English "at" → Swahili "kwa" – Preposition of Place and Time (Specific Point)
What does "at" mean in Swahili?
English "at" marks a point: a point in space ("at the door," "at the doctor's," "at the wedding") or a point in time ("at ten o'clock," "at night"). Swahili has no single word that does all of this. It divides the work among a small set of tools, and the word this lesson is built round, kwa (pronounced KWAH), is the one that means "at" for people: kwa daktari, "at the doctor's"; kwa shangazi yangu, "at my aunt's."
The other tools you already know from Lesson 7 ("in") and Lesson 18 ("on"), and this lesson puts them together for "at":
- kwa + a person = at that person's place: yuko kwa daktari, "he is at the doctor's." With a possessive ending it becomes one word: kwangu (at my place), kwako, kwake, kwetu, kwenu, kwao. - -ni on a place noun = at that place: shule → shuleni, "at school"; kazi → kazini, "at work"; mlango → mlangoni, "at the door." - kwenye or katika before an event or a longer phrase: kwenye harusi, "at the wedding"; katika ukumbi wa mji, "at the town hall." - saa + a number = at a clock time, with no word for "at": saa nne, "at ten o'clock." Parts of the day take no word at all: usiku, "at night"; asubuhi, "in the morning."
Two points differ from English:
- "At someone's" is one small word. English says "at my aunt's (house)"; Swahili says kwa shangazi yangu, and the house is understood. "At our place" is simply kwetu; ✗ kwa sisi is not said. - Swahili clock time begins at sunrise. Saa moja, "hour one," is seven o'clock; saa nne is ten o'clock. Section E explains the system.
kwa is a native Bantu word: the class 17 locative prefix ku- joined to the "of" ending -a, so it means something like "at the place of." That is why its possessive forms are kw-angu, kw-etu and so on, and why the locative nouns in -ni take kwake, kwetu after them: nyumbani kwake, "at his house." The same little word also means "for," "with" (an instrument) and "by"; this lesson keeps to its sense of place.
- kwa + person = at that person's place: kwa daktari, "at the doctor's"; kwetu, "at our place" - noun + -ni = at a place: shuleni, "at school"; kazini, "at work"; mlangoni, "at the door" - kwenye / katika + an event or phrase: kwenye harusi, "at the wedding" - saa + number = at a time, in Swahili hours from sunrise: saa nne, "at ten o'clock"; usiku, "at night," needs no preposition - "Be at" is -ko: niko kazini, "I am at work"; yuko kwa bibi, "she is at Grandmother's"
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kwa /kwa/: one syllable, KWAH. The w glides straight into the vowel, like the qua of English "aqua"; the a is as in "father."
The -ni suffix adds a syllable, and the stress moves forward to keep its place on the second-to-last syllable: SHU-le → shu-LE-ni; KA-zi → ka-ZI-ni; m-LA-ngo → m-la-NGO-ni.
Related forms:
- kwangu /ˈkwa.ŋɡu/: KWA-ngu, "at my place" - kwetu /ˈkwe.tu/: KWE-tu, "at our place" - kwao /ˈkwa.o/: KWA-o, two syllables, "at their place" - kwenye /ˈkwe.ɲe/: KWE-nye, "at, on" - saa /ˈsa.a/: SA-a, two syllables: both vowels are pronounced - nyumbani /ɲuˈmba.ni/: nyu-MBA-ni, "at home" - yuko /ˈju.ko/: YU-ko, "he/she is (at)"
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26.1a Yuko he-is-at kwa at daktari doctor
26.1b Yuko /ˈju.ko/ yu-ko: 3SG-LOC17 (be at) kwa /kwa/ at.LOC17 daktari /dakˈta.ri/ doctor.ANIM
26.2a Wako they-are-at kwao at-their-place
26.2b Wako /ˈwa.ko/ wa-ko: 3PL-LOC17 (be at) kwao /ˈkwa.o/ kw-ao: LOC17-their (= at their home)
26.3a Niko I-am-at kazini at-work
26.3b Niko /ˈni.ko/ ni-ko: 1SG-LOC17 (be at) kazini /kaˈzi.ni/ kazi-ni: work.CL9-LOC
26.4a Tukutane let-us-meet sokoni at-the-market
26.4b Tukutane /tu.kuˈta.ne/ tu-kut-an-e: 1PL-meet-RECP-SBJV sokoni /soˈko.ni/ soko-ni: market.CL5-LOC
