“You should go now”: The optative/subjunctive
The optative works like the subjunctive in French or Spanish. It is used in phrases like “So that we could” or “It’s necessary that” — connecting two phrases, where the verb subject changes.
It has the same rules as the imperative, but with one difference: for monosyllabic verbs (like kuja, to come), you remove the stem marker (ku).
Examples of the optative/subjunctive:
| English phrase | Swahili verb transformation | Swahili |
|---|---|---|
| Please (lit. “I request that you”) open the door for me | fungua –> fungulie | Naomba unifungulie mlango |
| Please read the menu. | soma –> usome | Tafadhali usome orodha. |
| Call them so I may study with them. | -ita (to call) –> ite -soma (to study) –> some | Waite nisome nao |
| They gave us tickets so we could go in. | ingia (to enter) –> ingie | Walitupa tiketi tuingie. |
| He told me to come. | kuja –> je | Aliniambia nije. |
| Did they tell us to go today? | twenda –> twende | Je, walisema twende leo? |
To say “must” or “should” you use a modifier word, then this conjugation.
Examples of “must” or “should” using the optative:
| English concept | Swahili modifier | English example | Swahili example |
|---|---|---|---|
| “It’s better that” | Afadhali | It’s better that we go by bus. | Afadhali twende kwa basi. |
| “Must” or “Need to” | Lazima | They must go home. | Lazima waende nyumbani. |
| “I’d better” | Heri | I’d better go now. | Heri niende sasa. |
| “Have to” | Inabidi | We have to buy tickets. | Inabidi tukate tiketi. |