Swahili Skills by StrengthCrownsNameOriginal Order

• ••• 32 Introduction11 @ 50% 50

  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

  Pronunciation

  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.
  

  • Kiswahili consonants are pronounced as follows:
    

  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

  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 Be”

  To express the concept of “being” in the present, the particles ni (positive) and si (negative) are used as shown in the following chart:
  

  Singular

  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

  Plural

  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

  Note

  A common mistake for translating the word 'American' is simply changing the 'c' to 'k' - this is incorrect. The translation becomes '-marekani'

• ••• 32 Greetings 121 @ 25% 75

  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

  Greetings

  • 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.

• ••• 32 Greetings 231 @ 25% 75

  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

  Greetings

  • 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.

• ••• 32 People32 @ 25% 75

  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

  Noun Classes: M- WA- Noun Class

  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.
  

  Plural Suffix -ni

  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.
  

  Possessive Pronouns

  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**.
  

  • Note: The exceptions to this rule are certain kinship nouns that come from Arabic: baba, mama, bibi, babu, shangazi, binamu, rafiki, dada, kaka, etc. These nouns take the y- agreement in the singular and the z- agreement in the plural.
  • Accordingly, my sister will be dada yangu whereas my sisters will be dada zangu.

  -a of association

  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

  • Note: From the first example, you can see that the “-a of association” can be literally translated to of. However, in conversational English, a speaker would not say “teacher of Swahili” but rather “Swahili teacher”. For the purposes of this course, we will accept both translations, however, since they are both grammatically correct.

  Subject Prefixes

  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.

• ••• 32 Present Tense 161 @ 50% 50

  tena
  1 words

  Affirmative Constructions:

  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.
  

  Negative present singular and plural:

  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.

• ••• 32 Chores72 @ 25% 75

  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')

• ••• 32 M/Mi Nouns71 @ 25% 75

  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

  Noun Classes: M- MI- Noun Class

  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:
  

  • Nouns that begin with consonants in the singular will have the m- concord and in the plural, the mi- concord; tree(s) will be mti/miti, bread will be mkate/mikate, luggage will be mzigo/mizigo, etc.
    
  • Nouns with vowel stems will have mw- as the concord prefix in the singular, but in the plural, they will take the normal mi- concord; year(s) will be mwaka/miaka, body/bodies will be mwili/miili, mango tree(s) will be mwembe/miembe, etc.
    
  • However, nouns that have an “o” as the stem will not have a w in the concord; smoke will be moshi/mioshi, fire will be moto/mioto, heart(s) will be moyo/mioyo, etc.
    

  Possessive Pronouns

  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)

  -a of association

  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

  • Note: Again, you can see that the “-a of association” can be literally translated to of. As previously noted, this is not common in conversational English as the noun of association would instead become an adjective. For the purposes of this course, we will accept both translations, however, since they are both grammatically correct.

  Subject Prefixes:

  For the M/Mi noun class, subject prefixes are U as singular and I as plural

• ••• 32 Food81 @ 25% 75

  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
  

  Common food names:

  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!

• ••• 32 To Have91 @ 25% 75

  hana · hatuna · hawana · huna · sina
  5 words

  The verb kuwa na-to have in present:

  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.

• ••• 32 Present 292 @ 25% 75

  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

• ••• 32 Ki/Vi Nouns101 @ 25% 75

  cha · chakula · chandarua · choo · chuo · kiatu · kijiko · kingereza · kisima · kisiwa · kisu · kiswahili · kitabu · kitanda · kiti · viatu · vijiko · visu · vitabu · vitanda · viti · vyakula
  22 words

  Noun Classes: KI- VI- Noun Class

  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)

  Possessive Pronouns

  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)

  -a of association

  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

  • Note: Again, you can see that the “-a of association” can be literally translated to of. As previously noted, this is not common in conversational English as the noun of association would instead become an adjective. For the purposes of this course, we will accept both translations, however, since they are both grammatically correct.
• ••• 32 N/N Nouns111 @ 50% 50

  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

  Noun Classes: N/N Noun Class

  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

  Possessive Pronouns

  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)

  -a of association

  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

  • Note: Again, you can see that the “-a of association” can be literally translated to of. As previously noted, this is not common in conversational English as the noun of association would instead become an adjective. For the purposes of this course, we will accept both translations, however, since they are both grammatically correct.