26.5a Njoo come saa hour nne four
26.5b Njoo /ˈnd͡ʒo.o/ come.IMP.SG saa /ˈsa.a/ hour.CL9 nne /ˈn̩.ne/ four
26.6a Watoto children wako they-are-at shuleni at-school mpaka until saa hour tisa nine
26.6b Watoto /waˈto.to/ child.CL2.PL wako /ˈwa.ko/ wa-ko: 3PL-LOC17 (be at) shuleni /ʃuˈle.ni/ shule-ni: school.CL9-LOC mpaka /m̩ˈpa.ka/ until saa /ˈsa.a/ hour.CL9 tisa /ˈti.sa/ nine
26.7a Jana yesterday usiku night nililala I-slept kwa at shangazi aunt yangu my
26.7b Jana /ˈd͡ʒa.na/ yesterday usiku /uˈsi.ku/ night.CL14 nililala /ni.liˈla.la/ ni-li-lal-a: 1SG-PAST-sleep-FV kwa /kwa/ at.LOC17 shangazi /ʃaˈŋɡa.zi/ aunt(father's sister).CL9 yangu /ˈja.ŋɡu/ my.CL9.POSS
26.8a Kuna there-is mtu person anagonga he-is-knocking mlangoni at-the-door
26.8b Kuna /ˈku.na/ ku-na: LOC17-have (= there is) mtu /ˈm̩.tu/ person.CL1 anagonga /a.naˈɡo.ŋɡa/ a-na-gong-a: 3SG-PRES-knock-FV mlangoni /m̩.laˈŋɡo.ni/ mlango-ni: door.CL3-LOC
26.9a Tulikutana we-met kwenye at harusi wedding ya of rafiki friend yetu our
26.9b Tulikutana /tu.li.kuˈta.na/ tu-li-kut-an-a: 1PL-PAST-meet-RECP-FV kwenye /ˈkwe.ɲe/ kw-enye: LOC17-having (= at) harusi /haˈru.si/ wedding.CL9 ya /ja/ of.CL9 rafiki /raˈfi.ki/ friend.CL9 yetu /ˈje.tu/ our.CL9.POSS
26.10a Baba father hufanya usually-does kazi work hospitalini at-the-hospital usiku at-night
26.10b Baba /ˈba.ba/ father.CL1 hufanya /huˈfa.ɲa/ hu-fany-a: HAB-do-FV kazi /ˈka.zi/ work.CL9 hospitalini /hos.pi.taˈli.ni/ hospitali-ni: hospital.CL9-LOC usiku /uˈsi.ku/ night.CL14
26.11a Basi bus linaondoka it-leaves kituoni at-the-station saa hour moja one na and nusu half asubuhi morning
26.11b Basi /ˈba.si/ bus.CL5 linaondoka /li.na.oˈndo.ka/ li-na-ondok-a: CL5-PRES-leave-FV kituoni /ki.tuˈo.ni/ kituo-ni: station.CL7-LOC saa /ˈsa.a/ hour.CL9 moja /ˈmo.d͡ʒa/ one na /na/ and nusu /ˈnu.su/ half asubuhi /a.suˈbu.hi/ morning.CL9
26.12a Tulikaa we-sat mezani at-the-table pamoja together tukazungumza and-we-talked kwa for saa hours mbili two
26.12b Tulikaa /tu.liˈka.a/ tu-li-ka-a: 1PL-PAST-sit-FV mezani /meˈza.ni/ meza-ni: table.CL9-LOC pamoja /paˈmo.d͡ʒa/ together tukazungumza /tu.ka.zuˈŋɡu.mza/ tu-ka-zungumz-a: 1PL-NARR-talk-FV kwa /kwa/ for saa /ˈsa.a/ hour.CL10 mbili /ˈmbi.li/ two.CL10
26.13a Nilipofika when-I-arrived kwa at bibi grandmother yangu my alikuwa she-was amelala she-has-slept tayari already
26.13b Nilipofika /ni.li.poˈfi.ka/ ni-li-po-fik-a: 1SG-PAST-WHEN-arrive-FV kwa /kwa/ at.LOC17 bibi /ˈbi.bi/ grandmother.CL9 yangu /ˈja.ŋɡu/ my.CL9.POSS alikuwa /a.liˈku.wa/ a-li-kuw-a: 3SG-PAST-be-FV amelala /a.meˈla.la/ a-me-lal-a: 3SG-PERF-sleep-FV tayari /taˈja.ri/ already
26.14a Mkutano meeting utafanyika it-will-take-place katika at ukumbi hall wa of mji town saa hour nane eight mchana afternoon
26.14b Mkutano /m̩.kuˈta.no/ meeting.CL3 utafanyika /u.ta.faˈɲi.ka/ u-ta-fany-ik-a: CL3-FUT-do-STAT-FV katika /kaˈti.ka/ at, in ukumbi /uˈku.mbi/ hall.CL11 wa /wa/ of.CL11 mji /ˈm̩.d͡ʒi/ town.CL3 saa /ˈsa.a/ hour.CL9 nane /ˈna.ne/ eight mchana /m̩ˈt͡ʃa.na/ daytime.CL3
26.15a Kwa at sasa now anakaa he-is-staying kwa at kaka brother yake his lakini but mwezi month ujao coming atahamia he-will-move-into nyumbani house kwake his mwenyewe own
26.15b Kwa /kwa/ at sasa /ˈsa.sa/ now anakaa /a.naˈka.a/ a-na-ka-a: 3SG-PRES-stay-FV kwa /kwa/ at.LOC17 kaka /ˈka.ka/ brother.CL9 yake /ˈja.ke/ his.CL9.POSS lakini /laˈki.ni/ but mwezi /ˈmwe.zi/ month.CL3 ujao /uˈd͡ʒa.o/ u-ja-o: CL3-come-REL.CL3 atahamia /a.ta.haˈmi.a/ a-ta-ham-i-a: 3SG-FUT-move-APPL-FV nyumbani /ɲuˈmba.ni/ nyumba-ni: house.CL9-LOC kwake /ˈkwa.ke/ kw-ake: LOC17-his mwenyewe /mweˈɲe.we/ himself.CL1 (= own)
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26.1 Yuko kwa daktari. → "He is at the doctor's."
