Present incorporated relatives place class-agreeing relative concord immediately after -na-: a-na-ye-som-a → anayesoma “who is reading/reads,” ki-na-cho-fany-a → kinachofanya “that is working/does.” The same form can describe an event in progress, a regular activity, or a currently valid property; context supplies the precise English aspect.
The fixed order is subject concord + -na- + relative concord + optional object concord + root/extensions + final vowel. English “who/which/that” never changes, but Swahili relative concord follows the class of the head noun.
This page concentrates on present -na-. See the incorporated-relative overview for the strategy map and the relative-concord table for the complete class system.
Present subject-relative paradigm
| Class | Head | Build | Finished opening |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | mfanyakazi | a-na-ye- | anaye- |
| 2 | wafanyakazi | wa-na-o- | wanao- |
| 3 | mti | u-na-o- | unao- |
| 4 | miti | i-na-yo- | inayo- |
| 5 | gari | li-na-lo- | linalo- |
| 6 | maji | ya-na-yo- | yanayo- |
| 7 | kifaa | ki-na-cho- | kinacho- |
| 8 | vifaa | vi-na-vyo- | vinavyo- |
| 9 | barua | i-na-yo- | inayo- |
| 10 | barua | zi-na-zo- | zinazo- |
| 11/14 | ulimi/uzuri | u-na-o- | unao- |
| 15 | kusoma | ku-na-ko- | kunako- |
Mfanyakazi anayepokea wageni anazungumza lugha tatu.
The employee who receives visitors speaks three languages.
Magari yanayotumia umeme yameongezeka mjini mwaka huu.
Cars that use electricity have increased in the city this year.
Barua zinazorudi bila kufunguliwa zitawekwa kwenye faili tofauti.
Letters that return unopened will be placed in a separate file.
Subject and relative concord both point to the head in these examples: class 1 a-na-ye-, class 6 ya-na-yo-, and class 10 zi-na-zo-. They are adjacent agreement relations, not accidental repetition.
The same class 7 head with incorporated and amba-
Use kifaa throughout to see that strategy does not depend on animacy.
Kifaa kinachopima shinikizo kimewekwa karibu na pampu.
The device that measures pressure has been installed near the pump.
Kifaa ambacho kinapima joto kimeunganishwa na kompyuta kuu.
The device that measures temperature has been connected to the main computer.
Incorporated ki-na-cho-pim-a puts class 7 -cho- after present -na-. Analytic ambacho ki-na-pim-a places the same class 7 relative concord on a separate word and leaves an ordinary present verb after it.
Both are neutral in (informal) and (formal) Standard Swahili. The incorporated option is compact; amba- makes the clause boundary visually and audibly explicit.
Present object relatives
When the head is the embedded object, the initial subject concord identifies the actor and relative concord identifies the head. A resumptive object marker can follow the relative marker.
Kifaa ninachokitumia kurekodi sauti hakihitaji betri kubwa.
The device that I use to record sound does not need a large battery.
The build ni-na-cho-ki-tumi-a has first-person subject ni-, present -na-, class 7 relative -cho-, and class 7 object -ki-.
Kifaa ambacho ninakitumia kupima umbali kimeharibika.
The device that I use to measure distance has broken.
Here ambacho carries the relative relation, while ordinary ni-na-ki-tumi-a retains object -ki-. Never combine them as ambacho ninachokitumia for one relative link.
Human object heads normally require the object marker in careful Standard Swahili:
Wagonjwa tunaowahudumia leo wamepangiwa vyumba vya ghorofa ya kwanza.
The patients whom we are treating today have been assigned first-floor rooms.
Tu-na-o-wa-hudumi-a separates subject “we,” class 2 relative -o-, and plural-human object -wa-.
With nonhuman heads, object marking varies with specificity, salience, and verb choice. Forms both with and without a resumptive marker occur, but the relative marker is not optional.
Ongoing, habitual, and property readings
Present -na- is aspectually broad in relative clauses.
Mwanafunzi anayezungumza sasa ndiye mwakilishi wa darasa.
