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Swahili for Beginners

More verbs, this time regular.


Kupenda - to like / to love

<table class="ui fixed celled definition table">
 <thead>
 <tr>
 <th></th>
 <th>Infinitive marker</th>
 <th>Person marker</th>
 <th>Time marker (here: present tense)</th>
 <th>Verb stem (root)</th>
 <th>translation</th>
 </tr>
 </thead>
 <tbody>
 <tr>
 <td>Infinitive</td>
 <td>Ku-</td>
 <td>-</td>
 <td>-</td>
 <td>-penda</td>
 <td> to love /to like</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>First person</td>
 <td>-</td>
 <td>Ni-</td>
 <td>-na-</td>
 <td>-penda</td>
 <td> I love / I like</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Second person</td>
 <td>-</td>
 <td>U-</td>
 <td>-na-</td>
 <td>-penda</td>
 <td> you love /you like</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Third person</td>
 <td>-</td>
 <td>A-</td>
 <td>-na-</td>
 <td>-penda</td>
 <td> he/she loves /likes</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>First person plural</td>
 <td>-</td>
 <td>Tu- </td>
 <td>-na-</td>
 <td>-penda</td>
 <td> we love /we like</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Second person plural</td>
 <td>-</td>
 <td>M-</td>
 <td>-na-</td> 
 <td>-penda</td>
 <td> you (pl) love / you (pl) like</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Third person plural</td>
 <td>-</td>
 <td>Wa-</td>
 <td>-na-</td>
 <td>-penda</td>
 <td> they love /they like</td>
 </tr>
 </tbody>
</table>

Isn't that easy? You have learned all those forms already with the previous verb; you just needed to add -penda to the end.


 And what is more, you even know how to make the verb negative. Well almost...


 Si -na - penda, but the -na- drops and the last 'a' turns into 'i'. 

 So:
Sipendi


 And this is a rule for all verbs ending in -a.

<table class="ui celled definition table">
 <tbody>
 <tr>
 <td>Si-pendi</td>
 <td> I don't like</td>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Hu-pendi</td>
 <td>You don't like</td>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Ha-pendi</td>
 <td>He/she doesn't like</td>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Hatu-pendi</td>
 <td>We don't like</td>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Ham-pendi</td>
 <td>You (pl) don't like</td>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Hawa-pendi</td>
 <td>They don't like</td>
 
 </tr>
 </tbody>
</table>

 Sipendi mende. - I don't like cockroaches.


 Hawapendi mbwa wakubwa. - They don't like big dogs.


 Paka anapenda panya. - The cat likes mice.


 Mama anapenda watoto wake. - The mother likes her kids.


 Watoto wanapenda mama yao. - The children like their mother.


 Hatupendi buibui wakubwa. - We don't like big spiders.


 I have been so nice with you this far... Now I am going to get you scared. ;-D

kuogopa to be afraid of
<table class="ui celled definition table">
 <tbody>
 <tr>
 <td>Ni-na-ogopa</td>
 <td> I am afraid of</td>
 <th>Si-ogop-i</th>
 <td> I am not afraid of</td>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>U-na-ogopa</td>
 <td>You are afraid of</td>
 <th>Hu-ogop-i</th>
 <td> You are not afraid of</td>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Ana-ogopa</td>
 <td>He/she is afraid of</td>
 <th>Ha-ogop-i</th>
 <td> He/she is not afraid of</td>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Tu-na-ogopa</td>
 <td>We are afraid of</td>
 <th>Hatu-ogop-i</th>
 <td> We are not afraid of</td>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>M-na-ogopa</td>
 <td>You (pl) are afraid of</td>
 <th>Hamw-ogop-i *</th>
 <td> You (pl) are not afraid of</td>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Wa-na-ogopa</td>
 <td>They are afraid of</td>
 <th>Hawa-ogop-i</th>
 <td> They are not afraid of</td>
 
 </tr>
 </tbody>
</table>
*There is again an additional 'w' for the negative second plural form to faciliate pronunciation.


 Ninaogopa buibui. - I am scared of spiders.


 Tunaogopa mende wakubwa. - We are scared of big cockroaches.


 Unaogopa mamba. - You are afraid of crocodiles.


