SURA YA III: SIKU YA KUZALIWA
15 Lesson 3: Una Umri gani?
Performance Objectives
By the end of this lesson, the learner will be able to;
- introduce themselves and state their age
- ask and answer questions about their age
The verb to have -na when telling age in Swahili, you don’t directly use the verb “to be” (kuwa) in the same way as in English (“I am 30 years old”). Instead, Swahili uses a construction that translates to “I have years” or “I have age.” This utilizes the verb kuwa na (to have).
(Subject Prefix) Ni + na (present tense marker) + umri wa miaka (years) + Number
Mfano: Nina umri wa miaka Ishirini na tisa. (I am 29 years old.)
Subject Prefix: This prefix agrees with the subject pronoun (I, you, he/she, we, you all, they).
| Subject prefix | Person | Kuwa na (to have) |
| Ni | Mimi | Nina |
| U | Wewe | Una |
| A | Yeye | Ana |
| Tu | Sisi | Tuna |
| M | Nyinyi | Mna |
| Wa | Wao | Wana |
Una umri gani?
Mimi nina umri wa miaka ishirini na sita
Zoezi la 1: Una umri gani?
Ask 4 of your classmates how old they are and report back to the class. (Note the subject prefix to use while reporting back
Una umri gani?
Zoezi la 2: Kuzungumza
Your friend asks you how old the following people are. Tell him or her how old they are.
e.g. Mama Upendo ana umri gani?
Mama Upendo ana umri wa miaka arobaini na tano
- Mama Upendo (45)
- Ali (38)
- Profesa Mazrui (67)
- Zawadi (35)
- Cheche (29)
- Farida (70
Zoezi la 3: Guessing Game
You will find three celebrities or famous people whom you know their age and then you ask the class how old that person is; they will guess until they find the correct age.
- Mfano: Beyonce ana umri gani?
- Beyonce ana umri was miaka ________.