  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.

• ••• 32 Ji/Ma Nouns112 @ 25% 75

  blanketi · embe · maarifa · mabadiliko · maendeleo · mafuta · matope · mawe · mazingira · mazungumzo · taifa
  11 words

  Noun Classes: JI- MA- Noun Class

  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:
  

  • Fruits and produce are usually found in the JI- MA- class. Examples: chungwa/machungwa (orange(s)), nanasi/mananasi (pineapple(s)), embe/maembe (mango(es))
    
  • Nouns that begin with ji-, as mentioned. Examples: jicho/macho (eye(s)), jino/meno (tooth/teeth), jibu/majibu (answer(s)), jina/majina (name(s))
    
  • Nouns that do not have a singular concord but take the ma- concord in the plural. Examples: bonde/mabonde (valley(s)), daraja/madaraja (bridge(s)/staircase(s)), duka/maduka (shop(s)), shoka/mashoka (ax(es)), yai/mayai (egg(s))
    

  Possessive Pronouns

  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

  -a of association

  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: Again, you can see that the “-a of association” can be literally translated to of. As previously noted, this is not common in conversational English as the noun of association would instead become an adjective. For the purposes of this course, we will accept both translations, however, since they are both grammatically correct.

  Exceptions

  • Bear in mind that all living creatures, regardless of noun prefix, belong in the noun class M/Wa because of the affixes associated with them. Occupational or status nouns often have the prefixes 'Ji/Ma'. Examples: dereva/madereva (driver(s)), fundi/mafundi (craftsman/men), tajiri/matajiri (employer(s)). However, these nouns are still classed under the noun class 'M/Wa'
  • Uncountable nouns with the prefix 'Ma-' e.g. mafuta (oil), majivu (ashes), maziwa (milk), do not belong to this noun class, but rather the noun class 'Ya/Ya', or simply 'Ya'.
• ••• 32 Adjectives122 @ 50% 50

  ghali · maridadi · maskini · pia · rahisi · safi · tajiri
  7 words

  Adjectives

  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 Stem adjectives
    
  • Consonant Stem adjectives
    *Arabic-origin 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.
  

  Vowel Stem Adjectives

  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

  Arabic-Origin Adjectives

  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.
  

  Consonant Stem Adjectives

  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:
  

  N/N Noun Class

  • 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.
    

  U/N Plural Nouns

  For the U/N noun class, plural nouns take the same rules as the N/N noun class.
  

  JI- MA- Singular Nouns

  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.

• ••• 32 Numbers121 @ 25% 75

  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

  Numbers

  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.

  Years

  • 1994 - mwaka elfu moja mia tisa tisini na nne
  • 1720 - mwaka elfu moja mia saba (na)* ishirini
  • 2019 - mwaka elfu mbili na kumi na tisa

  (na)* - not necessary

  Decimals

  5.63 - tano nukta sita tatu

  21.5 - ishirini na moja nukta tano

• ••• 32 Commands132 @ 25% 75

  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

  Commands (Simple Imperatives)

  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!

  Plural Imperatives

  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!

  Imperative vs Declarative

  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:

  • "You, give me my phone!" - Wewe, nipe simu yangu!"/ "Nyinyi, nipeeni simu yangu!"
  • "All of you, go home!" - "Nyinyi nyote, nendeni nyumbani!"

  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.

  Negative Imperative

  This form has relatively much simpler rules:

  • The infix -si- is used alongside the subject prefix U- (singular) or M- (plural).
  • Only verbs that end in the suffix '-a' change to '-e'. Every other verb suffix else does not change
  • the monosyllabic verbs 'kuja', 'kula', 'kunywa', 'kufa' follow the first rule, as well as drop the 'ku-' prefix

  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"

• ••• 32 Clothing141 @ 25% 75

  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.

