Swahili Verbs

Swahili Verbs
Learning the Swahili Verbs is very important because its structure is used in every day
conversation. The more you practice the subject, the closer you get to mastering the Swahili
language. But first we need to know what the role of Verbs is in the structure of the grammar in
Swahili.
Swahili verbs are words that convey action (bring, read, walk, run), or a state of being (exist,
stand). In most languages a verb may agree with the person, gender, and/or number of some of
its arguments, such as its subject, or object.
Grammar Tips:
-

Present Tense

In Swahili, verbs take the following the prefix na- to form the present tense:
a-na-enda,( she/he is going), a-na-imba( she/he is singing), a-na-andika( she/he is
writing)
The infinitive verbs above are enda (go), imba (sing), andika (write)
-

Past Tense

In Swahili as well as in English the simple past tense (imperfect) is used to describe past events.
The perfixes for the past tense verbs is -li-:
For example; a-li-enda,(she/he went), a-li-imba( she/he sang), a-li-andika( she/he wrote)
So just take any regular verb stem and add the prefix li-

Future Tense

To form the future in Swahili its very easy, just use the infinitive verb and add prefix tag
For example: a-ta-enda (she/he will go), a-ta-imba (she/he will sing), a-ta-andika
(she/he will write)
In summary tenses in Swahili are determined by the prefix you put before the verb. This
prefix normally comes after the prefix that stands for the noun.
The prefixes are:

Present tense naPast tense liFuture tense ta-

Here are some examples:

English Verbs

Swahili Verbs

Verbs
Past
I spoke
I wrote
I drove
I loved
I gave
I smiled
I took

Verbs
Zamani
nilisema
niliandika
niliendesha
nilipenda
nilitoa
nilitabasamu
nilichukua

he spoke
he wrote
he drove
he loved
he gave
he smiled
he took

aliongea
aliandika
aliendesha
alipatiana
alitabasamu
alichukua
akachukua

we spoke
we wrote
we drove
we loved
we gave
we smiled
we took

tuliongea
tuliandika
tuliendesha
tulipenda
tulipeana
tulitabasamu
tulichukua

Future
I will speak
I will write
I will drive
I will love
I will give

Baadaye
nitasema
nitaandika
nitaendesha
nitapenda
nitapeana

English Verbs

Swahili Verbs

I will smile
I will take

nitatabasamu
nitachukua

he will speak
he will write
he will drive
he will love
he will give
he will smile
he will take

atasema
ataandika
ataendesha
atapenda
atapeana
atatabasamu
atachukua

we will speak
we will write
we will drive
we will love
we will give
we will smile
we will take

tutasemea
tutaandika
tutaendesha
tutapenda
tutapeana
tutatabasamu
tutachukua

Present
I speak
I write
I drive
I love
I give
I smile
I take

Sasa
nasema
naandika
naendesha
napenda
napeana
natabasamu
nachukua

he speaks
he writes
he drives
he loves
he gives
he smiles
he takes

anasema
anaandika
anaendesha
anapenda
anapeana
anatabasamu
anachukua

we speak
we write
we drive
we love
we give

tunasema
tunaandika
tunaendesha
tunapenda
tunapeana

English Verbs
we smile
we take

Swahili Verbs
tunatabasamu
tunachukua

As you can see from the example above, the structure of the Verbs in Swahili has a logical
pattern. Locate the Verbs above and see how it works with the rest of the sentence in Kiswahili.

