kujifunza — to Learn | Swahili Grammar

Kujifunza means “learn,” “acquire a skill,” or “find out through experience.” Its subject is the learner. The element -ji- looks like the reflexive marker “self,” but it is lexicalized in this everyday verb: a pupil learning from a teacher still anajifunza, not merely when teaching himself or herself.

That fixed -ji- is grammatically important. It stays immediately before funz-a in every form—ninajifunza, nilijifunza, sijifunzi, nijifunze—and an ordinary object marker is not inserted alongside it. Topics, skills, sources, and methods are instead expressed by following phrases.

Practical paradigm

Form	I	you (sg.)	he/she	we	you (pl.)	they
present	ninajifunza	unajifunza	anajifunza	tunajifunza	mnajifunza	wanajifunza
past	nilijifunza	ulijifunza	alijifunza	tulijifunza	mlijifunza	walijifunza
perfect	nimejifunza	umejifunza	amejifunza	tumejifunza	mmejifunza	wamejifunza
future	nitajifunza	utajifunza	atajifunza	tutajifunza	mtajifunza	watajifunza
present negative	sijifunzi	hujifunzi	hajifunzi	hatujifunzi	hamjifunzi	hawajifunzi
past negative	sikujifunza	hukujifunza	hakujifunza	hatukujifunza	hamkujifunza	hawakujifunza
subjunctive	nijifunze	ujifunze	ajifunze	tujifunze	mjifunze	wajifunze

The singular imperative is jifunza! and the plural is jifunzeni! Useful inclusive forms include tujifunze “let us learn” and tusijifunze “let us not learn.” Unless otherwise labelled, these uses are neutral in both (informal) and (formal) Standard Swahili.

Ninajifunza Kiswahili ili niweze kuzungumza na familia ya mwenyeji wangu.

I am learning Swahili so that I can speak with my host family.

Hajifunzi haraka kwa kukariri; anaelewa zaidi anapofanya mazoezi.

She does not learn quickly by memorizing; she understands more when she practices.

Tujifunze kutumia kifaa hiki kabla hatujaanza kazi.

Let's learn to use this device before we start work.

The positive present segments ni-na-ji-funz-a. Present negative removes -na- and changes final -a to -i: ha-ji-funz-i. Subjunctive changes the final vowel to -e: tu-ji-funz-e.

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Never strip ji- off this verb. In current Standard Swahili, learn the vocabulary item as jifunza, while still recognizing that its fixed ji- occupies the position associated with reflexive marking.

Learning a topic

A language, school subject, technique, or body of information can follow jifunza directly. Unlike a specific human object with many transitive verbs, that topic is not copied by a noun-class object marker, because fixed -ji- is already part of the verb.

Watoto wanajifunza sayansi kwa kufanya majaribio rahisi nyumbani.

The children are learning science by doing simple experiments at home.

Mwaka huu tutajifunza historia ya pwani na biashara ya Bahari ya Hindi.

This year we will learn the history of the coast and Indian Ocean trade.

For a broader area being investigated rather than mastered as a curriculum item, kuhusu means “about.”

Tumejifunza mengi kuhusu afya ya akili katika warsha ya leo.

We have learned a great deal about mental health in today's workshop.

Mengi is the class 6 quantity agreeing with understood mambo or information. The perfect tumejifunza presents knowledge gained by the time of speaking.

There is no tidy English preposition to copy in every case. Use the direct topic for the thing studied—kujifunza Kiswahili—and kuhusu for information about a theme—kujifunza kuhusu mazingira.

Learning to do something

A learned skill appears as a full ku- infinitive after jifunza. Both verbs retain their infinitive-related morphology: the finite first verb carries tense and agreement, while the second names the skill.

Amina alijifunza kuendesha baiskeli kwenye uwanja wa shule.

Amina learned to ride a bicycle in the school yard.

Nitajifunza kupika wali wa nazi nikimtembelea shangazi yangu.

I will learn to cook coconut rice when I visit my aunt.

Je, umejifunza kutuma ankara kupitia mfumo mpya?

Have you learned to send invoices through the new system?

The second verb has no overt subject marker because its learner is understood from the subject of jifunza. English likewise uses “to ride” or “to cook,” but its infinitival to does not form one written word with the verb as Swahili ku- does.

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After jifunza, write the skill as an intact infinitive: kujifunza kuandika, kuogelea, or kuendesha. Do not attach the two verbs into one word and do not drop the second ku-.

Sources and methods

Use kutoka kwa + person/institution to name a source from whom knowledge is received. Use kutokana na + experience, event, or evidence when the lesson arises from something. These phrases make distinctions that bare English “from” leaves to context.

Nilijifunza kutengeneza mikeka kutoka kwa bibi yangu wakati wa likizo.

