Language/Swahili-individual-language/Grammar/Nouns

Swahili (individual language) Grammar - Nouns

Hi Swahili (individual language) learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will dive into Swahili (individual language) nouns, including their gender, classes, and plural forms. Understanding nouns is crucial to achieving fluency in Swahili (individual language), so let's get started!

Finish this lesson and explore these related pages: Pronouns, Swahili (individual language) Grammar → Idioms and Proverbs ..., Conditional Mood & Give your Opinion.

Introduction to Swahili (individual language) Nouns

In Swahili (individual language), nouns are classified into different groups organized by their characteristics. These groups are called classes or genders. There are 18 classes of Swahili (individual language) nouns, and each class has a prefix, which is added to the noun to indicate its place within that class.

Swahili (individual language) nouns are also either animate or inanimate. Animate nouns are typically beings with a soul, such as humans and animals, while inanimate nouns describe non-living objects, concepts or ideas. Knowing whether a noun is animate or inanimate is important, as it affects the use of certain verbs and pronouns.

Swahili (individual language) Noun Classes

Each noun belongs to a specific class, which is denoted by a prefix in front of the noun. Knowing the prefixes for each class is essential, as it allows the speaker to automatically conjugate other words in the sentence accordingly.

Below are the 18 classes of Swahili (individual language) nouns and examples of nouns that belong to each:

Swahili (individual language)	Prefix	Examples
M-wa	-	Mwanafunzi (student)
M-mi	Mi-	Mimba (pregnancy)
M-ma	Ma-	Maji (water)
M-mi	Mi-	Mikono (hands)
Ki-vi	Vi-	Vitabu (books)
N-divuze	N-	Nguo (clothes)
Ji-mi	Ma-	Jina (name)
U-zi	U-	Upepo (wind)
Pa-ta	Pa-	Paa (roof)
Ku-changamka	Ku-	Kufika (arrival)
Mu-	M-	Mti (tree)
M-moja	Moja-	Moja (one)
Ki-kubwa	Ki-	Kikombe (cup)
A-wa	Wa-	Watu (people)
Ku-wili	Ku-	Kusoma (read)
N-gapi	N-	Nguvu (strength)
Li-tatu	Li-	Lile (that)
Ya-	Ya-	Yangu (mine)

It's important to note that Swahili (individual language) nouns are not gender specific, so the noun classes cannot be strictly defined as either masculine or feminine, unlike with many other languages.

Swahili (individual language) Noun Plurals

The way to form the plural for most of the classes is by adding an "-i" at the end of the noun, while some other classes have their own unique ways of forming plurals.

Below are examples of pluralization for some classes:

Swahili (individual language) Singular	Swahili (individual language) Plural
M-wanafunzi (student)	Wa-nafunzi (students)
Ki-tabu (book)	Vi-tabu (books)
U-pepo (wind)	U-pepo (winds)
Ku-soma (read)	Ku-soma (reads)

It's essential to know these plurals early on in your learning journey because they help you construct grammatically correct sentences, which is very important in achieving fluency.

Dialogue

To help you understand Swahili (individual language) nouns in a real-life context, let's look at a dialogue between two people:

• Person 1: Una kitabu gani? (What book do you have?)
• Person 2: Ninacho kitabu cha kusoma kwa sasa. (I have a book to read now.)

In this dialogue, we can see how the prefix "ki-" is used for the singular form of the word "kitabu" (book) and "vi-" is used to express the plural form "vitabu" (books).

Conclusion

Swahili (individual language) nouns can be challenging, but with patience and practice, you can master them! Understanding the noun classes and plurals is essential in constructing grammatically correct sentences in Swahili (individual language).

To improve your [Language/Swahili-individual-language|Swahili (individual language)] [Language/Swahili-individual-language/Grammar|Grammar], you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• Swahili Language
• Bantu Languages
• Grammatical Gender

Finished this lesson? Check out these related lessons: Dependent Clauses, 0 to A1 Course, Questions & How to Use Have.

Other Lessons

• Plurals
• How to Use Have
• Pronouns
• Negation
• Conditional Mood
• Give your Opinion
• Future Tense
• Tenses
• Adjectives

Table of Contents - Swahili (individual language) Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to Swahili Grammar

• Nouns
• Verbs
• Cases
• Adjectives

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Greetings and Farewells
• Names and Nationalities
• Numbers and Counting
• Days, Months, and Seasons

  ---

Swahili Culture and Society

• History of Swahili
• Food and Drink
• Music and Dance
• Religion and Beliefs

  ---

Swahili Syntax

• Word Order
• Negation
• Questions
• Dependent Clauses

  ---

At Home and Around Town

• House and Home
• Travel and Transportation
• Shopping and Commerce
• Medical and Health

  ---

Swahili Literature and Art

• Oral Narratives
• Visual Arts
• Contemporary Literature
• Popular Culture

  ---

Advanced Topics in Swahili Grammar

• Conditional Clauses
• Passive Voice
• Causative Verbs
• Nominalization

  ---

Nature and the Environment

• Animals and Wildlife
• Plants and Vegetation
• Environmental Issues
• Geography and Landscapes

  ---

Swahili Festivals and Celebrations

• Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr
• Sherehe za Mapinduzi
• Weddings and Marriage
• Maji and the Maridadi

  ---

Idioms and Proverbs

• Idioms
• Proverbs
• Swahili Dialects
• Slang and Colloquialisms