List of Verbs in Swahili

Below is a list of the conjugated Verbs in the present past and future in Swahili placed in a table.
Memorizing this table will help you add very useful and important words to your Swahili
vocabulary.
English Verbs
I can accept that
she added it
we admit it
they advised him
I can agree with that
she allows it
we announce it
I can apologize
she appears today
they arranged that
I can arrive tomorrow
she can ask him
she attaches that
we attack them
they avoid her
I can bake it
she is like him
we beat it
they became happy
I can begin that
we borrowed money
they breathe air
I can bring it
I can build that
she buys food
we calculate it
they carry it
they don't cheat
she chooses him

Swahili Verbs
Naweza kukubali kwamba
aliongeza kuwa
tunakubali
walimshauri
nakubaliana na hayo
anaruhusu
tunatangaza
naomba msamaha
anaonekana leo
walipanga hivyo
nitawasili kesho
anaweza kumuuliza
yeye huunganisha hiyo
sisi huwashambulia
wamamuepuka
naweza kuipikia
yeye ni kama yeye
tuliipiga
walifurahi
nawesza kuanza
tulikopa pesa
wanapumua hewa
nitaileta
naweza kuijenga
yeye hununua chakula
sisi hufanya hesabu hii
wao huibeba
hawadangayi
yeye humchagua

English Verbs
we close it
he comes here
I can compare that
she competes with me
we complain about it
they continued reading
he cried about that
I can decide now
she described it to me
we disagree about it
they disappeared quickly
I discovered that
she dislikes that
we do it
they dream about it
I earned
he eats a lot
we enjoyed that
they entered here
he escaped that
I can explain that
she feels that too
we fled from there
they will fly tomorrow
I can follow you
she forgot me
we forgive him
I can give her that
she goes there
we greeted them
I hate that
I can hear it
she imagine that
we invited them
I know him
she learned it
we leave now
they lied about him
I can listen to that
she lost that
we made it yesterday

Swahili Verbs
sisi huifunga
yeye huja hapa
naweza kuilinganisha
yeye hushindana nami
sisi hulalamika juu yake
waliendelea kusoma
alilia juu yake
naweza kuamua sasa
alinielezea kuhusu
sisi hatukubaliani
walitoweka haraka
niligundua kwamba
yeye hapendi
sisi hufanya
wao huota juu yake
nimelipwa
yeye anakula sana
sisi tulifurahia
waliingia hapa
aliepuka hiyo
siwezi kueleza hayo
anahisi hivyo pia
sisi tulitoroka toka huko
wataondoka kwa ndege kesho
naweza kukufuata
alinisahau
tumemsamehe
naweza kumpa hiyo
yeye huenda huko
tulimsalimu
nadharau hiyo
Naweza kusikia
yeye hufikiri hivyo
tuliwakaribisha
Mimi namjua
alijifunza
twaondoka sasa
walimsingizia
naweza kusikiliza
alipoteza
tulifaulu jana

English Verbs
they met him
I misspell that
I always pray
she prefers that
we protected them
they will punish her
I can put it there
she will read it
we received that
they refuse to talk
I remember that
she repeats that
we see it
they sell it
I sent that yesterday
he shaved his beard
it shrunk quickly
we will sing it
they sat there
I can speak it
she spends money
we suffered from that
they suggest that
I surprised him
she took that
we teach it
they told us
she thanked him
I can think about it
she threw it
we understand that
they want that
I can wear it
she writes that
we talk about it
they have it
I watched it
I will talk about it
he bought that yesterday
we finished it

Swahili Verbs
walikutana naye
siandiki vyema
mimi husali
anapendelea hiyo
tuliwatunza
watamuadhibu
naweza kuiweka pale
ataisoma
tulipokea hiyo
wanakataa kuongea
nakumbuka hayo
anarudia hiyo
tunaona
tunaiuza
nilituma hiyo jana
alimnyoa ndevu
ilipungua haraka
tutuimamba
walikaa hapo
nawaza kuisema
anatumia pesa
tuliteseka
sisi tunadokeza kuwa
nilimshangaza
alichukua hiyo
tunaifunza
Walituambia
alimshukuru
nitafikiria kuhusu
aliitupa
tunaelewa hivyo
wanataka hiyo
naweza kuivaa
anaandika hivyo
tunajadili kuhusu
wanayo
niliitazama
nitaongea kuhusu
alinunua hiyo jana
tuliimaliza