In this post we’ll learn about the Swahili I-Zi Noun Class, also known as the Swahili N Class. This post is part of a series on Swahili noun classes. For an overview, see this post. To learn about each noun class in depth, check out these posts: The A-Wa Class, the Ki-Vi Class, the Li-Ya Class, the U-I Class, the I-I Class, the U-Zi Class, the I-Zi Class, the Ya-Ya Class, the Ku-Ku Class, the PaKuMu-PoKoMo Class.
Overview of the Swahili I-Zi Noun Class
The I-Zi noun class is very broad and includes a wide range of types of nouns. Many nouns borrowed from English, Arabic, and other languages belong to the I-Zi class. The forms are the same in the singular and plural.
- betri (battery, batteries)
- motokaa (automobile, automobiles)
- kalamu (pen, pens)
- nyumba (house, houses)
- kompyuta (computer, computers)
- nchi (country, countries)
- runinga (television, televisions)
Summary of Agreement Markers in the the Swahili I-Zi Noun Class
| adjective | possessive | subject | object | demonstratives | relatives |
| ∅-/n-/ny-/m- | y-/z- | i-/zi- | i-/zi- | hii, hizi hiyo, hizo ile, zile | yo-/zo- |
Adjective Agreement in the Swahili I-Zi Noun Class
Adjectives take ∅-/n-/ny-/m- to agree with the I-Zi class, depending on the first letter of the adjective root. These prefixes are all nasal, hence the other common name, the Swahili N Class.
| Adjective in: | I-Zi Prefix | Examples |
| -d, -z, -g | n- | kompyuta nzuri (a nice computer, nice computers) nyumba ndogo (a small house, small houses) kazi ngumu (difficult work) |
| -b (or –pya, new) | m– | nyama mbaya (bad meat) kazi mpya (a new job) |
| vowels | ny- | barabara nyembamba (a narrow street) nyumba nyingi (many houses) |
| other consonants | ∅– | shule kubwa (a big school) kalamu chafu (a dirty pen) |
Possessives in the Swahili I-Zi Noun Class
The possessive prefix for the I-Zi class is y- in the singular and z– plural.
- karatasi yangu, karatasi zangu (my paper, my papers)
- nyumba yetu, nyumba zetu (our house, our houses)
- nguo zangu, nguo zake (my clothes, her clothes)
Verbal Agreement
The verbal subject agreement prefixes for the I-Zi class are the same as its name, i- in the singular and zi– in the plural.
- Pegi imeanguka.
The peg has fallen. - Pegi zimeanguka.
The pegs have fallen. - Karatasi imeraruka.
The paper is torn. - Karatasi zimeraruka.
The papers are torn.
Locatives in the Swahili I-Zi Noun Class
The prefixes i-/zi– are used on the locatives –ko, –po, and –mo.
- Betri iko wapi? Betri iko garini.
Where is the battery? The battery is in the car. - Redio ziko wapi? Redio ziko darasani.
Where are the radios? The radios are in the classroom.
Object Infixes
The object infixes for the I-Zi class are –i- in the singular, and -zi– in the plural.
- Tarakilishi? Ninaiona.
The computer? I see it. - Redio? Ninaziona.
The radios? I see them. - Ninaziona.
I see them. - Unaiona.
You see it. - Tunaziona.
We see them.
Demonstratives in the Swahili I-Zi Noun Class
The demonstratives for the I-Zi class are hii (this), hizi (these), hiyo (that), hizo (those), ile (that over there), zile (those over there).
- redio hii (this radio)
- runinga hizi (these television)
- pegi ile (that peg)
- betri zile (those betries)
Relatives
The relative agreement infixes for the I-Zi noun class are yo– in the singular and zo- in the plural. They can appear as infixes in the verb of the relative clause (iliyovunjika) or as suffixes on amba (ambayo).
- Pegi iliyovunjika… /pegi ambayo ilivunjika… (the peg that broke…)
- Betri zilizotumika… / betri ambazo zilitumika… (the batteries that were used..)
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