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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

The Li-Ya noun class includes nouns with a few different singular/plural prefix pairs: ji-ma-, ji-me-, je-ma-, and ∅-ma-, where ∅ means “zero” or no prefix. This noun class includes things that are manufactured or built, places, as well as certain body parts.

• jina, majina (name, names)
• jiko, majiko (stove, stoves)
• jino, meno (tooth, teeth)
• jiko, meko (fireplace, fireplaces)
• jengo, majengo (building, buildings)
• jembe, majembe (hoe, hoes)
• dawati, madawati (desk, desks)
• soko, masoko (market, markets)

Agreement Markers

Adjective Agreement

The adjective agreement prefixes for the Li-Ya class are ∅- in the singular and ma– in the plural.  However, notice that ji- appears on –pya (new), because otherwise it would only have one syllable; this is a slight irregularity, but since –pya (new) is a common adjective, we’ll include it as an example.

• gari zee, magari mazee (an old car, old cars)
• jino kubwa, meno makubwa (a big tooth, big teeth)
• jiko jipya, majiko mapya (a new stove, new stoves)
• jiko zuri, jiko mazuri (a good stove, good stoves)

Possessive Agreement

The possessive prefix for the Li-Ya class is l-,  in  singular and y-  in the plural.

• darasa langu, madarasa yangu (my class, my classes)
• dawati letu, madawati yetu (our desk, our desks)
• jembe lako, majembe yako (your hoe, your hoes)

Verbal Subject Agreement

The verbal subject agreement prefixes for the Li-Ya class are the same as its name, li- in the singular and ya– in the plural.

• Jino linauma.
  The tooth is hurting.
• Dawati limevunjika.
  The desk is broken.
• Jedwali limechorwa.
  The table has been drawn.
• Soko limetengenezwa.
  The market has been repaired.

Locatives

The prefixes li-/ya– are used on the locatives –ko, –po, and –mo.

• Dawati liko wapi? Dawati yako darasani.
  Where is the desk? The  desk is inside the classroom.
• Magari yako wapi? Magari yako kituoni.
  Where are the cars? The cars are at the station.

Object Infixes

The object infixes for the Li-Ya class are li- in the singular, and ya– in the plural.

• Jiwe? Ninaliona.
  The stone? I see it.
• Madaraja? Ninayaona.
  The bridges? I see them.

Demonstratives

The demonstratives for the Li-Ya class are hili (this), haya (these), hilo (that), hayo (those), lile (that over there), yale (those over there).

• gitaa hili (this guitar)
• madaftari haya (these notebooks)
• kabati lile (that cupboard)
• makabati yale (those cupboards)
• magari hayo (that car)

Relatives

The relative agreement infixes for the Li-Ya noun class are lo– in the singular and yo- in the plural. They can appear as infixes in the verb of the  clause (lililopotea) or as suffixes on amba (ambalo).

• gari lililopotea…/ gari ambalo lilipotea… (the car that was lost…)
• madaftari yaliyoraruka…/ madaftari ambayo yaliraruka… (the notebooks that were torn…)

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