Prepositions play a major role in sentence formation. It is important to pay attention to them when learning a new language, alongside verbs, adjectives, and nouns. It shows a correlation between two objects and sometimes gives meaning to sentences. In the Swahili language, Swahili prepositions or Kihusishi in Swahili is important.
That is why we are going through the important Swahili prepositions you must know to be able to formulate correct sentences and become a fluent speaker. With many examples listed here, we can ensure that you’ll understand this topic instantly. Without further ado, let’s get started.
If you are a Swahili language learner and you do not want to go over the grammar point right away, you can also check out how to introduce yourself in case a local asks you, basic greetings, and other necessary Swahili vocabulary.
A Quick Intro To Swahili Grammar
The Swahili grammar is a Bantu language spoken mainly in Eastern Africa. With approximately 200 million speakers, the Swahili language is spoken alongside French and English in Tanzania, Kenya, the Congo Republic, and other eastern African countries. The Swahili grammar follows the subject-verb-object order and has a rich array of agglutination words, noun classes, and tenses.
Ideally, prepositions are placed before the noun or the pronouns, whether demonstrative or any pronoun. However, when it comes to some prepositions of location, it is added as a suffix when there is a proper noun in the sentence.
What Is A Preposition?
We’ve established that prepositions are an essential part of a sentence, but what exactly are they? A preposition is a word or group used before a noun or pronoun to show direction, place, location, or spatial relationship. In layman’s language, a preposition is simply a word that links words together or shows a relationship between both terms.
- The cat is under the table
The English preposition ‘under‘ shows the relationship between the cat and the table. Another quick example is My phone is in the car. You will realize that the phone and the car are linked together by the preposition ‘in.’
Now that we know what a preposition is and its importance, let’s look at the common prepositions you need to know in Swahili.
Common Swahili Prepositions You Need To Know
Let’s look at the common Swahili prepositions essential for the smooth flow of your learning process.
| English | Swahili | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| above | juu | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]juu[/Speechword] |
| about | kuhusu | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]kuhusu[/Speechword] |
| after | baada ya | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]baada ya[/Speechword] |
| around | karibu | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]karibu[/Speechword] |
| against | dhidi ya | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]dhidi ya[/Speechword] |
| and | na | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]na[/Speechword] |
| among | miongoni mwa | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]miongoni mwa[/Speechword] |
| between | kati ya | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]kati ya[/Speechword] |
| behind | nyuma ya | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]nyuma ya[/Speechword] |
| before | kabla ya | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]kabla ya[/Speechword] |
| but | lakini | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]lakini[/Speechword] |
| beside | kando ya | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]kando ya[/Speechword] |
| beyond | ng’ambo | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]ng’ambo[/Speechword] |
| during | wakati | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]wakati[/Speechword] |
| from | kutoka | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]kutoka[/Speechword] |
| far from | mbali ya | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]mbali ya[/Speechword] |
| in | katika/ndani ya | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]katika[/Speechword] / [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]ndani ya[/Speechword] |
| instead of | badala ya | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]badala ya[/Speechword] |
| inside | ndani ya | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]ndani ya[/Speechword] |
| in front of | mbele ya | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]mbele ya[/Speechword] |
| next | kando | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]kando[/Speechword] |
| Near | karibu na | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]karibu na[/Speechword] |
| of | ya | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]ya[/Speechword] |
| until | mpaka | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]mpaka[/Speechword] |
| outside | nje ya | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]nje ya[/Speechword] |
| over | juu ya | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]juu ya[/Speechword] |
| on/on top of/ upon | juu ya | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]juu ya[/Speechword] |
| since | tangu | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]tangu[/Speechword] |
| than | kuliko | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]kuliko[/Speechword] |
| toward | kuelekea | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]kuelekea[/Speechword] |
| under/underneath | chini ya | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]chini ya[/Speechword] |
| until | mpaka | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]mpaka[/Speechword] |
| without | bila | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]bila[/Speechword] |
| within | ndani ya | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]ndani ya[/Speechword] |
Common Examples To Help You Understand Prepositions
As mentioned earlier, we will look at the common examples using these listed prepositions.
Examples
| English | Swahili | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| The eggs are in the baskets | Mayai yamo ndani ya | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]Mayai yamo ndani ya[/Speechword] |
| I am outside your house | Niko nje ya nyumba yako | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]Niko nje ya nyumba yako[/Speechword] |
| You are far from home | Uko mbali na nyumbani | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]Uko mbali na nyumbani[/Speechword] |
| The cat is under the table | Paka iko chini ya meza | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]Paka iko chini ya meza[/Speechword] |
| He is between the table and the chair | Yuko kati ya meza na kiti | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]Yuko kati ya meza na kiti[/Speechword] |
| I am in front of the church | Niko mbele ya kanisa | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]Niko mbele ya kanisa[/Speechword] |
| Have you checked beside the box? | Umeangalia kando ya kisanduku? | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]Umeangalia kando ya kisanduku?[/Speechword] |
| He left during the meeting | Aliondoka wakati wa mkutano | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]Aliondoka wakati wa mkutano[/Speechword] |
| With or without you, I am going | Na au bila wewe, ninaenda | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]Na au bila wewe, ninaenda.[/Speechword] |
| I am near the bus | Niko karibu na basi | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]Niko karibu na basi[/Speechword] |
Other Swahili Phrases You Should Know
Let’s take a look at other basic Swahili vocabulary to know, especially if you are traveling to any of the Swahili-speaking countries soon.
| English | Swahili | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Habari | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]Habari[/Speechword] |
| How are you | U hali gani? | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]U hali gani?[/Speechword] |
| Good morning | Habari za asubuhi | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]Habari za asubuhi[/Speechword] |
| Good afternoon | Habari za mchana | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]Habari za mchana[/Speechword] |
| Good evening | Habari za jioni | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]Habari za jioni[/Speechword] |
| Good night | Usiku mwema | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]Usiku mwema[/Speechword] |
| Goodbye | Kwa heri | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]Kwa heri[/Speechword] |
| What is your name? | Jina lako ni nani | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]Jina lako ni nani[/Speechword] |
| My name is… | Jina langu ni | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]Jina langu ni[/Speechword] |
| Sorry | Samahani | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]Samahani[/Speechword] |
| Thank you | Asante | [Speechword voice=”Swahili Male” isinline]Asante[/Speechword] |
There Is Still More To Learn About Swahili Grammar
We may have come to the end of this blog post on prepositions, but the Swahili language has a lot of vocabulary and terms to learn. As we mentioned earlier, the Swahili language is one of the largest languages spoken in Africa, and it will be important to be conversant with the Swahili language if you are traveling to Africa or working in Africa.
Therefore, to make your learning journey easier and faster, you need a language learning app that covers the basics and advanced grammar in the Swahili language. That is where the Ling app comes in!
Keep Learning Swahili With Ling
The Ling app is a language learning platform with a gamified experience to make language learning easy and fun. It comes with every feature you need to move from a beginner in the Swahili language to a fluent speaker.
You’ll get access to grammar lessons that move from basic words to advanced sentences, interactive quizzes and exercises, flashcards, and even an AI chatbot that helps you develop your conversational skills. With Ling, you can rest assured that you will develop reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills in your target language.
What are you waiting for? Download the Ling app today from the Play Store or App Store to get started!