  • Nina tai - 'I have a tie' OR 'I have ties'
  • Tai yako ni chafu - 'Your tie is dirty'
  • Alinunua koti tatu - 'She/He bought three coats'

  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:

  • Kanga: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanga_(garment)
  • Kitenge: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitenge
  • Kikoi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kikoi
• ••• 32 Interrogatives142 @ 25% 75

  gani? · kwa nini · lini? · mbona · nani? · nini? · vipi? · wapi?
  8 words

  Question 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?

  The particle “je”

  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?

• ••• 32 U/N Nouns143 @ 25% 75

  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

  Noun Classes: U/N Noun Class

  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

  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

  Uncountable Nouns

  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

  Other nouns

  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

  Names of Countries

  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

  Possessive Pronouns

  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

  -a of association

  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

  • Note: Again, you can see that the “-a of association” can be literally translated to of. As previously noted, this is not common in conversational English as the noun of association would instead become an adjective. For the purposes of this course, we will accept both translations, however, since they are both grammatically correct.
• ••• 32 Present 3151 @ 25% 75

  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.

  negative verbs

  Verb conjugations that turn affirmative statements to the negative in the present tense are done so using the following affixes:

  • 'Si-verb stem-i' (1st person, singular)
  • 'Hatu-verb stem-i' (1st person, plural)
  • 'Hu-verb stem-i' (2nd person, singular)
  • 'Ham-verb stem-i' (2nd person, plural)
  • 'Ha-verb stem-i' (3rd person, singular)
  • 'Hawa-verb stem-i' (3rd person, plural)

  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

  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

  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!

• ••• 32 Animals152 @ 25% 75

  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

  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

• ••• 32 Shopping161 @ 25% 75

  bei · fungu · ghali · jumla · kilo · mchele · mnunuzi · mteja · muuzaji · sembe · shilingi · sukari · tambi · unga wa ngano · viungo · wanunuzi · wateja · wauzaji
  18 words

  Shopping

  • 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!

• ••• 32 Past Tense162 @ 25% 75

  jana · juzi · mwaka uliopita · mwezi uliopita · usiku uliopita · wiki iliyopita
  6 words

  Past Tense

  Affirmative Past Tense

  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” as “to be” in the past

  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.

  The verb “kuwa na” as “to have” in the past

  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.

  Negative Past Tense

  To form the negative simple past in Swahili:
  

  • Change the positive subject prefixes into negative subject prefixes.
  • Change the past tense marker -li- into -ku- and drop the infinitive ku- from monosyllabic and irregular verbs (kula, kunywa, kuja, kufa, kwenda). The negative past -ku- should not be confused with the infinitive ku-.
    

  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.

  The verb “kuwa na” as “to have” in the negative past

  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.

• ••• 32 Time163 @ 25% 75

  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

  Time

  • 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

• ••• 32 Future Tense171 @ 50% 50

  kesho · kesho kutwa
  2 words

  Affirmative Future Tense

  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” and kuwa na-to have in the future

  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.

  Negative Future Tense

  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.

• ••• 32 Immediate Past172 @ 25% 75

  Immediate Past

  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.

  Negative -ja-

  To form the negative immediate past tense in Swahili:
  

  • Change the positive subject prefixes into negative subject prefixes.
  • Change the immediate past tense marker -me- into -ja- and drop the infinitive ku- from monosyllabic and irregular verbs (kula, kunywa, kuja, kufa, kwenda).

  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.

• ••• 32 Body181 @ 25% 75

  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.

• ••• 32 Passive Verbs132 @ 25% 75

  Passives

  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)

  • Note: When constructing sentences in passive form, object infixes are excluded.
    

  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?

• ••• 32 Locatives182 @ 50% 50

  chini ya · dodoma · juu ya · kando ya · kati ya · katikati · kuna · mbele ya · mna · ndani · ng'ambo ya · nje · nyuma ya
  13 words

  Locatives

  Locative suffixes -ko, -po, -mo

  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.
  

  • Note: The subject prefix for the third personal pronoun (singular) becomes yu- with the locative suffixes. This is the only irregular case.

  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.

  Preposition Suffix -ni

  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.

  • Chumba will become chumbani – in the room
    
  • Shule will become shuleni - at/to the school
    
  • Kijiji will become kijijini – in the village
    

  Locative Demonstratives

  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.
  

