“I haven’t arrived (yet)” tense: -ja
This the negative perfect tense. It can also be read as “not yet”.
You use it to say something hasn’t taken place, or something hasn’t been done yet.
It’s often used with bado, which means still or yet.
For example, with -fika (to arrive):
| Past | Present | Future |
|---|---|---|
| mimi | sijafika | I have not arrived (yet). |
| wewe | hujafika | You have not arrived (yet). |
| yeye | hajafika | He has not arrived (yet). |
| sisi | hatujafika | We have not arrived (yet). |
| ninyi | hamjafika | You all have not arrived (yet). |
| wao | hawajafika | They have not arrived (yet). |
For monosyllabic verbs, you drop the ku. This is different to most other conjugations, where they keep it.
E.g. for negative perfect monosyllabic:
| Swahili | English |
|---|---|
| Bado sijala | I have not yet eaten |
| Bado hukuja | You haven’t come yet. |
| Bado hajafa. | He’s not dead (yet). |