Difference between revisions of "Language/Swahili-individual-language/Grammar/Questions"

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|-
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| -je ?
| -je ?
|How?
|style="background:#e6e6fa;" |How?
|Unlike the other question words, ‘je’ is used as an affix of a verb, for example:
|Unlike the other question words, ‘je’ is used as an affix of a verb, for example:
* Unasemaje? How do you say it? (people often say this if they didn’t hear you, in the sense of ‘what did you say?)
* Unasemaje? How do you say it? (people often say this if they didn’t hear you, in the sense of ‘what did you say?)
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* Nani ?  
* Nani ?  
* Yupi ?
* Yupi ?
|Who?
|style="background:#e6e6fa;" |Who?
|
|
* Question: Jina lako ni nani? What is your name? (literally ‘who is your name’?)
* Question: Jina lako ni nani? What is your name? (literally ‘who is your name’?)
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|-
|-
|Nini ?
|Nini ?
|What?
|style="background:#e6e6fa;" |What?
|
|
* Question: Unafanya nini? What are you doing?
* Question: Unafanya nini? What are you doing?
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|-
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|Lini ?
|Lini ?
|When?
|style="background:#e6e6fa;" |When?
|The word Lini? is used to ask questions about when something was done.
|The word Lini? is used to ask questions about when something was done.
* Joshua alikwenda lini New York? – When did Joshua go to New York?
* Joshua alikwenda lini New York? – When did Joshua go to New York?
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|-
|-
|Wapi ?
|Wapi ?
|Where?
|style="background:#e6e6fa;" |Where?
|
|
* Question: Unatoka wapi? Where do you come from?
* Question: Unatoka wapi? Where do you come from?
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|-
|-
|Vipi?
|Vipi?
|How?
|style="background:#e6e6fa;" |How?
|
|
* Question: Vipi hali? How are you (literally ‘how is your state’?)
* Question: Vipi hali? How are you (literally ‘how is your state’?)
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|-
|-
| -pi ?
| -pi ?
|Which?
|style="background:#e6e6fa;" |Which?
|The Interrogative Suffix -pi? can be used to ask questions about people and objects by combining the Interrogative Prefixes with the Interrogative Suffix -pi? in both singular and plural forms.
|The Interrogative Suffix -pi? can be used to ask questions about people and objects by combining the Interrogative Prefixes with the Interrogative Suffix -pi? in both singular and plural forms.


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|Ngapi ?
|Ngapi ?
Kiasi gani ?
Kiasi gani ?
|How many?
|style="background:#e6e6fa;" |How many?
How much?
How much?
|
|
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|-
|-
|Gani?
|Gani?
|What type of?
|style="background:#e6e6fa;" |What type of?
|
|
* Question: Unafanya kazi gani? What (kind of work) do you do?
* Question: Unafanya kazi gani? What (kind of work) do you do?
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|Ni bei gani ?
|Ni bei gani ?
Ni bure
Ni bure
|What is the price?
|style="background:#e6e6fa;" |What is the price?
It's free
It's free
|
|
|-
|-
|Kwa nini ? Mbona ?
|Kwa nini ? Mbona ?
|Why?
|style="background:#e6e6fa;" |Why?
|
|
* Question: Kwa nini unasoma Kiswahili? Why are you learning Swahili?
* Question: Kwa nini unasoma Kiswahili? Why are you learning Swahili?
|-
|-
|Kwa sababu ...
|Kwa sababu...
|Because ...
|Because...
|
|
* Answer: Kwa sababu ninataka kuishi Tanzania. Because I want to live in Tanzania.
* Answer: Kwa sababu ninataka kuishi Tanzania. Because I want to live in Tanzania.

Revision as of 16:17, 1 January 2022

swali / maswali - questions in Swahili
Swahili-Language-PolyglotClub.png

Hi Swahili Learners! 😃


➡ In today's lesson we will learn how to ask QUESTIONS in Swahili.


Happy learning!

Listed below are nine commonly used question words:

  1. Je? – Well, how about?
  2. Nani? – Who?
  3. Nini? – What?
  4. Lini? – When?
  5. Wapi? – Where?
  6. Vipi? – How?
  7. -pi? – What?, Which?, or Where?
  8. -ngapi? – How many?
  9. Gani? – What?, What kind (of), How? or Which?

The majority of question words listed above can appear at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of the sentence. The question word Gani? is the only one which appears either in the middle or at the end of the sentence but NEVER at the beginning of the sentence.

