Originally posted by: machieng https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/34547797
All the nouns in this noun class are inanimate objects (the converse, however, is not true). These nouns are a little easier to identify because they all have the prefix ki- in singular and vi- in plural OR the prefix ch- in singular and vy-in plural (again, the converse is not true).
Noun | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
Spoon | Kijiko | Vijiko |
Cup | Kikombe | Vikombe |
Bed | Kitanda | Vitanda |
Mirror | Kioo | Vioo |
Toilet | Choo | Vyoo |
Organization/club | Chama | Vyama |
Certificate | Cheti | Vyeti |
Note that other nouns do have the Ki/Vi prefixes, but they do not belong to this noun class because of the affixes they are associated with. (For reference, nouns in the noun class 'Ki/Vi' always take on the affixes 'ki/vi')
Sentence | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
The chick is lost | Kifaranga amepotea | Vifaranga wamepotea |
The last born is selfish/stingy | Kitinda-mimba ni mchoyo | Vitinda-mimba ni wachoyo |
The class monitor is writing a report | Kiranja anaandika ripoti | Viranja wanaandika ripoti |
This is why the noun classes are sometimes identified by their affixes rather than the noun prefixes themselves, e.g. the noun class 'M/Wa' is also referred to as 'A/Wa', because the latter is consistent regardless of the noun's prefix.