Grammar Notes

Question 1

Possessive Pronouns - my, your, his, etc.

Answer 1

• angu = my, mine
• ako = your, yours (singular)
• ake = her, hers, his, its, theirs (inanimate)
• etu = our, ours
• enu = your, yours (plural)
• ao = their, theirs (living beings)

Question 2

Self-standing personal pronouns

Answer 2

I, me = mimi
you (singular) = wewe
he, she, her him = yeye
we, us = sisi
you (plural) = ninyi/nyinyi
they, them = wao

Question 3

The possessive prefix for both class 1 and 2

Answer 3

w (wangu, wako, wake, wetu, wenu, wao)

Question 4

Negating present tense - stems that don’t end in “a”

Answer 4

The ending stays the same (does not change to “i”)

Question 5

Demonstrative pronouns: far (that/those)

Answer 5

Always made with the following formula:
(pronominal prefix) + LE
mtu yule (that person)
watu wale (those people)
mti ule (that tree)
miti ile (those trees)
yai lile (that egg)
mayai yale (those eggs)
kiti kile (that chair)
viti vile (those chairs)

Question 6

Telling time

Answer 6

Time is counted according to the number of hours past either morning or night (morning being 6 AM, night being 6 PM). The word “saa” is used in front. NOTE: this counting from morning/night is used even if another modifier (afternoon, early evening, etc.) is used in the sentence to clarify the time. The number is still what is counted from 6 AM or 6 PM.

saa kumi na mbili asubuhi (6 AM)
saa moja asubuhi (7 AM, hour one of the morning)
saa tano asubuhi (11 AM)
saa sita mchana (12 PM)
saa tisa alasiri (3 PM)
saa kumi na moja jioni (5 PM)
saa kumi na mbili jioni (6 PM)
saa moja usiku (7 PM)
saa nne usiku (10 PM)

Terms like quarter past (na robo), half past (unusu/na nusu), and quarter before (kasorobo) can also be used after the hour. “Na dakika” can be used to specify the number of minutes

saa saba unusu mchana (1:30 PM)
saa tisa na robo usiku (3:15 AM)
saa tano na dakika kumi asubuhi (11 AM)
saa kumi na mbili kasorobo alfajiri (5:45 AM)

Question 7

early morning time

Answer 7

alfajiri/asubuhi mapema sana (5:00 AM - 5:59 AM)

Question 8

morning time

Answer 8

asubuhi (6:00 AM - 11:59 AM)

Question 9

afternoon time

Answer 9

mchana (12:00 PM - 2:59 PM)

Question 10

late afternoon time

Answer 10

alasiri (3:00 PM - 4:59 PM)

Question 11

evening time

Answer 11

jioni (5:00 PM - 6:59 PM)

Question 12

night time

Answer 12

usiku (7:00 PM - 4:59 AM)

Question 13

quarter past (time)

Answer 13

na robo

Question 14

half past (time)

Answer 14

unusu/na nusu

Question 15

quarter before (time)

Answer 15

kasorobo

Question 16

Asking “which?”

Answer 16

Pronominal prefix + PI
Unapenda kitabu kipi zaidi? (Which book do you like most?)
Unasema lugha zipi? (Which languages do you speak?)
Exception: With Ma words, becomes “wepi”
Watoto wepi wanalala?

Question 17

Demonstratives from locative class

3 Levels of Specificity
2 Levels of "Distance"

Answer 17

The demonstratives from the locative class can be used to form words for “here” and “there”

Hapa = here, specifically
Pale = there, specifically
Huku = around here generally
Kule = around there generally
Humu = inside here, in here
Mule = inside that place over there

Question 18

Expressing “when…”

Answer 18

As in “when I go…” “when I wake up…”
Infix: PO

Ex: Ninapolala ninaota (When I sleep, I dream)
Nilipokuwa mdogo sikupenda chakula (When I was little I didn’t like food)