Nexal Code: CW-020-NEG | Frequency Rank: 20 | Category: Grammar - Negation
In this twentieth lesson of our Chewa (Chichewa/Nyanja) course, we explore how to express “not” in this Bantu language. Unlike English, which uses independent words like “not” or “don’t,” Chewa primarily expresses negation through a prefix attached directly to the verb. This morphological approach—building grammatical meaning into the verb itself—is characteristic of Bantu languages and demonstrates how Chewa integrates negation seamlessly into its agglutinative structure.
The primary negation marker in Chewa is si-, which combines with subject prefixes to create negative verb forms. Additionally, the word osati (from the irregular verb -ti “to say”) functions as a contrastive “not” when distinguishing between alternatives.
Understanding negation is fundamental for everyday communication—from declining offers politely to expressing preferences and making contrasts. This lesson will guide you through both verbal negation with si- and contrastive negation with osati.
Course Index:
https://latinum.substack.com/p/index
FAQ: How do you say “not” in Chewa? Chewa expresses negation primarily through the prefix si- attached to verbs (e.g., sindikufuna “I don’t want”). For contrastive negation between alternatives, the word osati is used (e.g., akazi osati amuna “women, not men”). The negative infinitive prefix osa- forms prohibitions (e.g., osalowa “do not enter”).
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si- is the primary negation prefix, combining with subject markers on verbs -
Subject markers fuse with si-: si- + ndi- → sindi- (I don’t), si- + a- → sa- (he/she/they don’t) -
osati expresses contrastive “not” between alternatives -
osa- forms negative commands (prohibitions) -
Negation is morphologically integrated into the verb, not expressed by separate words
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si- [si] - negation prefix; the vowel i elides before another vowel
osati [o.ˈsa.ti] - “not” (contrastive); stress on second syllable
osa- [ˈo.sa] - negative infinitive prefix for commands
sindi- [ˈsin.di] - “I don’t” (si- + ndi- subject marker)
simu- [ˈsi.mu] - “you (formal) don’t” (si- + mu- subject marker)
sa- [sa] - “he/she/they don’t” (si- + a- subject marker; vowel elides)
siti- [ˈsi.ti] - “we don’t” (si- + ti- subject marker)
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20.1a Sindikufuna chakudya 20.1b Sindikufuna (sin.di.ku.ˈfu.na) NEG-I-PRES-want chakudya (tʃa.ˈku.dja) food
20.2a Sakonda masamba 20.2b Sakonda (sa.ˈkon.da) NEG-he/she-likes masamba (ma.ˈsam.ba) vegetables
20.3a Simumamwa madzi 20.3b Simumamwa (si.mu.ma.ˈmwa) NEG-you.FORMAL-HAB-drink madzi (ˈma.dzi) water
20.4a Sitikudziwa njira 20.4b Sitikudziwa (si.ti.ku.ˈdzi.wa) NEG-we-PRES-know njira (ˈndʒi.ɾa) way/path
20.5a Osalowa m’nyumba 20.5b Osalowa (o.sa.ˈlo.wa) NEG.INF-enter m’nyumba (m.ˈɲum.ba) in-house
20.6a Akazi osati amuna 20.6b Akazi (a.ˈka.zi) women osati (o.ˈsa.ti) not amuna (a.ˈmu.na) men
20.7a Sindimadya nyama 20.7b Sindimadya (sin.di.ma.ˈdja) NEG-I-HAB-eat nyama (ˈɲa.ma) meat
20.8a Sakusangalala lero 20.8b Sakusangalala (sa.ku.sa.ŋga.ˈla.la) NEG-she-PRES-be.happy lero (ˈle.ɾo) today
20.9a Osawopa chilichonse 20.9b Osawopa (o.sa.ˈwo.pa) NEG.INF-fear chilichonse (tʃi.li.ˈtʃon.se) anything
20.10a Sitinabwere dzulo 20.10b Sitinabwere (si.ti.na.ˈbwe.ɾe) NEG-we-PAST-come dzulo (ˈdzu.lo) yesterday
20.11a Sandiuza chinthu 20.11b Sandiuza (sa.ndi.ˈu.za) NEG-he-me-tell chinthu (ˈtʃin.tu) thing
