Welcome to the 8th lesson about Swahili grammar. We will first learn about prepositions, negation, questions,adverbs, and pronouns including: personal, object and possessive pronouns.
We will start with prepositions. In general, they are used to link words to other words. For example: I speak Swahili andEnglish the preposition is [and] because it connects both words Swahili and English. The following is a list of the most used prepositions in Swahili.
Prepositions | Swahili |
and | na  |
above | juu  |
under | chini ya  |
before | kabla  |
after | baada ya  |
in front of | mbele ya  |
behind | nyuma  |
far from | mbali na  |
near | karibu  |
in | katika  |
inside | ndani  |
outside | nje  |
with | na  |
without | bila  |
about | kuhusu  |
between | kati ya  |
but | lakini  |
for | kwa  |
from | kutoka  |
to | kwa  |
Preposition Grammar Rules
The following examples use prepositions in different ways and places to demonstrate how they behave in a sentence.
Prepositions + Rules | Swahili |
I eat without a knife [preposition + noun] | mimi hula bila kisu  |
she lives near the church [verb + preposition] | yeye anaishi karibu na kanisa  |
he is taller than her [adjective + preposition] | yeye ni mirefu kumliko  |
he came with his small dog [preposition + pronoun] | alikuja na mbwa wake mdogo  |
can you come with me? [preposition + pronoun] | unaweza kuja na mimi?  |
Negation in Swahili
Now let's learn how to make a negative sentence (negation). For example: Saying no, I can't, I don't ... The following examples use negation in different ways and places to demonstrate how they behave in a sentence.
Negation + Rules | Swahili |
I understand you [affirmative form] | ninaelewa  |
I don't understand you [negation + verb] | siekuelewi  |
this is not the correct word [negation + adjective] | hili si neno sahihi  |
don't leave me [imperative negation] | usiniache  |
no problem [negation + noun] | hakuna shida  |
Negative Sentences | Swahili |
I don't speak French [negation + present tense] | sielewi kifaransa  |
she didn't visit Germany [negation + past tense] | yeye hakuenda ziara ya ujerumani  |
he cannot see us [negative modal verb] | hawezi kutuona  |
can't she play chess? [interrogative negation] | hawezi kucheza saratanji?  |
we will not come late [negation + future tense] | je sisi si kuja mwishoni mwa  |
Questions in Swahili
Now let's learn how to ask questions (interrogative). Such as: what, why, can you ...? Here are some common examples:
English | Swahili |
how? | aje?  |
what? | nini?  |
who? | nani?  |
why? | kwa nini?  |
where? | wapi?  |
More of the interrogative form, now in a sentence:
Questions + Rules | Swahili |
where do you live? [interrogative + verb] | unaishi wapi?  |
does she speak Chinese? [interrogative verb] | yeye huelewa kichina?  |
how much is this? [interrogative preposition] | ni kiasi gani hii?  |
can I help you? [interrogative modal verb] | ninaweza kukusaidia?  |
what is your name? [interrogative preposition] | jina lako ni nani?  |
Adverbs in Swahili
It's time to learn the adverbs in Swahili. But what is an adverb? In general, adverbs modify verbs and adjectives. For example: You speak fast. The adverb is [fast] because it describes the verb and answers the question how do you speak?. Here is a list of the most common ones:
Adverbs | Swahili |
now | sasa  |
yesterday | jana  |
today | leo  |
tonight | usiku wa leo  |
tomorrow | kesho  |
soon | hivi karibuni  |
quickly | haraka  |
slowly | polepole  |
together | pamoja  |
very | sana  |
almost | karibu  |
always | kawaida  |
usually | kawaida  |
sometimes | mara kwa mara  |
rarely | mara chache  |
never | kamwe  |
The following examples use the adverbs in different ways and places to demonstrate how it behaves in a sentence.
Adverbs + Rules | Swahili |
do you understand me now? [pronoun + adverb] | mnanielewa sasa?  |
I need help immediately [noun + adverb] | ninahitaji usaidizi mara moja  |
she is very intelligent [adverb + adjective] | yeye ni mwerevu sana  |
I will always love you [verb + adverb] | nitakupenda daima  |
can we learn German together? [adverb in a question] | tunaweza kujifunza kijerumani pamoja?  |
Pronouns in Swahili
We're almost done! This time we will learn the pronouns in Swahili. In general, a pronoun can be used instead of a noun. For example instead of saying my teacher speaks 3 languages, you can use the pronoun he, and say he speaks 3 languages. Here is a list of the most common ones:
Personal Pronouns | Swahili |
I | mimi  |
you | wewe  |
he | yeye  |
she | yeye  |
we | sisi  |
they | wao  |
Object Pronouns | Swahili |
me | mimi  |
you | wewe  |
him | yeye  |
her | yeye  |
us | sisi  |
them | wao  |
Possessive Pronouns | Swahili |
my | yangu  |
your | yako  |
his | yake  |
her | yeye  |
our | yetu  |
their | yao  |
I think it's better to put the above example in a sentence to better assist you. The following examples use pronouns in different ways and places to demonstrate how they behave in a sentence. We will start with the personal pronouns.
Personal Pronouns | Swahili |
I am your friend [1st pronoun + verb] | mimi ni rafiki yako  |
you speak very fast [2nd pronoun + adverb] | unaongea haraka sana  |
he has three dogs [3rd pronoun + verb] | ana mbwa watatu  |
she can speak German [3rd pronoun + verb] | anaweza kuonge kijerumani  |
we will not come late [1st plural pronoun] | hatutachelewa  |
they bought milk and bread [3rd plural pronoun] | walinunua maziwa na mkate  |
The object pronoun is used as a target by a verb, and usually come after that verb. For example: I gave him my book. The object pronoun here is him. Here are more examples:
Object Pronouns | Swahili |
can you tell me your name? [1st object pronoun] | unaweza kuniambia jina lako?  |
I will give you money [2nd object pronoun] | nitakupa fedha  |
she wrote him a letter [3rd object pronoun] | alimwandikia barua  |
they visited her yesterday [3rd object pronoun] | walienda kwake jana  |
can she help us? [1st pl. object pronoun] | anaweza kutusaidia?  |
he gave them food [3rd pl. object pronoun] | aliwapa chakula  |
Possessive Pronouns | Swahili |
my name is Maya [1st possessive pronoun] | jina langu ni maya  |
your brother lives here [2nd possessive pronoun] | ndugu yako anaishi hapa  |
her mother cooks for us [3rd possessive pronoun] | mama yake hutupikia  |
his hobby is reading books [3rd possessive pronoun] | starehe yake ni kusoma vitabu  |
our dream is to visit Paris [1st pl. possessive pronoun] | tungependelea sana kuzuru paris  |
their house is not far [3rd pl. possessive pronoun] | nyumba yao ni mbali  |
One more thing you need to know is the demonstrative pronouns. They're very easy to learn.
Demonstrative Pronouns | Swahili |
this is my house | hii ni nyumba yangu  |
that restaurant is far | mkahawa huo uko mbali  |
these apples are delicious | haya tofaa ni matamu  |
those stars are shiny | haya nyota yang'aa 
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Source: www.learn101.org
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