“I’ll wake you up”: adding sh or z to cause someone to do something.
You can modify verbs to make them “causative”, making someone do something.
Rules
- Add an -ish- or an -esh- before the last vowel of a word
- Basically, consider the new verb an independent verb
- Irregulars: some change the final consonant to sh or z. The most common of these are
- amka (to wake up) –> amsha (to wake somebody up)
- kumbuka (remember) –> kumbusha (to remind)
- chemka (to boil) –> chemsha (to boil something)
- jaa (to be full) –> jaza (to fill)
- jua (to sleep) –> julisha (to introduce)/ inform
Examples of the causative
| English sentence | Verb | Causative verb | Swahili sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| I will charge you a fee | -lipa (pay) | -lipisha | Nitakulipisha |
| The teacher made the children read./ The teacher taught the children | -soma (read) | -somesha | Mwalimu aliwasomesha watoto. |
| I woke her up early. | -amka (to wake up) | -amsha | Nimemwamsha mapema. |
| Please clean the floor. | -safi (clean) | -safisha (to clean) | Tafadhali safisha sakafu. |
| I need to confirm something. | -hakika (certainty) | -hakikisha | Nahitaji kuhakikisha kitu. |
| Remind me later! | -kumbuka (remember) | -kumbusha (remind) | Nikumbushe baadae! |
| I drive (a car) every day. | -enda (to go) | -endesha (to drive) | Ninaendesha gari kila siku. |