26.2 Wako kwao. → "They are at home (at their place)."
26.3 Niko kazini. → "I am at work."
26.4 Tukutane sokoni. → "Let's meet at the market."
26.5 Njoo saa nne. → "Come at ten o'clock."
26.6 Watoto wako shuleni mpaka saa tisa. → "The children are at school until three o'clock."
26.7 Jana usiku nililala kwa shangazi yangu. → "Last night I slept at my aunt's."
26.8 Kuna mtu anagonga mlangoni. → "There's someone knocking at the door."
26.9 Tulikutana kwenye harusi ya rafiki yetu. → "We met at our friend's wedding."
26.10 Baba hufanya kazi hospitalini usiku. → "Father works at the hospital at night."
26.11 Basi linaondoka kituoni saa moja na nusu asubuhi. → "The bus leaves the station at half past seven in the morning."
26.12 Tulikaa mezani pamoja tukazungumza kwa saa mbili. → "We sat together at the table and talked for two hours."
26.13 Nilipofika kwa bibi yangu, alikuwa amelala tayari. → "When I arrived at my grandmother's, she was already asleep."
26.14 Mkutano utafanyika katika ukumbi wa mji saa nane mchana. → "The meeting will take place at the town hall at two in the afternoon."
26.15 Kwa sasa anakaa kwa kaka yake, lakini mwezi ujao atahamia nyumbani kwake mwenyewe. → "At the moment he is staying at his brother's, but next month he will move into his own house."
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26.1 Yuko kwa daktari.
26.2 Wako kwao.
26.3 Niko kazini.
26.4 Tukutane sokoni.
26.5 Njoo saa nne.
26.6 Watoto wako shuleni mpaka saa tisa.
26.7 Jana usiku nililala kwa shangazi yangu.
26.8 Kuna mtu anagonga mlangoni.
26.9 Tulikutana kwenye harusi ya rafiki yetu.
26.10 Baba hufanya kazi hospitalini usiku.
26.11 Basi linaondoka kituoni saa moja na nusu asubuhi.
26.12 Tulikaa mezani pamoja tukazungumza kwa saa mbili.
26.13 Nilipofika kwa bibi yangu, alikuwa amelala tayari.
26.14 Mkutano utafanyika katika ukumbi wa mji saa nane mchana.
26.15 Kwa sasa anakaa kwa kaka yake, lakini mwezi ujao atahamia nyumbani kwake mwenyewe.
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These are the grammar rules for kwa and "at" in Swahili:
1. kwa + a person: "at someone's place." Put kwa before a noun or name for a person, and it means at that person's home, shop or office: kwa daktari, "at the doctor's" (26.1); kwa shangazi yangu, "at my aunt's" (26.7); kwa Mama Neema, "at Mama Neema's" (26.18). The building is understood and is not named.
2. kwa + a possessive ending. With a possessive, kwa fuses into one word:
- kwangu: at my place - kwako: at your place - kwake: at his/her place - kwetu: at our place - kwenu: at your (pl.) place - kwao: at their place (26.2)
These forms also follow a locative noun to say whose place it is: nyumbani kwake, "at/to his house" (26.15); kazini kwako, "at your work" (26.30).
3. -ni: "at" a place. Add -ni to a common noun for a place: kazi → kazini (26.3), soko → sokoni (26.4), shule → shuleni (26.6), mlango → mlangoni (26.8), meza → mezani (26.12), kituo → kituoni (26.11). The noun keeps its final vowel: nyumba → nyumbani, shule → shuleni, kituo → kituoni. The same form means "at," "in" or "to," and the verb decides: niko kazini, "I am at work"; ninaenda kazini, "I am going to work." Names of towns and countries never take -ni: niko Nairobi, "I am in/at Nairobi."
4. kwenye and katika. Before an event, or a noun with words after it, use kwenye (kw-enye, literally "at the place having") or katika: kwenye harusi ya rafiki yetu, "at our friend's wedding" (26.9); katika ukumbi wa mji, "at the town hall" (26.14); kwenye kituo cha basi, "at the bus stop" (26.23). Kwenye is more common in speech; katika is a little more formal. Never put either before a noun that already has -ni.
5. Time. Clock time is saa + a number, with no word for "at": njoo saa nne, "come at ten" (26.5). Half past is na nusu, quarter past na robo, and quarter to kasorobo: saa moja na nusu, "half past seven" (26.11). Parts of the day follow the hour, again with no preposition: asubuhi (morning), mchana (daytime, afternoon), jioni (evening), usiku (night): saa nane mchana, "two in the afternoon" (26.14); hufanya kazi usiku, "works at night" (26.10). Note that kwa saa mbili is "for two hours" (26.12), and saa mbili alone is "at eight o'clock" (26.22).
