Tenses in swahili

Tenses in Swahili

Can you tell the future, past and Present

Past tense = -li-             Mimi nilisoma

Present tense = -na-  Wewe unasoma

Future tense = -ta-     Yeye atasoma

Past perfect = -me-     Sisi tumesoma

Habitual tense = hu- Nyinyi husoma

Person	Past (-li-)	Present (-na-)	Future (-ta-)	Habitual (hu-)	Past Perfect (-me-)
Mimi	__niliamka	ninaamka	nitaamka	huamka	nimeamka
Sisi	tulioga	tunaoga	tutaoga	huoga	tumeoga
Wewe	ulinawa	unanawa	utanawa	hunawa	umenawa
Nyinyi	Mlisugua meno	Mnasugua meno	Mtasugua	husugua meno	mmesugua
Yeye	alikula	anakula	atakula	hula	amekula kiamsha kinywa
Wao	walienda chuoni	wanaenda	wataenda	huenda	wameenda

FUTURE PAST PRESENT

-         Swahili Tenses

Swahili has the following major tenses: past, present, future, past perfect, and habitual tense

 

Present continuous (-na-)

Affirmative		Negative
ninapiga	I am beating	sipigi	I am not beating
unapiga	You are beating	hupigi	You are not beating
anapiga	He/she is beating	hapigi	He/She is not beating
tunapiga	We are beating	hatupigi	We are not beating
mnapiga	You (plural) are beating	hampigi	You (plural) are not beating
wanapiga	They are beating	hawapigi	They are not beating
unapiga	It (group 3,11) is beating	haupigi	It is not beating
inapiga	It (group 4,9) is beating	haipigi	It is not beating
linapiga	It (group 5) is beating	halipigi	It is not beating
yanapiga	It (group 6) is beating	hayapigi	It is not beating
kinapiga	It (group 7) is beating	hakipigi	It is not beating
vinapiga	It (group 8) is beating	havipigi	It is not beating
zinapiga	It (group 10) is beating	hazipigi	It is not beating

Present indefinite (-)

Affirmative		Negative
napiga	I beat	sipigi	I do not beat
wapiga	They beat	hawapigi	They do not beat
yapiga	It beats	haipigi	It does not beat

Future (-ta-)

Affirmative		Negative
nitapiga	I shall beat	sitapiga	I shall not beat
watapiga	They shall beat	hawatapiga	They shall not beat
itapiga	It shall beat	haitapiga	It shall not beat

Past simple (-li-)

Affirmative		Negative
nilipiga	I beat	sikupiga	I did not beat
walipiga	They beat	hawakupiga	They did not beat
ilipiga	It beat	haikupiga	It did not beat

Past perfect (-me-)

Affirmative		Negative
nimepiga	I have beaten	sijapiga	I have not beaten (yet)
wamepiga	They have beaten	hawajapiga	They have not beaten (yet)
imepiga	It has beaten	haijapiga	It has not beaten (yet)

Subjunctive (& polite imperitive)

Affirmative		Negative
nipige	That I may beat	nisipige	That I may not beat
wapige	That they may beat	wasipige	That they may not beat
ipige	That it may beat	isipige	That it may not beat

Conditional / if (-ki-)

Affirmative		Negative
nikipiga	If I beat	nisipopiga	If I do not beat
wakipiga	If they beat	wasipopiga	If they do not beat
ikipiga	If it beats	isipopiga	If it does not beat

Narrative (-ka-)

Affirmative		Negative
nikapiga	and I beat	n/a
wakapiga	and they beat	n/a
ikapiga	and it beat	n/a

Expeditious (-ka-)

Affirmative		Negative
nikapige	That I go and beat	Nisiende kupiga	That I don’t go and beat
wakapige	That they go and beat	Wasiende kupiga	That they don’t go and beat
ikapige	That it goes and beats	Isiende kupiga	That it doesn’t go and beat

