Chapter 20 - The N- Gender

The N- gender (Classes 9 / 10) is one of the broadest genders : it comprises nouns of people, animals, plants, food, objects used in everyday life, natural elements, abstract nouns, etc..
Many nouns borrowed from English are absorbed in the N- gender.

This gender is very particular in that it contains a large number of nouns which do not start with the prefix N- (we speak of a Ø- prefix). Yet it's the only gender that comprises nouns starting with N-.

For phonetic reasons the prefix N- changes into M- in front of B, P and V.

However the main characteristic of this class is that the noun is identical in the singular and the plural.

In the absence of any distinctive prefixes of class, it is indeed the class agreements inside the sentence (verbal, demonstrative or possessive prefixes, etc..) that make it possible to distinguish between singular and plural. Thus :

 1. NOUNS OF THE N- GENDER GROUPED BY TOPICS : 

 1. PEOPLE : 

 2. MANUFACTURED OBJECTS : 

 3. NATURE : 

 4. ABSTRACT CONCEPTS : 

 5. ANIMALS : 

 6. FOOD, FRUITS, VEGETABLES : 

 2. CLASS AGREEMENTS : 

1. Adjective : The adjective takes the prefix N- and follows the same rules as the noun :

   • It takes N- in front of a radical that starts with D, G or Z.
   • It takes M- in front of a radical that starts with B, P or V.
   • It takes NY- in front of a radical that starts with a vowel.
   • It doesn't take any prefix in all other cases.

   (See : Chapter 11 - Concordant Adjectives.)

   Class 9 :	Nguo	kubwa / ndogo / nzuri / mbaya / nyeusi / ...
   	a	large / small / beautiful / bad / dark / ...	cloth
   Class 10 :	Nguo	kubwa / ndogo / nzuri / mbaya / nyeusi / ...
   		large / small / beautiful / bad / dark / ...	clothes

   
   

2. Possessive adjectives :

   
   

   Class 9 :	Nguo	yangu / yako / yake / yetu / yenu / yao
   	=	my / your / his-her-its / our / your (plur) / their	cloth
   Class 10 :	Nguo	zangu / zako / zake / zetu / zenu / zao
   	=	my / your / his-her-its / our / your (plur) / their	clothes

EXAMPLES :

EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1 : Translate into Swahili :

1. Salt, pepper, a banana, a coconut, a dog, a cat, a fish, a goat, a danger, a loss, sadness, the value, ice, cold, rain, a way, a bottle, a drug, soap, a plate.

2. My grandmother, my grandfather, my friend, my friends, this sister-in-law, these sisters-in-law, my trousers, my clothes, my pen, this large lion, this little cat, this fierce dog, my tea, your coffee, a great sadness, a great danger, bad luck, delicious bananas, rotten coconuts, a long way.

EXERCISE 2 : Translate into English :

1. Kahawa, chai, siagi, sukari, thamani, mbuzi, mbwa, mbu, nguvu, mvua, nuru, hewa, ardhi, bahari, mboga, nyama, karatasi, ngoma, sahani, ndugu, rafiki, askari, hasara, ruhusa, ndege.

2. Rafiki zako, mama yangu, dada yake, kaka yetu, nyanya yako, nguo zangu, suruali yake, chupa zetu, barua yangu, kalamu yako, sahani zake, ruhusa yako, mbwa yangu, kuku zao, furaha yake, shida zetu, ndizi zao, nazi zangu, paka yako, hasara yenu.

EXERCISE 3 : Translate into English :

1. Mpishi amepika chai na kahawa.
2. Wanafunzi wana karatasi na kalamu.
3. Unataka nyama au samaki ?
4. Mnazi huu una nazi nyingi.
5. Gari lako ni hatari kubwa njiani.
6. Mtoto anakula mkate na chai asubuhi.
7. Kuna nyama leo ? - Hakuna.
8. Nimepotea paka yangu mdogo.
9. Pole sana kwa hasara yako.
10. Mimi mgonjwa sana. Sina nguvu hata kidogo.
11. Leo tunakula kuku na supu na mboga mbali mbali.
12. Chai hiyo baridi mno. Tia moto tena !