6. "Be at": -ko. Swahili says where someone is with a subject prefix + -ko: niko (I am at), uko (you are), yuko (he/she is), tuko (we are), mko (you pl. are), wako (they are). Negative: siko, huko, hayuko, hatuko, hamko, hawako. Two related endings are more exact: -po for a definite spot (nipo hapa, "I am right here") and -mo for inside (yumo ndani, "he is inside"). Kuna, "there is," is built on the same locative prefix ku- (26.8).
7. Agreement after a locative. A noun with -ni takes locative agreement, not that of its own class. Class 17 ku-/kw- is general place, class 16 pa- a definite spot, class 18 mu-/mw- inside:
- nyumbani kwake: at his home (general, 26.15) - miguuni pa Yesu: at Jesus' feet (a definite spot; Section F) - mlangoni pa benki: at the door of the bank (26.25) - nyumbani mwake: inside his house
8. kwa in other senses. kwa is a busy word. Besides "at (a person's)," it means "for" with time (kwa saa mbili, 26.12), "with, by means of" (kwa mkono, "by hand"), and "to" after greetings (salamu kwa wote, 26.30). In kwa sasa, "at present, for now" (26.15), it gives an English "at." Context always makes clear which sense is meant.
Common Mistakes
- Naming the house. ✗ Niko kwa nyumba ya shangazi. ✓ Niko kwa shangazi, "I'm at my aunt's." - kwa + a pronoun. ✗ kwa sisi, kwa mimi. ✓ kwetu, kwangu. - A preposition and -ni together. ✗ katika shuleni, ✗ kwenye kazini. ✓ shuleni, kazini, or katika shule, kwenye kazi. - -ni on a place name. ✗ Mombasani for "at Mombasa." ✓ Mombasa. - English clock numbers. ✗ saa kumi for "ten o'clock" (it means four o'clock). ✓ saa nne. Count from seven: saa moja = 7, saa mbili = 8, and so on. - A preposition before the time of day. ✗ kwa usiku, ✗ katika saa nne. ✓ usiku, saa nne.
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Telling the time. The Swahili day begins at sunrise, about six o'clock near the equator, where the length of the day hardly changes through the year. The first hour after dawn is saa moja, "hour one" (7 a.m.), and the hours run on to saa kumi na mbili, "hour twelve" (6 p.m.); then the count begins again with saa moja jioni (7 p.m.) and runs through the night. The quick rule is to add or subtract six: saa nne is 10 o'clock, saa tisa is 3 o'clock. Because the hours do not tell morning from evening, Swahili speakers add asubuhi, mchana, jioni or usiku. Visitors who arrange to meet "saa nne" thinking of 4 p.m. arrive six hours late: always check. Official timetables, airlines and some city offices use the international clock; when in doubt, ask whether a time is given in Swahili hours, saa za Kiswahili.
At someone's home: kwetu. Kwetu is a warm word. It is "our home," but also "where I come from, my home area": kwetu ni Tanga, "my home is Tanga." A host says Karibu kwetu, "welcome to our home," and the invitation karibu is repeated as the guest comes in, sits and is offered food. Asking kwenu ni wapi?, "where is your home?", is an ordinary friendly question that means "where are your people from?"
At the door: Hodi! A visitor arriving at the door of a house calls Hodi!, the polite announcement of someone at the door, and waits for the answer Karibu!, "come in." To walk in without the call is rude.
Varieties. Standard Swahili (Kiswahili sanifu) is used here. kwa, kwenye, katika and -ni are used in the same way throughout East Africa; kwenye is the more conversational of the two prepositions, katika the more formal.
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Source: Maandiko Matakatifu ya Mungu Yaitwayo Biblia (Swahili Union Version, 1952), Luka (Luke) 10:39 and 8:41. Two people come to rest miguuni pa Yesu, "at Jesus' feet": Mary sitting to listen, and Jairus falling down to plead. Text checked against two independent copies (bible.com, SUV; wordproject.org).