20.12a Osanena mawu oipa 20.12b Osanena (o.sa.ˈne.na) NEG.INF-speak mawu (ˈma.wu) words oipa (o.ˈi.pa) bad
20.13a Sindikudziwa osati sindifuna 20.13b Sindikudziwa (sin.di.ku.ˈdzi.wa) NEG-I-PRES-know osati (o.ˈsa.ti) not sindifuna (sin.di.ˈfu.na) NEG-I-want
20.14a Mwana sakugona 20.14b Mwana (ˈmwa.na) child sakugona (sa.ku.ˈgo.na) NEG-he-PRES-sleep
20.15a Osaiwala mau anga 20.15b Osaiwala (o.sa.i.ˈwa.la) NEG.INF-forget mau (ˈma.u) words anga (ˈa.ŋga) my
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20.1 Sindikufuna chakudya → “I don’t want food”
20.2 Sakonda masamba → “He/She doesn’t like vegetables”
20.3 Simumamwa madzi → “You don’t drink water” (formal/habitual)
20.4 Sitikudziwa njira → “We don’t know the way”
20.5 Osalowa m’nyumba → “Do not enter the house”
20.6 Akazi osati amuna → “Women, not men”
20.7 Sindimadya nyama → “I don’t eat meat” (habitual)
20.8 Sakusangalala lero → “She is not happy today”
20.9 Osawopa chilichonse → “Don’t be afraid of anything”
20.10 Sitinabwere dzulo → “We didn’t come yesterday”
20.11 Sandiuza chinthu → “He didn’t tell me anything”
20.12 Osanena mawu oipa → “Don’t speak bad words”
20.13 Sindikudziwa osati sindifuna → “I don’t know, it’s not that I don’t want to”
20.14 Mwana sakugona → “The child is not sleeping”
20.15 Osaiwala mau anga → “Don’t forget my words”
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20.1 Sindikufuna chakudya
20.2 Sakonda masamba
20.3 Simumamwa madzi
20.4 Sitikudziwa njira
20.5 Osalowa m’nyumba
20.6 Akazi osati amuna
20.7 Sindimadya nyama
20.8 Sakusangalala lero
20.9 Osawopa chilichonse
20.10 Sitinabwere dzulo
20.11 Sandiuza chinthu
20.12 Osanena mawu oipa
20.13 Sindikudziwa osati sindifuna
20.14 Mwana sakugona
20.15 Osaiwala mau anga
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These are the grammar rules for negation in Chewa:
The si- Negation Prefix
Chewa expresses verbal negation through the prefix si-, which attaches at the beginning of the verb complex, before the subject marker. The structure is: si- + subject marker + tense marker + verb stem.
When si- is followed by a vowel, the i of si is typically elided. This is why si- + a- (third person) becomes sa- rather than sia-.
Subject Marker Combinations with si-
The negation prefix combines with subject markers as follows:
First person singular: si- + ndi- → sindi- (I don’t) Second person singular informal: si- + u- → su- (you don’t) Second person formal/plural: si- + mu- → simu- (you don’t) Third person (he/she/they): si- + a- → sa- (he/she/they don’t) First person plural: si- + ti- → siti- (we don’t)
Tense Markers in Negative Forms
After the subject marker, tense/aspect markers appear:
Present continuous: -ku- (Sindikufuna - I am not wanting) Habitual: -ma- (Sindimadya - I don’t [habitually] eat) Past: -na- (Sitinabwere - We didn’t come) Remote past: -naa- or -daa-
The Contrastive osati
The word osati (derived from the irregular verb -ti “to say” with the negative infinitive prefix osa-) functions as a contrastive “not” when distinguishing between alternatives:
Akazi osati amuna = “Women, not men” Sindikudziwa osati sindifuna = “I don’t know, it’s not that I don’t want to”
The Prohibitive osa-
The prefix osa- attached to verb stems creates negative commands (prohibitions):
Osalowa = “Don’t enter” (from -lowa “to enter”) Osawopa = “Don’t fear” (from -opa “to fear”) Osaiwala = “Don’t forget” (from -iwala “to forget”)
The prohibitive osa- can also combine with -ni for plural/respectful commands: Osalowani “Don’t enter” (plural/respectful).
