verb stem. For example Ninapika (I am cooking):
Ni- = Subject Prefix (I)
-na- = Tense Marker (Simple Present)
-pika = Verb (Cook)
This can be called verb construction or sentence structure, because in Swahili, this construction can constitute a complete sentence with a subject and a verb by itself. The structure will become longer with additional nouns or other modifiers.
In the example above, -pika is the modified verb in the present tense. If we want to talk about cooking, or if we refer to the infinitive form, to cook, then we add what we call the infinitive ku. So, to say to cook or cooking, the word is kupika. When we refer to dropping or retaining the infinitive ku, this is what will stay or go!
In Swahili, Bantu-origin verbs end in -a and Arabic/other language-origin verbs end in other vowels. Verbs in Swahili do not end in consonants.
The following chart shows sample constructions involving the subject prefixes, tense markers, and some sample verb stems:
| Pronoun | Subject Prefix | Tense Marker | Verb Stem | Construction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mimi (I) | ni- (I) | -na- (present continuous tense) | -sema (speak) | Ninasema |
| wewe (you) | u –(you) | -na- (present tense) | -lala (sleep) | Unalala |
| yeye (she/he) | a – (she/he) | -na- (present tense) | -fikiri (think) | Anafikiri |
| sisi (we) | tu – (we) | -na- (present tense) | -uliza (ask) | Tunauliza |
| ninyi (you plural) | m – (ya’ll) | -na- (present tense) | -fundisha (teach) | Mnafundisha |
| wao (they plural) | wa – (They) | -na- (present tense) | -kimbia (run) | Wanakimbia |
In these constructions, ni-, u-, a-, tu-, m-, and wa- are subject prefixes, i.e. they refer to the subject noun or pronoun.
Monosyllabic verbs retain the infinitive ku as part of the verb stem, like kula - to eat. To make a construction, the infinitive ku is retained. So, to say I eat or I am eating, the Swahili would be Ninakula.
This form of construction, or agglutination, is important in Swahili as all verbage is formed by combining subject prefixes, tense markers, and verbs at the very least, and including object infixes, relatives, and different verb endings as language ability progresses.
In negative present:
1- No tense sign is used;
2- If the last vowel is an “a”, it is changed into “i”; and
3- Negative subject prefixes are used.
The negative present can also be used for the negative continuous, ie.- I do not/am not....
Examples:
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| Ninaandika. | Siandiki. |
| I am writing. | I am not writing. |
| Unaandika. | Huandiki. |
| You are writing. | You are not writing. |
| Anaandika. | Haandiki. |
| She/He is writing. | She/He is not writing. |
| Tunaandika. | Hatuandiki. |
| We are writing. | We are not writing. |
| Mnaandika. | Hamwandiki. |
| You (pl.) are writing. | You (pl.) are not writing. |
| Wanaandika. | Hawaandiki. |
| They are writing. | They are not writing. |
Note 1: - Whenever a consonant ‘m’ precedes vowel stem verbs, -w- is inserted between the consonant and the vowels; example: Ninyi hamwandiki.
Note 2: - Monosyllabic verbs like kula, kunywa, and kuja, drop the infinitive ‘ku’ in the negative present.
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| Mimi ninakula samaki. | Mimi sili samaki. |
| I am eating fish. | I am not eating/do not eat fish. |
| Wewe unakunywa pombe. | Wewe hunywi pombe. |
| You are drinking alcohol. | You are not drinking/do not drink alcohol. |
Note 3: - Verbs with other vowel endings other than “-a” retain their endings.
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| Ninajibu swali. | Sijibu swali. |
| I am answering a question. | I am not answering/do not answer a/the question. |
| Tunadhani kwamba atafika. | Hatudhani kwamba atafika. |
| We think she/he will arrive. | We do not think she/he will arrive. |
The nouns in the M- MI- noun class do not have an overarching commonality like the M- WA- noun class. However, these nouns all begin with m- in the singular and mi- in the plural, so this class is referred to as the M- MI- noun class. Most trees and plants do fall into this class, though.
It is important to note that there is little to distinguish the difference between singular nouns in the M- WA- and M- MI- noun classes since singular nouns in both will start with m-. Therefore, it is necessary to know the meaning of the noun to decide to which class a noun will belong.
You'll see three patterns with the concord prefixes in this noun class:
The following chart shows personal pronouns for singular and plural. These act as vowel stem adjectives and must take different agreements depending on the noun class.
| Singular Nouns | Plural Nouns | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| wangu | yangu | my/mine |
| wako | yako | your/yours |
| wake | yake | his/her |
| wetu | yetu | our/ours |
| wenu | yenu | your/yours (pl.) |
| wao | yao | their/theirs |
The possessive pronoun that is used will depend on the agreement of the noun. When talking about a singular noun, the possessive pronoun with the prefix w- will be used. For plural nouns, the possessive pronoun with the prefix y- will be used.
Examples:
| Swahili Singular | Swahili Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| Mfano wangu | Mifano yangu | My example(s) |
| Mshahara wangu | Mishahara yangu | My salary(ies) |
| Mguu wangu | Miguu yangu | My leg(s) |
Similar to the prefix for the possessive pronouns, the prefixes for the “-a of association” for the M- MI- noun class are w- for the singular nouns and y- for the plural nouns.
| Singular Example | Translation | Plural Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mshahara wa mwezi | Salary of the month – Monthly salary | Mishahara ya mwaka | Salaries of the year – Yearly salaries |
| Mlango wa nyumba | House door | Milango ya nyumba | House doors |
| Mtihani wa shule | School exam | Mitihanti ya shule | School exams |
Subject Prefixes:
For the M/Mi noun class, subject prefixes are U as singular and I as plural
This lesson introduces actions and appliances common to the household, therefore the nouns in this lesson belong to an assortment of noun classes that apply to inanimate objects.
This lesson also includes common household action words such as 'cleaning' ('kusafisha')
In the Food skill, animals such as cow, pig etc are mentioned when referring to meat from the animals. For example:
nyama ya ng'ombe = Beef
nyama ya nguruwe = Pork
There are specific Swahili words that are used for some popular foods in East Africa. Translations in English do not necessarily exist and are usually just descriptors, so for this course, you can use either the Swahili word in your English exercises, or the descriptor, though it would be better for you to leave the Swahili word as is. For example:
Ugali most closely translates to stiff porridge in English, but this is still an inaccurate description, so the translation ugali still applies. The most basic recipe consists of hot water and corn flour. Water is brought to a boil, and corn flour is gradually mixed in until it goes from a gooey consistency to a play-dough consistency. It's typically prepared with a wooden spoon that has a flat, wide head (no bowl). The mixture must be continuously folded with the wooden spoon to prevent chunks of raw flour in the center. Definitely an arm workout!
Note: although they are conceptually similar, East African ugali and West African fufu are not the same thing!
Pilau is a spiced rice, but you can just call it pilau.
Nyama choma is literally barbecued meat, but made in a special, smoked manner, so it can simply be referred to as nyama choma.
Mtori is literally a banana soup made with green bananas, but that is a long descriptor, so mtori is acceptable!
This is a cursory introduction to some examples of common verbs in Swahili. These verbs are not conjugated from their stems i.e. active verbs that don't have helping words e.g. to play, to write, etc.
The exercises in this lesson are designed to familiarize yourself with some basic verbs in Swahili. Some of them will contain the nouns that they stem from e.g. the verb 'tamani' (long for) comes from the noun 'tamaa' (desire/longing)
When expressing the concept “to have” in the present, we use the element ‘–na’ which forms the verb kuwa na, literally meaning to be with but used for the English phrase “to have”. The following are affirmative examples:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| nina - I have | tuna – we have |
| una - you have | mna - you (pl) have |
| ana – she/he has | wana - they have |
This is how it is used:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Sasa nina kalamu moja. | Now I have one pen. |
| Sasa una bustani. | Now you have a garden. |
| Ana malaria. | She/He has malaria. |
| Leo tuna mgeni. | Today we have a guest. |
| Mna shida? | Do you (plural) have a problem? |
| Wana maembe mengi! | They have a lot of mangoes! |
To negate the sentence, use negative subject prefixes:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Sina bustani. | I don’t have a garden. |
| Huna shida. | You don’t have a problem. |
| Hana virusi. | She/He doesn’t have a virus. |
| Hatuna malaria. | We don’t have malaria. |
| Hamna kalamu. | You (pl) don’t have a pen. |
| Hawana chakula. | They don’t have food. |
This lesson introduces more verbs in the present tense! These consist of present-tense verbs in the active voice, with examples of different persons as the doer
The KI- VI- noun class is probably the easiest to recognize. All of the nouns will either start with ki- in the singular or vi- in the plural, unless the stem begins with a vowel. In that case, the concords will be ch- and vy-.
Common KI- VI- nouns:
| Singular | Plural | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Kiatu | Viatu | Shoe(s) |
| Kichwa | Vichwa | Head(s) |
| Kidole | Vidole | Finger(s) |
| Kijiji | Vijiji | Village(s) |
| Kijiko | Vijiko | Spoon(s) |
| Kikombe | Vikombe | Cup(s) |
| Kitanda | Vitanda | Bed(s) |
| Kisima | Visima | Water well(s) |
| Kisu | Visu | Knife(ves) |
| Kitabu | Vitabu | Book(s) |
| Chakula | Vyakula | Food(s) |
| Choo | Vyoo | Toilet(s) |
| Chuo | Vyuo | College(s) |
| Chumba | Vyumba | Room(s) |
The following chart shows personal pronouns for singular and plural. These act as vowel stem adjectives and must take different agreements depending on the noun class.
| Singular Nouns | Plural Nouns | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| changu | vyangu | my/mine |
| chako | vyako | your/yours |
| chake | vyake | his/her |
| chetu | vyetu | our/ours |
| chenu | vyenu | your/yours (pl.) |
| chao | vyao | their/theirs |
The possessive pronoun that is used will depend on the agreement of the noun. When talking about a singular noun, the possessive pronoun with the prefix ch- will be used. For plural nouns, the possessive pronoun with the prefix vy- will be used.
Examples:
| Swahili Singular | Swahili Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| Kitabu changu | Vitabu vyangu | My book(s) |
| Kitambaa changu | Vitambaa vyangu | My cloth material(s) |
| Kioo changu | Vioo vyangu | My mirror(s) |
Similar to the prefix for the possessive pronouns, the prefixes for the “-a of association” for the KI- VI- noun class are ch- for the singular nouns and vy- for the plural nouns.
| Singular Example | Translation | Plural Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kipimo cha kichwa | Measurement of the head – Head measurement | Vipimo vya mwili | Measurements of the body – Body measurements |
| Chumba cha nyumba | House room – Room of the house | Vyumba vya nyumba | House rooms – Rooms of the house |
| Kioo cha choo | Bathroom mirror | Vioo vya choo | Bathroom mirrors |
The N/N noun class features nouns that are generally taken from other languages, like Arabic, English, German, Portuguese, etc. This is the largest noun class in Swahili and there are also few Bantu-origin words found in the noun class.
Indeed, it can be observed that Swahili in Kenya, Uganda, and other countries adopt a two-noun class type of Swahili, with M- WA- and N/N classes being the only classes used.
The biggest note for this noun class is that there is no distinguishing concord between singular and plural nouns. This can sometimes be confusing for Swahili learners, but often the context or the adjectives used with the noun will reflect whether it is singular or plural. The following examples can be either singular or plural.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Bahati | Luck |
| Barabara | Road(s) |
| Baridi | Cold/Coldness |
| Barua | Letter/Mail |
| Bia | Beer |
| Bei | Price |
| Chai | Tea |
| Chumvi | Salt |
| Chupa | Bottle(s) |
| Dakika | Minute(s) |
| Dawa | Medicine(s) |
| Kahawa | Coffee |
| Kalamu | Pen(s) |
| Kazi | Work |
| Meza | Table(s) |
| Nafasi | Opportunity/Space |
| Panga | Machete |
| Pasi | Iron |
| Pesa | Money |
| Rafiki | Friend |
| Sababu | Reason(s) |
| Sabuni | Soap(s) |
| Shida | Problem/Difficulty |
| Siagi | Butter |
| Suruali | Trousers |
| Takataka | Rubbish/Trash |
The following chart shows personal pronouns for singular and plural. These act as vowel stem adjectives and must take different agreements depending on the noun class.
| Singular Nouns | Plural Nouns | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| yangu | zangu | my/mine |
| yako | zako | your/yours |
| yake | zake | his/her |
| yetu | zetu | our/ours |
| yenu | zenu | your/yours (pl.) |
| yao | zao | their/theirs |
The possessive pronoun that is used will depend on the agreement of the noun. When talking about a singular noun, the possessive pronoun with the prefix y- will be used. For plural nouns, the possessive pronoun with the prefix z- will be used.
Examples:
| Swahili Singular | Swahili Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| Nguo yangu | Nguo zangu | My clothes |
| Nyumba yangu | Nyumba zangu | My house(s) |
| Kalamu yangu | Kalamu zangu | My pen(s) |
Similar to the prefix for the possessive pronouns, the prefixes for the “-a of association” for the N/N noun class are y- for the singular nouns and z- for the plural nouns.
| Singular Example | Translation | Plural Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bia ya baridi | Beer of the cold – cold beer | Bia za baridi | Cold beers |
| Dawa ya homa | Fever medication/medicine | Dawa za nyumba | Fever medications/medicines |
| Habari ya taifa | National news | Habari za mataifa | International news |
Subject Prefixes for this noun class are I and Zi in the affirmative sentences.