F-A: Interlinear Text
F-A.1a Naye and-she alikuwa she-was na with umbu sister lake her aitwaye who-is-called Mariamu Mary aliyeketi who-sat miguuni at-the-feet pake his Yesu Jesus akasikiliza and-she-listened-to maneno words yake his
F-A.1b Naye /ˈna.je/ na-ye: and-3SG alikuwa /a.liˈku.wa/ a-li-kuw-a: 3SG-PAST-be-FV na /na/ with (alikuwa na = she had) umbu /ˈu.mbu/ sister lake /ˈla.ke/ her.CL5.POSS aitwaye /a.iˈtwa.je/ a-itw-a-ye: 3SG-be.called-FV-REL.CL1 Mariamu /ma.riˈa.mu/ Mary aliyeketi /a.li.jeˈke.ti/ a-li-ye-ket-i: 3SG-PAST-REL.CL1-sit-FV miguuni /mi.ɡuˈu.ni/ mi-guu-ni: CL4-foot-LOC pake /ˈpa.ke/ p-ake: LOC16-his Yesu /ˈje.su/ Jesus akasikiliza /a.ka.si.kiˈli.za/ a-ka-sikiliz-a: 3SG-NARR-listen-FV maneno /maˈne.no/ word.CL6.PL yake /ˈja.ke/ his.CL6.POSS
F-A.2a Na and tazama behold mtu man mmoja one akaja and-he-came jina name lake his Yairo Jairus naye and-he ni is mtu man mkuu great wa of sinagogi synagogue akaanguka and-he-fell miguuni at-the-feet pa of Yesu Jesus akamsihi and-he-begged-him aingie that-he-enter nyumbani house kwake his
F-A.2b Na /na/ and tazama /taˈza.ma/ tazam-a: look-FV (IMP.SG) mtu /ˈm̩.tu/ person.CL1 mmoja /m̩ˈmo.d͡ʒa/ one.CL1 akaja /aˈka.d͡ʒa/ a-ka-j-a: 3SG-NARR-come-FV jina /ˈd͡ʒi.na/ name.CL5 lake /ˈla.ke/ his.CL5.POSS Yairo /jaˈi.ro/ Jairus naye /ˈna.je/ na-ye: and-3SG ni /ni/ COP (is) mtu /ˈm̩.tu/ person.CL1 mkuu /m̩ˈku.u/ great.CL1 wa /wa/ of.CL1 sinagogi /si.naˈɡo.ɡi/ synagogue.CL9 akaanguka /a.ka.aˈŋɡu.ka/ a-ka-anguk-a: 3SG-NARR-fall-FV miguuni /mi.ɡuˈu.ni/ mi-guu-ni: CL4-foot-LOC pa /pa/ of.LOC16 Yesu /ˈje.su/ Jesus akamsihi /a.ka.m̩ˈsi.hi/ a-ka-m-sihi: 3SG-NARR-3SG.OBJ-beg aingie /a.iˈŋɡi.e/ a-ingi-e: 3SG-enter-SBJV nyumbani /ɲuˈmba.ni/ nyumba-ni: house.CL9-LOC kwake /ˈkwa.ke/ kw-ake: LOC17-his
F-B: Original Text with Translation
F-B.1 Naye alikuwa na umbu lake aitwaye Mariamu, aliyeketi miguuni pake Yesu, akasikiliza maneno yake. (Luka 10:39) → "And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word."
F-B.2 Na tazama, mtu mmoja akaja, jina lake Yairo, naye ni mtu mkuu wa sinagogi, akaanguka miguuni pa Yesu, akamsihi aingie nyumbani kwake; (Luka 8:41) → "And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought him that he would come into his house:"
F-C: Original Text Only
Naye alikuwa na umbu lake aitwaye Mariamu, aliyeketi miguuni pake Yesu, akasikiliza maneno yake. Na tazama, mtu mmoja akaja, jina lake Yairo, naye ni mtu mkuu wa sinagogi, akaanguka miguuni pa Yesu, akamsihi aingie nyumbani kwake;
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
- miguuni, "at the feet." Miguu (class 4, plural of mguu, "foot, leg") + -ni. There is no separate word for "at": the locative suffix carries it, as in mlangoni and mezani in Section A. - pa and pake: the exact spot. After miguuni, "of Jesus" is pa Yesu, with the class 16 pa- of a definite place, not the wa that miguu would take on its own (miguu ya Yesu, "Jesus' feet," with no locative). Luke 10:39 has pake Yesu, literally "at his feet, Jesus'," an older construction in which the possessive -ake anticipates the name; the plainer pa Yesu is the usual form, and the same translation uses it in Luke 8:35 and 8:41. Compare mlangoni pa benki in the dialogue (26.25). - kwake, the general place. In Luke 8:41 Jairus begs Jesus to come nyumbani kwake, "into his house": the class 17 kw- of general place, the same kwake as in 26.15. One verse shows both: pa for the spot where Jairus falls, kwa for the home he speaks of. With a verb of motion (aingie, "that he enter"), nyumbani means "into the house": -ni is "at," "in" or "to" as the verb requires. - The narrative -ka- again. akasikiliza, akaja, akaanguka, akamsihi: each event in sequence takes -ka-, as in Genesis in Lesson 25. aingie is subjunctive after a verb of begging (Lesson 25, Section D, rule 5). - umbu is an older word for a sibling, here Martha's sister; everyday modern Swahili says dada. Its possessive here is lake, a class 5 concord. - The two postures. Mary aliyeketi, "who sat," listening; Jairus akaanguka, "fell down," pleading. Luke places both disciples and suppliants at the same spot, and the Swahili marks it each time with the same phrase, miguuni pa(ke) Yesu.
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A constructed phone call between two friends, Amina and Juma, arranging to go together to a party. It shows "at" for people, places, events and times.