Common Mistakes for English Speakers
Attempting to use a separate word for “not” instead of the verbal prefix
Forgetting that the i in si- elides before vowels (sa- not sia-)
Confusing osati (contrastive) with si- (verbal negation)
Using osati with verbs instead of for noun contrasts
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Negation in Malawian Communication
In Malawian culture, direct refusal or negation can sometimes be considered impolite, particularly in formal situations or when speaking with elders. While the grammatical structures for negation exist and are used freely, speakers often prefer indirect ways of declining—using phrases like mwina (”perhaps”), nditha kuona (”I’ll see”), or sindikutsimikiza (”I’m not sure”) rather than outright ayi (”no”) or direct negative verbs.
Regional Variation
Chewa is spoken across Malawi, eastern Zambia (where it’s called Nyanja), and parts of Mozambique and Zimbabwe. While the negation system is consistent across varieties, some dialectal differences exist in the past tense markers (-naa- vs. -daa- for remote past).
The Word Ayi
The standalone word ayi means “no” as an exclamation or response, but it cannot replace the verbal negation prefix. You might hear Ayi, sindikufuna (”No, I don’t want [it]”) where ayi expresses refusal emotionally while sindikufuna provides the grammatical negation.
Double Negation
Unlike English, Chewa does use what appears to be double negation without creating a positive meaning: Sindinawone chilichonse (”I didn’t see anything”) where both si- and chilichonse (”anything” in negative contexts) appear together.
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The following is adapted from the works of Steve Chimombo (1945-2015), Malawi’s foremost poet and literary figure, who drew deeply on Chewa oral traditions and mythology. Chimombo was educated at the University of Malawi, University of Wales, University of Leeds, and Columbia University. His collection Napolo and the Python (1994) was published in Heinemann’s prestigious African Writers Series.
Part F-A: Interleaved Text
F.1a Osaiwala makolo ako F.1b Osaiwala (o.sa.i.ˈwa.la) NEG.INF-forget makolo (ma.ˈko.lo) ancestors/parents ako (ˈa.ko) your
F.2a Mawu awo samafa F.2b Mawu (ˈma.wu) words awo (ˈa.wo) their samafa (sa.ˈma.fa) NEG-they-HAB-die
F.3a Miyambo yathu siitayika F.3b Miyambo (mi.jam.bo) traditions yathu (ˈja.tu) our siitayika (si.i.ta.ˈji.ka) NEG-it-PAST-be.lost
Part F-B: Natural Text with Translation
Osaiwala makolo ako. Mawu awo samafa. Miyambo yathu siitayika.
“Do not forget your ancestors. Their words do not die. Our traditions have not been lost.”
Part F-C: Chewa Text Only
Osaiwala makolo ako. Mawu awo samafa. Miyambo yathu siitayika.
Part F-D: Grammar Commentary
This passage demonstrates three different negation patterns:
Osaiwala uses the prohibitive osa- prefix to create a command (”don’t forget”)
Samafa shows the third person plural negative (sa- from si- + a-) combined with the habitual marker -ma- and the verb root -fa “to die”
Siitayika shows the negation with a class prefix agreement (sii- reflects the noun class of miyambo) and the past marker -ta-
The passage reflects themes central to Chimombo’s work—the preservation of oral traditions, ancestral memory, and cultural continuity in the face of change. His scholarship on Malawian oral literature (documented in Malawian Oral Literature: The Aesthetics of Indigenous Arts, 1988) emphasized how language and literature preserve cultural identity.