For example:
Barua hii inatoka Zanzibar. This letter comes from Zanzibar.
Barua hizi zinatoka Zanzibar. These letters come from Zanzibar.
In the negative sentences, the Subject Prefixes are Hai and Hazi.
For example:
Barua hii haitoki Zanzibar. This letter does not come from Zanzibar.
Barua hizi hazitoki Zanzibar. These letters do not come from Zanzibar.
Demonstratives:
Hii ni barua. This is a letter. Hizi ni barua. These are letters.
Ile ni barua. That is a letter. Zile ni barua. Those are letters.
The JI- MA- noun class takes its name from the fact that there are some nouns that, in the singular form, take the concord ji- at the beginning. However, most of the nouns in this class do not, but in the plural, all of the nouns will take the ma- concord. There are some patterns, though:
The following chart shows personal pronouns for singular and plural. These act as vowel stem adjectives and must take different agreements depending on the noun class.
| Singular Nouns | Plural Nouns | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| langu | yangu | my/mine |
| lako | yako | your/yours |
| lake | yake | his/her |
| letu | yetu | our/ours |
| lenu | yenu | your/yours (pl.) |
| lao | yao | their/theirs |
The possessive pronoun that is used will depend on the agreement of the noun. When talking about a singular noun, the possessive pronoun with the prefix l- will be used. For plural nouns, the possessive pronoun with the prefix y- will be used.
Examples:
| Swahili Singular | Swahili Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| Gari langu | Magari yangu | My car(s) |
| Pipa langu | Mapipa yangu | My barrel(s) |
| Shauri langu | Mashauri yangu | My advice |
Similar to the prefix for the possessive pronouns, the prefixes for the “-a of association” for the JI- MA- noun class are l- for the singular nouns and y- for the plural nouns.
| Singular Example | Translation | Plural Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kanisa la Wakristo | Christian church – Church of the Christians | Makanisa ya Wakristo | Christian churches – Churches of the Christians |
| Zulia la kitanzania | Tanzanian carpet | Mazulia ya kitanzania | Tanzanian carpets |
| Jiko la shule | School kitchen | Majiko ya shule | School kitchens |
Note: when translating from English to Swahili, numbers should be written in words. Unfortunately, most numbers past 99 are too long to fit in the hints, so those will not be included
1 - moja; 2 - mbili; 3 - tatu; 4 - nne; 5 - tano; 6 - sita; 7 - saba; 8 - nane; 9 - tisa; 10 -kumi; 11 - kumi na moja
20 - ishirini; 21 - ishirini na moja 30 - thelathini; 40 - arobaini; 50 - hamsini; 60 - sitini; 70 - sabini; 80 - themanini; 90 - tisini; 100 - mia moja;
1,000 -elfu moja; 10,000 - elfu kumi; 100,000 - laki moja; 1,000,000 - milioni moja; 10,000,000 - milioni kumi; 1,000,000,000 - bilioni moja;
Note: the numbers sita, saba, tisa and kumi never take on noun prefixes i.e. 'Watu saba', 'Viti kumi', etc.
(na)* - not necessary
5.63 - tano nukta sita tatu
21.5 - ishirini na moja nukta tano
We've introduced a few adjectives in previous lessons, but here, we will delve deeper into the grammatical structure of adjectives. In Swahili, there are three main types of adjectives:
Vowel and consonant stem adjectives must take an agreeing concord depending on the noun class. Arabic-origin nouns do not take any form of agreement.
Adjectives must always follow the nouns they modify. They do not come first, like in English. For example, mtu mpole would be a polite person. The order is switched.
For vowel stem adjectives, the agreeing concord is fairly simple and follows a regular pattern. Though we have not introduced all of the classes yet, we will provide a full chart with all of the classes here that can be used for reference later.
| Noun Class | Agreement | Vowel Stem Concord |
|---|---|---|
| M- WA- | Singular | mw- |
| M- WA- | Plural | w- |
| M- MI- | Singular | mw- |
| M- MI- | Plural | my- |
| KI- VI- | Singular | ch- |
| KI- VI- | Plural | vy- |
| N/N | Singular | ny- |
| N/N | Plural | ny- |
| JI- MA- | Singular | j- |
| JI- MA- | Plural | m- |
| U/N | Singular | mw- |
| U/N | Plural | ny- |
| Mahali | M- | m(w)- |
| Mahali | PA- | p- |
| Mahali | KU- | kw- |
Mifano:
| Vowel Stem Adjective | Swahili | English |
|---|---|---|
| -embamba | Mwanafunzi mwembamba | Skinny student |
| -aminifu | Wazazi waminifu | Honest parents |
| -erevu | Mtoto mwerevu | Clever child |
| -ekundu | Kisu chekundu | Red knife |
| -ingi | Barua nyingi | A lot of letters |
| -ingine | Mananasi mengine | Other pineapples |
As mentioned above, adjectives that originate from Arabic do not take any forms of agreement.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Bora | Best |
| Bure | Free/Useless |
| Ghali | Expensive |
| Kamili | Complete |
| Kila | Each/Every |
| Laini | Smooth/Soft |
| Maskini | Poor |
| Rahisi | Easy/Cheap |
| Safi | Clean/Good |
| Sawa | Equal/Alike |
| Tayari | Ready |
| Wazi | Open |
However, in conversation, some Swahili speakers might add agreements to these adjectives. For example, to say clean water, a Swahili speaker might say maji masafi.
Here are some examples of Bantu-origin consonant stem adjectives:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| -baya | bad |
| -chache | few |
| -dogo | little/small |
| -fupi | short |
| -kali | sharp/fierce/strict |
| -kubwa | big/large |
| -pya | new |
| -refu | tall/long |
| -tamu | sweet |
| -zima | whole/complete |
| -zito | heavy |
There are special rules for different noun classes when it comes to consonant stem adjectives of Bantu origin. Some of the classes follow a normal pattern of agreement whereas others have special concords depending on the consonant that the adjective begins with. The normal patterned noun classes are shown in the chart below.
| Noun Class | Agreement | Consonant Stem Concord |
|---|---|---|
| M- WA- | Singular | m- |
| M- WA- | Plural | wa- |
| M- MI- | Singular | m- |
| M- MI- | Plural | mi- |
| KI- VI- | Singular | ki- |
| KI- VI- | Plural | vi- |
| JI- MA- | Plural | ma- |
| U/N | Singular | m- |
| Mahali | M- | mu- |
| Mahali | PA- | pa- |
| Mahali | KU- | ku- |
For the other noun classes, there are certain rules to follow:
1- In front of adjectives beginning with D, G, and Z, the concord n- is used. Example: ndogo, ngumu, nzito
2- In front of adjectives beginning with B, V, and P when monosyllabic, the concord m- is used. Example: mbaya, mvivu, mpya
3- In front of other consonants, no concord is used. Example: chache, chafu, pana
4- Exceptions are for the adjectives -ema which becomes njema, -refu which becomes ndefu, and -wili which becomes mbili.
For the U/N noun class, plural nouns take the same rules as the N/N noun class.
For the most part, JI- MA- nouns do not take concords with consonant stem adjectives EXCEPT for monosyllabic adjectives such as -pya. With these adjectives, the concord is ji-, so the adjective for this class in the singular form would be jipya.
These are adjectives that describe estimates of quantity e.g. few, a little, some, etc. Quite a few of these adjectives in Swahili have different phrases for the same adjective
Examples:
| Example | Mfano |
|---|---|
| Only buy a few pineapples | Nunua tu mananasi machache |
| Several students are absent | Wanafunzi kadhaa hawepo |
More vague quantities can be expressed as follows:
A number of students are absent
For the last example, you can specify quantity, i.e. a large number (idadi kubwa) or small number (idadi ndogo)
Note: numerical adjectives (two children, five bananas) also fall under this category. You will encounter these examples throughout the course.
Note 2: The adjective haba applies for both countable (few) and uncountable (little) nouns. Note that 'little' is meant as a measure of quantity rather than size; -dogo is for size.
To give a simple command in Swahili, verb stems are used alone without any subject or object concords.
Normally, these commands are used when one orders a person to do something. The monosyllabic verbs retain their infinitives ku-. However, the verbs kuja-to come, kuleta-to bring, and kwenda-to go do not retain the ku. Also, kupa-to give requires an object prefix. See below.
Examples:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Kula! | Eat! |
| Lala! | Sleep! |
| Kunywa! | Drink! |
| Amka! | Wake up! |
| Fagia! | Sweep! |
Irregular Verbs:
| Infinitive | Swahili Command | English |
|---|---|---|
| Kuja | Njoo! | Come! |
| Kwenda | Nenda! | Go! |
| Kuleta | Lete! | Bring (it)! |
| Kupa | Nipe! | Give it to me! |
To make the plural commands, the infinitive ku- is dropped, but the suffix -a is replaced by the suffix -eni.
Thus we get;
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Fanyeni! | Do! |
| Laleni! | Sleep! |
| Kunyweni! | Drink! |
| Kuleni! | Eat! |
| Someni! | Read! |
Other commands that end with vowels e, i, o, and u; add the suffix ni to get its plural form. Thus ;
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Fikirini! | Think! |
| Leteni! | Bring! |
| Njooni! | Come! |
| Jibuni! | Answer! |
In the imperative, one is always addressing someone/people directly, so the 'you' is not included (it is known as (you) understood). However, sometimes, "you" is included when used as a noun of direct address. An example of a noun of direct address used in the imperative is:
"John, bring me my phone." - "John, niletee simu yangu."
John is the noun of direct address. Similarly, "you" can be used in the same way, although like in English, it is considered more abrasive to address someone in such a way:
Note that "you" as a noun of direct address is always followed by a comma; "you give me my phone" is a declarative sentence (i.e. statement of fact), and not a command.
Without context it is near impossible to decipher if a command in English is meant for one person or more than one; for this reason, both singular and plural translations in Swahili are accepted.
This form has relatively much simpler rules:
| Singular | Plural | Infinitive verb |
|---|---|---|
| Usile! | Msile! | Kula |
| Usilale! | Msilale! | Kulala |
| Usinywe! | Msinywe! | Kunywa |
| Usifikiri! | Msifikiri! | Kufikiri |
| Usijibu! | Msijibu! | Kujibu |
As for the irregular verb examples above:
| Singular | Plural | Infinitive verb |
|---|---|---|
| Usije! | Msije! | Kuja |
| Usiende! | Msiende! | Kwenda |
| Usilete! | Msilete! | Kuleta |
| Usinipe! | Msinipe! | Kupa |
You will notice that the negative imperative forms follow a pretty consistent pattern compared to their affirmative counterparts
Note: There is no such thing as "usinjoo" or "usinende"
Passive forms of verbs are used to reflect a condition and are more indirect than active verbs. In Swahili, various forms of verbs can be changed into the passive form by inserting the infix “-w-” before the last vowel of the verb. Because these verbs are passive, they are usually being done by someone; we reflect this in Swahili by following the verb with na to show by who the action is being performed.
| Active Form | Passive Form |
|---|---|
| - angalia (look at) | - angaliwa (be looked at) |
| - andika (write) | - andikwa (be written) |
| - pima (examine) | - pimwa (be examined) |
| - choma (inject) | - chomwa (be injected) |
| - pika (look) | - pikwa (be cooked) |
| - cheka (laugh) | - chekwa (be laughed at) |
| - piga (beat) | - pigwa (be beaten) |
| - saidia (help) | - saidiwa (be helped) |
The passive form of verbs ending in the double vowels “–aa“ and “-ua” is formed by inserting “-liw-” before the last vowel.
| Active Form | Passive Form |
|---|---|
| - zaa (give birth) | - zaliwa (be born) |
| - fua (wash materials) | - fuliwa (be washed) |
The passive form of verbs ending in the double vowels ”-oa” is formed by inserting “-lew-” before the last vowel.
| Active Form | Passive Form |
|---|---|
| - oa (marry) | - olewa (be married) |
| - zoa (collect) | - zolewa (be collected) |
| - toa (pull out, offer) | - tolewa (be pulled out, be offered) |
The passive form of the verbs ending in vowels “–i” and “–u” is made by dropping the last vowel and adding “-iwa” at the end of the verb.
| Active Form | Passive Form |
|---|---|
| - hitaji (need) | - hitajiwa (be needed) |
| - amini (believe) | - aminiwa (be believed) |
| - sifu (praise) | - sifiwa (be praised) |
| - salimu (greet) |
The passive form of the verbs ending in double vowels “–au” is formed by adding “-liwa” at the end of the verbs.
| Active Form | Passive Form |
|---|---|
| - sahau (forget) | - sahauliwa (be forgotten) |
| - dharau (despise) | - dharauliwa (be despised) |
The passive forms of the monosyllabic verbs behave irregularly.
| Active Form | Passive Form |
|---|---|
| kunywa (to drink) | kunywewa (to be drunken) |
| kupa (to give) | kupewa (to be given) |
| kula (to eat) | kuliwa (to be eaten) |
| kufa (to die) | kufiwa (to bereaved) |
The passive form of the verbs kuua and kusamehe are formed by adding “-wa” on them.
| Active Form | Passive Form |
|---|---|
| - ua (kill) | - uawa (be killed) |
| - samehe (forgive) | - samehewa (be forgiven) |
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Mtoto alipigwa na mama yake. | The child was beaten by his/her mother. |
| Mgonjwa atachomwa sindano. | The patient will be given an injection. |
| Emma alifiwa na mama yake. | Emma was bereaved by her mother. |
| Chakula kimepikwa na mimi. | The food was cooked by me. |
| Kazi ya nyumbani imesahauliwa na Robert. | The homework was forgotten by Robert. |
| Hilo embe limeliwa na wewe? | Was that mango eaten by you? |
This lesson is an introduction to different articles of clothing in the Swahili language. You will find that a number of these nouns are derived from their English counterparts - these are typically more traditionally Western clothing such as a coat (koti), suit (suti), shirt (shati), tie (tai), etc.