  Direction Nouns

  Kaskazini - North
  Mashariki - East
  Kusini - South
  Magharibi - West
  

  Locative Phrases

  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.
  

  • Note: The suffix -ko is normally used in asking questions. It should however be noted that the distinction of definiteness/indefiniteness between -po and -ko is not always maintained by many speakers, so mixing those two locatives might be heard in a single sentence. Technically, that would be grammatically incorrect, but it is colloquially accepted.
• ••• 32 Weather191 @ 25% 75

  baridi · hali ya hewa · inanyesha · joto · jua · kiangazi · kipupwe · masika · mawingu · mvua · ngurumo · radi · theluji · upepo · vuli
  15 words

  Weather

  • 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.

• ••• 32 Adverbs and Conjunctions192 @ 25% 75

  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

  Adverbs

  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.

• ••• 32 Object Infixes201 @ 25% 75

  Object Infixes

  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 infix for third person singular is -m-, but it will become -mw- if preceding a verb that starts with a vowel.
  • The object infixes for second and third person plural are the same and will either be determined by context or by adding the pronoun in the sentence itself.
  • There is another object infix for the M- WA- class – the reflexive -ji-.

  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?

• ••• 32 Transportation211 @ 25% 75

  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

  Transportation

  • 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.

• ••• 32 Prepositions and Conjunctions212 @ 25% 75

  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

  Prepositions and Conjunctions

  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).

• ••• 32 Adjectives 2153 @ 50% 50

  More Adjectives

  -ote as all/whole

  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.

  –o –ote as any

  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

  • Mwomwote is hardly used.
  • The -o -ote form can also be used to mean whatever/whichever in English.
    

  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 as many

  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

  -ingine and -engine as another/other

  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

  -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.

• ••• 32 Emotions221 @ 25% 75

  Hisia - Emotions

  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.

• ••• 32 Demonstratives222 @ 25% 75

  hawa · haya · hii · hiki · hili · hivi · hizi · huu · huyu · ile · kile · lile · ule · vile · wale · yale · yule · zile
  18 words

  Demonstratives

  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.

• ••• 32 School223 @ 25% 75

  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

  Education in Tanzania

  • 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.

  Education in Kenya

  • 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

• ••• 32 Colors251 @ 25% 75

  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)

• ••• 32 Mahali Nouns252 @ 25% 75

  arusha · dar es salaam · florida · kenya · marekani
  5 words

  Noun Classes: Mahali Noun Class and locative prefixes

  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:
  

  • Ku-: general/non-specific/far away place
    
  • Pa-: specific/near by place
    
  • M(u)- : inside a place
    

  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

  • Note: Many Swahili speakers will, in conversation, mix agreements between the three distinctions of Mahali. For example, one might hear Hapa hakuna vitu! - Here, there is no war!. However, using hapa with hakuna is not in correct grammatical agreement, but it will regularly be used.
• ••• 32 Conditional Tense261 @ 25% 75

  bahari · hamia · ikiwa · kama · lisipo · mtaona · nikinunua · nikipata · pasipo · tayari · tutaenda · ukijifunza · ukinywa · ukisoma · utalewa · wakienda · wataleta · ziki
  18 words

  Conditional Tense

  The use of kama as ’if’

  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.

  The use of -ki- as ’if’

  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:

  • If [she/he] calls, I will tell you
  • When [she/he] calls, I will tell you
• ••• 32 Prepositional Verbs182 @ 25% 75

  ananipikia · ananipokelea · ninawaandikia · tunawasomea · walimchukulia
  5 words

  Prepositional form of the verb

  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:

  If the first vowel of the verb is “a”, “i”, or “u”, then insert “i ” before the last vowel “a”.

  Mifano:
  Pika becomes Pikia - cook for/to/on behalf of
  Andika becomes Andikia - write to /for/on behalf of
  

  If the first vowel of the verb is “a” ,”i”, or “u” but the verb ends with a double vowel, insert “li” before the last vowel “a”.

  Mifano:
  Nunua becomes Nunulia - buy for
  Chukua becomes Chukulia - take for

  If the first vowel of the verb is “o” or “e”, insert “e” before the last vowel.

