Learn Hardcore Swahili: Ng’ombe wanakunywa maji kwenye mfereji.

Singular: a cow / an ox
- Ng’ombe anakunywa maji. = A cow is drinking water.
Plural: cows / cattle
- Ng’ombe wanakunywa maji. = Cows are drinking water.

The noun itself does not change form. You see singular vs. plural from:

The verb prefix (a- for one, wa- for many), and/or
Other words like numbers or demonstratives: ng’ombe mmoja (one cow), ng’ombe wawili (two cows).

How do you pronounce Ng’ombe, and what does the apostrophe mean?

Ng’ombe is pronounced approximately like ng-gom-beh:

The ng’ at the beginning is like the ng in finger (you can hear the g), not like singer.
Phonetically it’s [ŋgombe].

In Swahili spelling:

ng (without an apostrophe) is usually [ŋ], like the ng in singer.
- Example: ngoma (drum) = [ŋoma]
ng’ (with an apostrophe) is [ŋg], like the ng in finger.
- Example: ng’ombe (cow) = [ŋgombe]

So the apostrophe tells you the “g” sound is pronounced.

Why is it wanakunywa and not anakunywa?

The difference is the subject prefix on the verb:

a- = he / she / it (or one animal)
wa- = they (or several people/animals)

So:

Ng’ombe anakunywa maji.
= One cow is drinking water.
Ng’ombe wanakunywa maji.
= The cows are drinking water.

Because we are talking about more than one cow, the verb takes wa- and becomes wanakunywa.

What are the parts of the verb form wanakunywa?

You can split wanakunywa into three parts:

wa- = subject prefix for they (plural animate subject, here: cows)
-na- = present tense marker (roughly is/are … -ing)
kunywa = verb stem to drink (this verb keeps the ku-)

So:

wa- + -na- + kunywa → wanakunywa
they + present + drink → they are drinking

Does wanakunywa mean “drink” or “are drinking”?

It can correspond to both in English, depending on context.

Literally, -na- is a present tense / present progressive marker, so “are drinking” is a good first approximation.
But Swahili often uses -na- for general present too, where English might just use “drink”.

So Ng’ombe wanakunywa maji can be translated as:

The cows are drinking water. (right now)
Cows drink water. (general fact)

Context decides which English form is more natural.

What is the infinitive of this verb, and how do I say “to drink” or “I drink”?

The infinitive is kunywa = to drink.

Some useful forms:

kunywa = to drink
ninakunywa = I am drinking / I drink
unakunywa = you are drinking / you drink
anakunywa = he / she / it is drinking / drinks
wanakunywa = they are drinking / they drink

Note: Most Swahili verbs drop the ku- in the present tense (e.g. kuandika → ninaandika),
but kunywa keeps its ku-: ninakunywa, wanakunywa.

Is maji singular or plural? Why doesn’t it change form?

Maji behaves like a mass noun (like water in English):

It refers to water in general and doesn’t change form for singular/plural.
Grammatically, it belongs to a noun class that often looks “plural” (the ma- class), but for maji there is no everyday singular form; you just use maji for water of any amount.

Examples:

Nataka maji. = I want (some) water.
Maji mengi. = a lot of water.
Glasi ya maji. = a glass of water.

So you never say something like *ji for “a water”; you always use maji.

Where is “the” in this sentence? How do you say “the cows / the water / the canal” in Swahili?

Swahili does not have articles like “a” or “the”.

That means Ng’ombe wanakunywa maji kwenye mfereji can mean, depending on context:

Cows are drinking water in a canal.
The cows are drinking water in the canal.
The cows are drinking the water in a canal.

If you need to be more specific, you add other words, not articles:

hawa ng’ombe = these cows
wale ng’ombe = those cows
maji haya = this water
ule mfereji = that canal

But there is no separate word that directly corresponds to English “the.”

What does kwenye mean exactly, and how is it different from katika?

Kwenye is a preposition that usually means in / at / on (a place).

kwenye mfereji = in the canal / at the canal

About kwenye vs. katika:

Both can often be translated as in / at:
- kwenye mfereji ≈ katika mfereji.
Kwenye is very common in everyday speech and tends to sound more informal / neutral.
Katika is sometimes a bit more formal or written, and is also used for more abstract locations (e.g. katika maisha = in life, katika biashara = in business).

In this sentence, kwenye mfereji is natural and idiomatic; katika mfereji would also be grammatically fine.

What does mfereji mean, and how do you make it plural?

Mfereji is a noun that usually means:

a ditch / trench / furrow / channel for water, or
a water tap (like a faucet) in many contexts.

In this sentence, it most likely means something like a water channel / ditch / trough.

It belongs to the m-/mi- noun class:

Singular: mfereji = a canal / ditch / tap
Plural: mifereji = canals / ditches / taps

Example:

Mfereji mmoja = one canal
Mifereji miwili = two canals

Can I change the word order, for example say Ng’ombe wanakunywa kwenye mfereji maji?

Swahili prefers the order:

Subject – Verb – Object – (Place / Time)

So the natural order here is:

Ng’ombe (subject)
wanakunywa (verb)
maji (object)
kwenye mfereji (place)

You can move the place phrase for emphasis, but you usually keep the object close to the verb. For example:

Kwenye mfereji, ng’ombe wanakunywa maji.
(In the canal, the cows are drinking water.) – emphasizes the location.

But Ng’ombe wanakunywa kwenye mfereji maji sounds awkward; it splits the verb and its object in a way that is not typical. Stick with:

Ng’ombe wanakunywa maji kwenye mfereji.

Can I drop the subject Ng’ombe and just say Wanakunywa maji kwenye mfereji?

Yes, you can omit the noun subject when it is obvious from context.

Wanakunywa maji kwenye mfereji.
= They are drinking water in the canal.

The wa- in wanakunywa already tells you the subject is they (some people or animals previously mentioned). In natural conversation, once you know you are talking about cows, you don’t have to repeat Ng’ombe every time.

However, in an isolated example sentence (with no context), we usually include the noun:

Ng’ombe wanakunywa maji kwenye mfereji.