Part A: Interlinear Text
26.16a Amina Amina Halo hello Juma Juma uko you-are-at wapi where sasa now hivi this-way
26.16b Amina /aˈmi.na/ Amina Halo /ˈha.lo/ hello Juma /ˈd͡ʒu.ma/ Juma uko /ˈu.ko/ u-ko: 2SG-LOC17 (be at) wapi /ˈwa.pi/ where sasa /ˈsa.sa/ now hivi /ˈhi.vi/ thus.CL8 (sasa hivi = right now)
26.17a Juma Juma Niko I-am-at kazini at-work lakini but nitamaliza I-will-finish saa hour kumi ten
26.17b Juma /ˈd͡ʒu.ma/ Juma Niko /ˈni.ko/ ni-ko: 1SG-LOC17 (be at) kazini /kaˈzi.ni/ kazi-ni: work.CL9-LOC lakini /laˈki.ni/ but nitamaliza /ni.ta.maˈli.za/ ni-ta-maliz-a: 1SG-FUT-finish-FV saa /ˈsa.a/ hour.CL9 kumi /ˈku.mi/ ten
26.18a Amina Amina Sawa fine Leo today jioni evening tuna we-have sherehe party kwa at Mama Mrs Neema Neema
26.18b Amina /aˈmi.na/ Amina Sawa /ˈsa.wa/ equal (= OK) Leo /ˈle.o/ today jioni /d͡ʒiˈo.ni/ evening.CL9 tuna /ˈtu.na/ tu-na: 1PL-have sherehe /ʃeˈre.he/ celebration.CL9 kwa /kwa/ at.LOC17 Mama /ˈma.ma/ Mrs (title) Neema /neˈe.ma/ Neema
26.19a Juma Juma Kwa at Mama Mrs Neema Neema Anakaa she-lives wapi where siku days hizi these
26.19b Juma /ˈd͡ʒu.ma/ Juma Kwa /kwa/ at.LOC17 Mama /ˈma.ma/ Mrs (title) Neema /neˈe.ma/ Neema Anakaa /a.naˈka.a/ a-na-ka-a: 3SG-PRES-stay-FV wapi /ˈwa.pi/ where siku /ˈsi.ku/ day.CL10 hizi /ˈhi.zi/ these.CL10
26.20a Amina Amina Anakaa she-lives karibu near na with kanisa church nyumba house ya of pili second baada after ya of duka shop la of dawa medicine
26.20b Amina /aˈmi.na/ Amina Anakaa /a.naˈka.a/ a-na-ka-a: 3SG-PRES-stay-FV karibu /kaˈri.bu/ near na /na/ with (karibu na = near to) kanisa /kaˈni.sa/ church.CL5 nyumba /ˈɲu.mba/ house.CL9 ya /ja/ of.CL9 pili /ˈpi.li/ second baada /baˈa.da/ after ya /ja/ of duka /ˈdu.ka/ shop.CL5 la /la/ of.CL5 dawa /ˈda.wa/ medicine.CL9
26.21a Juma Juma Sherehe party inaanza it-begins saa hour ngapi how-many
26.21b Juma /ˈd͡ʒu.ma/ Juma Sherehe /ʃeˈre.he/ celebration.CL9 inaanza /i.naˈa.nza/ i-na-anz-a: CL9-PRES-begin-FV saa /ˈsa.a/ hour.CL9 ngapi /ˈŋɡa.pi/ how.many
26.22a Amina Amina Inaanza it-begins saa hour moja one jioni evening lakini but tutakula we-will-eat saa hour mbili two
26.22b Amina /aˈmi.na/ Amina Inaanza /i.naˈa.nza/ i-na-anz-a: CL9-PRES-begin-FV saa /ˈsa.a/ hour.CL9 moja /ˈmo.d͡ʒa/ one jioni /d͡ʒiˈo.ni/ evening.CL9 lakini /laˈki.ni/ but tutakula /tu.taˈku.la/ tu-ta-ku-l-a: 1PL-FUT-(ku)-eat-FV saa /ˈsa.a/ hour.CL9 mbili /ˈmbi.li/ two
26.23a Juma Juma Haya all-right tukutane let-us-meet kwenye at kituo stop cha of basi bus saa hour kumi ten na and mbili two na and nusu half
26.23b Juma /ˈd͡ʒu.ma/ Juma Haya /ˈha.ja/ all.right tukutane /tu.kuˈta.ne/ tu-kut-an-e: 1PL-meet-RECP-SBJV kwenye /ˈkwe.ɲe/ kw-enye: LOC17-having (= at) kituo /kiˈtu.o/ stop.CL7 cha /t͡ʃa/ of.CL7 basi /ˈba.si/ bus.CL5 saa /ˈsa.a/ hour.CL9 kumi /ˈku.mi/ ten na /na/ and mbili /ˈmbi.li/ two na /na/ and nusu /ˈnu.su/ half
26.24a Amina Amina Kituo stop kipi which Kile that-one kilicho which-is karibu near na with ofisi office yako your
26.24b Amina /aˈmi.na/ Amina Kituo /kiˈtu.o/ stop.CL7 kipi /ˈki.pi/ which.CL7 Kile /ˈki.le/ that.CL7 kilicho /kiˈli.t͡ʃo/ ki-li-cho: CL7-be-REL.CL7 karibu /kaˈri.bu/ near na /na/ with ofisi /oˈfi.si/ office.CL9 yako /ˈja.ko/ your.CL9.POSS
26.25a Juma Juma Ndiyo yes pale there mlangoni at-the-door pa of benki bank
26.25b Juma /ˈd͡ʒu.ma/ Juma Ndiyo /ˈndi.jo/ yes pale /ˈpa.le/ there.LOC16 mlangoni /m̩.laˈŋɡo.ni/ mlango-ni: door.CL3-LOC pa /pa/ of.LOC16 benki /ˈbe.ŋki/ bank.CL9