Habitual (-hu-)

Affirmative		Negative
hupiga	I habitually beat	n/a
hupiga	They habitually beat	n/a
hupiga	It habitually beats	n/a

Conditional Future (-nge-)

Affirmative		Negative
ningepiga	If I were to beat	nisingepiga	If I were not to beat
wangepiga	If they were to beat	wasingepiga	If they were not to beat
ingepiga	If it were to beat	isingepiga	If it were not to beat

Conditional Past (-ngali-)

Affirmative		Negative
ningalipiga	If I had beaten	nisingalipiga	If I had not beaten
wangalipiga	If they had beaten	wasingalipiga	If they had not beaten
ingalipiga	If it had beaten	isingalipiga	If it had not beaten

Past Continuous

Affirmative		Negative
nilikuwa nikipiga	I was beating	sikuwa nikipiga	I was not beating
walikuwa wakipiga	They were beating	hawakuwa wakipiga	They were not beating
ilikuwa ikipiga	It was beating	haikuwa ikipiga	It was not beating

Pluperfect

Affirmative		Negative
nilikuwa nimepiga	I had beaten	sikuwa nimepiga	I had not beaten
walikuwa wamepiga	They had beaten	hawakuwa wamepiga	They had not beaten
ilikuwa imepiga	It had beaten	haikuwa imepiga	It had not beaten

General Relative

Affirmative		Negative
nipigaye	I who beat	nisiyepiga	I who don’t beat
wapigao	They who beat	wasiopiga	They who don’t beat
ipigayo	It who beats	isiyopiga	It which doesn’t beat

Ninaenda: I am going

Becomes

Nilienda: I went

Ninaenda: Ni-na-end-a

Ni: Subject prefix (1st person singular)

-na-: Tense marker (present tense)

-end-: Verb root

-a: Basic verb end

Nilienda: Ni-li-end-a

 

Ni: Subject prefix (1st person singular)

-li-: Tense marker (past tense)

-end-: Verb root

-a: Basic verb end

 

Simple Past         -li-

Past Participle   -me-

Future         -ta-

Conditional/Continuing      -ki-

Conditional (would) -nge-

 

Kuenda: To go

Ninaenda: I am going

Nilienda: I went

Nimeenda: I have gone

Nitaenda: I will go

Nikienda: If I go

Ningeenda: I would go

 

Ku-elew-a: Kuelewa (to understand)

Present Tense

Ni-na-elew-a: Ninaelewa (I understand)

U-na-elew-a: Unaelewa (You understand)

A-na-elew-a: Anaelewa (He/she understands)

Tu-na-elew-a: Tunaelewa (We understand)

M-na-elew-a: Mnaelewa (You all understand)

Wa-na-elew-a: Wanaelewa (They understand)

 

Simple Past Tense

Ni-li-elew-a: Nilielewa (I understood)

U-li-elew-a: Ulielewa (You understood)

A-li-elew-a: Alielewa (He/she understood)

Tu-li-elew-a: Tulielewa (We understood)

M-li-elew-a: Mlielewa (You all understood)

Wa-li-elew-a: Walielewa (They understood)

 

Past Perfect Tense

Ni-me-elew-a: Nimeelewa (I have understood)

U-me-elew-a: Umeelewa (You have understood)

A-me-elew-a: Ameelewa (He/she has understood)

Tu-me-elew-a: Tumeelewa (We have understood)

M-me-elew-a: Mmeelewa (You all have understood)

Wa-me-elew-a: Wameelewa (They have understood)

 

Future Tense

Ni-ta-elew-a: Nitaelewa (I will understand)

U-ta-elew-a: Utaelewa (You will understand)

A-ta-elew-a: Ataelewa (He/she will understand)

Tu-ta-elew-a: Tutaelewa (We will understand)

M-ta-elew-a: Mtaelewa (You all will understand)

Wa-ta-elew-a: Wataelewa (They will understand)