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Verb Stems and Roots

The Infinitive Form (Ku-)

Negative Subject Prefixes (Si, Hu, Ha)

The Final Vowel Change in Negation

Negating Monosyllabic Verbs

Future Tense Marker -ta- (Indicating Future Actions)

The -ta- marker turns any Swahili verb into a future action by placing it after the subject prefix.

• • Use -ta- as a prefix inside the verb to indicate f...
• • The pattern is always: Subject Prefix + -ta- + Ver...

Negative Future Tense (Subject Prefix + -ta-)

To negate the future, use a negative subject prefix with -ta- and keep the verb's ending as 'a'.

• • Use negative prefixes (Si, Hu, Ha, Hatu, Ham, Hawa...
• • The future tense marker -ta- remains in the negati...

Identifying Ki-Vi Class Nouns (Class 7/8)

Identify Class 7/8 nouns by their ki-/vi- prefixes, used mainly for inanimate objects and making things smaller.

• • Singular nouns in this class start with the prefix...
• • Plural nouns swap ki- for the prefix vi-.

Identifying M-Mi Class Nouns (Class 3/4)

The M-Mi class covers nature and body parts; just swap M- for MI- to make words plural.

• • Singular nouns start with M- or MW- prefixes.
• • Plural nouns always start with the MI- prefix.

Identifying Ji-Ma Class Nouns (Class 5/6)

The Ji-Ma class uses 'ma-' for plurals and is your go-to for fruits, body parts, and big things.

• • Singular nouns often have no prefix or use 'ji-' f...
• • Plural nouns always start with the 'ma-' prefix.

Identifying N- Class Nouns (Class 9/10)

Class 9/10 nouns never change their spelling in plural, making them the most stable nouns in Swahili.

• • Class 9 and 10 nouns have identical singular and p...
• • This class includes most animals, loanwords, and e...

Locative Suffix -ni (Indicating Place or Direction)

Attach -ni to common nouns to turn them into locations, but keep it away from people and cities.

• • Add the suffix -ni to the end of nouns to indicate...
• • It replaces English prepositions like 'at', 'in',...

The Habitual Tense -hu- (General Truths and Routines)

The `hu-` tense expresses universal truths and routines by replacing subject prefixes with a single, unchanging prefix.

• • The `hu-` tense describes habits, routines, and ge...
• • It is unique because it never uses subject prefixe...

Negating 'to have' (sina, huna, hana)

To say you don't have something in Swahili, use 'sina' for yourself and 'h-' prefixes for others.

• • To negate 'having', replace positive prefixes with...
• • The first person 'I' uses si-, making it sina (I d...

Conjunction 'na' (Linking Nouns and Verbs)

Use `na` as a universal connector for 'and' or 'with' to link nouns and verbs effortlessly.

• • Use `na` to mean 'and' or 'with' in Swahili senten...
• • It links nouns, verbs, and people without changing...

Identifying U-Class Nouns (Class 11/14)

The U-class unites abstract ideas and long objects under the prefix 'u-', usually remaining singular for concepts.

• • U-Class nouns typically start with the prefix u- o...
• • This class contains abstract concepts, long object...

U-Class Singular and Plural Agreement (u- and n- patterns)

U-Class nouns use 'u' agreement in singular and switch to 'zi' agreement for plural concrete objects.

• • Singular U-Class nouns start with 'u-' and use 'u-...
• • Plural U-Class nouns often drop 'u-' and use 'zi-'...