  Mifano:
  Soma becomes Somea - read to /for/on behalf of
  Peleka becomes Pelekea - send to /for /on behalf of

  If the first vowel of a verb is “o” or “e” but the verbs ends with a double vowel, insert “le” before the last vowel “a”.

  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.

• ••• 32 Medicine271 @ 25% 75

  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

  Medicine and Medical Needs in East Africa

  • 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.

• ••• 32 Sports272 @ 25% 75

  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

  Sports

  • 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.

• ••• 32 Piga Idiom281 @ 25% 75

  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

  The Idiom -piga

  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:

  • He ironed a shirt - Alipiga shati pasi
  • He kicked a black ball - Alipiga mpira mweusi teke

  Sentences with clauses following the object:

  • He kicked the ball that was under the table - Alipiga teke mpira uliokuwa chini ya meza
• ••• 32 Subjunctive212 @ 25% 75

  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

  Subjunctives

  Subjunctive is often used when:

  • There is a change in subject
  • When giving a polite imperative
  • When making a suggestion
  • Asking politely for things
    

  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.

• ••• 32 Spirituality321 @ 25% 75

  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

  Religion

  • 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.

• ••• 32 Politics331 @ 25% 75

  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

  Politics

  • 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.

• ••• 32 Reciprocal Verbs332 @ 75% 25

  andikiana · chezeana · nunuliana · oana · pigiana · rudiana · toleana
  7 words

  The Reciprocal Form

  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.

• ••• 32 Science341 @ 100% 0

  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

• ••• 41 Tourism342 @ 50% 50

  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

  • 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.

• ••• 41 Causative Verbs251 @ 25% 75

  amsha · benki · fahamisha · kataza · kaza · kopesha · mkanda · pasha · tayarisha
  9 words

  Causative Verbs

  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.
  

  Rule 1

  For verbs containing A, I, or U as the last vowel, the verb stem will become -isha at the end. For example:
  

  • Kuhama (to move) will become Kuhamisha (to move something – cause to be moved)
  • Kufika (to arrive) will become Kufikisha (to make arrive – cause to be arrived)

  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).

  Rule 2

  For verbs containing E or O, the verb stem will become -esha at the end. For example:
  

  • Kwenda (to go) will become Kuendesha (to drive something/someone – cause to go)
  • Kukopa (to borrow) will become Kukopesha (to lend)

  Rule 3

  Some verbs will take the verb stem -za without following the previous two rules. The endings will either be -iza or -eza. For example:
  

  • Kupenda (to like/love) will become Kupendeza (to look good/nice – cause to like/love)
    

  Rule 4

  Verbs with double vowels will usually take a -z- in between them to form the causative verb. For example:
  

  • Kujaa (to be full) will become Kujaza (to fill up)
    
  • Kulegea (to be loose) will become Kulegeza (to loosen)
    

  Rule 5

  Many verbs that end in -ka or -ta will change the ends to -sha. For example:
  

  • Kuwaka (to be lit) will become Kuwasha (to light)
    
  • Kupata (to get) will become Kupasha (to warm up)
    

  Rule 6

  Some nouns and adjectives can be turned into causative verbs. For example:
  

  • Lazima (mandatory/necessary) will become Kulazimisha (to compel/persuade)
    
  • Sawa (equal) will become Kusawazisha (to make equal)
    

  Exceptions to the Rules

  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

  • Note: It is possible to make a causative form of a passive verb as well. For example, the causative kutayarisha can be made into a passive-causative by adding the passive infix, -w-, making the verb become kutayarishwa (to be prepared), as in Chakula kinatayarishwa - The food is being prepared.
• ••• 41 Verbs 2351 @ 25% 75

  eleweki · fahamiki · fanyiki · hai · hazi · ime · inasemekana · julikani · onekana · patikana · pokeleka · sahaulika · someka · someki · wezekani · zoleki
  16 words

  Stative Verbs

  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-.
  

