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Questions & Answers about Mimi nina jiwe jeupe.
Do I really need Mimi, or can I just say Nina jiwe jeupe?
You can drop Mimi. Nina jiwe jeupe is the normal, neutral way to say it. Keeping Mimi adds emphasis or contrast (roughly “As for me, I have a white stone”).
What exactly is nina? Is it one word or ni + na?
It’s a single conjugated verb meaning “I have.” Morphology: ni- (1st-person singular subject prefix) + -na (present/habitual). Other persons:
- una (you sg. have)
- ana (he/she has)
- tuna (we have)
- mna (you pl. have)
- wana (they have)
How do I negate it?
Use the special negative forms:
- Present: sina (I don’t have), huna, hana, hatuna, hamna, hawana. Example: Sina jiwe jeupe.
- Past: sikuwa na jiwe jeupe (I didn’t have…).
- Future: sitakuwa na jiwe jeupe (I will not have…).
Why is it jeupe and not nyeupe or just eupe?
Adjectives agree with noun class. Jiwe is class 5 (ji-/ma-). The color stem is -eupe (“white”). In class 5 singular it takes j-, giving jeupe. Nyeupe is for class 9/10 nouns (e.g., nguo nyeupe “white clothes”). Plain eupe can’t stand alone.
What’s the plural of jiwe jeupe?
Mawe meupe. The noun jiwe (stone, class 5) pluralizes to mawe (class 6), and -eupe takes the class 6 agreement m- → meupe.
Where do adjectives go in Swahili?
They follow the noun: jiwe jeupe, not the other way around. With a number, a natural order is: jiwe jeupe moja (“one white stone”).
How do I say “one white stone”?
Add moja: Nina jiwe jeupe moja. In class 5 singular, -moja does not take an additional class prefix.
How do I say “the white stone”?
Swahili lacks articles, so use a demonstrative for specificity:
- jiwe hili jeupe (“this white stone”) or jiwe lile jeupe (“that white stone”). You may also hear jiwe jeupe hili/lile; both orders occur, with slight differences in emphasis.
How do I pronounce the words?
- Mimi [mí.mi] (penultimate stress throughout Swahili)
- nina [ní.na]
- jiwe [jí.we] (j as in “jam”)
- jeupe [je.ú.pe] (three syllables: je-u-pe; clear vowels; stress on the “u”)
Is niko na jiwe jeupe acceptable?
It’s common and natural in Kenyan colloquial Swahili. In neutral/standard style, prefer nina jiwe jeupe.
Can I put the pronoun at the end for emphasis, like Nina jiwe jeupe, mimi?
Yes, speakers sometimes add mimi after the clause for afterthought emphasis or contrast. It doesn’t change the grammar of the verb.
How do I say “I had…” or “I will have…”?
- Past: Nilikuwa na jiwe jeupe (“I had a white stone.”)
- Future: Nitakuwa na jiwe jeupe (“I will have a white stone.”) If the noun is omitted (because it’s understood), you can use the object concord with na: Nilikuwa nalo (“I had it,” class-5 object).
Should I ever say ninalo jiwe jeupe?
No. Use plain nina when you state the noun: Nina jiwe jeupe. Forms like ninalo (“I have it,” class 5) are used when the object is not repeated: Q: Una jiwe jeupe? A: Ndiyo, ninalo.
Does jiwe’s noun class affect other adjectives too?
Yes. Adjectives must agree. For example:
- jiwe jeusi (“a black stone,” class 5 → jeusi from -eusi)
- mawe meusi (“black stones,” class 6 → meusi)
Why does -eupe sometimes get a j- and other adjectives don’t?
Class-5 agreement often shows up as j- when the adjective stem starts with a vowel (e.g., -eupe → jeupe, -ekundu → jekundu). With consonant-initial adjectives like -zuri, class 5 appears as zero: jiwe zuri (“a good stone”).
How do I say “only a white stone” or “a very white stone”?
- “Only”: Nina jiwe jeupe tu.
- “Very”: Nina jiwe jeupe sana.
Is jiwe masculine or feminine?
Swahili doesn’t have grammatical gender. It has noun classes. Jiwe is class 5 (singular), with plural in class 6 (mawe). Adjectives, demonstratives, and some pronouns agree with those classes.