A common pattern with English-derived Swahili words is that they fall into the N/N noun class, therefore their plural nouns do not change. Hence, without affixes, determining their quantity requires context.
On the other hand, some clothing is inherent/very specific to African culture that they do not have an English translation, e.g. 'kikoi', 'kitenge' and 'kanga'. A suggestion would be to Google these terms to get a better understanding of the items, the fabric with which they're made and how they are worn.
From Wikipedia:
In Swahili, as in any language, there are different question words which are used to ask questions. When asking a question without a question word in spoken Swahili, intonation changes by raising the voice at the end of the sentence.
The following chart shows examples of question words used in sentences:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Wapi? | Where? |
| Unatoka wapi? | Where are you from? |
| Unakaa wapi sasa? | Where are you staying now? |
| Gani? | What sort? Which? What kind? |
| Unapenda chakula gani? | What food do you like? What sort of food do you like? |
| Unatoka nchi gani? | Which country are you from? |
| Nini? | What? (used for objects only) |
| Unataka nini? | What do you want? |
| Unafanya nini? | What are you doing? |
| Nani? | Who? Whom? |
| Nani anafundisha Kiswahili? | Who is teaching Swahili? |
| Nani anatoka Marekani? | Who is from America? |
| -ngapi? (Takes the stem of the noun class) | How many? How much? |
| Soda moja ni shilingi ngapi? | How much is a soda? |
| Una watoto wangapi? | How many children do you have? |
| Lini? | When? |
| Lini utasafiri? | When are you going to travelling? |
| Utaanza kufanya kazi lini? | When will you start working? |
| Kwa nini? | Why? For what? |
| Kwa nini unajifunza Kiswahili? | Why are you learning Swahili? |
| Kwa nini unapenda Tanzania? | Why do you like Tanzania? |
| Mbona? | How come? (stronger meaning than ‘why?’) |
| Mbona unalia? | How come you are crying? |
| Mbona unakimbia? | How come you are running? |
| Vipi? | How? |
| Unapika ugali vipi? | How do you cook ugali? |
| Unaenda nyumbani vipi? | How do you go home? |
| Namna gani? | How is…? (not with people) |
| Maisha namna gani?/Namna gani maisha? | How is life? |
| Kazi namna gani rafiki yangu? | How is the work my friend? |
When ‘je’ is used at the beginning of the sentence it draws attention i.e. a question is coming. It usually precedes a yes/no question.
Mfano: Je, unakwenda mjini leo?-Are you going to town today?
When ‘je’ is used at the end of the verb it means ’how’.
Mfano: Unapikaje wali na samaki?-How do you cook rice and fish?
When ‘je’ is used at the end of the noun, it means what about/how about, but it should be preceded by a phrase giving prior information.
Mfano: Sisi tunakwenda sokoni leo, na wao je?-We are going to the market today what about them?
Mfano: Mimi ninatoka Tanzania, wewe je (/je wewe)?-I am from Tanzania,what about you?
In the U/N noun class, nouns in the singular form will likely begin with u-, though there are a handful that begin with w-. Many nouns in this class do not have plurals, either, and some have singular forms but are mainly used in the plural form with the concords ny-, n-, or no concord.
Abstract nouns are the first type of nouns in the U/N class. These nouns do not have plural forms and almost all begin with u-.
Common abstract nouns:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Uaminifu | Trustworthiness |
| Uhodari | Effectiveness |
| Umoja | Unity |
| Upendo | Love |
| Uchafu | Dirtiness |
| Urefu | Height/Length |
| Usafi | Cleanliness |
| Uvivu | Laziness |
| Utajiri | Wealth |
| Uzito | Weight |
| Ujana | Youth |
| Uzee | Old age |
| Uzuri | Beauty |
There are also some uncountable nouns in the U/N class that do not take plural forms.
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Udongo | Soil |
| Ugali | Stiff porridge |
| Umeme | Electricity |
| Usingizi | Sleepiness |
| Wino | Ink |
| Wali | Cooked rice |
The other nouns in the U/N class will begin with either u- or w-. Plurals will either begin with ny- or a consonant.
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Ndevu | Beard - plural form |
| Ufunguo | Key |
| Funguo | Keys |
| Kuni | Firewood - plural form |
| Ulimi | Tongue |
| Ndimi | Tongues |
| Nywele | Hair - plural form |
| Upepo | Wind |
| Wakati | Period/Time |
| Nyakati | Periods/Times |
Country names are often given the u- prefix, but their agreements will take those of the N/N class.
| Swahili Name | English Name |
|---|---|
| Uingereza | England |
| Ureno | Portugal |
| Ufaransa | France |
| Ulaya | Europe |
| Uhindi | India |
The following chart shows personal pronouns for singular and plural. These act as vowel stem adjectives and must take different agreements depending on the noun class.
| Singular Nouns | Plural Nouns | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| wangu | zangu | my/mine |
| wako | zako | your/yours |
| wake | zake | his/her |
| wetu | zetu | our/ours |
| wenu | zenu | your/yours (pl.) |
| wao | zao | their/theirs |
The possessive pronoun that is used will depend on the agreement of the noun. When talking about a singular noun, the possessive pronoun with the prefix w- will be used. For plural nouns, the possessive pronoun with the prefix z- will be used.
Examples:
| Swahili | |
|---|---|
| Ubunifu wako | Your creativity |
| Wali wake | His/Her rice |
| Nywele zangu | My hair |
Similar to the prefix for the possessive pronouns, the prefixes for the “-a of association” for the U/N noun class are w- for the singular nouns and z- for the plural nouns.
| Swahili Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| Uchafu wa chumba | Dirtiness of the room |
| Umeme wa shule | School's electricity |
| Uwezo wa wanafunzi | Ability of the students |
| Kuta za nyumba | House walls |
This lesson introduces additional verbs as well as different contexts for the verbs, including conjugations and how verbs are used as gerund nouns.
Verb conjugations that turn affirmative statements to the negative in the present tense are done so using the following affixes:
| English | Swahili |
|---|---|
| I don't want food (to want) | Sitaki chakula (kutaka) |
| We are not leaving (to leave) | Hatuondoki (kuondoka) |
| You are not traveling today (to travel) | Husafiri leo (kusafiri) |
| They don't like bananas (to like) | Hawapendi ndizi (kupenda) |
| She is not entering the kitchen (to enter) | Haingii jikoni (kuingia) |
A more detailed list of examples can be found on this discussion post
Passive verbs are words used to describe actions being done for/to/on behalf of the object noun. As a reminder, noun prefixes are considered standalone representatives of nouns in Swahili. Some examples are included below:
| English | Swahili |
|---|---|
| The food is being cooked | Chakula kinapikwa |
| It is broken | Limevunjika * |
Gerund nouns are verbs ending in -ing that are used as nouns. In Swahili, gerund nouns are denoted by the prefix ku-.
| English | Swahili |
|---|---|
| I want to start reading now | Ninataka kuanza kusoma sasa |
| Esther likes running | Esther anapenda kukimbia |
| Cooking is easy! | Kupika ni rahisi! |
Animals follow the same agreements as the M- WA- noun class! Even if the noun words themselves have different conjugations in singular and plural, all of the subject prefix, object infix, and adjective agreements will be from the M- WA- class, e.g.
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Kifaru huyu ni mdogo | This rhino is small |
| Vifaru hawa ni wadogo | These rhinos are small |
As seen in the previous lessons, adjectives have to agree with the nouns they modify. The particle -ote- is used to express the concept of all/whole in Swahili.
The particle -ote is prefixed with respective noun class prefix in order to maintain agreements between the noun and the adjectival particle. Examples of agreement are vyakula vyote - all foods, or watu wote - all people.
Because -ote begins with a vowel, it takes the vowel stem adjective agreements listed in the previous adjective lesson.
| Noun Class | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| M- WA- | Mzima | Wote |
| M- MI- | Wote | Yote |
| KI- VI- | Chote | Vyote |
| N/N | Yote | Zote |
| JI- MA- | Lote | Yote |
| U/N | Wote | Zote |
| Mahali | M- | Mwote |
| Mahali | PA- | Pote |
| Mahali | KU- | Kote |
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Watanzania wote wanaweza kusema Kiswahili. | All Tanzanians can speak Kiswahili. |
| Wanafunzi walisoma vitabu vyote. | Students read all of the books. |
| Tulisafisha vyumba vyote. | We cleaned all of the rooms. |
| Walikula mikate yote. | They ate all of the bread. |
| Nilipoteza funguo zote. | I lost all of the keys. |
| Tulilima shamba lote. | We ploughed the whole farm. |
| Mti wote uliungua. | The whole tree was burned. |
| Tulibomoa nyumba yote. | We demolished the whole house. |
The concord prefix to be used with adjective root “–o –ote” in a sentence or phrase has to agree with the noun in modifies.
| Noun Class | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| M- WA- | Yeyote | Wowote |
| M- MI- | Wowote | Yoyote |
| KI- VI- | Chochote | Vyovyote |
| N/N | Yoyote | Zozote |
| JI- MA- | Lolote | Yoyote |
| U/N | Wowote | Zozote |
| Mahali | M- | Mwomwote |
| Mahali | PA- | Popote |
| Mahali | KU- | Kokote |
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Pesa yoyote | any money |
| Fomu yoyote | any form |
| Kiwango chochote | any rate |
| Wakati wowote | any time |
| Mtu wowote | any person |
Ingi and -engi in Swahili mean many, a lot, or plenty, but the agreements differ according to the noun classes they modify. Usually, this adjective only occurs in the plural form, though some classes do take singular agreements.
| Noun Class | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| M- WA- | no form | Wengi |
| M- MI- | Mwingi | Mingi |
| KI- VI- | Kingi | Vingi |
| N/N | no form | Nyingi |
| JI- MA- | no form | Mengi |
| U/N | Mwingi | Nyingi |
| Mahali | M- | no form |
| Mahali | PA- | Pengi |
| Mahali | KU- | no form |
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Wanafunzi wengi | Many students |
| Matunda mengi | Many fruits |
| Miti mingi | A lot of trees |
| Vyumba vingi | Plenty of rooms |
| Nyumba nyingi | Many houses |
| Funguo nyingi | A lot of keys |
| Mahali pengi | Many places |
If one wants to say other or another in Swahili, the use of adjective particles -ingine or –engine is unavoidable. These adjective particles always take agreement from the nouns they describe as shown in the chart below.
| Noun Class | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| M- WA- | Mwingine | Wengine |
| M- MI- | Mwingine | Mingine |
| KI- VI- | Kingine | Vingine |
| N/N | Nyingine | Nyingine/Zingine |
| JI- MA- | Lingine/Jingine | Mengine |
| U/N | Mwingine | Nyingine/Zingine |
| Mahali | M- | no form |
| Mahali | PA- | Pengine |
| Mahali | KU- | Pengine |
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Mtu mwingine | Another person |
| Kitu kingine | Another thing |
| Viatu vingine | Other shoes |
| Jambo lingine | Other issue |
| Mashoka mengine | Other axes |
| Nyumba nyingine | Another house |
| Mahali pengine | Other places |
-Enye and -Enyewe are two other adjectives that take concords depending on the noun class.
-Enye is used to mean with, and -enyewe is used to mean itself/themselves. They follow normal vowel stem adjective agreements.
Shopping in Tanzania is mainly done at local markets and shops. Only in bigger cities are there walk-in stores with fixed prices. Most local areas will have store fronts that sell the basic necessities.
Though there are generally accepted prices for most commodities, bargaining is very common in the marketplace.
In rural communities, there are frequent minada or open-space markets which are either weekly or monthly. These often travel from village to village and many items, from food to animals to clothes to housewares to fabrics, can be bought.
Culturally, a buyer is not expected to smell/sniff market items while buying items such as fruit. This is a sign of mistrust by assuming that the items a vendor is selling are rotten. Smelling is accepted when one is buying aromatic items like spices, rice etc.
Remember to check the quality of the items-e.g. the expiry date.
It’s common to ask for availability of items and prices at the shop. This is due to the fact that in most shops items do not have price tags and buyers do not have an opportunity of walking through shops to explore the available items. Window shopping is not a widely practiced thing in Tanzania!
The past tense affirmative constructions are formed with the tense marker -li- and it is inserted between a subject prefix and a verb stem.
