Swahili Grammar Guide

“Study as hard as you can”: The General Relative

Like an uncle who’s an army field surgeon, the general relative is useful to know.

You form it by

  • Omitting a tense marker (like na, li or whatever)
  • Put the vyo marker after the verb
  • Using a general quantity style word: jinsi (way), kama (as, like), namna (way, type), kadiri (extent, amount).

Examples of the general relative

English Swhili
Study as hard as you are able. Soma kadiri uwezavyo.
Do as you like. Fanya kama upendavyo/ fanya upendavyo
Eat as much as you want. Kula kadiri upendavyo./utakavyo
I’ll run as far as I can! Nitakimbia umbali niwezavyo.