26.26a Amina Amina Sawa fine Nikichelewa if-I-am-late nitakupigia I-will-call-you simu phone
26.26b Amina /aˈmi.na/ Amina Sawa /ˈsa.wa/ equal (= OK) Nikichelewa /ni.ki.t͡ʃeˈle.wa/ ni-ki-chelew-a: 1SG-COND-be.late-FV nitakupigia /ni.ta.ku.piˈɡi.a/ ni-ta-ku-pig-i-a: 1SG-FUT-2SG.OBJ-strike-APPL-FV simu /ˈsi.mu/ telephone.CL9
26.27a Juma Juma Usichelewe do-not-be-late sana very Mara time ya of mwisho last nilikusubiri I-waited-for-you kwa for saa hour nzima whole
26.27b Juma /ˈd͡ʒu.ma/ Juma Usichelewe /u.si.t͡ʃeˈle.we/ u-si-chelew-e: 2SG-NEG-be.late-SBJV sana /ˈsa.na/ very Mara /ˈma.ra/ time.CL9 ya /ja/ of.CL9 mwisho /ˈmwi.ʃo/ end.CL3 nilikusubiri /ni.li.ku.suˈbi.ri/ ni-li-ku-subiri: 1SG-PAST-2SG.OBJ-wait.for kwa /kwa/ for saa /ˈsa.a/ hour.CL9 nzima /n̩ˈzi.ma/ whole.CL9
26.28a Amina Amina Hilo that lilikuwa it-was kosa fault la of dereva driver si not langu mine
26.28b Amina /aˈmi.na/ Amina Hilo /ˈhi.lo/ that.CL5.REF lilikuwa /li.liˈku.wa/ li-li-kuw-a: CL5-PAST-be-FV kosa /ˈko.sa/ fault.CL5 la /la/ of.CL5 dereva /deˈre.va/ driver.ANIM si /si/ COP.NEG (is not) langu /ˈla.ŋɡu/ my.CL5.POSS
26.29a Juma Juma Haya all-right haya all-right Tuonane let-us-see-each-other kwenye at kituo stop saa hour kumi ten na and mbili two na and nusu half
26.29b Juma /ˈd͡ʒu.ma/ Juma Haya /ˈha.ja/ all.right haya /ˈha.ja/ all.right Tuonane /tu.oˈna.ne/ tu-on-an-e: 1PL-see-RECP-SBJV kwenye /ˈkwe.ɲe/ kw-enye: LOC17-having (= at) kituo /kiˈtu.o/ stop.CL7 saa /ˈsa.a/ hour.CL9 kumi /ˈku.mi/ ten na /na/ and mbili /ˈmbi.li/ two na /na/ and nusu /ˈnu.su/ half
26.30a Amina Amina Tutaonana we-will-see-each-other Salamu greetings nyingi many kwa to wote all kazini at-work kwako your
26.30b Amina /aˈmi.na/ Amina Tutaonana /tu.ta.oˈna.na/ tu-ta-on-an-a: 1PL-FUT-see-RECP-FV Salamu /saˈla.mu/ greeting.CL10 nyingi /ˈɲi.ŋɡi/ many.CL10 kwa /kwa/ to wote /ˈwo.te/ all.CL2 kazini /kaˈzi.ni/ kazi-ni: work.CL9-LOC kwako /ˈkwa.ko/ kw-ako: LOC17-your
Part B: Natural Sentences
26.16 Amina: Halo Juma, uko wapi sasa hivi? → "Hello Juma, where are you right now?"
26.17 Juma: Niko kazini, lakini nitamaliza saa kumi. → "I'm at work, but I'll finish at four."
26.18 Amina: Sawa. Leo jioni tuna sherehe kwa Mama Neema. → "OK. This evening we have a party at Mama Neema's."
26.19 Juma: Kwa Mama Neema? Anakaa wapi siku hizi? → "At Mama Neema's? Where does she live these days?"
26.20 Amina: Anakaa karibu na kanisa, nyumba ya pili baada ya duka la dawa. → "She lives near the church, the second house after the chemist's."
26.21 Juma: Sherehe inaanza saa ngapi? → "What time does the party start?"
26.22 Amina: Inaanza saa moja jioni, lakini tutakula saa mbili. → "It starts at seven in the evening, but we'll eat at eight."
26.23 Juma: Haya, tukutane kwenye kituo cha basi saa kumi na mbili na nusu. → "All right, let's meet at the bus stop at half past six."
26.24 Amina: Kituo kipi? Kile kilicho karibu na ofisi yako? → "Which stop? The one near your office?"
26.25 Juma: Ndiyo, pale mlangoni pa benki. → "Yes, there at the door of the bank."
26.26 Amina: Sawa. Nikichelewa, nitakupigia simu. → "OK. If I'm late, I'll phone you."
26.27 Juma: Usichelewe sana! Mara ya mwisho nilikusubiri kwa saa nzima. → "Don't be too late! Last time I waited for you for a whole hour."
26.28 Amina: Hilo lilikuwa kosa la dereva, si langu! → "That was the driver's fault, not mine!"
26.29 Juma: Haya, haya. Tuonane kwenye kituo saa kumi na mbili na nusu. → "All right, all right. See you at the stop at half past six."
