​"OF"—THE CONNECTIVE PARTICLE -A

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In Swahili, the -a is the general equivalent of "of" in English in terms of possession. The form of -a depends upon the noun class such that the prefix agrees with the noun class of the person/place/thing that is possessed.

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M/WA

singular: wa (Mtoto wa mama. The child of mother.)

plural: wa (Watoto wa mama. The children of mother.)

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M/MI

singular: wa (Mti wa mama. The tree of mother.)

plural: ya (Miti ya mama. The trees of mother.)

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JI/MA

singular: ya (Jina la mama. The name of mother.)

plural: la (Majina ya mama. The names of mother.)

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KI/VI

singular: cha (Kiti cha mama. The chair of mother.)

plural: vya (Viti vya mama. The chairs of mother.)

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N/N

singular: ya (Nguo ya mama. The garment of mother.)

plural: za (Nguo za mama. The clothes of mother.)

It is also important to note that, though I have translated these sentences in the (noun) of (noun) form, they can also be accurately translated as (noun's) (noun). I have presented them in this manner simply to avoid confusion with the next section.

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Additionally, remember that adjectives come after the nouns to which they refer. So, if we want to say "The dirty shoes of the small child of the good mother," it would be Viatu vichafu vya mtoto mdogo wa mama mzuri.

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​POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS

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​Possessive pronouns are the " 's " in Swahili in terms of indicating possesion. Possessive pronouns take the same class prefixes as connective particles of corresponding noun classes.

 

 

THE ROOTS OF POSSESSIVE MARKERS

 

    -ANGU my/mine                           -ETU our/ours   

    -AKO your/yours                          -ENU your/yours

​    -AKE his/her, his/hers, its             -AO their/theirs   
   

Note that "-ake" is used for non-human possessives, both in the singular and plural:

     Mti na matunda yake. "The tree and its fruit."

     Miti na matunda yake. "The tree and their fruit."

 

 

THE PREFIXES OF POSSESSIVE MARKERS

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M/WA

singular: w- (Mtoto wangu. My child.)

plural: w- (Watoto wangu. My children.)

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M/MI

singular: w- (Mti wangu. My tree.)

plural: y- (Miti yangu. My trees.)

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JI/MA

singular: y- (Jina langu. My name.)

plural: l- (Majina yangu. My names.)

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KI/VI

singular: ch- (Kiti changu. My chair.)

plural: vy- (Viti vyangu. My chairs.)

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N/N

singular: y- (Nguo yangu. My garment.)

plural: z- (Nguo zangu. My clothes.)