I learned to make mats from my grandmother during the holidays.

Kampuni imejifunza kutokana na makosa ya mradi uliopita.

The company has learned from the mistakes of the previous project.

With a method, kwa + verbal infinitive means “by doing”:

Unajifunza matamshi vizuri kwa kusikiliza na kurudia sentensi fupi.

You learn pronunciation well by listening to and repeating short sentences.

Kwa kusikiliza names the learning method; kutoka kwa mwalimu would name the human source. Kupitia “through” can introduce a channel, as in kujifunza kupitia redio “learn through radio.” That is common in neutral and (formal) descriptions of educational delivery.

Kujifunza, kusoma, and kujua

These three verbs overlap but do not name the same stage:

Verb	Core viewpoint	Typical example
kujifunza	acquiring knowledge or a skill	anajifunza Kifaransa
kusoma	reading, studying, or attending a course	anasoma Kifaransa chuoni
kujua	possessing knowledge or knowing how	anajua Kifaransa

Ninasoma Kifaransa jioni, lakini bado ninajifunza kutamka sauti fulani.

I study French in the evening, but I am still learning to pronounce certain sounds.

Ninasoma describes the organized study activity; ninajifunza focuses on the developing ability. Once that ability is possessed, ninajua becomes possible:

Baada ya kufanya mazoezi kwa miezi sita, sasa anajua kuendesha gari mjini.

After practicing for six months, she now knows how to drive in town.

The boundary is semantic rather than a strict completion test. A proficient speaker may still say ninajifunza Kiswahili to emphasize continued development. In (informal) conversation, unasoma nini? may ask what course or subject someone studies, not what text is physically being read.

The relationship with fundisha

Fundisha reverses the viewpoint by making the teacher the subject and the learner an object.

Mkufunzi anatufundisha huduma ya kwanza, nasi tunajifunza kukabiliana na dharura.

The instructor is teaching us first aid, and we are learning to handle emergencies.

A-na-tu-fundish-a places the instructor as subject and “us” as object. Tu-na-ji-funz-a then makes those same people the learners and subjects. See the full guide to kufundisha.

This opposition also explains why nifundishe means “teach me,” whereas nijifunze means “let me learn” or “so that I may learn.” The apparent similarity hides different subject-object structures.

Register and established uses

Everyday (informal) speech freely uses jifunze! as advice or correction: “learn!” In instructions, (formal) prose often uses kujifunza kutokana na uzoefu “learn from experience,” kujifunza kwa vitendo “learn practically/by doing,” and kujifunza maisha yote “lifelong learning.” These are register preferences, not different conjugations.

Ni lazima tujifunze kutokana na maoni ya wateja badala ya kuyapuuza.

We must learn from customers' feedback instead of ignoring it.

The construction ni lazima + subjunctive is neutral to (formal) here; tu-ji-funz-e keeps lexicalized -ji-.

Common Mistakes

Omitting lexicalized ji-

❌ Ninafunza Kiswahili kupitia mazungumzo ya kila siku.

Incorrect for ‘I am learning’ — the verb is jifunza with fixed ji-.

✅ Ninajifunza Kiswahili kupitia mazungumzo ya kila siku na majirani.

I am learning Swahili through daily conversations with the neighbors.

Using learn when the intended meaning is teach me

❌ Nijifunze kutumia mashine hii, tafadhali.

Incorrect for ‘teach me’ — nijifunze makes the speaker the learning subject, not the teacher's object.

✅ Nifundishe kutumia mashine hii bila kuharibu mipangilio, tafadhali.

Please teach me to use this machine without changing the settings.

Dropping ku- from a learned skill

❌ Mtoto anajifunza funga vifungo vya shati lake.

Incorrect — the learned action must be a full infinitive.

✅ Mtoto anajifunza kufunga vifungo vya shati lake mwenyewe.

The child is learning to fasten the buttons of her shirt by herself.

Keeping final -a in present negation

❌ Hajifunza kutokana na makosa yake ya awali.

Incorrect for present negative — this form looks positive/past-like; use hajifunzi.

✅ Hajifunzi kutokana na makosa yake ya awali, hivyo anayarudia mara kwa mara.

He does not learn from his earlier mistakes, so he repeats them frequently.

Key Takeaways

Jifunza makes the learner its subject and keeps lexicalized -ji- in every form.
A topic can follow directly; use kuhusu for learning about a broad theme.
A learned skill is a full ku- infinitive; sources take kutoka kwa or kutokana na according to meaning.
Kusoma emphasizes studying, kujifunza acquisition, and kujua possessed knowledge.
Imperatives are jifunza/jifunzeni; present negatives are sijifunzi, hajifunzi, and related forms.

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