SURA YA VI: NYUMBANI
28 Lesson 5: Watu hufanya nini katika sehemu tofauti za nyumba
Performance Objectives
By the end of the lesson, the learners will be able to
- describe what they do in different parts of the house using habitual hu- and locative ni-
Msamiati
| -soma | Study | -kufanya kazi ya nyumbani | do homework |
| -pika | Cook | –oga | Shower |
| -lala | Sleep | -piga mswaki | -Brush teeth |
| -pumzika | Rest | -hula | Eat |
| -tazama televisheni | Watch tv | -cheza michezo ya video | Play video games |
| -tazama filamu | Watch film | -sikiliza muziki | Listen to music |
| -safisha vyombo | Wash dishes | -nawa mikono | Wash hands |
Grammar: Habitual hu-
The habitual tense in Swahili uses the prefix hu-. This “hu-” prefix is added to the root verb, and it indicates that an action happens regularly or habitually.
Mfano: 1. Mimi hulala usiku
2. Yeye hutazama televisheni
Zoezi la 1: Watu hufanya nini katika vyumba hivi
Locative Suffix ni-
In Swahili, the suffix -ni functions as a locative, indicating general location. It is appended to a noun to denote being “at,” “in,” or “on” that place, effectively turning the noun into a locative expression.
Mifano:
- soko (market) – sokoni (at/in the market)
- nyumba (house) – nyumbani (at/in home)
- shule (school) – shuleni (at/in school)
- kanisa (church) – kanisani (at/in church)
- chuo (college/institution) – chuoni (at/in college/institution)
- jikoni (kitchen) – jikoni (in the kitchen)
When the suffix -ni is used in a Swahili sentence, it typically replaces prepositions such as katika (in/at) or kwenye (at/on). This means that adding -ni to a noun often creates a more concise way to express location. For instance, “Nilienda katika kanisa” (I went to the church) becomes “Nilienda kanisani” (I went to church) when the suffix is applied to the noun kanisa. While you can certainly use katika and kwenye with nouns, these prepositions do not combine with the -ni suffix; the suffix itself provides a compact way to indicate being “at,” “in,” or “on” a place.
Zoezi la 2: Complete the following sentences
Using the habitual hu-, complete the sentences using the person, verb, and part of the house provided and add a locative suffix ni-.
Zoezi la 3:Sikiliza
Jamila narrates to her class what different family members do in different parts of the house.
Hamjambo. Jina langu ni Jamila. Mimi ninatoka mji wa Chicago, Jimbo la Illinois. Ninakaa na familia yangu. Nina ndugu wawili. Dada mmoja mdogo na kaka mmoja mdogo. Mimi ni kifungua mimba. Nyumbani kwetu sisi hufanya vitu vingi sana. Baba yangu hutazama televisheni kila jioni. Baba hula chakula cha asubuhi katika chumba cha kula.
