THE KI-SWAHILI LANGUAGE 



Lesson III 



1. The verb has, as before remarked, four simple tenses in 

 its positive form; the present, na; the imperfect, //; the perfect, 

 mc; and the future, ta. 



2. The negative forms of the verbs have only three tenses 

 and are expressed both by different prefixes and in the present 

 tense also by a change in the verb itself. The personal negative 

 prefixes are : si, hu, ha, hatu, ham, kawa; meaning literally : I 

 not. You (lit. thou) not, He (she or it) not. We not. They not. 

 Of the verb ku-piga (to shoot), for instance, the simple forms 

 are the following : 



Present. 



Positive Form. 



ninapiga (or napiga), / shoot. 

 unapiga, you shoot. 

 anapiga, he (she) shoots. 

 tunapiga, we shoot. 

 mnapiga, you shoot. 

 wanapiga, they shoot. 



Negative Form. 



sipigi, / do not shoot. 

 hupigi, you do not shoot. 

 hapigi, he (she) does not shoot. 

 hatupigi, zve do not shoot. 

 hampigi, you do not shoot. 

 hawapigi, they do not shoot. 



nilipiga, / shot. 



Imperfect. 



sikupiga, / did not shoot. 



nimepiga, / have shot. 



Perfect. 



sikupiga, / have not shot. 



nitapiga, / zvill shoot. 



Future. 



sitapiga, / will not shoot. 



piga, shoot! (sing.), 

 pigeni, shoot! (plural). 



Imperative. 



usipigi, do not shoot! (sing.), 

 msipigi, do not shoot! (plural). 



