Welcome to the fifth Swahili lesson about gender. This time we will view a list of people, feminine and masculine, followed by grammar rules, finally a list of expressions in Swahili to help you practice your daily phrases.
man  mwanamme | woman mwanamke | husband mume | wife mke |
boy mvulana | girl msichana | father baba | mother mama |
Gender Grammar Rules
In general, gender is used to distinguish between male and female, sometimes referred to as masculine and feminine. For example: my son and daughter are students the noun [son] is masculine, while [daughter] is feminine. The following examples use gender in different ways and places to demonstrate their behavior.
| Grammar + Rules | Swahili |
|---|---|
| my son is a student [masculine + noun] | mwanangu ni mwanafunzi |
| her daughter is a student [feminine + noun] | binti yake ni mwanafunzi |
| he has a tall brother [adjective + masculine] | ana ndugu mrefu |
| she has a tall sister [adjective + feminine] | ana dada mrefu |
| his brothers are young [plural masculine + adjective] | ndugu zake ni vijana |
| his sisters are young [plural feminine + adjective] | dada zake ni vijana |
The list below will probably provide more clarification. These are family members (males and females). I think it would be wise to memorize them as part of your important vocabulary list.
son mwana | daughter binti | brother ndugu | sister dada |
grandfather babu | grandmother nyanya | child mtoto | children watoto |
Expressions in Swahili
Now it's time to practice expressions used in daily conversations. If you're a beginner in learning Swahili, then the phrases below are something you would want to know.
| English | Swahili |
|---|---|
| What do you mean? | una maanisha nini? |
| I don't understand | sielewi |
| I don't know | sijui |
| What is that called in Swahili? | kile kinaitwaje kwa kiswahili |
| What is this? | nini hii? |
| What does that word mean in English? | nini maana ya neno hili kwa kiingereza? |
| Sorry (if you made a mistake) | pole |
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