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nilijifunza Kiswahili. | I learned Kiswahili. |
| Ulijifunza Kiswahili. | You learned Kiswahili. |
| Alijifunza Kiswahili. | S/He learned Kiswahili. |
| Tulijifunza Kiswahili. | We learned Kiswahili. |
| Mlijifunza Kiswahili. | You (pl.) learned Kiswahili. |
| Walijifunza Kiswahili. | They learned Kiswahili. |
The verb “kuwa”-“to be” in the past is used as a normal verb. It behaves regularly; ie- the infinitive ku is not dropped when constructing a sentence.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nilikuwa mwalimu. | I was a teacher. |
| Ulikuwa daktari. | You were a doctor. |
| Alikuwa mwalimu. | S/He was a teacher. |
| Tulikuwa watoto. | We were children. |
| Mlikuwa walimu. | You were teachers |
| Walikuwa wakulima. | They were farmers. |
In the past, kuwa na is used for the verb “to have”. It behaves regularly as well.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Jana nilikuwa na shida. | Yesterday I had a problem. |
| Juzi nilikuwa na kitabu. | The day before yesterday I had a book. |
| Nilikuwa na wanafunzi wanne. | I had four students. |
| Alikuwa na rafiki mmoja. | S/He had one friend. |
| Walikuwa na matatizo ya afya. | They had health problems. |
To form the negative simple past in Swahili:
Mifano:
| Affirmative Past | Negative Past |
|---|---|
| Nilipika ugali. | Sikupika ugali. |
| Ulisikiliza redio. | Hukusikiliza redio. |
| Alijifunza Kiswahili. | Hakujifunza Kiswahili. |
| Tulizungumza pole pole. | Hatukuzungumza pole pole. |
| Mlipumzika Jumamosi. | Hamkupumzika Jumamosi. |
| Walifurahi sana. | Hawakufurahi sana. |
| Nilikula wali. | Sikula wali. |
| Ulikwenda sokoni. | Hukuenda sokoni. |
| Alikunywa bia. | Hakunywa bia. |
Although the verb “kuwa na” - “to have” keeps “ku-” in the affirmative past, the negative form of kuwa na in the past takes characteristics of the other monosyllabic verbs - it drops its infinitive “ku-”. However, because the negative past tense marker is “-ku-”, it gives the illusion that it has not dropped the infinitive ku-. Again, these should not be confused.
Mifano:
| Affirmative Past | Negative Past |
|---|---|
| Nilikuwa na gari. | Sikuwa na gari. |
| Ulikuwa na shida. | Hukuwa na shida. |
| Alikuwa na matunda. | Hakuwa na matunda. |
| Tulikuwa na watoto. | Hatukuwa na watoto. |
| Mlikuwa na nyumba. | Hamkuwa na nyumba. |
In English, the morning starts after 12:00 am while in Swahili it starts after 6:00 am, hence a difference of six hours. In other words, the day is considered to be from sunrise to sunset. The night starts from sunset to sunrise.
Swahili speakers use asubuhi, mchana, jioni and usiku to be more specific on the time they are referring to if it is not clear by context. However, these words will more often than not be included whenever a Swahili speaker is talking about time.
In Swahili, 6 AM would be “saa 12 asubuhi”, 7 AM would be “saa 1 asubuhi”, etc.
To indicate minutes, the word “dakika” and then the amount is added. 7:23 AM would be “saa 1 na dakika ishirini na tatu asubuhi”. Similarly, quarter and half hours can be used.
After the half-hour mark, the word “kasoro” can be used as “less”. For example, 8:48 AM might be said as “saa 3 kasoro dakika kumi na mbili asubuhi.”
In Swahili, dates are indicated by the ordinary numbers whereby one tells the date first then the month, and lastly the year. The word “tarehe” comes before the numbers. For example, the 8th of July 1994 would be “tarehe nane, mwezi wa saba, mwaka elfu moja mia tisa tisini na nne.”
In Swahili, people tell months by saying which number month it is. For example, May would be “mwezi wa tano”, or the 5th month. Anglicized versions of the months do exist, but are not widely used. The anglicized months are: Januari, Februari, Machi, Aprili, Mei, Juni, Julai, Agosti, Septemba, Oktoba, Novemba, Desemba.
Traditionally in many East African cultures, relationships (either professional or social) are more valued than time. More time is always available – hence the popular saying, “Haraka haraka haina baraka!” - Haste has no blessing!
Note Numerical dates i.e. date, month, year, will have the words tarehe, mwezi, mwaka preceding them. Otherwise, the meaning becomes ambiguous. e.g.
| Date | Tarehe |
|---|---|
| Tenth of May | Tarehe kumi mwezi wa tano |
| 2019 | Mwaka elfu mbili na kumi na tisa |
| March | Mwezi wa tatu |
The future tense marker is -ta-. As it is with the past tense, it is also inserted between a subject prefix and a verb stem.
Mifano :
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nitajifunza Kiswahili. | I will learn Swahili. |
| Utajifunza Kiswahili. | You will learn Swahili. |
| Atajifunza Kiswahili. | S/He will learn Swahili. |
| Tutajifunza Kiswahili. | We will learn Swahili. |
| Mtajifunza Kiswahili. | You (pl.) will learn Swahili. |
| Watajifunza Kiswahili. | They will learn Swahili. |
The verb kuwa to be in the future follows the same rules as in the past. It is also a regular pattern. The same is true with kuwa na. Neither drops the infinitive ku and they keep the same -ta- tense marker.
Mifano ya Kuwa:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nitakuwa mwalimu. | I will be a teacher. |
| Utakuwa mwanamazingira. | You (sing.) will be an environmentalist. |
| Atakuwa mkulima. | S/He will be a peasant. |
| Tutakuwa madaktari. | We will be doctors. |
| Mtakuwa wanafunzi. | You (pl.) will be students. |
| Watakuwa wanamazingira. | They will be environmentalists. |
Mifano ya Kuwa na:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nitakuwa na kitabu. | I will have a book. |
| Utakuwa na shida. | You will have a problem. |
| Atakuwa na chakula. | S/He will have food. |
| Tutakuwa na muda. | We will have time. |
| Mtakuwa na muda. | You (pl.) will have time. |
| Watakuwa na nyumba. | They will have a house. |
If you want to make negative statements in Kiswahili in the future: Change the positive subject prefixes into negative subject prefixes. Retain the future tense marker -ta- and retain the infinitive ku-in monosyllabic and irregular verbs (kula, kunywa, kuja, kufa, kwenda).
Mifano:
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| Nitapika ugali. | Sitapika ugali. |
| I will cook stiff porridge. | I will not cook stiff porridge. |
| Utaandika barua. | Hutaandika barua. |
| You will write a letter. | You will not write a letter. |
| Atauliza maswali. | Hatauliza maswali. |
| S/He will ask questions. | S/He will not ask questions. |
| Tutacheza mpira wa miguu. | Hatutacheza mpira wa miguu. |
| We will play soccer. | We will not play soccer. |
| Mtalalamika sana. | Hamtalalamika sana. |
| You (pl.) will complain a lot. | You (pl.) will not complain a lot. |
| Watasoma barua pepe. | Hawatasoma barua pepe. |
| They will read emails. | They will not read emails. |
| Nitakunywa soda baridi. | Sitakunywa soda baridi. |
| I will drink a cold soda. | I will not drink a cold soda. |
| Utakuja shuleni kesho. | Hutakuja shuleni kesho. |
| You will come to school tomorrow. | You will not come to school tomorrow. |
| Atakula wali na samaki. | Hatakula wali na samaki. |
| S/He will eat rice and fish. | S/He will not eat rice and fish. |
The negative of the verb kuwa na in the future takes negative prefixes and the tense marker -ta- is inserted between the negative prefixes and the verb.
Mifano:
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| Nitakuwa na gari. | Sitakuwa na gari. |
| I will have a car. | I will not have a car. |
| Utakuwa na shida. | Hutakuwa na shida. |
| You will have a problem. | You will not have a problem. |
| Atakuwa na watoto. | Hatakuwa na watoto. |
| S/He will have children. | S/He will not have children. |
| Tutakuwa na baiskeli. | Hatutakuwa na baiskeli. |
| We will have bicycles. | We will not have bicycles. |
| Mtakuwa na muda. | Hamtakuwa na muda. |
| You (pl.) will have time. | You (pl.) will not have time. |
| Watakuwa na nyumba. | Hawatakuwa na nyumba. |
| They will have a house. | They will not have a house. |
To express things that happened in the immediate past, the tense particle -me- is used after any action which has just been completed. It is used interchangeably with the -li- tense marker in conversation. Generally, people will use -me- when there has not been discernible time between the action and the time of conversation.
Examples:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nimeandika. | I have written. |
| Nimesema. | I have said. |
| Nimesikia. | I have heard. |
| Umesikia. | You have heard. |
| Amesikia. | S/He has heard. |
| Tumesikia. | We have heard. |
| Mmesikia. | You (pl) have heard. |
| Wamesikia. | They have heard. |
Similarly, the -me- tense is used with immediate states of being. There are some verbs that, grammatically, can use the present -na-, but generally must be used with -me-. These include kuchoka - to be tired (to become tired), kuchelewa - to be late (to have been made late), and kushiba - to be satisfied/full (to have been made satisfied/full)*. However, in English, they will take the present tense.
Examples:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nimechoka. | I am tired |
| Umechoka. | You are tired. |
| Amechelewa. | He/She is late. |
| Tumechelewa. | We are late. |
| Mmeshiba. | You (pl) are full. |
| Wameshiba. | They are full. |
To form the negative immediate past tense in Swahili:
Mifano:
| Affirmative Past | Negative Past |
|---|---|
| Nimepika chakula. | Sijapika chakula. |
| Umefagia nyumba. | Hujafagia nyumba. |
| Amejifunza Kiswahili. | Hajajifunza Kiswahili. |
| Tumezungumza pole pole. | Hatujazungumza pole pole. |
| Mmepumzika Jumamosi. | Hamjapumzika Jumamosi. |
| Wamefurahi sana. | Hawajafurahi sana. |
| Nimekula wali. | Sijala wali. |
| Umekwenda sokoni. | Hujaenda sokoni. |
| Amekunywa bia. | Hajanywa bia. |
This lesson is an introduction to parts of the body. These feature nouns belonging to different noun classes.
In Swahili, the locations are shown by the suffixes -ko, -po, and -mo depending on the location to which one is referring. If a location referred to is an indefinite one, the suffix -ko is used. If a location referred to is a definite one, then the suffix -po is used. If it is inside or in an enclosed location, the suffix -mo is used.
For all noun classes, the subject prefix will be used followed by the locative suffix. The personal pronoun can be used in front of the locative, or omitted as well once it becomes clear to whom the locative is referring. To negate, the negative subject prefix is used.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Mimi niko Tanzania. | I am in Tanzania. |
| Nipo Dar es Salaam. | I am in Dar es Salaam. |
| Mimi nimo ofisini. | I am in the office. |
| Yeye yuko Tanzania. | S/He is in Tanzania. |
| Yeye yupo Dar es Salaam. | S/He is in Dar es Salaam. |
| Yumo ofisini. | S/He is in the office. |
| Sisi tuko shuleni. | We are at school. |
| Visu viko wapi? | Where are the knives? |
| Wazazi wangu wapo New York. | My parents are in New York. |
| Maembe yangu yamo jikoni. | My mangoes are in the kitchen. |
| Funguo za ofisi zipo mezani. | The office keys are on the table. |
| Mimi sipo shuleni. | I am not at school. |
| Chakula hakipo sokoni. | The food is not at the market. |
| Mama hayumo chumbani kwake. | Mother is not in her room. |
| Vifaa vya kulima havipo shambani sasa, | The farming tools are not at the farm right now. |
In Swahili, some common nouns can be suffixed by –ni to form locations which mean: in, on, at, and to, as seen in some of the examples above. Proper nouns are not suffixed by the suffix –ni, like countries.
The demonstrative forms of the Mahali class are actually locatives as well and are used in a lot of question/answer phrases regarding location.
| Indefinite (ku) | Definite (pa) | Inside (mu) |
|---|---|---|
| huku - here/hereabouts | hapa - here/right here | humu - here inside |
| huko - there/over there | hapo - there/just there | humo - there inside |
| kule - there/in the distance | pale – there/over there | mle - there in |
Mfano:
Kisu kiko wapi? - Kisu kipo hapa. : Where is the knife? - The knife is (definitely) here.
Note the agreement with the locative for kisu and the locative demonstrative of position for the work here. Both are the definite pa construction.
Kaskazini - North
Mashariki - East
Kusini - South
Magharibi - West
Mbele ya - In front of
Nyuma ya - Behind
Juu ya - On top of, on, above
Chini ya - Under, below
Mfano:
Gari liko wapi? - Gari lipo nyuma ya nyumba. : Where is the car? - The car is behind the house.
When you do something for/ to/at or on behalf of someone, you have to use the prepositional form of verbs. These are also generally used with object infixes to clearly show for whom an action is being performed. There are some rules when it comes to forming the prepositional form of verbs:
Mifano:
Pika becomes Pikia - cook for/to/on behalf of
Andika becomes Andikia - write to /for/on behalf of
Mifano:
Nunua becomes Nunulia - buy for
Chukua becomes Chukulia - take for
Mifano:
Soma becomes Somea - read to /for/on behalf of
Peleka becomes Pelekea - send to /for /on behalf of
Mifano:
Toa becomes Tolea - give for/to/on behalf of
Pokea becomes Pokelea - receive for
Mifano ya Utumizi:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nitakupikia ugali. | I will cook ugali for you. |
| Watamwandikia. | They will write to him. |
| Unamchukulia? | Are you taking it for her? |
| Mwalimu wao anawasomea. | Their teacher is reading to them. |
| Tunakutolea hela. | We are giving money on behalf of you. |
The majority of East Africans practice farming activities to generate income.
Cultural activities and ceremonies sometimes depend on the seasons. For example, hunting takes place after the rainy season.
Some infectious diseases are more prevalent depending on the season. During dry and windy season, cold and flu are both common. During the rainy season, cholera, diarrhea, and malaria become more common throughout East Africa.
Just as in English, adverbs are sometimes created from adjectives. In Swahili, there are some adverbs that take on what appears to be agreement with the KI- VI- noun class.
