kwa, na, and katika

01

na: And, With

Between two nouns na means and; before a companion it means with.

• Nina mbwa na paka. Ni marafiki.

  I have a dog and a cat. They are friends.

• Tulikutana na marafiki zetu kwenye baa jioni.

  We met our friends at the bar in the evening.

It is also the -na that expresses possession, which is why I have is literally I am with.

02

na Joins to the Pronouns

With a person, na fuses into a single word, and these forms have to be learned.

• nami - with me
• nawe - with you
• naye - with him, with her
• nasi - with us

• Nimefurahi kukutana nawe.

  I am pleased to meet you.

• Njooni mcheze nasi.

  Come and dance with us.

• Bosi wangu mjinga ana kashfa nami.

  My stupid boss has a grudge against me.

03

kwa: By, With, For, At

kwa is the busiest preposition in the language. It marks the means, the manner, the reason and the destination.

• Niliandika barua hii kwa mkono.

  I wrote this letter by hand.

• Unasemaje "Asante" kwa Kireno?

  How do you say "thank you" in Portuguese?

• Uliwahi treni kwa wakati?

  Were you in time for the train?

A hand, a language and a moment in time are none of them alike, and all three take kwa.

04

kwa in Fixed Phrases

• kwa sababu - because
• kwa ajili ya - for the sake of
• kwa kawaida - usually
• kwa heri - goodbye

• Kwa kawaida sinywi bia nyingi.

  I do not usually drink much beer.

• Tufanye mpango kwa ajili ya wikendi.

  Let us make a plan for the weekend.

• Kwa heri. Muwe na siku njema.

  Goodbye. Have a good day.

05

Telling na and kwa Apart

A companion takes na; an instrument takes kwa. English blurs the two into one word, with.

• Mwanamke yule anatembea na mbwa wake.

  That woman is walking with her dog.

• Anakata mkate kwa kisu.

  He cuts the bread with a knife.

The dog walks too. The knife does not cut on its own.

06

katika: In, At, Within

katika is more explicit than the -ni place ending, and is used where precision matters.

• Nilizaliwa katika kijiji kidogo karibu na mto.

  I was born in a small village near the river.