Learn Swahili - Part Two: The Garden

Course Part Two (M-MI NOUN CLASS)
PRACTICE SWAHILI IN THE GARDEN

Grammatical themes:

THE M-MI NOUN CLASS:

In sentences with M-Mi nouns the often used sound-unit in singular is -u- (as the oo-sound in ´google´), and in plural -i- (as the e-sound in ´eagle´).

Examples: Tree = mti
Trees = mi-ti
That tree = u-le mti
Those trees = i-le mi-ti
Door = mlango
Doors = milango
The door is open =
Mlango u-ko wazi
(door it-is open)
The doors are open
Milango i-ko wazi
(doors they-are open)

PAST TENSE and DEMONSTRATIVES

The past tense article is –li-. Example: I was walking = Mimi ni-li-tembea
(I I-was-walk)
In negation the past tense article becomes –ku-
Example: I did not walk = Mimi si-ku-tembea
(I I-was-not-walk)

The unit-sounds in each demonstrative corresponds to the noun class unit-sounds for singular and plural sentences.
In the m-mi noun class, the sound-units are -u- and -i-, therefore the demonstratives are:

This = Huu

These = Hii

That = Ule

Those = Ile.


Course Part Two, exercises

After practicing on the above mentioned grammatical features, go to stand in the nature / garden and touch or point to the things mentioned in the sentences while repeating them:


This football was white = mpira huu u-li-kuwa mweupe
(football this it-was-be white)

You planted this tree = wewe u-li-u-panga mti huu
(you you-did-it-plant tree this)

Those trees were once small = miti i-le i-li-kuwa mi-dogo
(trees those they-were-being small)

That plant was growing = mmea u-le u-li-ota
(plant that it-was-growing)

These plants are not growing anymore = mimea hii ha-i-oti tena
(plants these not-they-grow again)

I bought that push-cart = mimi ni-li-u-nunua mkokoteni u-le
(I I-was-it-buy push-cart that)

They had many push-carts = wao wa-li-kuwa na mikokoteni mingi
(they they-did-be with push-carts many)

The saw was behind that door = msumeno u-li-kuwa nyuma ya mlango u-le
(saw it-was-be behind of door that)

These saws were new = misumeno hii i-li-kuwa mi-pya
(saws these they-were-be new)

Denne fodbold var hvid = mpira huu u-li-kuwa mweupe
(fodbold denne den-fortid-er hvid)


Those balls were round = mipira i-le i-li-kuwa duara
(balls those they-were-be round)