Originally posted by: machieng https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/31676304
Hello!
It's come to my attention that there is a little bit of confusion when it comes to pronoun use in Swahili. First, the basics:
Pronouns | Viwakilishi vya nafsi | Possessive Pronoun | Viwakilishi vimilikishi |
---|---|---|---|
I | Mimi | Mine | -angu |
We | Sisi | Our(s) | -etu |
You | Wewe | Your(s) | -ako |
You (pl) | Ninyi/Nyinyi | Your(s) | -enu |
He/She | Yeye | His/Her(s) | -ake |
They | Wao | Their(s) | -ao |
NOTE: For possessive pronouns, the prefix is determined by the object/\"possession\" being referenced. Refer to the Noun Class post for noun class prefixes
These pronouns also have corresponding pronoun subject prefixes, which are typically used with verb stems, as follows:
Pronoun | Prefix | Example |
---|---|---|
Mimi | nina-/na- | Nina taka kuondoka (I want to leave) |
Sisi | tu- | Tu nataka kuondoka |
Wewe | u- | U mechoka (You are tired) |
Nyinyi/ninyi | m- | M mechoka |
Yeye | a- | A liolewa (He/She got married) |
Wao | wa- | Wa tatutembelea (They will visit us) |
The same concords are used in the negative if the pronoun is the subject.
They also have pronoun object infixes to stand in for objects in the sentence (which are the same in the negative if the pronoun is the object):
Pronoun | Infix | Example |
---|---|---|
Me | -ni- | (Yeye) Alini pigia simu (He/She rang me) |
Us | -tu- | Walitu pigia simu |
You | -ku- | Mama anaku ita (Mother is calling you) |
You(pl) | -wa- | Mama anawa ita |
Her/Him | -m- | Rashidi alim pikia chakula (Rashidi cooked for him/her) |
Them | -wa- | Rehema atawa karibisha (Rehema will welcome them) |
- 2nd person (pl) and 3rd person (pl) share the same infix. Typically more context is needed to distinguish which one applies
For the verb 'to be' i.e. 'ni', these pronouns are used as they appear above, e.g. 'Mimi ni mpishi' - 'I am a cook/chef'
Note: it is not necessary to include the pronouns mimi, wewe, yeye and their plural form in sentences when referring to the subject, as the verbs following them will contain the pronoun prefix i.e. instead of saying Mimi nitakupigia wewe simu, which is essentially saying 'I I will call you you', one would say Ni
taku
pigia simu.
If you're just starting out, something like 'Umechoka' does constitute a complete sentence. It breaks down in the order of: subject pronoun prefix - tense infix - object pronoun infix (optional) - conjugated verb stem. So 'Umechoka' breaks down to U-
(subject pronoun prefix for you, singular) -me-
(tense infix, present perfect tense) -choka
(stem verb for 'kuchoka', i.e. 'to be tired', in the conjugation 'to do')