Noun Classes: An Introduction and Practicing Possessive Agreements

Noun Classes:

The noun classes (ngeli) in Swahili are word groups that have similar patterns and take on the same agreement systems in phrases/sentences.

A summarized list of the noun classes as follows:

Ngeli ya kwanza (Noun class 1)

• M-/Mw- (rarely – Mu-)
• Nominal prefix – kiambishi awali cha jina
• Some non-class 1 words use class 1 agreements because they refer to people / animals
• Pronouns which refer to people are in class 1

Ngeli ya pili (Noun class 2)

• Plural of class one
• Start with wa-

Ngeli ya tatu (Noun class 3)

• Singular
• Begin with m-
• Almost all singular noun in reference to plants are here; and other objects
  • o Mkutano (meeting)

Ngeli ya nne (Noun class 4)

• Plural of class 3
• Begin with mi-

Ngeli ya tano (Noun class 5)

• Singular; inanimate objects/abstract ideas
• Many begin with j-, ji-
• However many aren’t recognizable
  • Hitaji (need, requirement)
  • Shetani (Satan)
  • Duka (Shop)
• A few refer to people; but use class one agreements
  • o Polisi (police), daktari (doctor)

Ngeli ya sita (Noun class 6)

• Plurals of 5; begin with ma-
• Those that refer to people often use class 2 agreements
• Some have no class 5 equivalents
  • Mazingira (environment)
  • Maisha (life)
  • Mazishi (burial)

Ngeli ya saba (Noun class 7)

• Singular; inanimate objects, abstract ideas, languages
• Some people, agree with 1
  •  Kipofu
• Sometimes you can add prefix ki- to make it smaller
  • Mtoto (child) – kitoto
  • Mbuzi (goat) – kibuzi
  • Embe (mango) – kiembe

Ngeli ya nane (Noun class 8)

• Plural of 7
• Vi- or vy-
  • Vyakula (foods, meals)
• The people in this category agree with 2

Ngeli ya tisa (Noun class 9)

• Singular; no recognizable nominal prefix
• Inanimate objects, abstract ideas
  • Safari (journey, trip), kazi (work)
• Proper nouns in reference to places are also class 9
  • Tanzania
  • Zuhura (Venus)
  • Amerika
• Many are adopted words (maneno yaliyotoholewa)
  • Kompyuta
  • Sayari (planets, from Arabic)
• Animals, some people, treated grammatically like 1
  • Simba (lion), baba (father), mbwa (dog)

Ngeli ya kumi (Noun class 10)

• Plural of 9 and 11
• Not really showing plural (look for context)

Ngeli ya kumi na moja (Noun class 11)

• Singular; u-
  • Ukuta (wall), udevu (beard), ulimi (tongue)

Ngeli ya kumi na nne (Noun class 14)

• Abstract ideas; look like 11; only singular; begin with u-
• Uhuru (freedom); ujamaa (familyhood, socialism); umoja (unity)

Ngeli ya kumi na tano (Noun class 15)

• Refer to actions; gerunds/infinitives – vitenzijina
• Ku-
  • Kusoma (studying)
  • Kufanya (doing)
  • Kupiga (hitting)

Ngeli ya kumi na sita (Noun class 16)

• Locatives / places (Majina ya mahali)
  •  Add –ni
    • Nyumbani (at/in the house)
    • Chumbani (at/in the room)

Ngeli ya kumi na saba (Noun class 17)

• Places, general, distant from speaker
  • Mjini (in the city), nchini (in the country)

Ngeli ya kumi na nane (Noun class 18)

• Places inside or close to another object
  • Mfukoni (in the bag)
  • Kichwani (in the head)
• 16, 17, 18 look the same / look for context clues

Putting Agreements into Action

Possessive Pronouns  (Vimilikishi, kimilikishi)

Possessive Adjectives

Reference:

Thompson, Katrina Daly, and Antonia Yétúndé Fọlárìn Schleicher. Swahili learners reference grammar. Madison, WI: NALRC Press, 2006.