 | Chapter 9 - The M-/MI- Gender |
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The M-/MI- gender (Classes 3 / 4) is not as specific as the M-/WA- gender.
It includes primarily nouns of trees, objects, parts of the human body, elements of nature, etc..
But it doesn't contain any nouns of human beings.
| Cl 3 (Singular) : | prefix M- | MTI | = a tree, the tree |
| Cl 4 (Plural) : | prefix MI- | MITI | = trees, the trees |
| In front of a, e, i | the singular prefix M- becomes MW- : | MWILI | = a body, the body |
| NOTE : | In the singular, nothing distinguishes a noun belonging to the M-/MI- gender from a noun of the M-/WA- gender, therefore the question is to guess whether its plural should either be in WA- or in MI-. The only way to solve the problem is to know that noun : if it represents a person, its plural is in WA-, whereas if it is not a person, its plural is in MI-... | ||
1. SOME NOUNS OF THE M-/MI- GENDER (Classes 3 / 4 ) :
| SINGULAR | PLURAL | TRANSLATION |
|---|---|---|
| Mbuyu | mibuyu | a baobab tree, baobab trees |
| Mchele | michele | husked rice |
| Mchezo | michezo | a game, games |
| Mchungwa | michungwa | an orange tree, orange trees |
| Mdomo | midomo | a lip, a beak, a mouth, lips |
| Mfano | mifano | an example, examples |
| Mfereji | mifereji | a ditch, a water tap, ditches |
| Mfuko | mifuko | a pocket, a bag, pockets |
| Mgomba | migomba | a banana tree, banana trees |
| Mguu | miguu | a foot, a leg, feet |
| Mji | miji | a town, towns |
| Mkate | mikate | a bread, breads |
| Mkono | mikono | a hand, an arm, hands |
| Mlango | milango | a door, doors |
| Mlima | milima | a mountain, a hill, mountains |
| Mnara | minara | a minaret, a lighthouse, a tower, minarets |
| Mnazi | minazi | a coconut tree, coconut trees |
| Moshi | mioshi | a smoke, smokes |
| Moto | mioto | a fire, fires |
| Moyo | mioyo | a heart, hearts |
| Mpira | mipira | a ball, a pipe, balls |
| Mshahara | mishahara | a salary, wages |
| Msikiti | misikiti | a mosque, mosques |
| Msitu | misitu | a forest, forests |
| Mswaki | miswaki | a toothbrush, toothbrushes |
| Mti | miti | a tree, trees |
| Mtihani | mitihani | an exam, exams |
| Mto | mito | a river, a pillow, rivers |
| Mzigo | mizigo | a luggage, a load, loads |
| The radical starts with a vowel : Singular prefix Mw- : | ||
| Mwaka | miaka | a year, years |
| Mwavuli | miavuli | an umbrella, umbrellas |
| Mwembe | miembe | a mango tree, mango trees |
| Mwezi | miezi | a month, months |
| Mwiba | miiba | a thorn, a thorn-bush, thorns |
| Mwili | miili | a body, bodies |
| Mwisho | miisho | the end, the ends |
| Particular cases : Singular prefix Mu- : | ||
| Muhindi | mihindi | corn, maize |
| Muhogo | mihogo | cassava |
| Muwa | miwa | sugar cane |
However, many nouns refering to natural elements, to parts of the human body, and to plants, are not included in this gender.
2. CLASS AGREEMENTS :
Adjective : The adjective takes prefixes of class agreements identical to those of the noun : (See : Chapter 11 - Concordant Adjectives.)
Class 3 : Mti mkubwa / mdogo / mzuri / mrefu / mweusi / ... a big / small / beautiful / high / dark / ... tree Class 4 : Miti mikubwa / midogo / mizuri / mirefu / myeusi / ... big / small / beautiful / high / dark / ... trees
Possessive adjectives :
Class 3 : Mti wangu / wako / wake / wetu / wenu / wao = my / your / his - her - its / our / your / their tree Class 4 : Miti yangu / yako / yake / yetu / yenu / yao = my / your / his - her - its / our / your / their trees
EXERCISES
EXERCISE 1 : Translate into Swahili :
A river, a mountain, a forest, a tree, a baobab tree, a mango tree, a coconut tree, a thorn-bush, an orange tree, a banana tree, cassava, corn, sugar cane, the smoke, a fire.
Breads, balls, tooth-brushes, bags, games, months, years, wages, towns, the hands, the doors, hearts, exams, coconut trees, umbrellas.
EXERCISE 2 : Translate into English :
Mikono, miguu, mifereji, mwembe, mnazi, mibuyu, mchungwa, milima, mito, miti, muwa, mifuko, mchele, mchezo, miavuli, midomo, mizigo, msikiti, minara, mtihani.
Cheza mpira ! Angalia mtoto mdogo ! Faulu mtihani ! Chora moyo ! Lima muhindi ! Funga mlango ! Usifungue mlango ! Angalia miiba ! Nunua mkate ! Usile mkate !
EXERCISE 3 : Translate into English :
- Watoto wanapenda kucheza mpira.
- Mkulima analima michungwa na migomba.
- Mtoto mdogo anapenda kula muwa.
- Baba anafunga mlango.
- Nenda ununue mkate na mchele.
- Wanafunzi wanaandika mitihani yao.
- Watoto wanaangalia moto.
- Mnalima muhindi au muhogo ?
- Vibarua wanapata mishahara yao leo.
- Kipofu hawezi kuona mfereji.
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