Noun Classes

Question 1

Noun Class 1

Answer 1

Living things (singular)

Nominal/adjectival prefix: MU (before u), MW (before other vowels), M (before consonants); Ex: mtu (person), mtoto mkubwa (a good child)

Pronominal prefix: A or YU; Ex: Muuguzi A-ME-NI-PIGA sindano (The nurse has given me a shot); Muuguzi yupi? (Which nurse)

Question 2

Noun Class 2

Answer 2

Living things (plural)

Nominal/adjectival prefix: WA (WA+A= WA, WA+E = WE, WA+I = WE, WA+O = WAO, WA+U = WAU); Ex: watu (people), walimu wakali (strict teachers)

Pronominal prefix: wageni WA-ME-SHARUDI (The guests have already returned.)

Question 3

Noun Class 3

Answer 3

Plants, trees, things that spread, some body parts, higher beings, and others (singular)

Nominal/adjectival prefix: M (MW before most vowels, MU usually becomes MO before O); Ex: mti (tree), mkate (bread), mti mrefu (a tall tree)

Pronominal prefix: U (U+A = WA, U+E = WE, U+I = WI, U+O = WO); Ex: mti U-ME-ANGUK-A (The tree has fallen.); Mzigo W-AKE U-ME-POTE-A (His baggage is lost)

Question 4

Noun Class 4

Answer 4

Plants, trees, things that spread, some body parts, higher beings, and others (plural)

Nominal/adjectival prefix: MI, Ex: miti (trees), miguu michafu (dirty feet)

Pronominal prefix: I (Y before a vowel); Ex: Mikate I-ME-KWISH-A (The bread is finished), Mikono Y-ANGU (My arms)

Question 5

Noun Class 5

Answer 5

Fruit, things occurring in pairs or sets, parts of trees and bushes, argumentative or amplifications, mass nouns/ uncountable, and many others (singular)

Nominal/adjectival prefix: None, in most cases, or JI in front of monosyllabic stems (J in front of stems beginning with vowels); Ex: jicho (eye), tunda bivu (ripe fruit), gari jipya (a new car)

Pronomial prefix: LI, Ex: Jino lango Li-LI-UMA (My tooth ached).

Question 6

Noun Class 6

Answer 6

Fruit, things occurring in pairs or sets, parts of trees and bushes, argumentative or amplifications, mass nouns/ uncountable, and many others (plural)

Nominal/adjectival prefix: MA, Ex: macho (eyes), meno (teeth), maziwa mengi much milk)

Pronominal prefix: YA, Ex: Majani Y-OTE YA-ME-KATW-A (All the grass is cut.)

Question 7

Noun Class 7

Answer 7

Inanimate objects, diminutives from other noun classes, and others (singular)

Nominal/adjectival prefix: KI (CH before all vowels except I), Ex: kitu (thing), kisu (knife), chombo (vessel, tool), kitabu chema (a good book)

Pronominal prefix: KI/CH, Ex: Kikombe changu KI-ME-VUNJIK-A (My cup is broken.)

Question 8

Noun Class 8

Answer 8

Inanimate objects, diminutives from other noun classes, and others (plural)

Nominal/adjectival prefix: VI (VY before all vowels except I), Ex: vitu (things), visu (knives), vyombo (vessels, tools), vitambaa vyeupe (white cloths)

Pronominal prefix: VI/VY, Ex: Vitambaa vyote vimefuliwa (All the cloths have been washed.)

Question 9

Noun Class 9 and 10

Answer 9

Many various words, essentially it is a nasal prefix, but the form it takes depends on the first sound of the noun stem. There are NO singular/plural distinctions (although the plurals of Class 11 are considered to be in class 10)

Nominal/adjectival prefixes:

• Noun stem beginning with a voiced non-nasal consonant (b, v, d, z, j, g): M before b and v (mbegu = seed); N before d and z (ndizi = banana); NY before j, but written as N (njia = path, way); NG’ before g, but written as N (ngozi = skin)
• Noun stems beginning with a nasal (m, n ng’): no prefix (mende = cockroch, nazi = coconut)
• Noun stems beginning with voiceless consonants (p, f, t, s, sh, ch, k): no prefix (pete = ring, simba = lion); monosyllabic stems take an N prefix (nchi = country)
• Noun stems beginning with a vowel: NY (nyama = meat, nyumba = house)
• Noun stems beginning with l or r: N, and l or r changes to d (ndimi = tougues, plural of ulimi)
• Noun stems beginning with w: M, and w changes to b (mbati = building poles, plural of uwati)

Pronominal prefixes:
- For Class 9: I (Y before vowels), Ex: Mvua I-LI-NYESH-A mchana kutwa (It rained the whole day); Nipanguse I-PI meza (Which table shall I dust?)

• For Class 10: ZI (Z before vowels), Ex: Nguo HI-ZI HA-ZI-JA-FULIW-A bado (These clothes have not been washed yet).

Question 10

Noun Class 11/14 (U-Class)

Answer 10

Usually begin with U, but sometimes W before vowels. For those that have plurals, the plural form is considered to be in Class 10.

Divided into 3 categories:

1) Abstract nouns that have no plurals. Ex: uzuri (beauty), uhuru (freedom)
2) Tangible objects, often long and thin. These have plurals, which sometimes behave like N-Class plurals and sometimes take the Class 5 (Ma) form. Ex: uma/nyuma (fork[s]), ulimi/ndimi (tongue[s]), ugonjwa/magonjwa (disease[s]).
3) Nouns that are not abstract, but do not have a plural because they are non-count or mass nouns. Ex: wino (ink), wali (cooked rice), unga (flour)

Adjectival prefixes:
Singular: M
Ex: ubao mkubwa (a big board), wimbo mzuri (a beautiful song)
Plural: Usually follows the N-Class rules, but some take MA
Ex: kuta nyeusi (a black wall), mbao kubwa (big boards), magonjwa mabaya (bad diseases)

Pronominal prefixes:
Singular: U
Plural: ZI, or YA for those plurals in the MA form
Ex: uso wangu (my face), nyuso zao (their faces), magomvi yao (their arguments)

Question 11

KU Class

Answer 11

Can turn verbs into nouns. In Swahili, there is no difference between the infinitive form and the gerund (-ing).

Nominal prefix: KU
Adjectival prefix: KU, or KW before vowels
Ex: kuimba kuzuri (good singing)

Pronominal prefix: KU or KW before vowels
Ex: kuimba kwangu (my singing)
Kufundisha kwake ni kuzuri (His teaching is good)

You can negate KU-Class nouns by adding the infix TO between KU and the root.
Ex: kusoma = studying, kutosoma = not studying
kula = eating, kutokula = not eating

Question 12

Locative Class

Answer 12

Only one noun on its own falls into this class: mahali = place. However, any noun can become part of this class if “ni” is added to form what in English would be a locative phrase (“at…”, “in…”).

There are three classes, which correspond to the -ko, -po, and -mo endings. In each class, the adjectival and pronominal prefixes are the same.

-ku (indefinite or general place)
Prefixes:
KU before consonant
KW before vowel

-pa (specific place)
Prefixes:
PA before consonant
P before vowel

-mu (inside something)
MU before consonant
M before vowel

nyumbani kwangu (around my home, in the general vicinity
nyumbani pangu (at my home)
nyumbani mwangu (in my home)
Nyumbani kwao kuna wadudu (Their home over there has bugs)
Ofisini mwangu muna kompyuta (In my office there is a computer)
Anapapenda mahali hapa? (Does he like this place?)
Nyumbani anamupenda? (Does he like it in the house?)