……
Breakdown of Nitakusomea muhtasari huo baadaye.
mimi
I
wewe
you
baadaye
later
huo
that
muhtasari
the summary
kusomea
to read to
Questions & Answers about Nitakusomea muhtasari huo baadaye.
What does each part of the verb form Nitakusomea mean?
It’s a stack of small pieces glued together:
- ni- = I (subject marker, 1st person singular)
- -ta- = future tense marker (will)
- -ku- = you (object marker, 2nd person singular)
- som- = read/study (verb root)
- -e- = applicative/benefactive extension (adds “for/to/at” sense)
- -a = final vowel (default verb ending)
So: ni-ta-ku-som-e-a ≈ “I will read to/for you …”
Why is there a ku inside the verb? Isn’t ku- also the infinitive marker?
Good catch—Swahili has two different ku-:
- Before a verb at the start (e.g., kusoma) it’s the infinitive “to read.”
- Inside a conjugated verb, after the tense and before the root (as in -ta-ku-som-), it’s the object marker meaning “you (singular).”
Here it’s the object marker “you,” not the infinitive.
What does the ending -ea do in kusomea?
It’s the applicative (also called benefactive/locative) extension. It adds a sense like “for, to, at” and allows you to include an extra object such as a beneficiary or a location.
- kusoma = to read
- kusomea = to read to/for someone, or to read/study at a place Examples:
- Nisomee. = Read to/for me.
- Anasomea chuo kikuu. = He studies at the university.
Why does the sentence have both “you” and “that summary”? Are there two objects?
Yes. The applicative lets the verb take:
- a direct object: muhtasari (summary), and
- an applied/beneficiary object: you, shown by the object marker -ku-. So it’s “I will read that summary to you.”
Could I drop the -ku- and still be correct?
- Nitasomea muhtasari huo baadaye is grammatical, but then the beneficiary is not explicitly “you.” It could mean “I’ll read that summary somewhere/for someone (unspecified) later,” or “I’ll study that summary at a place,” depending on context.
- If you want to keep “you,” use -ku- or add an explicit pronoun for emphasis: Nitakusomea muhtasari huo baadaye (wewe).
Is the “you” singular or plural here?
With -ku- it’s singular. For plural “you,” use -wa-:
- Nitawasomea muhtasari huo baadaye. = I will read that summary to you all (or to them, from context). You can add ninyi to make “you all” explicit: Nitawasomea ninyi muhtasari huo baadaye.
What noun class is muhtasari, and is huo the right demonstrative for it?
Muhtasari is class 3 (m-/mi-), with the likely plural mihtasari (class 4). The demonstrative set for class 3 includes:
- huu = this
- huo = that (near you/just mentioned)
- ule = that (over there/farther) So muhtasari huo = that summary (near you/previously mentioned).
Could I say ule muhtasari instead of muhtasari huo? What’s the difference between huo and ule?
- huo often points to something near the listener or already in the discourse.
- ule points to something farther away or more remote. Both are “that,” but ule feels more distant. Use the one that matches the context you intend.
Does the demonstrative have to come after the noun? What about huo muhtasari?
Default, neutral order is noun + demonstrative: muhtasari huo. Preposing the demonstrative (huo muhtasari) is possible and adds emphasis/contrast on the demonstrative: “that summary (as opposed to another).”
Where can baadaye go in the sentence?
It’s flexible. Common options:
- End: Nitakusomea muhtasari huo baadaye.
- Beginning: Baadaye nitakusomea muhtasari huo.
- Mid, after the verb: Nitakusomea baadaye muhtasari huo. (less common; end or beginning tends to flow better)
How do I negate this sentence?
Use the negative future sita-:
- Sitakusomea muhtasari huo baadaye. = I will not read that summary to you later.
How would I change the subject to “he/she”?
Use the 3rd-person subject marker a-:
- Atakusomea muhtasari huo baadaye. = He/She will read that summary to you later.
Could I also mark the summary with an object marker, like “it,” inside the verb?
In standard Swahili you generally use only one object marker per verb. Since you’re already using -ku- (“you”), you would not also add the class 3 object marker -u- for “summary.” If you wanted to pronominalize the summary instead, you’d drop the noun phrase and use -u-, but then you couldn’t also keep -ku-.
Does kusoma always mean “read”? I’ve also seen it mean “study.”
Yes, kusoma covers both “read” and “study.” With -ea, it commonly means “study at (a place)” or “read to/for (someone).”
- Anasoma = He reads / He studies.
- Anasomea Nairobi = He studies in Nairobi.
- Ananisomea = He reads to/for me.
How do I pronounce the tricky bits like Nitakusomea and baadaye?
- Nitakusomea: ni-ta-ku-so-ME-a (stress on the penultimate syllable “me”).
- baadaye: baa-DA-ye. Keep the long “aa” (don’t shorten it to “badaye”), and stress “da.”
More from this lesson
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Swahili grammar?”
Swahili grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning SwahiliMaster Swahili — from Nitakusomea muhtasari huo baadaye to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions