A2 Verb Forms 1 min read Fácil

The Third Person Object Infix -m-

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Pratique

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Use the infix -m- inside a verb to mean 'him' or 'her' when they are the object of the action.

  • Place -m- immediately before the verb root: 'Anampenda' (He loves him/her).
  • It only refers to people (Class 1/2 nouns).
  • If the verb root starts with a vowel, use -mw- instead: 'Anamwita' (He calls him/her).
Subject + Tense + m + VerbRoot + ia/a

Verb Conjugation with -m-

Subject Tense Infix Root Full Form
Ni
na
m
penda
Ninammpenda
U
na
m
penda
Unampenda
A
na
m
penda
Anampenda
Tu
na
m
penda
Tunampenda
M
na
m
penda
Mnampenda
Wa
na
m
penda
Wanampenda

Vowel Root Variations

Root Infix Result
ita
m
mwita
ona
m
mwona
ambia
m
mwambia

Meanings

The -m- infix acts as an object pronoun for people (Class 1 nouns) within the verb structure.

1

Direct Object

Refers to a person receiving the action of the verb.

“Ninamjua. (I know him/her.)”

“Anampenda mama. (He loves mother.)”

Reference Table

Reference table for The Third Person Object Infix -m-
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Subj-Tense-m-Root
Ninamwona
Negative
Subj-Tense-m-Root
Simwoni
Future
Subj-ta-m-Root
Nitampenda
Past
Subj-li-m-Root
Nilimwona
Question
Subj-Tense-m-Root?
Unamwona?
Relative
Subj-Tense-m-Root-ye
Ninayempenda

Espectro de formalidade

Formal
Ninamwona.

Ninamwona. (General)

Neutro
Ninamwona.

Ninamwona. (General)

Informal
Namwona.

Namwona. (General)

Gíria
Namwona.

Namwona. (General)

The -m- Infix Map

-m-

Usage

  • Animate People only

Position

  • Infix Inside the verb

Exemplos por nível

1

Ninamwona.

I see him/her.

2

Anampenda mama.

He loves mother.

3

Tunamsaidia.

We are helping him/her.

4

Namjua.

I know him/her.

1

Simwoni rafiki.

I don't see the friend.

2

Nitampigia simu.

I will call him/her.

3

Ulimwona jana?

Did you see him/her yesterday?

4

Anamtafuta mwalimu.

He is looking for the teacher.

1

Yule ambaye ninampenda ni mrefu.

The one whom I love is tall.

2

Alimwambia ukweli.

He told him the truth.

3

Tunamheshimu sana.

We respect him/her a lot.

4

Anamfanyia kazi.

He is working for him/her.

1

Alimwita ili amsaidie.

He called him so that he could help him.

2

Huwezi kumwacha peke yake.

You cannot leave him alone.

3

Anamfukuza kazi.

He is firing him from work.

4

Nilimwona akicheza.

I saw him playing.

1

Ni muhimu kumwongoza vyema.

It is important to guide him well.

2

Anamchukulia kama ndugu.

He treats him like a brother.

3

Alimwokoa kutoka hatari.

He saved him from danger.

4

Tunamtegemea sana.

We rely on him a lot.

1

Alimwimbia wimbo wa sifa.

He sang him a song of praise.

2

Anamwendea kwa unyenyekevu.

He approaches him with humility.

3

Tunamwona kama kiongozi.

We view him as a leader.

4

Alimwambia asiondoke.

He told him not to leave.

Fácil de confundir

The Third Person Object Infix -m- vs Subject vs Object

Learners mix up 'm-' (you plural) and '-m-' (him/her).

The Third Person Object Infix -m- vs Singular vs Plural

Learners use '-m-' for groups.

The Third Person Object Infix -m- vs Animate vs Inanimate

Using '-m-' for things.

Erros comuns

✗

Ninakula yeye

✓

Ninamla

Don't use separate pronouns for objects.
✗

Ninamona

✓

Ninamwona

Missing the 'w' before a vowel.
✗

Ninamkula (apple)

✓

Nakila

Using -m- for non-human objects.
✗

M-penda

✓

Anampenda

Forgetting the subject prefix.
✗

Simwona

✓

Simwoni

Incorrect negative ending.
✗

Nilimona

✓

Nilimwona

Vowel glide error in past tense.
✗

Anampenda wao

✓

Anawapenda

Using wrong object marker for plural.
✗

Anayempenda

✓

Anayempenda

Actually correct, but often confused with relative markers.
✗

Anamfanyia yeye

✓

Anamfanyia

Redundant pronoun usage.
✗

Anamwita mwalimu

✓

Anamwita mwalimu

Sometimes learners think they don't need the infix if the noun is there.
✗

Anamwambiya

✓

Anamwambia

Spelling error.
✗

Anamchukua yeye

✓

Anamchukua

Stylistic redundancy.
✗

Anamwona mimi

✓

Ananiona

Wrong person marker.

Padrões de frases

Nina___ (verb root) (person).

Je, una___ (verb root) (person)?