Vibaya - badly
Kidogo - a little, slightly
Vigumu - difficult
Vizuri - well, nicely
However, a lot of examples exist only in adverbial form.
Baadaye - later, afterwards
Bado - not yet, still
Halafu - then, afterwards
Hasa - especially
Labda - maybe, perhaps
Pia - as well, also, too
Tu - only, just
Some adverbs are also preceded by the word kwa.
Kwa bahati - luckily
Kwa haraka - quickly
Kwa kawaida - usually
Kwa kusudi - purposely, on purpose
Kwa hiyo - therefore
Kwa sababu - because
Adverbs usually come after the noun, but sometimes with the kwa constructions, they might come before the main clause.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Uliamka mapema. | You woke up early. |
| Fanya vizuri! | Do it properly! |
| Kwa kweli, umenidanganya sana. | Truthfully, you really deceived me. |
| Ninasikia vibaya. | I feel bad. |
| Bado hajarudi nyumbani? | S/He still has not returned home? |
| Wanaelewa vigumu, wanafunzi hawa! | It is difficult for them to understand, those students! |
| Acha tu! | Just stop! |
| Nilimpiga teke kwa kusudi. | I kicked him/her on purpose. |
If you haven't noticed yet, Swahili doesn't have articles. Words like “the,” “a/an,” or “it” don't exist, at least not in isolation. Therefore, in order to express a a direct or indirect object in Swahili, object infixes must be used. In this course, English articles could be added through implication, but they are truly present when the object infix is included. If you want to say you are looking at “me”, for example, an object infix for me - “-ni-” - must be inserted after the tense but before the verb stem. Therefore, “you are looking at me” becomes “unaniangalia”.
The object infixes for the M- WA- noun class are as follows:
| Singular Pronoun | Infix | Plural Pronoun | Infix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mimi | -ni- | Sisi | -tu- |
| Wewe | -ku- | Ninyi | -wa- |
| Yeye | -m-/-mw- | Wao | -wa- |
Notes:
The object infixes for the other noun classes are the same as the subject prefixes but are placed between the tense marker and the verb.
| Noun Class | Agreement | Object Infix |
|---|---|---|
| M- MI- | Singular | -u- |
| M- MI- | Plural | -i- |
| KI- VI- | Singular | -ki- |
| KI- VI- | Plural | -vi- |
| N/N | Singular | -i- |
| N/N | Plural | -zi- |
| JI- MA- | Singular | -li- |
| JI- MA- | Plural | -ya- |
| U/N | Singular | -u- |
| U/N | Plural | -zi- |
| Mahali | M- | -m(w)- |
| Mahali | PA- | -pa- |
| Mahali | KU- | -ku- |
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Uilete sasa. | Bring it now. |
| Hapa ni kisu ulikiomba. | Here is the knife you asked for |
| Wanavisoma vitabu. | They are reading the books. |
| Amezichukua. | She took them. |
| Nitayakula maembe yote. | I am going to eat all of the mangoes. |
| Ninahitaji kujisaidia! | I have to help myself (to go to the bathroom)! |
| Mnajiandaa? | Are you preparing yourselves? |
East Africa has an extensive transportation system based on buses and smaller forms of transport.
For long distance routes, there are normally bus charts for assigned seating and it is recommended to book tickets 2-3 days in advance.
In major towns, there will be a bus stand - stendi - where many people, especially youth, try to carry luggage for money or pedal goods and food.
It is generally recommended to cross-check the cost of the fare and information about buses and schedules from colleagues, neighbors, friends, or other resources before going to the stendi to purchase a ticket.
Other forms of transportation around East Africa include bajajis, which are similar to tuktuks, and motorcycles, or pikipikis, which are commonly used as forms of public transportation.
Small buses range in sizes - in increasingly size, you might hear the words noah, daladala, coasta, or basi being used.
In Swahili, there are a lot of different prepositions and conjunctions that can be used. The most interesting is the preposition “kwa”. Other prepositions indicate location and are fairly easy to use, but kwa can be slightly confusing. When “kwa“ is used in different sentences, it has different uses like at, by, on, of, from, for, to and with – all depending on the context!
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nitakwenda mjini kwa baiskeli. | I will go to town by bicycle. |
| Nililala kwa nusu saa. | I slept for half an hour. |
| Nitapiga simu kwa mama. | I will phone (to) my mother. |
| Tulifua nguo kwa sabuni. | We washed clothes with soap. |
| Waliishi nyumbani kwa mjomba wao. | They lived at their uncle’s home. |
| Watakufa kwa njaa. | They will die of hunger. |
| Anatoka kwa jirani. | She is (coming) from the neighbor's (house). |
Subjunctive is often used when:
In Swahili, the subjunctive is constructed by changing the last vowel “a” of the verb stem into “ e”. The subject prefixes remain at their positions but without tense markers. Words like bora and tafadhali should be used although in practice they are sometimes omitted. These obligatory words will require subjunctive be used.
Positive Subjunctives
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Tafadhali unisaidie. | Please help me. |
| Lazima uende sokoni | You must go to the market. |
| Ni bora ujifunze Kiswahili. | It is better (that) you learn Kiswahili. |
| Inafaa upumzike leo. | It is better (that) you have a rest today. |
| Heri uende nyumbani. | It is better (that) you go home. |
| Kabla ya kula sharti unawe. | Before eating you must wash your hands. |
| Afadhali uende hospitali. | It’s better (that) you go to hospital. |
Negative Subjunctives: The negative subjunctives are made by inserting -si- between the subject prefixes and the stems of the verbs. This is also the way to construct negative commands.
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Usipige picha hapa. | Don’t take photographs here. |
| Usipike ugali leo. | Don’t cook ugali today. |
| Usiendeshe baiskeli. | Don’t ride a bicycle. |
| Msiende shuleni. | Don’t go to school. |
| Msifanye ngono zembe. | Don’t practice unprotected sex. |
Prepositional Subjunctive: This form of the verb means to do something for/ to/on behalf of somebody. In order to get this form of the verb you need to change the verb into a propositional form first and then to subjunctive form.
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Tafadhali unipikie ugali kwa samaki leo. | Please cook ugali and fish for me today. |
| Tafadhali waletee maji ya kunywa. | Please bring them some drinking water. |
| Hisia | Emotions |
|---|---|
| Kushangaa | To be amazed |
| Kukasirika | To be angry |
| Kusikitika | To be disappointed/sorry |
| Kuhuzunika | To bereave |
| Kushtuka | To be startled/shocked |
| Kufurahi | To be happy |
| Kuudhika | To be annoyed |
| Kufadhaika | To be depressed/perplexed |
The following verbs act as emotions as they are forms of conditions:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Kushiba | To be full (food) |
| Kuchoka | To be tired |
| Kulewa | To be drunk |
| Kuchelewa | To be late |
The above verbs are used with immediate -me- tense or the -ja- tense for positive or negative clauses.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Tumelewa. | We are drunk. |
| Wamechoka. | They are tired. |
| Nimekasirika sana kwa sababu mwizi ameiba pesa zangu. | I am very angry because a thief stole my money. |
| Umefurahi sana kupata zawadi nzuri. | You are very happy to get a nice gift. |
| Amehuzunika mno kwa sababu mama yake alifariki jana. | He is very bereaved because his mother died yesterday. |
| Bob hajafurahi kwa sababu amekula ugali baridi. | Bob is not happy because he ate cold stiff porridge. |
| Dora na Bob hawajashangaa kuwaona twiga Mikumi. | Dora and Bob were not shocked to see giraffes in Mikumi. |
Demonstratives refer to words like this or that indicating a particular noun object as opposed to others. Though Swahili does not use regular articles like a/an or the, demonstratives are frequently used in speech to construct well-structured sentences. The two demonstratives will depend on the proximity to the speaker and the context of the sentence. Just as in English, certain contexts will require the word this whereas others will require that.
In Swahili, the root for this begins with h and is followed by an agreeing suffix depending on the noun class. For that, the agreement takes the suffix -le. See the chart for the demonstratives of each class.
| Noun Class | Agreement | This | That |
|---|---|---|---|
| M- WA- | Singular | Huyu | Yule |
| M- WA- | Plural | Hawa | Wale |
| M- MI- | Singular | Huu | Ule |
| M- MI- | Plural | Hii | Ile |
| KI- VI- | Singular | Hiki | Kile |
| KI- VI- | Plural | Hivi | Vile |
| N/N | Singular | Hii | Ile |
| N/N | Plural | Hizi | Zile |
| JI- MA- | Singular | Hili | Lile |
| JI- MA- | Plural | Haya | Yale |
| U/N | Singular | Huu | Ule |
| U/N | Plural | Hizi | Zile |
| Mahali | M- | Humu | Mle |
| Mahali | PA- | Hapa | Pale |
| Mahali | KU- | Huku | Kule |
In terms of order, the demonstrative can come after the noun, just as other adjectives, if referring to a noun. It can also precede the noun as well. The order will largely depend on the context of the sentence, but with practice, a speaker will understand where in the sentence to place the demonstrative.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Huyu ni mwalimu wangu wa Kiswahili. | This is my Swahili teacher. |
| Hawa ni walimu wetu wa Kiswahili. | These are our Kiswahili teachers. |
| Nimeshamwambia yule! | I already told him/her (ie- that person). |
| Unataka viti vile? | Do you want those chairs? |
| Maembe hayo yameharibika. | Those mangoes have spoiled. |
| Ninahitaji kutumia ufunguo huu? | Do I need to use this key? |
| Alipoteza barua zile zamani. | S/He lost those letters a long time ago. |
The education system in Tanzania is managed by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training.
The Tanzanian education system is a remnant of the German and British colonial school systems.
The first level of education is at the pre-primary level. Attendance is not compulsory for students and it lasts for two years (ages 5 and 6).
The first compulsory level of education is the primary level. Grade levels are called standards and there are seven standards in primary school. The language of instruction is Swahili. Students must pass an exam at Standard Four to continue to Standard Five and then another exam at Standard Seven in order to complete primary school and advance to secondary school.
Secondary school is divided into two levels, Ordinary Level (O-Level) and Advanced Level (A-Level). Forms 1-4 are O-Level and Forms 5-6 are A-Level. Once students pass Standard 7, they can enroll in secondary school as a Form 1 student. Students must pass a Form 2 exam to continue to Form 3. In order to progress to A-Levels, a student must pass a Form 4 exam. The language of instruction is English.
If a student passes his/her Form 4 exam, he/she can enroll in A-Level school to continue to advanced studies and then to university. If a student fails, he/she has the option to enroll in a vocational college or a teachers' college to teach at the primary school level.
The language of instruction is a subject of much debate in Tanzania as the switch from Swahili to English comes after the critical brain development stage when language learning is much easier. The abrupt switch also results in high rates of failure from secondary school as students are unable to master English and therefore other subjects.
Lack of proper study environments, poor nutrition, health, and sanitation, economic hardships, and the language of instruction are the major obstacles for Tanzanian students.
Corporal punishment is still widely used in Tanzanian schools and is also a major impediment to learning and a common source of gender-based violence in Tanzania.
The education system in Kenya is managed by the Ministry of Education.
The Kenya education system is a remnant of the British colonial school systems. All primary and secondary schools mandate school uniforms.
The first level of education is at the pre-primary/kindergarten level. Attendance is not compulsory for students and it lasts for 1-2 years. Over the years, preschool for children aged 2-4 has gained popularity.
The first compulsory level of education is the primary level, which the government provides for free. Grade levels are called standards and there are eight standards in primary school. The language of instruction is English, with Swahili taught from standard one. Students must pass an exam at Standard Eight to continue to secondary school.
Secondary school consists of Forms 1-4. Once students pass Standard 8, they can enroll in secondary school as a Form 1 student. The language of instruction is English.
From primary to secondary school, Mathematics, English and Swahili are mandated by law to be taught in all schools. Both Christian and Islamic religious education are commonly taught in primary school, but are often optional in secondary school. Secondary schools decide what subjects in the sciences and humanities are mandatory for their students, and which they can select to drop.
If a student passes their national Form 4 exam, they can enroll in university for their selected vocation (interestingly, these selections are made before the exam is taken) - this is completely dependent on their grade. If a student fails, they have the option to enroll in a vocational college or parallel degree programs (C+ minimum required).
A significant disparity exists in the quality of education, more so in the secondary school level, where a hierarchy of school "elite" status is maintained as only Standard 8 students with the highest scores are admitted to certain schools. The emphasis on academic prowess during primary and secondary education discourages students from pursuing artistic talents and interests.
Corporal punishment is still widely used in Kenyan schools and is also a major impediment to learning.
Learn more about the historical progression of the Kenyan education system here
This second lesson on food introduces more commonly words associated with food, e.g. 'thirst' (kiu), 'flavor/flavour' (ladha) and common kitchen items e.g. 'oven' (kiokeo)
More examples of animals!
Note: 'kobe' means both turtles and tortoises (singular and plural). The distinction is in the context of the sentences.
