A2 Verb Tenses 1 min read Facile

The Past Tense Marker -li-

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

To talk about the past in Swahili, insert '-li-' between the subject prefix and the verb root.

  • Add -li- after the subject prefix: 'Ni-li-soma' (I read).
  • It works for all noun classes: 'A-li-enda' (He/she went).
  • The verb root remains unchanged: 'Tu-li-pika' (We cooked).
Subject Prefix + li + Verb Root

Past Tense Conjugation (Verb: -soma)

Subject Prefix Tense Root Result
I
ni
li
soma
nilisoma
You
u
li
soma
ulisoma
He/She
a
li
soma
alisoma
We
tu
li
soma
tulisoma
You (pl)
m
li
soma
mlisoma
They
wa
li
soma
walisoma

Meanings

The -li- marker is the standard way to express completed actions in the past tense.

1

Simple Past

Actions completed at a specific time in the past.

“Niliona ndege (I saw a bird)”

“Walicheza mpira (They played ball)”

Reference Table

Reference table for The Past Tense Marker -li-
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Subj + li + Verb
Nilipika
Negative
NegSubj + ku + Verb
Sikupika
Question
Subj + li + Verb + ?
Ulipika?
Short Answer (Yes)
Ndiyo, nilipika
Nilipika
Short Answer (No)
Hapana, sikupika
Sikupika
Plural
Wa + li + Verb
Walisoma

Spectre de formalité

Formel
Nilikula chakula.

Nilikula chakula. (Dining)

Neutre
Nilikula chakula.

Nilikula chakula. (Dining)

Informel
Nilikula.

Nilikula. (Dining)

Argot
Nilikula mimi.

Nilikula mimi. (Dining)

The Past Tense Puzzle

Verb Structure

Prefix

  • ni- I

Marker

  • -li- Past Tense

Root

  • -soma Read

Affirmative vs Negative Past

Affirmative
Nilisoma I read
Negative
Sikusoma I did not read

Past Tense Decision Tree

1

Is the sentence positive?

YES
Use -li-
NO
Use -ku-
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Exemples par niveau

1

Nilipika.

I cooked.

2

Alisoma.

He/she read.

3

Tulikula.

We ate.

4

Walicheza.

They played.

1

Niliona rafiki yangu jana.

I saw my friend yesterday.

2

Ulienda wapi?

Where did you go?

3

Tulifanya kazi sana.

We worked a lot.

4

Walinunua gari jipya.

They bought a new car.

1

Nilipokuwa mdogo, nilicheza nje.

When I was young, I played outside.

2

Mwalimu alieleza somo vizuri.

The teacher explained the lesson well.

3

Tulitembelea mbuga ya wanyama.

We visited the game park.

4

Alipika chakula kitamu sana.

He/she cooked very delicious food.

1

Nilimaliza mradi wangu kabla ya muda.

I finished my project ahead of time.

2

Walijenga nyumba hiyo mwaka jana.

They built that house last year.

3

Tulikubaliana kuhusu bei ya bidhaa.

We agreed on the price of the goods.

4

Alisafiri kwenda Ulaya mwezi uliopita.

He/she traveled to Europe last month.

1

Nilipata fursa ya kuzungumza na rais.

I got the opportunity to speak with the president.

2

Walitambua makosa yao na kuomba msamaha.

They recognized their mistakes and apologized.

3

Tulishuhudia mabadiliko makubwa katika jamii.

We witnessed major changes in society.

4

Alionyesha uwezo mkubwa katika sanaa.

He/she showed great talent in art.

1

Nilidhihirisha msimamo wangu kuhusu suala hilo.

I demonstrated my stance on that issue.

2

Walihitimisha mazungumzo kwa makubaliano.

They concluded the talks with an agreement.

3

Tulikumbatia utamaduni wa wenyeji.

We embraced the local culture.

4

Alibainisha sababu za kushindwa kwao.

He/she identified the reasons for their failure.

Facile à confondre

The Past Tense Marker -li- vs Past (-li-) vs Perfect (-me-)

Learners often use -li- when they mean -me-.

The Past Tense Marker -li- vs Affirmative (-li-) vs Negative (-ku-)

Learners try to use -li- in negative sentences.

The Past Tense Marker -li- vs Past (-li-) vs Habitual (-hu-)

Learners confuse past actions with habitual ones.

Erreurs courantes

✗

Nili-soma

✓

Nilisoma

Do not add a hyphen between the marker and the root.
✗

Nilasoma

✓

Nilisoma

The marker is -li-, not -la-.
✗

Ninakusoma

✓

Nilisoma

Do not mix present -na- with past -li-.
✗

Nilisoma jana

✓

Nilisoma jana

This is correct, but ensure the verb is conjugated.
✗

Silisoma

✓

Sikusoma

Negative past uses -ku-, not -li-.
✗

Nilisoma jana

✓

Nilisoma jana

Correct, but watch for subject agreement.
✗

Alisoma jana

✓

Alisoma jana

Correct, check for class agreement.
✗

Nilikwenda

✓

Nilienda

The verb root is -enda, not -kwenda.
✗

Sikulienda

✓

Sikuenda

Negative past does not take -li-.
✗

Alikula chakula

✓

Alikula chakula

Correct, but ensure object prefixes are used if needed.
✗

Nilikuwa nimeenda

✓

Nilienda

Avoid unnecessary perfective aspect.
✗

Sikukuwa nimeenda

✓

Sikuenda

Keep it simple.
✗

Walikuwa walisoma

✓

Walisoma

Avoid redundant auxiliary verbs.

