Class 4: The Plural of Class 3 (mi-)

01

Making the Plural

Swap the m- or mw- of class 3 for mi-.

• mti tree becomes miti trees
• mlango door becomes milango doors
• mkono hand becomes mikono hands
• mzigo load becomes mizigo loads
• mwaka year becomes miaka years

• Sijakuona kwa miaka tisa!

  I have not seen you for nine years!

02

Adjectives Take mi- Too

The adjective repeats the noun's prefix exactly, so class 4 phrases visibly rhyme.

• Ala! Mizigo yako ni mizito.

  Oh! Your bags are heavy.

• Misimu mingine ni kiangazi, vuli na kipupwe.

  The other seasons are summer, autumn and winter.

mizigo mizito, misimu mingine: noun and adjective carry the same syllable.

03

The Verb Prefix Is i-

A class 4 verb begins with i-. English puts its plural on the verb here too, but Swahili shows it in this one prefix and nowhere else.

• Miti hii inakua haraka.

  These trees grow fast.

• i- they, the class 4 subject
• -na- happening now
• kua grow

04

The Linking Word Is ya

For of, class 4 uses ya, and the possessives take y-: yangu my, yako your, yake his, her.

• Ulete mizigo yako.

  Bring your bags.

• Mikono yangu inauma.

  My hands hurt.

05

Body Parts in Sets

Parts of the body that come in pairs or groups sit in classes 3 and 4, so the plural of a hand, a leg or a finger is a class 4 word.

• Nilivunjika mkono nikicheza kandanda.

  I broke my arm playing football.

One arm is mkono and belongs to class 3; two are mikono and belong to class 4.

06

Pointing at a Class 4 Noun

• hii - these
• hiyo - those, the ones just mentioned
• ile - those over there

• Miti hii inakua haraka.

  These trees grow fast.

07

The Object Marker Is -i-

• Unaijua mikahawa mizuri?

  Do you know any good cafés?

The -i- between una- and jua points at the cafés before they are even named. Swahili often marks the object twice like this, once inside the verb and once outside it.