 Anaogopa simba. - He is afraid of the lion.


 Wanaogopa mwalimu wao. - They are afraid of their teacher.


 Ninaogopa wanawake warefu. - I am scared of tall women.


 Wanawake wanaogopa panya lakini mimi siogopi. - The women are afraid of mice but I am not.


 lakini - but


 Huogopi mendi na buibui.- You are not afraid of cockroaches and spiders.


 Watoto hawaogopi mbwa.- The Children are not afraid of the dog.

Question	Answer
to love /like	kupenda
I love/like	ninapenda
I love children.	Ninapenda watoto.
I don't like	Sipendi
I don't like fish.	Sipendi samaki
You love/like	Unapenda
Do you like cats?	Je unapenda paka?
You don't like	hupendi
You don't like the cook.	Hupendi mpishi.
He /she likes	Anapenda
He likes giraffes.	Anapenda twiga.
he/she doesn't like	hapendi
Mum doesn't like my friends.	Mama hapendi rafiki zangu.
we love/ like	tunapenda
We love birds	Tunapenda ndege.
we don't like	hatupendi
We don't like that man.	Hatupendi mwanaume yule.
you (pl) love/like	mnapenda
Do you (pl) like those people?	Mnapenda watu wale?
You (pl) don't like	Hampendi
Don't you like cockroaches?	Je hampendi mende ?
They like	Wanapenda
They love tall women.	Wanapenda wanawake warefu.
They don't like	Hawapendi
My guests don't like spiders.	Wageni wangu hawapendi buibui.
I don't like cockroaches.	Sipendi mende.
She doesn't like mice.	Hapendi panya.
The cat loves mice.	Paka anapenda panya.
Dogs don't like cats.	Mbwa hawapendi paka.
Birds don't like cats.	Ndege hawapendi paka.
Birds like fish.	Ndege wanapenda samaki.
Fishes don't like birds.	Samaki hawapendi ndege.
The fisherman likes fish.	Mvuvi anapenda samaki.
The farmer likes his dog.	Mkulima anapenda mbwa wake.
Mum likes her kids.	Mama anapenda watoto wake.
The children like their mother.	Watoto wanapenda mama yao.
You (pl) don't like the giraffe?	Je hampendi twiga?
We don't like big spiders	Hatupendi buibui wakubwa.
to be afraid of	kuogopa
I am afraid of	Ninaogopa
I am afraid of spiders.	Ninaogopa buibui.
you are afraid	unaogopa
You are afraid of lions.	Unaogopa simba.
He/she is afraid	Anaogopa
He is afraid of crocodiles.	Anaogopa mamba.
We are afraid	Tunaogopa
We are afraid of big cockroaches.	Tunaogopa mende wakubwa.
You (pl) are afraid	Mnaogopa
Are you (pl) afraid of sharp dogs?	Je mnaogopa mbwa wakali?
They are afraid	Wanaogopa
They are afraid of their teacher.	Wanaogopa mwalimu wao.
Are you (pl) afraid of nurses?	Mnaogopa wauguzi?
I am afraid of tall women.	Ninaogopa wanawake warefu.
I am afraid of this man.	Ninaogopa mwanaume huyu.
The elephant is afraid of the mouse.	Tembo anaogopa panya.
The mouse is afraid of the cat.	Panya anaogopa paka.
The cat is afraid of the dog.	Paka anaogopa mbwa.
The dog is afraid of the farmer.	Mbwa anaogopa mkulima .
The farmer is afraid of lions	Mkulima anaogopa simba.
The crocodile is not afraid of the mouse.	Mamba haogopi panya
but	lakini
The women are afraid of mice but I am not .	Wanawake wanaogopa panya lakini mimi siogopi.
you (pl) are not afraid*	Hamwogopi * Did you notice the additional 'w'? This is the only exception. HamWogopi
Aren't you (pl) afraid of crocodiles?	Je hamwogopi mamba?
We are not afraid of dogs.	Hatuogopi mbwa.
The dog is not afraid of children.	Mbwa haogopi watoto.
The children are not afraid of the dog.	Watoto hawaogopi mbwa.
My sister is afraid of tall people.	Dada yangu anaogopa watu warefu.