| a certain thing/ somebody / invariable adj. : certain (n-class) | fulani |
| a certain time | wakati fulani |
| a sick person/ an invalid | mgonjwa |
| am not /are not / is not | si |
| and | na |
| brieveness /shortness | ufupi |
| but | lakini |
| But my friends call me | Lakini rafiki zangu huniita |
| But my friends call me in short Isa. | Lakini rafiki zangu huniita kwa ufupi Isa. |
| chapter (n class / sg=pl / poss. prefix y/z /obj pref. i/zi ya/za) | sura |
| circular shape / round shape / sphere (m/mi class / poss pref w/y obj pref u/i of: wa /ya) | mviringo |
| clay walls | kuta za udongo |
| dirt /soil/ earth /clay (u-class / no plural) | udongo |
| district /division (n class / sg=pl / poss. prefix y/z /obj pref. i/zi ya/za) | tarafa |
| dream (n class / sg=pl / poss. prefix y/z /obj pref. i/zi ya/za) | ndoto |
| father (m/w class for verbs and adjectives but: possessive prefix like n class) | baba |
| Father died when I was still very young. | Baba alikufa nikiwa bado mdogo sana. |
| Father was an invalid | Baba alikuwa mgonjwa. |
| Father was invalid and (in consequence) died when I was still very young. | Baba alikuwa mgonjwa na akafa nikiwa bado mdogo sana. |
| first | kwanza |
| First chapter | Sura ya kwanza |
| for / by | kwa |
| friend (n class / sg=pl / poss. prefix y/z /obj pref. i/zi ya/za) | rafiki |
| grass (ma class/ pl manyasi) | nyasi |
| he died (therefore) - (consecutive positive) | akafa |
| he doesn't have | hana |
| he has | ana |
| he is / becomes (3sg + present tense marker + verb) | anakuwa |
| he was | alikuwa |
| He was sick and he died. (in consequence) | Alikuwa mgonjwa na akafa. |
| him /her (object infix) | -m- |
| house (n-class poss. pref. y/z / obj pref. i/zi / of: ya/za) | nyumba |
| I don't have | sina |
| I hated (imperfect) | nilichukia |
| I have | nina |
| I have been | nimekuwa |
| I have been living ( = I have been+ when I live) | nimekuwa nikiishi |
| I have been living with my mother | Nimekuwa nikiishi na mamangu |
| I have been living with my mother since father died | Nimekuwa nikiishi na mamangu tangu baba kufa |
| I like | ninapenda |
| I like (short form) | napenda |
| I like more | Napenda zaidi |
| I like more what my friends call me. | Napenda zaidi waniitavyo rafiki zangu. |
| I remember | ninakumbuka |
| I remember a certain time | Ninakumbuka wakati fulani |
| I remember a time when I hated | Ninakumbuka wakati fulani nilipochukia |
| I remember a time when I hated our home very much. | Ninakumbuka wakati fulani nilipochukia kwetu sana. |
| in (suffix) | -ni |
| in / on / upon / out of / off / among / in the middle of (an action) | katika |
| in short | kwa ufupi |
| in the district of Cherangani | katika tarafa ya Cherangani |
| in the region | wilayani |
| in the Trans-Nzoia Region | Wilayani Trans-Nzoia |
| infix for stative forms of verb stems ending in 'e' or 'i' (stative verbs = being in the state of... e.g. + present tense to be breakable + perfect to already be broken) (opposed to passive verbs stative verbs don't need an actor) | -ek- |
| is | ni |
| it has (n class) | ina |
| marker for consecutive time | -ka- |
| marker for if /when time | -ki- |
| me (object infix) | - ni - |
| more /most | zaidi |
| mother (m/w class for verbs and adjectives but: possessive prefix like n class) | mama |
| my | -angu |
| my friend | rafiki yangu |
| my friends | rafiki zangu |
| my friends call him | rafiki zangu humita |
| my friends call me | rafiki zangu huniita |
| my friends call us | rafiki zangu hutuita |
| my friends call you (pl) / them | rafiki zangu huwaita |
