Grammar

English:Swahili

I ate:nilikulu

I will eat:nitakula

You spoke:ulisema

I:ni

you:u

he/she:a

we:tu

you plural:m

they:wa

past:li

present:na or a

future:ta

perfect:me

negative I:si

negative you:hu

negative he/she:ha

negative we:hatu

negative you (pl):ham

negative they:hawa

past tense:ku

present tense:-i (no extra word; final vowel changes from a to i)

future tense:ta

perfect tense:ja

I didn't eat:sikukula

I don't eat:sikuli

I eat fish.:ninakula samaki

I/me:mimi

you:wewe

he/him/she/her:yeye

we/us:sisi

you (plural):nyinyi

they/them:wao

this person:huyu

that person:yule

these persons:hawa

those persons:wale

this (thing):hii

that (thing):ile

these (things):hizi

those (things):zile

To be something:ni

not to be something:si

He is rich:yeye ni tajiri

He is not rich:yeye si tajiri

To be in or at a place:ko

I am not in Kenya:siko kenya

He is in Kenya:yuko kenya

He is not in Kenya:hayuko Kenya

And/with:na

I have a coat: nina koti

She has a coat: ana koti

I don't have a coat: sina koti

child:mtoto  

children:watoto

house:nyumba

houses:nyumba

tree:mti

trees:miti

thing:kitu

things:vitu

eye:jicho

eyes:macho

goodness:mzuri

there (different kinds of space):kule pale 

my/mine:yangu

your/yours:yako

his/her/hers:yake

our/ours:yetu

your/yours (pl):yenu

their/theirs:yao

my clothes:nguo yangu

a big house:nyumba kubwa

good or nice:mzuri

bad:mbaya

big:mkubwa

small:mdogo

tall/long:mrefu

short:mfupi

many:nyingi

few:chache

cheap:rahisi

expensive:ghali

and/with:na

to/by:kwa

of(people):wa/wa

of(things):ya/za

but:lakini

or:au

that:kwamba

although:ingawa

except:ila

therefore:kwa hivyo

because:kwa sababu

because/that is:manake

like/if:kama

who:nani

what:nini

which/what/what kind:gani

why:kwa nini

when (what time):saa ngapi

when (what day):siku gani

how:vipi or namna gani

where:wapi

how many:ngapi

What is this?:hii ni nini?