This lesson introduces the conjugation of the preposition 'with' (na) for object nouns. These phrases are alternatives to 'na object pronoun', where na- is the prefix and the last syllable of the pronoun forms the suffix:
| English | Swahili | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| with me | na mimi | nami |
| with us | na sisi | nasi |
| with you (si) | na wewe | nawe |
| with you (pl) | na ninyi | nanyi |
| with them (gender neutral, si) | na yeye | naye |
| with them (pl) | na wao | nao |
This also applies to inanimate object nouns, where 'na' is combined with 'hi-o' (hicho, hilo, hiyo, etc):
| Noun class | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| KI-VI | nacho | navyo |
| JI-MA | nalo | nayo |
| M-WA | nao | nayo |
| N-N | nayo | nazo |
These phrases would be used in a sentence as follows:
Under the Swahili discussions, a post on the use of -enye was already done and contains some helpful examples for context
This lesson introduces colors in Swahili. You'll notice that many of these color names are adopted from their English counterparts! Can you guess what 'buluu' is? Other colors are named after items that naturally have these colors, e.g. 'green' is kijani, which literally translates to 'leaf-like'. 'Gray' is kijivu, which translates to 'ash-like' (ash is gray)
Causative verbs express the idea of something having caused something else to happen; ie- cause and effect. Causative verbs in Swahili are derivatives of other verbs, nouns, or adjectives. There are a wide variety of ways in which causative verbs can be formed in Swahili, so instead of recognizing patterns or memorizing rules to form causative verbs, understanding the theory and memorizing the verbs themselves is often more helpful. General derivations are often formed by adding -sha or -za as suffixes to verbs, but this is not always the case.
For verbs containing A, I, or U as the last vowel, the verb stem will become -isha at the end. For example:
Though it sounds strange in English, the best way to literally translate a causative verb would be “to cause to --”. Kurudi means to return in the active sense of the verb, as in Ninarudi nyumbani (I return home). But the causative form will be Kurudisha, as in Ninarudisha vitu vyako (I return your things).
For verbs containing E or O, the verb stem will become -esha at the end. For example:
Some verbs will take the verb stem -za without following the previous two rules. The endings will either be -iza or -eza. For example:
Verbs with double vowels will usually take a -z- in between them to form the causative verb. For example:
Many verbs that end in -ka or -ta will change the ends to -sha. For example:
Some nouns and adjectives can be turned into causative verbs. For example:
Invariably, there are a lot of exceptions to these rules when forming causative verbs. It will take some memorization and familiarization to recognize the causative forms, but repetitive use will help understand the formation and use of causative verbs.
Common Causative Verbs:
| Active Form/Noun | Translation | Causative Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kuamka | To wake up | Kuamsha | To wake (someone else) up |
| Kuanguka | To fall | Kuangusha | To fell (cause to fall) |
| Kuchemka | To be boiled | Kuchemsha | To boil |
| Kuchoka | To be tired | Kuchokesha | To tire |
| Hakika | Certainty | Kuhakikisha | To ensure/make certain |
| Kuingia | To enter | Kuingiza | To put inside/enter |
| Kula | To eat | Kulisha | To feed |
| Kupotea | To be lost | Kupoteza | To lose |
| Kusikia | To hear | Kusikiliza | To listen |
| Tayari | Ready | Kutayarisha | To prepare |
Ku-, pa-, and m(u)- are prefixes of the locative class, also referred to as the Mahali class. The class itself has one “primary “ noun, mahali, sometimes heard as pahali, mahala, or pahala, all meaning place in English. However, many nouns from other classes are capable of becoming locative nouns by use of the suffix -ni, e.g. nyumbani at home). chumbani (in the room), etc.
The ku-, pa-, and m(u)- prefixes are traditionally been associated with the following meanings:
Mifano :
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Kuna wanyama wengi Tanzania. | There are many animals in Tanzania. |
| Pana wanyama wachache Muheza. | There are few animals in Muheza. |
| Mna mnyama mmoja zizizni. | There is one animal in the cow shed. |
| Mahali hapo palikuwa na watu wengi. | That place had many people. |
| Mezani palijaa na uchafu. | The table was full of dirt. |
| Kijijini kulikuwa na mbuzi wengi. | In the village there were many goats. |
| Nchini kuna njaa. | In the country there is hunger. |
| Chumbani mlikuwa na viti viwili. | In the room there were two chairs. |
| Kabatini mlikuwa na sahani nyeupe. | in the cupboard there were white plates. |
Possessives:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Mahali pake | His/her place |
| Nyumbani kwake | His/Her home |
| Mahali penu | Your (pl.) place |
| Nyumbani kwenu | Your (pl.) home |
| Chumbani mwao | Their room |
Stative verbs are similar to passive verbs in describing the state of a noun. Passive verbs must say by whom to action was done, however, and stative verbs do not. They express a state instead of an action. The stative stem is a variation of -k-, either as it is or in the form of -ika- or -eka-.
If a Bantu-origin verb ends in double vowels, then just the -k- is inserted between them. For example:
If a Bantu-origin verb ends in double a's, then -lik- is inserted between the two a's. For example:
Arabic-origin verbs ending in double vowels take the suffix -lika at the end. For example:
Common Stative Verbs:
| Active Form | Translation | Stative Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kubadili | To change | Kubadilika | To be changed |
| Kufunga | To close | Kufungika | To be closed |
| Kuharibu | To destroy | Kuharibika | To be destroyed |
| Kukata | To cut | Kukatika | To be cut |
| Kukubali | To agree | Kukubalika | To be agreed |
| Kuvunja | To break | Kuvunjika | To be broken |
| Kula | To eat | Kulika | To be edible |
| Kuona | To see | Kuonekana | To be seen |
| Kupata | To get | Kupatikana | To be obtainable/available |
| Kuweza | To be able | Kuwezekana | To be possible |
Conditional sentences in Kiswahili can be expressed by the word kama, which is followed by the future form in the second part of the sentence. Kama is not a particle.
Note: kama is synonymous to ikiwa and ijapo
Examples:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Kama utajifunza Kiswahili, utaweza kuzungumza na watanzania. | If you learn Kiswahili, you will be able to speak with Tanzanians |
| Kama tutapata pesa, tutaenda Ulaya. | If we get money, we will go to Europe. |
| Kama tutakula ugali, tutashiba. | If we eat ugali (porridge), we will be full. |
Conditional sentences in Kiswahili can also be formed by including the tense particle -ki- between the subject prefix and the verb. It is followed by the future form in the second part of the sentence.
When -ki- is used with monosyllabic verbs, the infinitive ku- is dropped.
Examples:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Ukijifunza Kiswahili, utaweza kuzungumza na watanzania. | If you learn Kiswahili, you will be able to speak with Tanzanians. |
| Tukipata pesa, tutaenda Ulaya. | If we get money, we will go to Europe. |
| Tukila ugali, tutashiba. | If we eat ugali (porridge), we will be full. |
Note that for (near) future conditional tenses, the use of '-ki-' can be ambiguous in whether it means 'when' vs 'if' e.g.
Akipiga simu, nitakuambia
This can be interpreted as:
Inquiring about each other's general health is a normal aspect of Tanzanian/Kenyan life and comprises a set of common greetings between people.
However, when someone is suffering from a disease of a discrete nature, there are ways to tell "white lies" to avoid details; saying one as a fever, or homa, is a cover-all for most diseases or infections. Similarly, saying ninaumwa tumbo, or "my stomach hurts", can cover many afflictions as well. Mental health awareness has only recently been voiced, particularly on social media, but has a long way to go towards breaking away from the stigma surrounding mental health.
Expressing sympathy for the sick is one of the most important aspects of social interaction. In Kenya and Tanzania, people prefer to be visited when sick, which is very much contrary to Western culture. People try their best to visit sick friends, relatives, colleagues, neighbors, etc, and never with empty hands - it is common to give money or food to sick friends, reflecting the communalism inherent in East African culture.
Generally, talking about STDs including HIV/AIDS is not talked about publicly. Private parts of the body are collectively called sehemu za siri and are not talked about either as they are considered immodest, taboo subjects in normal conversation.
Football, or soccer, is the most popular sport in Tanzania. Even in extremely rural villages, TV sets powered by solar panels can be found in areas where locals will gather to watch games for a fee. Tanzanians are big fans of the English Premier League, especially!
In Tanzania, there is a nation-wide football league, but the two biggest clubs are the Young African Sports Club (Yanga) and the Simba Sports Club (Simba).
The Tanzanian National Team - Taifa Stars - has never qualified for a FIFA World Cup.
Other popular sports in Tanzania include basketball, netball, volleyball, handball, and rugby.
Tanzania has had two Olympic medalists in the past and competes in the Commonwealth Games and the African Championships in Athletics.
The time infix -ka- is used to describe a series of past events. When we use -ka-, the -li- tense appears first at the beginning of the sentence with the first verb and then it is replaced with the -ka- infix in the next verbs in order to denote that the narrative is in past tense. Hence, using -ka- in this sense is called the narrative tense.
Note: Monosyllabic verbs drop in infinitive ku- when used with -ka- infix.
Mfano:
Wikiendi, Mkude alipokwenda kwa dada yake kumtembelea, akampikia chakula. Baadaye wakala, wakazungumza, halafu wakaenda Mjini.
This weekend, when Mkude went to visit her sister, she cooked her food. Later they ate, they talked, and then they went to town.
The infix -ka- can also be used in the form of an expeditious command when combined with the subjunctive. Generally, subject pronouns will be dropped before the -ka- as well as the commands are directed at a specific audience. Sometimes, phrases will be preceded by normal commands, such as nenda. As with the narrative tense, monosyllabic verbs drop the infinitive ku-.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Kalale! | Go sleep! |
| Kalete kalamu yangu. | Go bring my pen. |
| Kale chakula chako sasa hivi. | Go eat your food right now. |
| Nenda kaombe ruhusa! | Go and ask for permission! |
While the verb “kupiga” in Swahili literally means to beat or to hit, it is often used as an idiom. When paired with various nouns, it actually translates to a different verb in English. This makes the verb kupiga the most versatile in Swahili!
Mifano:
| Piga Idiom | Translation |
|---|---|
| Kupiga pasi | To iron clothes |
| Kupiga simu | To make a telephone call |
| Kupiga kengele | To ring a bell |
| Kupiga kelele | To make noise/To shout |
| Kupiga chafya | To sneeze |
| Kupiga chenga | To dodge/To avoid/To evade/To sidestep |
| Kupiga magoti | To kneel down |
| Kupiga mbizi | To dive |
| Kupiga miayo | To yawn |
| Kupiga teke | To kick |
| Kupiga ngumi | To punch (with a fist) |
| Kupiga mluzi | To whistle |
| Kupiga makofi | To clap |
| Kupiga picha | To take a picture/photograph |
| Kupiga deki | To mop |
| Kupiga kofi | To slap |
Note: when an object is involved, there are two ways to construct the sentence:
Simple SVO:
Sentences with clauses following the object:
Are you ready for this skill? There are four main areas of advanced grammar that will be explored here that will really embellish your Swahili.
An emphatic is a word used to add stress to a noun. In English, we usually say “indeed” or “the very” to emphasize a noun, though this is not commonly used. However, in Swahili, it is indeed very important! The word for yes - ndiyo - is derived from the emphatic form.
The stem for an emphatic is “ndi- and it takes the relative agreement depending on the noun class.
| Noun Class | Emphatic | Agreement |
|---|---|---|
| M- WA- | Ndiye | Singular |
| M- WA- | Ndio | Plural |
| M- MI- | Ndio | Singular |
| M- MI- | Ndiyo | Plural |
| KI- VI- | Ndicho | Singular |
| KI- VI- | Ndivyo | Plural |
| N/N | Ndiyo | Singular |
| N/N | Ndizo | Plural |
| JI- MA- | Ndilo | Singular |
| JI- MA- | Ndiyo | Plural |
| U/N | Ndio | Singular |
| U/N | Ndizo | Plural |
| Mahali | Ndimo | Inside Locative |
| Mahali | Ndipo | Specific Place Locative |
| Mahali | Ndiko | Unspecific Place Locative |
Personal pronouns in the singular form also have emphatics. Plurals are proceeded by ndio followed by the personal pronoun.
| Pronoun | Emphatic | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Mimi | Ndimi | Indeed I/me |
| Wewe | Ndiwe | Indeed you |
| Yeye | Ndiye | Indeed he/she or him/her |
| Sisi | Ndio sisi | Indeed us/we |
| Ninyi | Ndio ninyi | Indeed you (pl.) |
| Wao | Ndio wao | Indeed they/them |
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Huyu ndiye mwalimu mzuri aliyenifundisha. | This is indeed the good teacher who taught me. |
| Ndicho hicho! | Indeed that one! |
| Embe hilo ndilo zuri sana! | That mango is indeed very good! |
| Ndiwe utakayekwenda huko. | It is indeed you who will go there. |
For the interrogative form of “which”, a word can be used with the subject prefix and the stem -“pi”. This must be used in relation to a noun with some degree of specificity, otherwise the relative “which” - gani - can be used. Technically, gani is literally translated as “what sort?”, but it is colloquially and commonly used for “which” nowadays. However, using this form will enhance a learner's Swahili.
