THE KI-SWAHILI LANGUAGE 



Bwana. 22. Chini ya milima huko naona pofu. 23. Boy, sayidia 

 gun bearer kusafisha bunduki. 24. Mpishi atapika chakula sasa? 

 25. Mtu mnoja ameanguka hapa. 



Translate into Swahili: 



F. I. Gun bearer, tell my men to climb up the hill and kill the 

 hartebeest. 2. Measure the lion at once! 3. Near by the water I 

 see an elephant standing. (Sw. he stands.) 4. Boy, bring the rifle 

 and the knife and tell the gun bearer to come here! 5. Yes, Sir, he 

 is coming now. 6, Headman, where are the porters? 7. Perhaps 

 I will go back to Nairobi to-morrow. 8. Boy, is the food ready 

 now? 9. No, Sir, there is no food here now. 10. Shall I go and 

 buy? II. No, I do not want you to go, tell the headman to buy. 

 12. Where is the hartebeest now, gun bearer? 13. I do not know, 

 Sir, perhaps it has fallen ! 14. No, Mabruki, I see the animal near 

 the large hill. 15. Have you seen a hon to-day? 16. No, Sir, I 

 have not seen any animal. 17. Is the soldier here now? 18. I do 

 not know. Sir! 19. Awaken the porters at once, I want to help the 

 European there! 20. The cook is inside the tent, ask if the meal is 

 ready, 21. A bad man will not help hi:; wife. 22. He will per- 

 haps arrive here to-morrow, I do not know. 23. Have you cleaned 

 the gun and the knife? 24. Yes, Sir, they are ready now. 25. Very 

 well, eat the food right away. 



Lesson IV 



1. The Swahili verb also uses an objective prefix to denote 

 the one, which receives the action of the verb; this prefix is in- 

 serted between the tense prefix and the verb-root. The objective 

 prefixes are: -Ni-, -ku-, -m-, -tn-, -wa-, -wa-; Me, you (thee), 

 him (her, it), us, you, them. You beat me, U-na-ni-piga; I have 

 beaten them, Ni-me-iva-piga; they will beat us, Wa-ta-tu-piga, 

 the syllables being written together: Unanipiga, Nimewapiga, 

 and Watatiipiga. 



2. This objective prefix is also used instead of the lacking 

 definite article : for instance, he beats a man, anapiga mtu; but, 



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