Swahili Verbs

Welcome to the 10th lesson about verbs in Swahili. We will first learn about the present tense, followed by the past tense, and future tense. We will also analyze some grammar rules, and finally practice how to ask for direction in Swahili.

Verbs are used to express an action (I swim) or a state of being (I am). The present tense in Swahili conveys a situation or event in the present time. Here are some examples:

Present Tense - Swahili
I speak English mimi huongea kiingereza
you speak French unaongea kifaransa
he speaks German anaongea kijerumani
she speaks Italian anaongea kiitalia
we speak Arabic sisi huongea kiarabu
they speak Chinese wao huongea kichina

The past tense in Swahili conveys a situation or event in the past time. Here are some examples:

Past Tense - Swahili
I visited France nilitembelea ufaransa
you visited Italy wewe alitembelea italia
he visited Morocco alitembelea morocco
she visited China alitembelea china
we visited Mexico tulitembelea mexico
they visited Kenya walienda kenya

The future tense in Swahili conveys a situation or event which is anticipated to happen in the future. Here are some examples:

Future Tense - Swahili
I will drink milk nitakunywa maziwa
you will drink coffee utakunywa kahawa
he will drink tea atakunywa chai
she will drink water atakunywa maji
we will drink apple juice tutakunywa maji ya matunda
they will drink tea watakunywa chai

Now let's take a break and refresh our vocabulary by learning the body parts.

ear sikio

eye jicho

mouth mdomo

nose pua

hair nywele

face uso

head kichwa

heart moyo

hand mkono

fingers vidole

leg mguu

feet miguu

Travel Phrases in Swahili

Imagine yourself in some Swahili speaking country. The following travel phrases are highly important and can help you avoid misunderstanding. Try to memorize them and practice!

English - Swahili
Can you help me? je, unaweza kunisaidia?
Can I help you? je, ninaweza kukusaidia?
Where is the airport? wapi uwanja wa ndege?
Go straight kwenda moja kwa moja
Then basi
Turn left upande wa kushoto
Turn right upande wa kulia

I hope this lesson about the verbs in Swahili was not hard for you. Please check out our main menu here for more lessons: homepage. To see the full menu, you can also click on the "Menu" icon on the left side.