26.30 Amina: Tutaonana! Salamu nyingi kwa wote kazini kwako. → "See you! Best wishes to everyone at your work."
Part C: Target Language Only
26.16 Amina: Halo Juma, uko wapi sasa hivi?
26.17 Juma: Niko kazini, lakini nitamaliza saa kumi.
26.18 Amina: Sawa. Leo jioni tuna sherehe kwa Mama Neema.
26.19 Juma: Kwa Mama Neema? Anakaa wapi siku hizi?
26.20 Amina: Anakaa karibu na kanisa, nyumba ya pili baada ya duka la dawa.
26.21 Juma: Sherehe inaanza saa ngapi?
26.22 Amina: Inaanza saa moja jioni, lakini tutakula saa mbili.
26.23 Juma: Haya, tukutane kwenye kituo cha basi saa kumi na mbili na nusu.
26.24 Amina: Kituo kipi? Kile kilicho karibu na ofisi yako?
26.25 Juma: Ndiyo, pale mlangoni pa benki.
26.26 Amina: Sawa. Nikichelewa, nitakupigia simu.
26.27 Juma: Usichelewe sana! Mara ya mwisho nilikusubiri kwa saa nzima.
26.28 Amina: Hilo lilikuwa kosa la dereva, si langu!
26.29 Juma: Haya, haya. Tuonane kwenye kituo saa kumi na mbili na nusu.
26.30 Amina: Tutaonana! Salamu nyingi kwa wote kazini kwako.
Part D: Grammar Notes on the Dialogue
- kwa + a person. sherehe kwa Mama Neema (26.18), "a party at Mama Neema's": the house is not named. Juma's echo, Kwa Mama Neema? (26.19), is the whole phrase "at Mama Neema's?" - -ni for places. kazini (26.17), "at work"; mlangoni pa benki (26.25), "at the door of the bank," with the class 16 pa of a definite spot, as in miguuni pa Yesu (Section F); kazini kwako (26.30), "at your work," with the general class 17 kwako. - kwenye with a longer phrase. kwenye kituo cha basi (26.23): "the bus stop" is a noun with cha basi after it, so Swahili uses kwenye rather than -ni. In 26.29 Juma keeps kwenye kituo for the stop already mentioned. - The time, with no "at." nitamaliza saa kumi (26.17), "I'll finish at four" (hour ten from sunrise); saa moja jioni (26.22), "seven in the evening"; saa kumi na mbili na nusu (26.23), "half past six," literally "hour twelve and a half." Saa ngapi? (26.21), "how many hours?", is the question "what time?" - saa for duration. nilikusubiri kwa saa nzima (26.27), "I waited for you for a whole hour": here kwa means "for" and saa is a length of time, not a point. - The locative copula. uko wapi? (26.16), "where are you (at)?"; niko kazini (26.17), "I'm at work." The same -ko asks and answers. - kwa as "to." Salamu nyingi kwa wote (26.30), "many greetings to all": with greetings and messages kwa marks the person they go to. - The conditional -ki- and the negative subjunctive. Nikichelewa (26.26), "if I'm late"; Usichelewe! (26.27), "don't be late!" (Lesson 25, Section D, rule 4). - Class 5 agreement. Hilo lilikuwa kosa la dereva, si langu (26.28): kosa (fault) is class 5, so "that" is hilo, the verb is li-li-kuwa, "of" is la and "mine" is langu.
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Vowels. Five pure vowels, always the same: a /a/ (father), e /e/ (bed), i /i/ (machine), o /o/ (Spanish no), u /u/ (rule). Two vowels side by side are two syllables: saa /ˈsa.a/, kwao /ˈkwa.o/, kituo /kiˈtu.o/, Neema /neˈe.ma/, njoo /ˈnd͡ʒo.o/, miguuni /mi.ɡuˈu.ni/.
w after a consonant. In kwa, kwetu, mwezi, mwisho the w is a glide, not a vowel: kwa is one syllable, never "ku-wa."
Stress. Always on the next-to-last syllable, so the locative -ni moves it: SHU-le / shu-LE-ni; NYU-mba / nyu-MBA-ni; ho-spi-TA-li / ho-spi-ta-LI-ni.
Consonant spellings to know from this lesson:
- ng = /ŋɡ/: mlangoni, yangu, ngapi, akaanguka - ny = /ɲ/: kwenye, nyumbani, hufanya, nyingi - ch = /t͡ʃ/: mchana, cha, nikichelewa - j = /d͡ʒ/: jana, jioni, ujao, Juma - sh = /ʃ/: shuleni, shangazi, sherehe - m before a consonant at the start of a word is its own syllable: mtu /ˈm̩.tu/, mji /ˈm̩.d͡ʒi/, mpaka /m̩ˈpa.ka/; nne and nzima likewise begin with a syllabic n.
Numbers for telling the time. moja (1), mbili (2), tatu (3), nne (4), tano (5), sita (6), saba (7), nane (8), tisa (9), kumi (10), kumi na moja (11), kumi na mbili (12). Add six to find the English hour.
Orthography. Swahili uses the Latin alphabet without accents; q and x are not used. kwa is always written as a separate word, but its possessive forms are written solid: kwangu, kwetu, kwao. The suffix -ni is always joined to its noun: shuleni, never shule ni (which would mean "it is a school").
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