  Rule 1

  If a Bantu-origin verb ends in double vowels, then just the -k- is inserted between them. For example:
  

  • Kufungua (to open) will become Kufunguka (to be opened)
    

  Rule 2

  If a Bantu-origin verb ends in double a's, then -lik- is inserted between the two a's. For example:
  

  • Kukaa (to stay) will become Kukalika (to be inhabitable)
    

  Rule 3

  Arabic-origin verbs ending in double vowels take the suffix -lika at the end. For example:
  

  • Kusahau (to forget) will become Kusahaulika (to be forgotten)

  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

• ••• 32 Negative Conditional361 @ 25% 75

  asipo · choka · lisipo · yasipochemka
  4 words

  Negative Conditional

  Negatives of “kama” and “-ki-”

  Negative “kama”

  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

  The particle “-sipo-” as negative of “-ki-”

  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.

• ••• 41 Habitual Tense371 @ 25% 75

  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 Habitual Tense

  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.

• ••• 32 Narrative and Expeditious -Ka-272 @ 25% 75

  kaingie · kanunue · katoke · nika · vuna
  5 words

  Describing past events by using time infix ‘-ka-’

  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.

  Using -ka- as a command

  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!

• ••• 41 Conditional 2372 @ 25% 75

  ange · asinge · isinge · kisinge · mnge · msinge · ninge · ningekuja · ningemwona · ningepika · singe · tunge · tusinge · ungekwenda · ungemwona · usinge · wange · wasinge · zisinge
  19 words

  The hypothetical conditional –nge- and -ngali-

  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.

• ••• 41 Holidays391 @ 25% 75

  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

  Holidays

  • 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.

  Note

  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

• ••• 41 Additional Grammar291 @ 25% 75

  alishakufa · anapofundisha · hadithi · ipi · kwisha · lipi · ndiye · ndiyo · nilishapika · panda · po · sha · tulishakula · tumeshamaliza · upi · vipi · wameshaenda · yapi · yupi
  19 words

  Additional Advanced Grammar

  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.
  

  Emphatics

  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.

  Forms for “Which?”

  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?

  The use of –kwisha as “already”

  “-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.

  The particle -po- as “when”

  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.

• ••• 41 Relatives422 @ 25% 75

  alivyokuja · ambacho · ambao · ambapo · ambayo · kisipoletwa · mlipofika · mtakapomaliza · unavyocheza · usipolala
  10 words

  Relative Constructions

  The amba relative

  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

  Relative Constructions

  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-” as “how”

  “-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.

• ••• 41 Conditional Past441 @ 25% 75

  angali · asingali · ingali · kisingali · lingali · mngali · mngalilewa · msingali · ningali · nisingali · tungali · tusingali · ungali · usingali · wangali · wasingali · wasingalifurahi
  17 words

  The hypothetical conditional –nge- and -ngali-

  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

• ••• 41 Comparisons302 @ 25% 75

  kuliko · sawa na · zaidi
  3 words

  Comparison

  Comparatives

  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.
  

  • “Kama” is used to mean “as” or “like”
    
  • “Sawa na” is used to mean “ equal to” or “the same as”
    
  • “Kupita” is used to mean “surpass” or “more than”
    
  • “Kuliko” is used to mean “than” and is followed up by the object being compared
    
  • “Kushinda” is used to mean “to excel / to exceed / to outnumber / to win”
    
  • “Zaidi” is used to mean “more”
    
  • “Zaidi ya” is also used to mean “more than” and is followed up by the object being compared

  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.

  Superlatives:

  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.

• ••• 41 Figures of Speech431 @ 25% 75

  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.

  Tashibiha - Similes

  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

  Tafsida - Euphemism

  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

  Sitiari - Metaphor

  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

  Semi - Sayings

  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

  Tashihisi - Personification

  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

  Tanakali za sauti - Onomatopoeia

  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

  Nahau - Idioms

  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

• ••• 32 Pluperfect311 @ 25% 75

  ilikuwa imejengwa · kilikuwa kimepikwa · mlikuwa mmekwenda · ulikuwa umekatwa · walikuwa wamepumzika
  5 words

  Pluperfect Constructions

  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.

• ••• 23 Participles312 @ 25% 75

  alikuwa alianza kujifunza kiswahili · ki
  2 words

  Participles

  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.