Lesson 48:
Tenses
Tenses [nyakati]
There are five major tenses in Swahili:
Present [wakati uliopo]
Present Perfect [wakati uliopo hali timilifu]
Past [wakati uliopita]
Future [wakati ujao]
Habitual [wakati wa mazoea]
A). Present [wakati uliopo]
The present tense uses -NA-
Sentensi:
1. Mimi ninasoma Kiswahili. [I am studying/reading Kiswahili.]
2. Sisi tunasoma Kiswahili. [We are studying/reading Kiswahili.]
B). Present Perfect [wakati uliopo hali timilifu]
The present perfect tense uses -ME-
Sentensi:
1. Mimi nimesoma Kiswahili. [I have read/studied Kiswahili.]
2. Sisi tumesoma Kiswahili. [We have read/studied Kiswahili.]
C). Past [wakati uliopita]
The past tense uses -LI-
Sentensi:
1. Mimi nilisoma Kiswahili. [I read/studied Kiswahili.]
2. Sisi tulisoma Kiswahili. [We read/ studied Kiswahili.]
D). Future [wakati ujao]
The future tense uses -TA-
Sentensi:
1. Mimi nitasoma Kiswahili. [I will read/study Kiswahili.]
2. Sisi tutasoma Kiswahili. [We will read/study Kiswahili.]
E). Habitual [wakati wa mazoea]
The habitual tense uses HU-
If your intention is to express an idea that happens on a regular basis,
use the habitual tense which is represented by the HU- prefix on the verb.
Sentensi:
1. Mimi huoga kila asubuhi.
[I shower every morning.]
2. Mimi hupiga mswaki kila asubuhi.
[I brush my teeth every morning.]
3. Mimi hula kiamsha kinywa.
[I eat breakfast.]
4. Mimi huenda darasani saa tatu asubuhi.
[I go to class at 9am.]
5. Mimi hula chakula cha mchana saa sita mchana.
[I eat lunch at noon.]
6. Mimi huenda nyumbani saa kumi jioni.
[I go home at 4pm.]
7. Mimi hucheza jioni.
[I play in the evening.]
8. Mimi hula chakula cha jioni saa moja usiku.
[I eat dinner at 7pm.]
9. Mimi husoma saa tatu na nusu usiku.
[I study at 7:30pm.]
10. Mimi hulala saa nne usiku.
[I go to sleep at 10pm.]
11. Wanafunzi husoma Kiswahili kila siku.
[Students read/study Kiswahili every day.]
12. Yeye huzungumza sana.
[He/She talks a lot.]
13. Mwalimu hufundisha saa tatu asubuhi.
[The teacher teaches at 9am.]
F). Conditional [ wakati tegemezi; ‐NGE‐ na ‐NGALI‐]
In Kiswahili, conditional tenses are represented by -NGE- and
–NGALI-
‐NGE‐ is a prefix that is used in verbs to express a condition that can
still be realized.
‐NGE‐ expressions have two parts:
the condition
the consequence
Mfano:
the condition: U‐nge‐wa‐ona, [If you were to see them,]
the consequence: u‐nge‐wa‐penda. [you would like them.]
Sentensi:
1. Tungewakuta wangekula maembe.
[If we were to find them, they would eat mangoes.]
2. Ningekaa Florida ningekula machungwa.
[If I were to live in Florida, I would eat oranges.]
3. Ningeishi Chicago ningeona theluji.
[If I were to live in Chicago, I would see snow.]
4. Ningesoma Kiswahili ningeenda Kenya.
[If I were to study Kiswahili, I would go to Kenya.]
5. Ungeona televisheni ungelala mapema.
[If you were to watch television, you would go to sleep early.]
6. Ningecheza ningechoka.
[If I were to play, I would be tired.]
7. Ningeishi Kentucky ningekula Kentucky Fried Chicken.
[If I were to live in Kentucky, I would eat Kentucky Fried Chicken.]
The Regret Marker ‐NGALI‐
‐NGALI‐ is a prefix that is used in verbs to express a condition that
can no longer be realized (too late).
‐NGALI‐ expressions have two parts:
the event or act no longer possible
the result too late to come true
Mfano:
event no longer possible: U‐ngali‐wa‐ona [If you had seen them,]
result too late to come true: u‐ngali‐wa‐penda. [you would have liked them.]
Sentensi:
1. Tungaliwakuta wangalikula maembe.
[If we had found them, they would have eaten mangoes.]
2. Ningalikaa Florida ningalikula machungwa.
[If I had lived in Florida, I would have eaten oranges.]
3. Ningaliishi Chicago ningaliona theluji.
[If I had lived in Chicago, I would have seen snow.]
4. Ningalisoma Kiswahili ningalienda Kenya.
[If I had studied Kiswahili, I would have gone to Kenya.]
5. Ungaliona televisheni ungalilala mapema.
[If you had watched television, you would have gone to sleep early.]
6. Ningalicheza ningalichoka.
[If I had played/danced, I would have been tired.]
7. Ningaliishi Kentucky ningalikula Kentucky Fried Chicken.
[If I had lived in Kentucky, I would have eaten Kentucky Fried Chicken.]
Zingatia [Note]
Both -NGE- and -NGALI- forms are used interchangeably for both the
events/acts that can still be realized and those that are no longer possible,
and although -NGE- is ‘supposed’ to be used in the present and -NGALI-
in the past, the line between the two is blurred and both can still be used
interchangeably.
