Kalamu yangu iko hapo mezani.

My pen is there on the table.

Breakdown of Kalamu yangu iko hapo mezani.

• kuwa: to be
• kwenye: at
• yangu: my
• meza: the table
• kalamu: the pen
• hapo: there

Questions & Answers about Kalamu yangu iko hapo mezani.

Why does the sentence use iko instead of the copula ni?

In Swahili you don’t use the general verb ni (“to be”) for location. Instead you use one of the locative verbs -po, -ko or -mo plus the correct subject prefix. Here:

• -ko expresses existence or location at a place
• kalamu (pen) belongs to noun class 9, whose prefix is i-
• so i- + -ko → iko (“it is located”)

If you said ni, you’d get a definition or equation, not a location.

What does yangu mean, and why does it come after kalamu?

yangu is the possessive pronoun “my.” In Swahili:

1. Possessives follow the noun they modify.
2. Their form depends on the noun class.

Because kalamu is class 9, its “my” form is yangu, so you say kalamu yangu (“my pen”), never yangu kalamu.

Why is hapo included, and can it be omitted?

hapo means “there” (at a place a bit removed from speaker). It adds a deictic sense—“over there.”
• With hapo: “My pen is over there on the table.”
• Without it (just iko mezani): “My pen is on the table.”

You can omit hapo if you don’t need the extra “there” emphasis.

What does the suffix -ni in mezani do? Why isn’t there a separate word for “on”?

Swahili marks location directly on the noun with -ni, covering “in/at/on.”
• meza = table
• meza + ni → mezani = on/at the table

No separate preposition is needed: the locative suffix carries that meaning.

Why is the order noun + possessive used, and not the other way around as in English?

Swahili grammar mandates that possessive pronouns always follow the noun.
• English: my pen
• Swahili: kalamu yangu

Reversing them (yangu kalamu) would be ungrammatical.

What noun class is kalamu, and how does it affect iko?

kalamu is in noun class 9 (mostly inanimate objects with the prefix n- or none). The locative verb uses the class 9 subject prefix i-, so:

• Subject prefix: i-
• Locative root: -ko
→ iko

If kalamu were in another class, you’d use a different prefix (e.g. class 1 uses y- → yuko).

How would I say “My pens are there on the table”?

“Pen” in plural stays kalamu (class 10), but the agreement changes:

• Plural possessive (class 10): zangu
• Locative prefix (class 10): zi-

So: Kalamu zangu ziko hapo mezani.
“My pens are there on the table.”

Can I use yuko instead of iko here?

No. yuko = y- + -uko is reserved for class 1 nouns (people, animals). Since kalamu is class 9, you must use iko (class 9 prefix i- + -ko).

How do I ask “Where is my pen?” using iko?

Use the question word wapi (“where”) in place of hapo:

Kalamu yangu iko wapi?
Literally: “My pen is located where?”

What’s the difference between hapo and hapa?

• hapa = “here” (close to speaker)
• hapo = “there” (a bit farther or out of immediate reach)

So you could also say Kalamu yangu iko hapa mezani for “My pen is here on the table.”