Class 11: Abstract Ideas and Long Thin Things (u-)

01

Qualities and States

These are the nouns English builds with endings like -ness or -hood. Swahili builds them with u-, usually on an adjective or another noun.

• umri - age
• uhuru - freedom
• ugonjwa - illness
• usumbufu - trouble, disturbance

• Wazazi wangu wana umri mmoja.

  My parents are the same age.

• Nisamehe sana kwa usumbufu.

  I am very sorry for the trouble.

02

Long Thin Things

The other half of the class is physical: things whose shape runs in one direction.

• wimbo - song
• uwanja - field
• ufunguo - key
• ukuta - wall

• Sijui wimbo wowote wa bendi hiyo.

  I do not know any song by that band.

• Picha nzuri imetundikwa ukutani.

  A lovely picture has been hung on the wall.

03

The Verb Prefix Is u-

As in classes 2, 7 and 8, the prefix on the noun and the prefix on the verb are the same.

• Wimbo huu unapendeza.

  This song is lovely.

• u- it, the class 11 subject
• -na- happening now
• pendeza be pleasing

The word for of is wa and the possessives take w-: wangu, wako, wake.

04

The Plural, Where There Is One

An abstract noun of this class has no plural — there are no two freedoms and no two ages. The concrete ones form theirs in class 10, dropping the u- as they go.

• wimbo song becomes nyimbo songs
• ufunguo key becomes funguo keys

• Nazijua nyimbo zao zote.

  I know all their songs.

The singular takes wa and u-; the plural takes zao and zi-, because it has moved into another class.

05

Pointing at a Class 11 Noun

• huu - this
• huo - that, the one just mentioned
• ule - that one over there

• Mke wangu anasikiliza wimbo aupendao zaidi.

  My wife is listening to her favourite song.

Inside aupendao sits -u-, the class 11 object marker, standing for the song.

06

Building Abstract Nouns

The u- prefix is productive. Put it on an adjective and you get the quality itself, which turns words you already know into new ones.

• -zuri good gives uzuri beauty
• -refu long gives urefu length
• rafiki friend gives urafiki friendship