Personal Pronouns in Swahili

 

Swahili vocabulary : Personal pronouns

What are 5 personal pronouns?

Personal pronouns are used to replace people, places or things to make sentences shorter and clearer. Examples of personal pronouns include: I, we, it, they, you, and she.

In Modern English the personal pronouns include: "I," "you," "he," "she," "it," "we," "they," "them," "us," "him," "her," "his," "hers," "its," "theirs," "our," "your." Personal pronouns are used in statements and commands, but not in questions; interrogative pronouns (like "who," "whom," "what") are used there.

The personal pronouns are: I, you, he, she, it, we, they, me, him, her, us, them

I - Mimi.

You (informal) - Wewe.

You (formal) - wewe.

He - Yeye.

She - Yeye.

We - Sisi.

You (plural) - Nyinyi.

They - Wao.

Grammar Tips:

In English personal pronouns are (I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they), and (me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them), 

In Swahili, the personal pronouns are:

 

Mimi (I), wewe… (you), yeye… (he/she),

 

sisi… (we), ninyi/nyinyi (you)          wao… (they masc/fem.)

Examples:

mimi husoma(I learn),

wewe husoma(you learn),

yeye husoma (he/she learns),

ninyi/nyinyi husoma  (you learn ),

sisi husoma (we learn),

wao husoma (they learn),

1st person- Mimi (singular) –sisi (plural)

 

2nd Person – wewe(singular) –ninyi/nyinyi(plural)

 

3rd person- yeye (singular)- wao(plural)

 

The above are called free pronouns.

 

There are bound/indirect pronouns as used in the section of negation for the same.

 

1st Peson- ni/tu for example – ninaenda (I am going), tunaenda (we are going)

 

2nd Person u/m for example – unaenda (you are going), mnaenda (you (plural) are going)

 

3rd person a/wa for example – anaenda(she/he is going), wanaenda( they are going)

 

·         The above examples are in present tense. You can do the same for the past and future tense

Possessive Pronouns:

 

The possessive pronouns in Swahili have no feminine or masculine aspect. They depend mainly on the pronouns and the noun class.

 

The roots are

 

1st person: -angu((mine-singular),- etu ((ours-plural) For example: yangu ni hii(this is mine), yetu ni hii(this ours) This is in the class of I-ZI

 

Changu ni hiki (this is mine), chetu ni hiki( this  ours). This is in the class of KI-VI

 

2nd person:ako( yours)(singular),- enu(yours-prulal) For example: yako ni hii( this is yours), yenu ni hii( these are yours-prulal)

 

Chako ni hiki(this is yours), chenu ni hiki(this is  yours-prulal)

 

3rd person: -ake( hers/his), -ao(theirs) For example: yake ni hii( this is hers/his) yao ni hii( these are theirs)

 

Chake ni hiki( this is hers), Chao ni hiki( this is theirs)

 

Note: in Swahili the possessive pronouns are used without the nouns. If you use them together with the nouns they become adjectives.

 

For example: Yangu ni hii(this is mine) Yangu is a possessive pronoun here

 

                   Nyumba yangu ni hii(this is my house) Yangu is a possessive adjective

English Pronouns	Swahili Pronouns
Pronouns	Viwakilishi
I	mimi
you	wewe
he	yeye
she	yeye
we	sisi
they	wao
me	mimi
you	wewe
him	yeye
her	yeye
us	sisi
them	wao
my	yangu
your	yako
his	yake
her	yeye
our	yetu
their	yao
mine	yangu
yours	yako
his	yake
hers	yake
ours	yetu
theirs	yao

Possesives pronouns in Swahili

Possessive pronouns include my, mine, our, ours, its, his, her, hers, their, theirs, your and yours. These are all words that demonstrate ownership. If the book belongs to me, then it is mine

 

Here are some of the most commonly used possessive nouns with example sentences:

She dropped the baby's toy.

He painted the dog's house.

I wore my friend's cap.

Mom's singing woke me up.

I have washed the car's windows.

He shook the president's hand.

I went with my wife's father to the zoo.

My - Yangu

 

Your - Yako

 

His - Yake

 

Her - Yake

 

Our - Yetu

 

Their - Yao

 

This - Hii

 

That - Ile

 

These - Hizi

 

Those - Zile