“Some”, “Any” and “All”: Quantity modifiers -ote and -o-ote
These words are common. In Swahili, they have to agree with the noun class, using the referential concord, combined with the adjective concord.
| Class | M-Wa and people, animals | M-Mi | Ji-Ma | Ki-Vi | N | U |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concord | ye/o | o/yo | lo/yo | cho/vyo | yo/zo | o |
Here’s how you form any or all
| English | Modifier |
|---|---|
| any | -o-ote (this takes the class marker twice!) |
| all/entire/whole | -ote use with singular for “entire/whole” (e.g. “yote”) use with plural adjective concord for “all” (e.g. “wote”) |
Modifiers for the most common noun classes:
| Class | M-Wa and people, animals | M-Mi | Ji-Ma | Ki-Vi | N | U | Pa | Ku | Mu |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concord | ye/o | o/yo | lo/yo | cho/vyo | yo/zo | o | p | kw- | mw |
| Entire/ whole | yote | wote | lote | chote | yote | zote | pote | kwote | mwote |
| All | wote | yote | yote | vyote | zote | wote | pote | kwote | mwote |
| Any | wowote | yoyote | yoyote | vyovyote | zozote | zozote | popote | kokote | momote |
Examples of the quantity modifiers:
| English | Noun | class | Referential conford | Swahiili |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I want any orange | chungwa (orange) | ji-ma | lo | Nataka chungwa lolote |
| I want all the oranges | machungwa (oranges) | ji-ma | yo | Nataka machungwa yote |
| Any person could do this! | mtu (person) | m-wa | ye | Mtu yeyote anaweza kuifanya! |
| Everyone can do this. | watu (people) | m-wa | o | watu wote wanaweza kuifanya |