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[ARCHIVE] Pronoun Use

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Fnirk1
Sweden

[ARCHIVE] Pronoun Use

Post by Fnirk1 »

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:

PronounsViwakilishi vya nafsiPossessive PronounViwakilishi vimilikishi
IMimiMine-angu
WeSisiOur(s)-etu
YouWeweYour(s)-ako
You (pl)Ninyi/NyinyiYour(s)-enu
He/SheYeyeHis/Her(s)-ake
TheyWaoTheir(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:

PronounPrefixExample
Miminina-/na-Ninataka kuondoka (I want to leave)
Sisitu-Tunataka kuondoka
Weweu-Umechoka (You are tired)
Nyinyi/ninyim-Mmechoka
Yeyea-Aliolewa (He/She got married)
Waowa-Watatutembelea (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):

PronounInfixExample
Me-ni-(Yeye) Alinipigia simu (He/She rang me)
Us-tu-Walitupigia simu
You-ku-Mama anakuita (Mother is calling you)
You(pl)-wa-Mama anawaita
Her/Him-m-Rashidi alimpikia chakula (Rashidi cooked for him/her)
Them-wa-Rehema atawakaribisha (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 Nitakupigia 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')

:sweden: N :gb: C1 :ru: B2 :fr: :es:B1 :de: :it: :netherlands: A1

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