The student who is speaking now is the class representative.
Sasa selects an ongoing reading.
Dereva anayefika mapema kila siku huandaa gari kabla ya safari.
The driver who arrives early every day prepares the vehicle before the journey.
Kila siku selects a recurring present reading.
Tunataka programu inayofanya kazi bila intaneti.
We want a program that works without the internet.
Here class 9 i-na-yo-fany-a describes a stable capability. English may use a participle (“a working program”), but Swahili uses a complete agreeing relative verb.
Negative counterpart and time precision
The simple negative relative replaces -na- with -si- and contains no ordinary TAM marker.
Kifaa kisichohitaji intaneti kinafaa kwa vituo vya mbali.
A device that does not require the internet is suitable for remote stations.
Kifaa ambacho hakihitaji intaneti kinatumia hifadhi ya ndani.
A device that does not require the internet uses internal storage.
The incorporated build is ki-si-cho-hitaji; the amba- alternative has ordinary present negative ha-ki-hitaji. In a current or general context they can describe the same kind of device. When explicit negative past, perfect, or future matters, amba- plus the relevant negative verb is clearer.
When amba- is preferable
Use amba- when a present relative contains long coordination, contrastive focus, a compound predicate, or aspect unavailable in the compact template. It is not more “human” or more “formal” by definition, though its explicit boundary is valuable in dense (formal) prose.
Kifaa ambacho kinapima joto na kutuma matokeo moja kwa moja kinahitaji mtandao thabiti.
The device that measures temperature and sends the results directly needs a stable network.
The incorporated equivalent is possible, but ambacho makes the scope of two coordinated actions easier to process.
Common Mistakes
Reversing -na- and the relative marker
❌ Kifaa kicho-na-pima joto kimewashwa.
Incorrect order and spelling — present precedes relative -cho-.
✅ Kifaa kinachopima joto kimewashwa.
The device that measures temperature has been switched on.
Using class 1 -ye- for a thing
❌ Kifaa kinayefanya kazi kimerejeshwa dukani.
Incorrect — class 7 kifaa selects -cho-.
✅ Kifaa kinachofanya kazi kimerejeshwa dukani.
The device that works has been returned to the shop.
Omitting the marker in an object relative
❌ Kifaa ninakitumia kiko kwenye begi jeusi.
Incorrect for the intended relative clause — object -ki- is not relative concord.
✅ Kifaa ninachokitumia kiko kwenye begi jeusi.
The device that I use is in the black bag.
Doubling the strategies
❌ Kifaa ambacho kinachopima shinikizo ni kipya.
Incorrect — ambacho and incorporated -cho- mark the same relation twice.
✅ Kifaa ambacho kinapima shinikizo ni kipya.
The device that measures pressure is new.
Key Takeaways
- Present relatives place class-specific relative concord after -na-.
- Subject relatives repeat head agreement in subject and relative slots.
- Object relatives separate the actor’s subject marker from the head’s relative and possible object markers.
- Present -na- supports ongoing, recurring, and property readings.
- Negative relatives use -si- without ordinary present TAM; amba- handles explicit or complex aspect clearly.
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Start learning Swahili →Related Topics
- Relative Concord inside the VerbB2 — Build incorporated Swahili relatives in subject–TAM–relative–object–root order and keep each class-agreeing slot tied to its grammatical controller.
- Past Relatives with -li-B2 — Build past incorporated relatives such as aliyekuja and lililofika, maintaining class concord and anchoring completed events inside a narrative.
- Relative Concord: -o Forms by ClassB2 — Use ye, o, yo, lo, cho, vyo, zo, po, ko, and mo inside Swahili verbs to link relative clauses to their head nouns.
- The Complete amba- Relative SeriesB1 — Choose the amba- form that agrees with a relative clause's head noun and keep the following finite verb structurally independent.
- amba- or an Incorporated Relative?B2 — Choose between separate amba- relatives and compact relative concord inside the Swahili verb by TAM, role, clause weight and register.