Class 16: A Definite Spot (pa-) — Swahili Grammar

Swahili has three ways of treating a place: as an exact point, as a general area, or as an inside. Class 16 is the exact one. Its mark is pa-, and it turns up on the verb, on the pointing word and on the word for of whenever the speaker means a definite spot, one they could point at.

The Concord

Mahali hapa panachosha. Twende nyumbani.
This place is boring. Let us go home.

is this spot, right here, and the verb after it begins with the matching pa-.

pa- it, the class 16 subject
-na- happening now
be tiring

hapa and Its Relatives

The everyday word here is nothing more exotic than the class 16 pointing word.

- right here, this exact spot
- there, the spot just mentioned
- over there, that spot

Tafadhali usivute sigara hapa.
Please do not smoke here.
Msikae tu hapo. Njooni mcheze nasi.
Do not just sit there. Come and dance with us.

Why the Precision Matters

Choosing pa- tells the listener the place is exact and known to both of you. It is the difference between naming a spot and waving at an area.

Unaweza kumwomba mhudumu afike hapa?
Can you ask the waiter to come here?

The speaker means this table, not the restaurant in general, and is what says so.

A Place as the Subject

Because pa- is a full class prefix, a place can be the subject of a verb. English can only manage that with a filler word like it.

Mahali hapa panachosha.
This place is boring.

Nothing in the English says which place is doing the boring; in Swahili the pa- says it.

pana: There Is, Right Here

The class 16 verb states that something is present at a definite spot. Its looser cousin says only that something is present somewhere about.

Hapana, hakuna tatizo.
No, there is no problem.

no is that same class 16 form with the negative ha- on the front: literally there is not, right here.

Describing a Place

An adjective describing a place takes pa- like everything else in the class, which makes for shapes that look odd at first.

good gives
big gives

Mahali pazuri pa kukaa ni chini ya mti.
A good place to sit is under the tree.

is the ordinary adjective wearing the place prefix, and after it is the class 16 word for of.

Comments

Loading comments…