Structures de phrases

Nili___ jana.

Tulimwona ___ jana.

Alinunua ___ kwa ajili yangu.

Walisafiri kwenda ___ mwezi uliopita.

Real World Usage

Texting very common

Nilikufika!

Job Interview very common

Nilifanya kazi hiyo.

Social Media common

Nilienda pwani.

Travel common

Tulitembelea mji.

Food Delivery occasional

Niliagiza chakula.

Academic Writing common

Utafiti ulionyesha...

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💡

Consistency

The -li- marker never changes, no matter the subject. It is the same for 'I', 'you', or 'they'.
⚠️

Negative Trap

Never use -li- in a negative sentence. Switch to -ku- immediately.
🎯

Verb Roots

Most Swahili verb roots end in -a. Keep this -a when adding -li-.
💬

Storytelling

Use -li- to build suspense in stories. It makes your narrative sound natural and professional.

Smart Tips

Use -li- for every action that happened in the past.

Mimi kula chakula. → Nilikula chakula.

Switch to -ku- immediately.

Silienda. → Sikuenda.

If it's over, use -li-.

Mimi soma. → Nilisoma.

Use -li- for all historical events.

Utafiti unaonyesha... → Utafiti ulionyesha...

Prononciation

ni-li-SO-ma

Stress

Stress always falls on the penultimate (second to last) syllable.

Statement

Nilisoma. ↘

Falling intonation for declarative sentences.

Question

Ulisoma? ↗

Rising intonation for yes/no questions.

Mémorise-le

Moyen mnémotechnique

Li is for 'Long ago' (even if it was just an hour ago).

Association visuelle

Imagine a 'Li'on sitting on a clock that has stopped. The clock represents the past, and the lion is the marker that makes the verb stay in that time.

Rhyme

When the action is done and through, stick in 'li' and you'll be true.

Story

Yesterday, I 'li'-walked (nilitembea) to the store. I 'li'-bought (nilinunua) a mango. I 'li'-ate (nilikula) it happily.

Word Web

nilisomaulisomaalisomatulisomamlisomawalisoma

Défi

Write 5 sentences about what you did this morning using the -li- tense.

Notes culturelles

In Tanzania, the -li- tense is used very precisely to denote completed actions in daily life.

In Kenya, especially in Sheng, you might hear variations, but -li- remains the standard.

Coastal Swahili speakers use -li- with great elegance in storytelling.

The -li- marker is a Bantu innovation that has remained remarkably stable over centuries.

Amorces de conversation

“

Ulifanya nini jana?

“

Ulienda wapi likizo iliyopita?

“

Ulisoma nini shuleni?

“

Uliamua nini kuhusu kazi yako?

Sujets d'écriture

Write about your favorite childhood memory.
Describe your last vacation in detail.
What was the most challenging task you completed last year?
Reflect on a major life decision you made.

Erreurs courantes

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

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Test Yourself

Fill in the blank with the correct past tense form.

Mimi ___ (soma) kitabu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: nilisoma
Nilisoma is the past tense.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Silisoma.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Sikusoma
Negative past uses -ku-.
Choose the correct past tense sentence. Choix multiple

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Walisoma
Walisoma is the correct conjugation.
Rearrange the words. Sentence Building

jana / nilikula / chakula

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: All are correct
Swahili word order is flexible.
Conjugate for 'We'. Conjugation Drill

We read.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Tulisoma
Tulisoma is the past tense.
Match the verb to the past tense. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nilipika
Nilipika is the past tense.
Is this true? True False Rule

The -li- marker changes based on the subject.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
The -li- marker is invariant.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Ulifanya nini? B: ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nilisoma
The question is in the past tense.

Score: /8

Exercices pratiques

8 exercises
Fill in the blank with the correct past tense form.

Mimi ___ (soma) kitabu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: nilisoma
Nilisoma is the past tense.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Silisoma.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Sikusoma
Negative past uses -ku-.
Choose the correct past tense sentence. Choix multiple

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Walisoma
Walisoma is the correct conjugation.
Rearrange the words. Sentence Building

jana / nilikula / chakula

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: All are correct
Swahili word order is flexible.
Conjugate for 'We'. Conjugation Drill

We read.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Tulisoma
Tulisoma is the past tense.
Match the verb to the past tense. Match Pairs

Pika -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nilipika
Nilipika is the past tense.
Is this true? True False Rule

The -li- marker changes based on the subject.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
The -li- marker is invariant.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Ulifanya nini? B: ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nilisoma
The question is in the past tense.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

No, -li- is invariant. It is the same for 'I' (ni-) and 'they' (wa-).

Yes, it works with almost all verbs.

-ku- is used for the negative past tense.

No, use -ta- for future.

Just add a question mark or a question word.

It is neutral and used in all registers.

The rules remain the same.

Yes, it is perfect for yesterday.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish moderate

Pretérito indefinido

Swahili uses an infix while Spanish uses suffix conjugation.

French partial

Passé composé

French requires two words; Swahili uses one.

German moderate

Präteritum

German is inflectional; Swahili is agglutinative.

Japanese moderate

Ta-form

Japanese uses a suffix; Swahili uses an infix.

Arabic moderate

Past tense conjugation

Arabic is suffix-based; Swahili is prefix/infix-based.

Chinese low

Le particle

Chinese uses particles; Swahili uses internal verb structure.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Next
Negative Past Tense with -ku-

Related Grammar Rules

A1

The Present Infix -na-
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