Question words in Swahili

swahili English Examples
-je ? How? Unlike the other question words, ‘je’ is used as an affix of a verb, for example:
  • Unasemaje? How do you say it? (people often say this if they didn’t hear you, in the sense of ‘what did you say?)
  • Unajuaje? How do you know?

Because the stress is (almost) always on the penultimate syllable of a word, this means that unajua becomes unajuaje, with the stress on the ‘a’ rather than the ‘u’.

  • Nani ?
  • Yupi ?
 Who?
  • Question: Jina lako ni nani? What is your name? (literally ‘who is your name’?)
  • Answer: Jina langu ni Amina. My name is Amina.
Nini ? What?
  • Question: Unafanya nini? What are you doing?
  • Answer: Ninafanya kazi. I am working.
Lini ? When? The word Lini? is used to ask questions about when something was done.
  • Joshua alikwenda lini New York? – When did Joshua go to New York?
  • Lini utasoma Kifaransa? – When will you study French?
  • Mgeni alifika lini? – When did the guest arrive?
Wapi ? Where?
  • Question: Unatoka wapi? Where do you come from?
  • Answer: Ninatoka Uganda. I come from Uganda.
Vipi? How?
  • Question: Vipi hali? How are you (literally ‘how is your state’?)
  • Answer: Nzuri sana. Very well.
-pi ? Which? The Interrogative Suffix -pi? can be used to ask questions about people and objects by combining the Interrogative Prefixes with the Interrogative Suffix -pi? in both singular and plural forms.
Interrogative Prefixes
Singular/Plural  Noun Class  Interrogative Prefix  Interrogative Suffix
Singular/Plural M-/WA-  yu-/we- -pi?
Singular/Plural  M-/MI-  u-/i- 
Singular/Plural  JI-/MA-  li-/ya- 
Singular/Plural  KI-/VI-  ki-/vi- 
Singular/Plural  N-  i-/zi- 
Singular/Plural  U-  u-/zi- 
Singular/Plural  PA-  pa- 
ku-
m-
Singular  KU-  ku- 

If we want to ask: “Which person?” we combine the Interrogative Prefix yu- with the Interrogative Suffix -pi? to form Yupi? (Which person?) for third person singular.

For plural form we combine the Interrogative Prefix we- with the Interrogative Suffix -pi? to form Wepi? (Which people?).

Hence we get:

  • Mtu yupi? – Which person?
  • Watu wepi? – Which people?

Examples:

  • Mwanajeshi yupi alipata nishani? – Which soldier received a medal?
  • Mti upi ulianguka? – Which tree fell?
  • Maneno yapi? – Which words?
Ngapi ?

Kiasi gani ?

How many?

How much?

  • Question: Ni shillingi ngapi? How much is it?  (literally ‘how many shillings is it?’)
  • Answer: Shillingi elfu tano.  5000 shillings.

Ngapi is the only question word which changes form to agree with the class of the noun it describes. So you would ask ‘watoto wangapi?’ (how many children) or ‘miaka mingapi?’ (how many years). Don’t worry about this for now, and just use ‘ngapi’ until you learn the correct form with each noun class.

Gani? What type of?
  • Question: Unafanya kazi gani? What (kind of work) do you do?
  • Answer: Mimi ni mwalimu. I’m a teacher.
Ni bei gani ?

Ni bure

What is the price?

It's free

Kwa nini ? Mbona ? Why?
  • Question: Kwa nini unasoma Kiswahili? Why are you learning Swahili?
Kwa sababu... Because...
  • Answer: Kwa sababu ninataka kuishi Tanzania. Because I want to live in Tanzania.

More Examples

Below is a list of the Questions and interrogative expressions in Swahili placed in a table. Memorizing this table will help you add very useful and important words to your Swahili vocabulary.

English Questions Swahili Questions
where is he? yuko wapi?
what is this? ni kitu gani?
why are you sad? mbona una huzuni?
how do you want to pay? wataka kulipa vipi?
can I come? naweza kuja?
is he sleeping? amelala?
do you know me? wanijua?
do you have my book? je, una kitabu changu?
how big is it? waweza kueleza ukubwa wake?
can I help you? ninaweza kukusaidia?
can you help me? Unaweza kunisaidia?
do you speak English? Waongea kiingereza
how far is this? waweza kueleza umbali wake?
what time is it? ni saa ngapi?
how much is this? ni kiasi gani?
what is your name? Jina lako?
where do you live? Unaishi wapi?

Videos

How to ask questions in swahili?

Learn Swahili: nani? & nini? (Question words)

Sources

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