| Noun Class | Interrogative -pi | Agreement |
|---|---|---|
| M- WA- | Yupi? | Singular |
| M- WA- | Wepi? | Plural |
| M- MI- | Upi? | Singular |
| M- MI- | Ipi? | Plural |
| KI- VI- | Kipi? | Singular |
| KI- VI- | Vipi? | Plural |
| N/N | Ipi? | Singular |
| N/N | Zipi? | Plural |
| JI- MA- | Lipi? | Singular |
| JI- MA- | Yapi? | Plural |
| U/N | Upi? | Singular |
| U/N | Zipi? | Plural |
| Mahali | Kupi? | Singular – Only form of Mahali that takes -pi |
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Unataka parachichi lipi? | You want which avocado? |
| Anakaa nyumba ipi? | He lives in which house? |
| Tukununulie viatu vipi? | We should buy you which shoes? |
“-Kwisha-” is literally translated as “already”. It is one of the Kiswahili constructions which describes complete events. Also, it is the most emphatic.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nimekwishaandika barua. | I have already written a letter. |
| Umekwishaandika barua. | You have already written a letter. |
| Tumekwishaandika barua. | We have already written a letter. |
| Wamekwishaandika barua. | They have already written a letter. |
However, in many parts of Tanzania and East Africa as a whole, the “kw-” or kwi- is dropped in sentences without changing the meanings. Indeed, using only -sha- is becoming the most popular form of this construction.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nimeishaenda dukani. | I have already gone to the store. |
| Ulishawahi kula nge? | Have you already tried to eat scorpion? |
| Wameshafika Marekani. | They have already arrived in America. |
This form is also commonly used with the conditional -ki- to indicate conditional future tenses in conversation.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nikishamaliza kazi yangu, nitaenda kucheza mpira. | Once I have finished my work, I will go play soccer. |
| Ukishasafisha chumbani kwako, osha vyombo. | Once you have cleaned your room, wash the dishes. |
| Tukishazungumza naye, tutakuambia. | Once we have talked with her, we will tell you. |
In Swahili, “when” is indicated by the question word “lini”. But, “lini” is used only when one is asking a question. In a statement of fact, instead of using “lini”, the relative marker of time “-po-” is used. The marker “-po-” is not used with “hu-” or “-me-” tenses, only with simple present, past, and future. However, with the future, instead of “-ta-”, the tense marker becomes “taka”.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Tulipoenda Morogoro, tulijifunza Kiswahili. | When we went to Morogoro, we learned Swahili. |
| Ninapozungumza Kiswahili, ninaeleweka. | When I speak Swahili, I am understood. |
| Mama atakapofika nyumbani, atapika wali. | When mother arrives at home, she will cook rice. |
Comparison in Swahili is very different from English. There are no adjectives for comparative or superlative degrees like adding “-er” or “-est”. Instead, comparative words are used in Swahili after adjectives.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Bustani yangu ni nzuri kama yako. | My garden is as good as yours. |
| Kijiji chetu ni sawa na chenu. | Our village is the same as yours. |
| Mashamba yeti ni makubwa kuliko yenu. | Our farms are bigger than your farms. |
| Shamba lake ni zuri kuliko langu. | His farm is nicer than mine. |
| Twiga ni mrefu zaidi ya simba. | The giraffe is taller than the lion. |
When making a superlative construction, use the same words as in comparative construction, except that the adjective “–ote” - all or whole - with correct agreement marker of the noun used comes at the end. This signifies that the comparison is made with all other types of that particular noun being compared.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Wakenya wanapendelea kukumbia kuliko wote. | Kenyans love to run more than anyone. |
| Chakula kinapikwa na mama yangu ni kitamu kupita vyote. | Food cooked by my mother is better than all other (food). |
| Matikitimaji kutoka Tanzania ni makubwa kushinda yote mengine. | Watermelons from Tanzania are bigger than all others. |
Subjunctive is often used when:
In Swahili, the subjunctive is constructed by changing the last vowel “a” of the verb stem into “ e”. The subject prefixes remain at their positions but without tense markers. Words like bora and tafadhali should be used although in practice they are sometimes omitted. These obligatory words will require subjunctive be used.
Positive Subjunctives
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Tafadhali unisaidie. | Please help me. |
| Lazima uende sokoni | You must go to the market. |
| Ni bora ujifunze Kiswahili. | It is better (that) you learn Kiswahili. |
| Inafaa upumzike leo. | It is better (that) you have a rest today. |
| Heri uende nyumbani. | It is better (that) you go home. |
| Kabla ya kula sharti unawe. | Before eating you must wash your hands. |
| Afadhali uende hospitali. | It’s better (that) you go to hospital. |
Negative Subjunctives: The negative subjunctives are made by inserting -si- between the subject prefixes and the stems of the verbs. This is also the way to construct negative commands.
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Usipige picha hapa. | Don’t take photographs here. |
| Usipike ugali leo. | Don’t cook ugali today. |
| Usiendeshe baiskeli. | Don’t ride a bicycle. |
| Msiende shuleni. | Don’t go to school. |
| Msifanye ngono zembe. | Don’t practice unprotected sex. |
Prepositional Subjunctive: This form of the verb means to do something for/ to/on behalf of somebody. In order to get this form of the verb you need to change the verb into a propositional form first and then to subjunctive form.
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Tafadhali unipikie ugali kwa samaki leo. | Please cook ugali and fish for me today. |
| Tafadhali waletee maji ya kunywa. | Please bring them some drinking water. |
The pluperfect construction is a fancy way of saying that something has been done or completed. It is also called past perfect in English. It combines the past tense with the condition of being perfect, which, from its Latin derivative, means that it is complete - or completely finished!
In Swahili, this construction is made by combining the simple past with the immediate past. Pretty easy! This is true for both affirmative and negative sentences.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nilikuwa nimefanya kazi nyingi. | I had done a lot of work. |
| Alikuwa ameenda nyumbani. | S/He had gone home. |
| Tulikuwa tumekubali kusafirisha mizigo yote. | We had agreed to transport all of the packages. |
| Hukuwa umemaliza kuandika barua. | You had not finished writing the letter. |
| Hawakuwa wamechoma takataka shimoni. | They had not burned all of the trash in the hole. |
Here are a couple of ways which stems of country names are used when referencing nationalities, the countries themselves, their languages (where applicable), and their adjective form:
The adjective stem '-holanzi' is used to mean 'Dutch' (adj) or 'of Dutch origin', but doesn't stand alone.
The first (M-) and 2nd (ki-) prefixes apply to all nationalities and references to country-specific origins/adjectives. The prefix Ki- is also used when referring to all languages e.g. Kiswahili
The last prefix (U-) applies to countries whose translations and pronunciations change from English to Swahili. For majority of African countries, the name doesn't change from English to Swahili, so the prefix 'U-' is not used. Exceptions include countries with English words in their names e.g. South Africa (Afrika Kusini) or names with non-phonetic letters e.g. Nigeria (Nijeria)
| Country | Nchi | Raia (citizen) |
|---|---|---|
| Kenya | Kenya | Mkenya |
| Burundi | Burundi | Mburundi |
| China | Uchina | Mchina |
| Germany | Ujerumani | Mjerumani |
| India | Uhindi/India | Mhindi |
Note: In Swahili, both England and the United Kingdom are referred to as 'Uingereza'
Participles can be tricky, even in English. In Swahili, they aren't commonly used in normal speech, but it is possible to find them used in writing or in very formal settings.
To form participial phrases, the conditional -ki is used, although it occurs in the second verb of the sentence instead of the first. It can be used with any tense marker.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Niliwaona wakitembea. | I saw them walking. |
| Alifika akibeba mizigo. | He arrived carrying luggage. |
| Watakuwa wakicheza. | They will be playing. |
| Nimekuwa nikuumwa. | I was sick. |
| Ulikuwa ukinifundisha kupiga mbizi baharini. | You were teaching me how to dive in the ocean. |
Similarly, these constructions can be made using conditional forms as the main verb in the participial phrase: ie - -nge-, -singe-, -ngali-, and -singali-.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Ningekuwa Marekani sasa, ningekuwa nikisoma chuoni. | If I were in America right now, I would be studying at university. |
| Ningalisoma historia, ningalikuwa nikiishi Ugiriki kufundisha akiolojia. | If I had studied history, I would have been living in Greece to teach archaeology. |
| Usingefika mapema, usingekuwa ukinisaidia. | If you had not arrived early, you would not be helping me. |
| Tungalioana mwaka uliopita, usingalikuwa ukiweza kupata kazi hiyo nzuri. | If we had married each other last year, you would not have been able to get that good job. |
Religious surveys have not been conducted in Tanzania since 1967 and Tanzania observes freedom of religion. However, it is widely accepted that Tanzania is approximately 50/50 split between Muslims and Christians, though there are small populations of individuals from others faiths, including Hindus, in Tanzania.
In general, it is very easy to see the mix of Islamic and Christian faiths in Tanzania and the two major religions co-exist fairly peacefully.
In some areas, one of the two major religions is clearly dominant. For example, Zanzibar is almost exclusively Muslim, while Christianity is the dominant faith in the interior of the country (Southern Highlands) where missionary activity during colonialism was high.
In rural areas, traditional, more animistic beliefs are still common, though these have often been incorporated in some form into the two major religions.
Atheism is not common and is sometimes not/misunderstood. Asking the religion of a new acquaintance is not considered rude or impolite.
Tanzania is a unitary presidential democratic republic between mainland Tanzania, formerly Tanganyika, and Zanzibar.
Tanganyika, also known as German East Africa, was both a German and a British colony during the period of European colonialism.
Tanganyika gained independence from Great Britain in 1961 and existed as a sovereign nation from 1962-1964.
In 1964, Tanganyika joined with Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania.
The first president of Tanzania was Julius Kambarage Nyerere. He was known as Mwalimu, or teacher, and was a very popular leader in Africa and a proponent of African socialism.
Tanzania was a one-party state from 1961-1980s, with Chama cha Mapinduzi, or Party of the Revolution, holding power. Even until the present day, CCM has been the only party in power since independence.
Tanzania's executive branch is headed by a President who appoints a Prime Minister to serve as a the government's leader in the National Assembly.
The legislative branch of Tanzania is called the Bunge. It is unicameral and parliamentarians, or wabunge, serve 5 year terms.
Tanzania's judiciary is made up of five levels which all incorporate tribal, Islamic, and British common law.
As Zanzibar was once a sovereign nation itself, there exists a precarious relationship between Mainland Tanzania and the Islands. Zanzibar has its own Head of Government, its own Parliament, and special judiciary courts. However, the President of the United Republic of Tanzania is still the Head of State for the Republic as a whole. The issue of Zanzibari autonomy has been a common political point in recent elections.
Administratively, Tanzania has 26 regions which are divided into districts. Districts are then divided into wards and wards into villages. Various levels of government exist between these levels.
The reciprocal form of the verb is formed by suffixing -na- to the verb root (simple or extended). It expresses the idea reciprocating an action for one another.
It is important to distinguish verbs that can take –na- directly after the simple root.
Mifano:
| Simple Root – Swahili | Simple Root – English | Reciprocal Form – Swahili | Reciprocal Form - English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kupenda | To love | Kupendana | To love each other |
| Kukuta | To find | Kukutana | To find each other – To meet up |
| Kutembelea | To visit | Kutembeleana | To visit each other |
| Kuamkia | To greet | Kuamkiana | To greet each other |
However, some verbs need to be derived into other forms of the verbs before they are put into the reciprocal. Usually, this form will be the prepositional form as all verbs, including Arabic-origin verbs, will take an -a- ending in the prepositional form. This will accommodate for the -na- reciprocal suffix.
Mifano:
| Prepositional Root – Swahili | Prepositional Root – English | Prepositional Root – Swahili | Prepositional Root – English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kupikia | To cook for | Kupikiana | To cook for each other |
| Kusomea | To read for | Kusomeana | To read to each other |
| Kuandikia | To write for | Kuandikiana | To write for each other |
| Kusaidia | To help | Kusaidiana | To help each other |
| Kukubalia | To agree | Kukubaliana | To agree with each other – To be in agreement |
| Kusalimia | To greet | Kusalimiana | To greet each other |
Negative constructions would simply be made by using negative subject prefixes and changing the end of the verb as usual.. The reciprocal form can take subjunctive endings as well.
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Tutakutana kesho? | Are we going to meet (up) tomorrow? |
| Wanasaidiana kujenga nyumba zote. | They are helping each other to build all the houses. |
| Ukienda kumwona bibi yangu, ni lazima mwamkiane. | If you go to see my grandmother, you have to greet each other. |
Tourism is a huge portion of income for Tanzania. With over 35% of its land protected for conservation, 16 national parks, over 25 game reserves, and many controlled conservation areas, Tanzania is widely recognized as one of the top tourist destinations in Africa.
Tanzania is home to Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa.
Some of the most popular safari destinations in Tanzania include the Serengeti, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
In the Kigoma region, Gombe National Park is where Jane Goodall conducted her famous survey of chimpanzees.
The semi-autonomous region of Zanzibar is home to Stone Town, the former capital of the Sultanate of Zanzibar and colonial Oman. It is a United Nations UNESCO World Heritage site, along with the Kilwa ruins and the Kondoa Cave Painting sites. There is also world-class scuba diving available off of Pemba and Zanzibar and an annual whale shark migration off of Mafia Island.
Stative verbs are similar to passive verbs in describing the state of a noun. Passive verbs must say by whom to action was done, however, and stative verbs do not. They express a state instead of an action. The stative stem is a variation of -k-, either as it is or in the form of -ika- or -eka-.
