| present perfect tense marker | -me- |
| I have been | nimekuwa |
| to live / to exist | kuishi |
| when I live /if I live (when /if ) | nikiishi |
| I have been living ( = I have been+ when I live) | nimekuwa nikiishi |
| with (= and) | na |
| mother (m/w class for verbs and adjectives but: possessive prefix like n class) | mama |
| my mother | mama yangu |
| my mother (short form) | mamangu |
| I have been living with my mother | Nimekuwa nikiishi na mamangu |
| since | tangu |
| since father died | tangu baba kufa |
| I have been living with my mother since father died | Nimekuwa nikiishi na mamangu tangu baba kufa |