“Mine” vs “Yours’: Possessives
Possessives are how you build words like “mine” and “your”.
They come in two parts: a prefix and the possessive suffix.
Possessive prefixes: These are the same as the possessive markers above, just without the ‘a’.
| Class | M/Wa and people, animals | M/Mi | Ji/Ma | Ki/Vi | N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Possessive prefix | w- (for both) | w-/y- | l-/y- | ch-/vy- | y-/z- |
Possessive suffixes:
| English | Possessive suffix |
|---|---|
| my | -angu |
| your | -ako |
| his or her | -ake |
| ours | -etu |
| yours (pl.) | -enu |
| theirs | -ao |
To say “This is my friend”, you construct the possessive for friend (rafiki, M/Tu class), which is w, with the possessive suffix, which is -angu, to get wangu. Translation: Huyu ni rafiki wangu.
Examples of possessives:
| English | Noun & class | Prefix | Possessive | Swahili |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| My name | jina (ji/ma) | l- | -angu | jina langu |
| Your arm | mkono (mi) | w- | -ako | mkono wako |
| His food | Chakula (ki/vi) | ch- | -ake | chakula chake |