| my friends call you (sg) | rafiki zangu hukuita |
| my mother | mama yangu |
| my mother (short form) | mamangu |
| my name | jina langu |
| My name is Isaya Yano | Jina langu ni Isaya Yano. |
| name (ji/ma class / poss pref l/y /obj pref. li/ya) | jina |
| our has been thatched (stative) | nyumba yetu imeezekwa (kwa) nyasi |
| Our home is the village of Sangura in the district of Cherangani, in the Trans-Nzoia Region. | Kwetu ni kijiji cha Sangura katika tarafa ya Cherangani, Wilayani Trans-Nzoia. |
| Our home is the village of Sangura in the district of Cherangani. | Kwetu ni kijiji cha Sangura katika tarafa ya Cherangani. |
| our house | nyumba yetu |
| Our house has been thatched above. | Nyumba yetu imeezekwa nyasi juu. |
| Our house has clay walls. | Nyumba yetu ina kuta za udongo. |
| Our house has walls. | Nyumba yetu ina kuta. |
| ours /our home / our place (ku class sg=pl) | kwetu |
| passive infix | -w- |
| past tense marker | -li- |
| present perfect tense marker | -me- |
| present tense marker | -na- |
| region / district/area (n class / sg=pl / poss. prefix y/z /obj pref. i/zi ya/za) | wilaya |
| rich | matajiri |
| since | tangu |
| since father died | tangu baba kufa |
| still | bado |
| that (follows the noun / u-class ) | huo |
| that /which /what (suffix) | -vyo |
| that wall | ukuta huo |
| The Dream of America | Ndoto ya Amerika |
| the house has | nyumba ina |
| the village of Sangura | kijiji cha Sangura |
| the walls have been built | kuta zimetengenezwa |
| they call (gnomic tense -tense used in literature for general statements like birds fly/ water is wet) | waita |
| they call (habitual = one form for all persons) | huita |
| they call me (gnomic tense + infix) | waniita |
| they have been made (n/u class pl prefix- perfect tense infix - verb +passive infix) | zimetengenezwa |
| those (follows pl noun / u-class pl /n-class pl) | hizo |
| those walls | kuta hizo |
| those walls have been built | kuta hizo zimetengenezwa |
| Those walls have been made in a circular shape. | Kuta hizo zimetengenezwa mviringo. |
| time /timing / tense (u-class / pl. nyakati / poss. pref. w/z / obj. pref. u / of: wa /za) | wakati |
| to be | kuwa |
| to be able / can / relexive: to look after / to take care of | kuweza |
| to be made / built /corrected | kutengenezwa |
| to be taken care of (stative) | kuwezekwa |
| to be taken care of by / to be looked after by | kuwezwa |
| to be taken of by leaf > to be thatched | kuezekwa (kwa) nyasi |
| to call / name /refer to /request / summon /beckon | kuita |
| to die | kufa |
| to hate | kuchukia |
| to have | kuwana |
| to live / to exist | kuishi |
| to love /like | kupenda |
| to make / arrange /mend / correct /edit / build | kutengeneza |
| to remember/to recall | kukumbuka |
| up / above / about | juu |
| us (object infix) | -tu- |
| very | sana |
| very young | mdogo sana |
| village (ki/vi class / poss pref ch/vy /obj. pref. ki /vi / of: cha / vya) | kijiji |
| wall (u- class /poss. pref. w/z / obj. pref. u / of: wa /za) | ukuta |
| walls (u-class) | kuta |
| we | sisi |
| We are not rich. | Sisi si matajiri. |
| what my friends call me | waniitavyo rafiki zangu |
| what they call me (gnomic tense +infix +suffix) | waniitavyo |
| when / infix (after tense marker) | -po- |
| when I hated | nilipochukia |
| when I live /if I live (when /if ) | nikiishi |
| when I was | nikiwa |
| when I was still very young | nikiwa bado mdogo sana |
| with (= and) | na |
| you (object infix) | -ku- |
| you (pl) = them (object infix) | -wa- |
| you don't have | huna |
| you have | una |
| young | mdogo |