“There is/are” in Swahili: -na
Aside from “have”, -na is also used to mean “is/are” in Swahili. Like “There is a …”
Technically, the ku is different to the ku in verbs. Here, it’s a subject prefix to indicate location.
| Pos/Neg | Past | Present | Future |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positive: There was, there is, there will be | Kulikuwa na | Kuna | Kutakuwa na |
| Negative: There wasn’t, There isn’t, There won’t be | Hakuwa* na | Hakuna | Hakutakuwa na |
* This is hakukuwa (with the ku twice) if you follow the rules blindly. But it’s simplified to hakuwa verbally.
Examples: Based on weather, which all use “kuna”
| English | Swahili |
|---|---|
| It’s hot today. | Kuna joto leo |
| It’s not raining right now. | Hakuna mvua sasa hivi |
| It will rain tomorrow. | Kutanyesha kesho |
| It was cold this morning. | Kulikuwa na baridi asubuhi. |
| It didn’t rain last week. | Hakukunyesha wiki iliyopita |
| It will not be cold next month. | Hakutakuwa na baridi mwezi hujao. |