“Come here”: The imperative tense
The imperative is used to command people to do things. Sit! Eat! etc.
The same tense is used to say things like “must”, “should” etc.
Rules
- When addressing many people, you add a ni on to the end, and if the last vowel was an a, change it to an e.
- For irregular, monosyllabic verbs, keep the ku stem (don’t remove it)
- When using an object concord, change the final a to an e.
- Three verbs have an irregular form: kuja, kwenda and kuleta. (all below)
Examples of the imperative tense in Swahili:
| English command | Verb | Imperative (sing.) | Imperative (pural) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Read it! | -soma (to read) | isome! | Isomeni! |
| Go home! | -enda (to go) | Nenda nyumbani! (note: irregular) | Nendeni nyumbani! |
| Come to school! | -ja (to come) *monosyllabic | Njoo/kuja shuleni! (note: irregular) | Njoni/kujeni shuleni! |
| Take them! | -chukua (to take) | Zichukue! | Zichukueni! |
| Bring it! | -leta | lete! (note: irregular) | leteni! |
| Sit here! | -kaa (to sit) | Kaa hapa! | Kaeni hapa! |
| Eat a little! | -la (to eat) *monosyllabic | Kula kidogo! (note: keeps the stem ku) | Kuleni kidogo! |
| Remember! | -kumbuka (to remember) | Kumbuka! | Kumbukeni! |