< Swahili < Verbs
Present
The present tense is constructed with the use of the infix/TENS-marker "-na-" and the use of the prefix that marks the respective subject.
| Person | Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | Ni-na-penda | I like/love | Tu-na-penda | We like/love |
| Second | U-na-penda | You like/love | M-na-penda | You like/love |
| Third | A-na-penda | She/he likes/loves | Wa-na-penda | They like/love |
Negation
The negation in the present uses the respective negative prefixes for marking the subject. But unlike the positive, it omits the TENS-marker and changes the last vovel ("-a" in the regular case) into an "-i".
| Person | Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | Si-_-pendi | I do not like/love | Hatu-_-pendi | We do not like/love |
| Second | Hu-_-pendi | You do not like/love | Ham-_-pendi | You do not like/love |
| Third | Ha-_-pendi | He/she does not like/love | Hawa-_-pendi | They do not like/love |
Habitual
The habitual is much simpler to form and usually indicates an action that is usually done.
No subject prefix is used, just the prefix "Hu-" is added in front. (Hu-penda) As this lacks the information about the acting subject, the personal pronoun is used to clarify on the subject, if not clear from the context.
Example: Wewe hufanya (You usually do)
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