If a Bantu-origin verb ends in double vowels, then just the -k- is inserted between them. For example:
If a Bantu-origin verb ends in double a's, then -lik- is inserted between the two a's. For example:
Arabic-origin verbs ending in double vowels take the suffix -lika at the end. For example:
Common Stative Verbs:
| Active Form | Translation | Stative Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kubadili | To change | Kubadilika | To be changed |
| Kufunga | To close | Kufungika | To be closed |
| Kuharibu | To destroy | Kuharibika | To be destroyed |
| Kukata | To cut | Kukatika | To be cut |
| Kukubali | To agree | Kukubalika | To be agreed |
| Kuvunja | To break | Kuvunjika | To be broken |
| Kula | To eat | Kulika | To be edible |
| Kuona | To see | Kuonekana | To be seen |
| Kupata | To get | Kupatikana | To be obtainable/available |
| Kuweza | To be able | Kuwezekana | To be possible |
When negating the conditional sentences with “kama”, follow the procedure of negative future:
Mifano:
| Swahili | English | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Kama hatutapata pesa, hatutaenda Ulaya. | If we don’t get money, we will not go to Europe. | ||
| Kama hatutakula ugali, hatutashiba. | If we don’t eat ugali, we will not be full |
When negating the conditional tense “-ki-”, it must be replaced by the particle “-sipo-” and then the second half of the sentence takes the appropriate negative prefixes. However, sometimes the second clause does not have to be negative depending on the clause itself; ie- not doing one thing will result in something else happening. With monosyllabic verbs, the infinitive ”ku-” is retained.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Usipojifunza Kiswahili, hutaweza kuzungumza na watanzania. | If you don’t learn Kiswahili, you will not be able to speak with Tanzanians |
| Tusipopata pesa, hatutaenda Ulaya. | If we don’t get money, we will not go to Europe. |
| Tusipokula ugali, hatutafurahi. | If we don’t eat ugali, we will not be happy. |
| Usipokwenda baharini, hutaogelea. | If you don’t go to the sea you won’t swim. |
| Asipokuja Tanzania, atakwenda Uganda. | If s/he doesn’t come to Tanzania, s/he will go to Uganda |
| Usipokula mayai, hutapata protini. | If you don’t eat eggs, you won’t get protein. |
The hu- aspect marker expresses a habitual action.
Unlike -na- tense, the hu- aspect marker does not take a subject prefix instead it must be preceeded by a noun or a personal pronoun.
It is important to note that hu- is the typical habitual marker, and -na- the typical present tense and progressive aspect marker. When one uses -na - as a habitual marker, it is appropriate to use it with the expressions,such as kila asubuhi-every morning. However, hu- can also be used with those expressions.
When hu- is used with monsyllabic verbs, the infinitive ku- is dropped.
Examples:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Baraka huamka saa kumi na moja alfajiri. | Baraka wakes up at five o’clock in the morning. |
| Yeye huandika barua kila siku. | She/He writes letters every day. |
| Mimi hula chakula kila siku. | I usually eat food everyday. |
| Wewe huja shuleni kila asubuhi. | You usually come to school every morning. |
The-nge- form is used to express a hypothetical condition tense in present. -Ngali- is used for the past. Generally, both clauses in a sentence using the hypothetical conditional will use the form as the tense marker.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Ungekuja hapa sasa, ungemwona. | If you came here now, you would see him. |
| Wangekuwa mjini sasa, wangenunua nguo. | If they were in town now, they would buy clothes. |
| Ningalimwona jana, ningaliongea naye. | If I had seen her yesterday, I would have talked to her. |
| Kama angalijua kwamba unakuja, angalipika chakula kingi. | If she had known that you were coming, she would have prepared a lot of food. |
The negative constructions are formed with insertion of the –si- negative marker which is inserted before -nge- or -ngali-. Positive and negative hypothetical conditional tenses can be combined.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Asingepata mwaliko asingekwenda kwenye harusi. | If he had not been invited, he would have not gone to the wedding. |
| Barua isingalifika, nisingalifika msibani. | If the letter had not arrived, I would not have been at the funeral. |
| Tusingeimba vibaya, angefurahi sana. | If we did not sing poorly, he would be very happy. |
In Tanzania, Christian and Islamic religious holidays are observed as public holidays by all Tanzanians. This is similar in other East African countries as well.
Celebrations of religious festivals are featured with new clothes for children, relatives inviting one another to eat with a wide variety of food and drinks, and general relaxation.
Many Islamic holidays depend on the sighting of the moon - like Eid-el-Fitri.
During the month of Ramadhan, people do not eat or drink in public, especially on Zanzibar. Normally, in the evening Muslims will break their fasts by eating outside on mats and inviting passersby to partake in iftar, or the breaking of the fast.
Traditionally, circumcision is also widely celebrated according to various tribal customs. Local governments will observe these celebrations.
At funerals, women of all religions generally wear khanga and cover their heads.
Women do not go to the graves on burial days for Muslims.
Relatives, friends, neighbors, and bereaved colleagues normally visit the family to give their condolences, or rambirambi.
For weddings in East Africa, it is common to give contributions, or mchango, for the wedding party as it is seen as a more communal celebration than in Western culture.
Send-off parties are common in urban areas, as are kitchen parties for the bride to be taught about marital affairs by elder women and given household gifts, much like a bachelorette party with a more domestic focus.
Numerical dates i.e. date, month, year, will have the words tarehe, mwezi, mwaka preceding them. e.g.
| Date | Tarehe |
|---|---|
| Tenth of May | Tarehe kumi mwezi wa tano |
| 2019 | Mwaka elfu mbili na kumi na tisa |
| March | Mwezi wa tatu |
Reflexive verbs are 'self' verbs in Swahili, where the verb stem is usually preceded by the object infix '-ji-' , which is the infix for '-self', since the subject and object are the same. The conjugation of the verb stem is dependent on the nature of the verb, i.e. if it's prepositional (actions you would typically do for/to someone), causative (action that causes an effect) or transitive (active verbs with a direct object receiving the action)
| Infinitive Verb | English | Swahili | Type of verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kula | He fed himself | Alijilisha | Causative |
| Kuona | She saw herself in the mirror | Alijiona kwa kioo | Transitive |
| Kuonea | She was unfair to herself | Alijionea | Prepositional |
| Kupenda | They love themselves | Wanajipenda | Transitive |
The amba relative means “who”, “whom”, “that”, or “which”. It is suffixed with respective relative marker from each noun class.
The amba relative takes a suffix depending on the noun class.
| Noun Class | Agreement | Amba Relative |
|---|---|---|
| M- WA- | Singular | Ambaye |
| M- WA- | Plural | Ambao |
| M- MI- | Singular | Ambao |
| M- MI- | Plural | Ambayo |
| KI- VI- | Singular | Ambacho |
| KI- VI- | Plural | Ambavyo |
| N/N | Singular | Ambayo |
| N/N | Plural | Ambazo |
| JI- MA- | Singular | Ambalo |
| JI- MA- | Plural | Ambayo |
| U/N | Singular | Ambao |
| U/N | Plural | Ambazo |
| Mahali | M- | Ambamo |
| Mahali | PA- | Ambapo |
| Mahali | KU- | Ambako |
In Kiswahili there are three types of relative clause constructions:
1- The amba- relative clause; e.g. Basi ambalo linakwenda Arusha – The bus that goes to Arusha.
2- The infix relative clause with the marker -lo-, or the amba suffix, before the verb root; e,g. Basi linalokwenda Arusha – The bus that goes to Arusha.
3- The suffixal relative clause with the relative suffix after the verb stem but without the tense marker; e.g. Basi liendalo Arusha – The bus that goes to Arusha.
All of the three forms above are commonly used. The following points need to be noted in relation to the use of these forms of relative clause:
The prefixal relative marker is used with the past, present and future tense markers. When used with the future tense, the marker -taka- is used instead of -ta-.; e.g. Basi litakaloenda Arusha. - The bus that will go to Arusha.
All verbal constructions with the tense markers –me-, -mesha-, and -ja- use the amba relative preceeding the verb construction.; e.g. Basi ambalo limekwenda Arusha. - The bus that went to Arusha.
The suffixal relative does not take tense markers and has a general meaning, as mentioned above.; e.g. Basi liendalo Arusha. - The bus that goes to Arusha.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Huyu ni voluntia ambaye anatoka Marekani. | This is a volunteer who comes from America. |
| Wale ni mavoluntia ambao wanatoka Marekani. | Those are volunteers who come from America. |
| Huyu ni mtoto ambaye anaumwa malaria. | This is the chilld who is suffering from malaria. |
| Hawa ni vijana ambao wana kazi nyingi. | These are youth who have a lot of work. |
| Yule ni mzee ambaye ana bustani kubwa ya mboga. | That is the old man who has a big vegetable garden. |
| Hii ni barua ya voluntia ambayo inatoka Marekani. | This is a volunteer’s letter that comes from America. |
| Zile ni barua za voluntia ambazo zinatoka Marekani. | These are volunteers’ letters that come from America. |
| Ile ni saa yangu ndogo ya mezani ambayo niliinunua Uingereza. | That is my small table clock which I bought in England. |
| Zile ni saa zangu ndogo za mezani ambazo nilizinunua Uingereza. | These are my small table clocks which I bought in England. |
| Alitumia vifaa vilivyovunjika. | S/He used tools which broke. |
| Nitapika chakula kitamu kinachotoka Uhindi. | I am going to cook good food which comes from India. |
| Popote uendapo! | Wherever you go! |
“-Vyo-“ is a relative marker infix which is used to express the manner through which something is done or how action is taking place. In most cases, the verb that takes the infix “-vyo-“ is proceeded by words like “jinsi” or ”namna”which literally mean “how”. The use of the infix “-vyo-“ in a verb can also mean “as far as”.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Nitakufundisha jinsi ninavyofanya kazi yangu. | I will teach you how I do my work. |
| Utaona jinsi watu wanavyochoma moto misitu. | You will see how people set fire in forests. |
| Utaelewa jinsi vijana wasivyojali afya zao. | You will understand how youths do not care about their health. |
| Nilifanya vyote nilivyoweza. | I did as much as I could. |
Here is a brief overview of different types of figures of speech in this lesson. Some phrases in Swahili lose meaning when directly translated to English, but sometimes one can infer the intended meaning through the reference used.
a.k.a. Tashbihi, Tashbiha. These have the same form as they do in English, i.e. adjective-preposition-noun. Some English similes translate to their Swahili counterparts e.g.
| Similes | Tashbihi |
|---|---|
| Black as coal | -eusi kama makaa |
| Cold as ice | baridi kama barafu |
| Thin as a needle | -embamba mithili ya sindano |
Note: kama and mithili ya mean the same thing
Other Swahili similes are not quite used as-is when directly translated to English e.g.
| Tashbihi | Translation |
|---|---|
| Adhimu kama maziwa ya kuku | Rare as chicken's milk |
| Mlafi kama fisi | Greedy as a hyena |
| Mrefu kama mlingoti | Tall as a pole |
These are used, as in English, to substitute words or expressions that are considered harsh or improper
| Tafsida | Direct translation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Kujifungua | To open onself up | To give birth |
| Kujisaidia | To help oneself | To use the bathroom |
| Kuaga dunia | To say goodbye to the earth | To die |
a.k.a. Istiari, Istiara. These are similar to similes, but rather than describing someone/thing to be 'like' something else, they are described as that thing.
| Sitiari | Metaphor | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Rashidi ni kobe | Rashidi is a tortoise | Rashidi is slow |
| Amekuwa popo | He's become a bat | He's become a turncoat |
| Juma ni chiriku | Juma is a canary | Juma is a chatterbox |
These are common phrases that are widely understood or whose meaning/reference is easy to understand.
| Semi | Sayings | Meaning/use |
|---|---|---|
| Shingo upande | Bent neck | Be reluctant/do something reluctantly |
| Pua na mdomo | Nose and mouth | Very close |
| Lila na fila | Good and evil | For better or worse |
a.k.a. uhaishaji. These are phrases that give inanimate objects human attributes e.g. the wind is whistling
| Tashihisi | Translation |
|---|---|
| Picha inanikodolea macho | The picture is looking at me |
| Fikira zangu zinazunguka | My thoughts are swirling |
| Muda unakimbia | Time is running |
a.k.a. Milio. These are words that mimic sound or how an action is performed. These sounds are typically used to either emphasize or exaggerate a sound or action. Note that not all actions are assigned these sounds.
Often, they appear at the end of the sentence, and are followed by are an excalamation mark, though this is not required.
| Mlio | Action |
|---|---|
| Cheka kwa kwa kwa! | Laugh (loudly) |
| Mweusi tititi | Very dark |
| Tumbukia majini chubwi | Fall into water |
| Shusha pumzi hufyu | Loud/big sigh |
These are phrases/sayings that always contain verbs. Like euphemisms, they are used to soften harsh words. Often, direct translations will not make much sense
| Nahau | Translation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Piga hatua | Make steps | Move forward/Progress |
| Meza maneno | Swallow words | Keep a secret |
| Pigwa kalamu | Have one's pen hit | Lose one's job |
The-nge- form is in conditional clauses for events that can be changed. -Ngali- is used for conditional clauses expressing events that cannot be changed. Generally, both clauses in a sentence using the hypothetical conditional will use the form as the tense marker.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Ungekuja hapa sasa, ungemwona. | If you came here now, you would see him. |
| Wangekuwa mjini sasa, wangenunua nguo. | If they were in town now, they would buy clothes. |
| Ningalimwona jana, ningaliongea naye. | If I had seen her yesterday, I would have talked to her. |
| Angalijua kwamba unakuja, angalipika chakula kingi. | If she had known that you were coming, she would have prepared a lot of food. |
The negative constructions are formed with insertion of the –si- negative marker which is inserted before -nge- or -ngali-. Positive and negative hypothetical conditional tenses can be combined.
Mifano:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Asingepata mwaliko asingekwenda kwenye harusi. | If he had not been invited, he would have not gone to the wedding. |
| Barua isingalifika, nisingalifika msibani. | If the letter had not arrived, I would not have been at the funeral. |
| Tusingeimba vibaya, angefurahi sana. | If we did not sing poorly, he would be very happy. |
Sometimes, these two infixes are used interchangeably