Nilim___ (verb root) jana.

Sina___ (verb root) (person).

Real World Usage

Texting constant

Namwona sasa.

Job Interview common

Ninamfahamu meneja.

Travel occasional

Ninamtafuta dereva.

Food Delivery rare

Ninamwita mhudumu.

Social Media common

Ninamfuata.

Family Dinner very common

Ninamheshimu baba.

💡

Vowel Rule

Always check if the verb starts with a vowel. If it does, use -mw-.
⚠️

Animate Only

Don't use -m- for things like cars or food.
🎯

Pro-Drop

You can drop the noun if the person is already known.
💬

Respect

Using the infix correctly shows you respect the person you are talking about.

Smart Tips

Always add a 'w' to the infix.

Ninamita → Ninamwita

If it's not a person, don't use -m-.

Ninamkula (apple) → Nakila

Drop the noun if the context is clear.

Ninamwona rafiki yangu → Ninamwona

Use the full infix structure.

Namwona → Ninamwona

Pronúncia

na-m-w-i-ta

Glide insertion

When the root starts with a vowel, add 'w' to bridge the sound.

Statement

Ninamwona. ↘

Neutral declarative tone.

Memorize

Mnemônico

M is for Man (or Woman). If it's a person, use -m-.

Associação visual

Imagine a tiny letter 'm' sitting inside a giant verb sandwich. The 'm' is holding a person's hand.

Rhyme

When the object is a friend, put an m in the middle to the end.

Story

Juma sees his friend. He wants to say 'I see him'. He takes the verb 'ona' and puts 'm' inside. Now he says 'Ninamwona' with a big smile.

Word Web

pendaonaitasaidiajuaheshimu

Desafio

Write 5 sentences about your family using the -m- infix.

Notas culturais

The infix is used heavily in polite speech to show respect.

Colloquial Sheng often drops the infix for speed.

More formal and precise usage of infixes.

Derived from the Proto-Bantu object marker *mu-.

Iniciadores de conversa

“

Unamjua nani hapa?

“

Ulimwona nani jana?

“

Unamheshimu nani zaidi?

“

Je, unamtegemea nani?

Temas para diário

Describe your best friend.
Write about a person you saw yesterday.
Who do you respect and why?
Discuss a mentor in your life.

Erros comuns

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Test Yourself

Fill in the correct infix.

Nina___penda (him).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: m
Use -m- for singular people.
Choose the correct verb form. Múltipla escolha

I call him.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ninamwita
Use -mw- before vowel roots.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Ninamkula (apple).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nakila
Don't use -m- for objects.
Change to past tense. Sentence Transformation

Ninamwona.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nilimwona
Past tense uses -li-.
Match the verb to the meaning. Match Pairs

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

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: I call him, I know him, I love him
Correct mapping.
Build the sentence. Sentence Building

I / see / him (past)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nilimwona
Correct structure.
Is this correct? True False Rule

Can I use -m- for a cat?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: No
Only for people.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Unamjua? B: Ndiyo, ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ninamjua
Natural response.

Score: /8

Exercicios praticos

8 exercises
Fill in the correct infix.

Nina___penda (him).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: m
Use -m- for singular people.
Choose the correct verb form. Múltipla escolha

I call him.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ninamwita
Use -mw- before vowel roots.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Ninamkula (apple).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nakila
Don't use -m- for objects.
Change to past tense. Sentence Transformation

Ninamwona.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nilimwona
Past tense uses -li-.
Match the verb to the meaning. Match Pairs

Match: Namwita, Namjua, Nampenda

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: I call him, I know him, I love him
Correct mapping.
Build the sentence. Sentence Building

I / see / him (past)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nilimwona
Correct structure.
Is this correct? True False Rule

Can I use -m- for a cat?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: No
Only for people.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Unamjua? B: Ndiyo, ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ninamjua
Natural response.

Score: /8

Perguntas frequentes (8)

No, only for human beings (Class 1/2).

It's a phonetic bridge before vowel-starting roots.

Yes, if the object is a person.

Use -wa- instead.

Yes, it is standard Swahili.

Yes, the verb ending changes to -i.

Mostly, though some colloquial forms vary.

Position! Subject is at the start, object is after the tense.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

In Other Languages

Spanish partial

Clitic pronouns (lo/la)

Swahili infixes are part of the verb word itself.

French partial

Object pronouns (le/la)

Swahili is agglutinative.

German low

Accusative case

Verb-internal vs case-based.

Japanese low

Particles (o)

Particle vs Infix.

Arabic partial

Suffix pronouns

Suffix vs Infix.

Chinese none

Word order

Word order vs Morphological marking.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
The Second Person Object Infix -ku-

Related Grammar Rules

A2

The First Person Object Infix -ni-
B1

The Applicative Extension -ia/-ea
A2

The Second Person Object Infix -ku-
A2

Expressing Possession with 'Kuwa na'

Overview Ever wondered how to say "I have" in Swahili? It is simpler than you think. Swahili uses a very logical approa...
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