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