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Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
20.16a Muli bwanji? Mukufuna nsomba? 20.16b Muli (ˈmu.li) you-are bwanji (ˈbwan.dʒi) how Mukufuna (mu.ku.ˈfu.na) you-PRES-want nsomba (ˈnsom.ba) fish
20.17a Ayi, sindikufuna nsomba lero 20.17b Ayi (ˈa.ji) no sindikufuna (sin.di.ku.ˈfu.na) NEG-I-PRES-want nsomba (ˈnsom.ba) fish lero (ˈle.ɾo) today
20.18a Nanga nkhuku? Sizimtali kwambiri 20.18b Nanga (ˈna.ŋga) then/and nkhuku (ˈŋku.ku) chicken Sizimtali (si.zi.m.ˈta.li) NEG-it-expensive kwambiri (kwam.ˈbi.ɾi) very
20.19a Sindinabweretse ndalama zambiri 20.19b Sindinabweretse (sin.di.na.bwe.ˈɾe.tse) NEG-I-PAST-bring ndalama (nda.ˈla.ma) money zambiri (zam.ˈbi.ɾi) much
20.20a Simukhoza kugula masamba okha? 20.20b Simukhoza (si.mu.ˈko.za) NEG-you-can kugula (ku.ˈgu.la) to-buy masamba (ma.ˈsam.ba) vegetables okha (ˈo.ka) only
20.21a Inde, ndikhoza. Masamba osati nyama 20.21b Inde (ˈin.de) yes ndikhoza (ndi.ˈko.za) I-can Masamba (ma.ˈsam.ba) vegetables osati (o.ˈsa.ti) not nyama (ˈɲa.ma) meat
20.22a Mwana wanga sakonda masamba 20.22b Mwana (ˈmwa.na) child wanga (ˈwa.ŋga) my sakonda (sa.ˈkon.da) NEG-he-like masamba (ma.ˈsam.ba) vegetables
20.23a Osadandaula! Tili ndi zipatso 20.23b Osadandaula (o.sa.dan.ˈdau.la) NEG.INF-worry Tili (ˈti.li) we-have ndi (ndi) with zipatso (zi.ˈpa.tso) fruits
20.24a Ana samakana zipatso 20.24b Ana (ˈa.na) children samakana (sa.ma.ˈka.na) NEG-they-HAB-refuse zipatso (zi.ˈpa.tso) fruits
20.25a Ndiwo zoona! Sakana mangowo 20.25b Ndiwo (ˈndi.wo) that’s zoona (zo.ˈo.na) true Sakana (sa.ˈka.na) NEG-they-refuse mangowo (ma.ˈŋgo.wo) mangoes
20.26a Basi, ndigule mango ndi masamba 20.26b Basi (ˈba.si) okay/well ndigule (ndi.ˈgu.le) let-me-buy mango (ˈma.ŋgo) mango ndi (ndi) and masamba (ma.ˈsam.ba) vegetables
20.27a Sinditha kukupatsani tomato? 20.27b Sinditha (sin.ˈdi.ta) NEG-I-can kukupatsani (ku.ku.pa.ˈtsa.ni) to-give-you tomato (to.ˈma.to) tomato
20.28a Zikomo, koma sindidzafuna zambiri 20.28b Zikomo (zi.ˈko.mo) thank-you koma (ˈko.ma) but sindidzafuna (sin.di.dza.ˈfu.na) NEG-I-FUT-want zambiri (zam.ˈbi.ɾi) much/many
20.29a Osadya zonse lero! 20.29b Osadya (o.sa.ˈdja) NEG.INF-eat zonse (ˈzon.se) all lero (ˈle.ɾo) today
20.30a Sichingakhale bwino! Pitani bwino 20.30b Sichingakhale (si.tʃi.ŋga.ˈka.le) NEG-it-could-be bwino (ˈbwi.no) well/good Pitani (pi.ˈta.ni) go-PLURAL bwino (ˈbwi.no) well
Part B: Natural Sentences
20.16 Muli bwanji? Mukufuna nsomba? → “How are you? Do you want fish?”
20.17 Ayi, sindikufuna nsomba lero → “No, I don’t want fish today”
20.18 Nanga nkhuku? Sizimtali kwambiri → “What about chicken? It’s not very expensive”
20.19 Sindinabweretse ndalama zambiri → “I didn’t bring much money”
20.20 Simukhoza kugula masamba okha? → “Can’t you buy just vegetables?”
20.21 Inde, ndikhoza. Masamba osati nyama → “Yes, I can. Vegetables, not meat”
20.22 Mwana wanga sakonda masamba → “My child doesn’t like vegetables”
20.23 Osadandaula! Tili ndi zipatso → “Don’t worry! We have fruits”
20.24 Ana samakana zipatso → “Children don’t refuse fruits”
20.25 Ndiwo zoona! Sakana mangowo → “That’s true! They don’t refuse mangoes”
20.26 Basi, ndigule mango ndi masamba → “Okay, let me buy mango and vegetables”
20.27 Sinditha kukupatsani tomato? → “Can’t I give you tomato?”
20.28 Zikomo, koma sindidzafuna zambiri → “Thank you, but I won’t need much”
20.29 Osadya zonse lero! → “Don’t eat everything today!”
20.30 Sichingakhale bwino! Pitani bwino → “That wouldn’t be good! Go well”
Part C: Chewa Text Only
20.16 Muli bwanji? Mukufuna nsomba?
20.17 Ayi, sindikufuna nsomba lero
20.18 Nanga nkhuku? Sizimtali kwambiri
20.19 Sindinabweretse ndalama zambiri
20.20 Simukhoza kugula masamba okha?
20.21 Inde, ndikhoza. Masamba osati nyama
20.22 Mwana wanga sakonda masamba
20.23 Osadandaula! Tili ndi zipatso
20.24 Ana samakana zipatso
20.25 Ndiwo zoona! Sakana mangowo
20.26 Basi, ndigule mango ndi masamba
20.27 Sinditha kukupatsani tomato?
20.28 Zikomo, koma sindidzafuna zambiri
20.29 Osadya zonse lero!
20.30 Sichingakhale bwino! Pitani bwino
Part D: Grammar Notes for Genre Section
This market dialogue demonstrates negation in natural conversational flow:
Question negatives (Simukhoza...? “Can’t you...?”, Sinditha...? “Can’t I...?”) - Note how negation in questions often implies expectation or suggestion.
Future negation (sindidzafuna “I won’t want”) - the future marker -dza- appears after the subject marker and before the verb root.
Modal negation (Sichingakhale bwino “It wouldn’t be good”) - the potential marker -nga- combines with negation for conditional/potential meanings.
Negative rhetorical force - In Malawian conversation, negative questions (Sinditha kukupatsani...?) often function as polite offers rather than genuine questions.
The dialogue also shows osati in its natural habitat—contrasting alternatives: Masamba osati nyama (”Vegetables, not meat”).
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Vowel Elision with si-
When si- precedes a subject marker beginning with a vowel, the i typically elides: -
si- + a- → sa- (not sia-) -
si- + i- → si- (the vowels merge)
Tone in Negation
Chewa is a tonal language, and negation affects tonal patterns. Generally: -
Negative verbs often have a high tone on the first syllable -
The perfect negative may have tone on the penultimate syllable only
The -e Ending
In some negative tenses, particularly in subjunctive contexts, the final vowel changes from -a to -e. This is especially common in dependent clauses and after certain conjunctions.
Stress Patterns
In polysyllabic words, stress typically falls on the penultimate syllable: -
sindikuFUna (I don’t want) -
osaDANdaula (don’t worry)
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This lesson is part of a systematic Chewa (Chichewa/Nyanja) course following the Latinum Institute methodology, which has been creating online language learning materials since 2006. Our approach uses frequency-based vocabulary acquisition—learning the most common words that account for approximately 80% of everyday communication.
The Latinum Institute method employs construed reading, presenting interlinear text where each word in the target language is followed immediately by its English equivalent. This technique, drawn from classical language pedagogy, allows learners to absorb grammar patterns naturally while building vocabulary systematically.
Chewa (ISO 639-3: nya) is a Bantu language spoken by approximately 15-20 million people, primarily in Malawi (where it serves as the national language alongside English), eastern Zambia, and parts of Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Understanding Chewa opens doors to communication across southeastern Africa and provides insight into the elegant grammatical structures shared by the Bantu language family.
Course Index:
https://latinum.substack.com/p/index
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Lesson 20 Complete - Negation (si-, osati)
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