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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 U-I noun class includes names of objects/things with a few different singular/plural prefix pairs: m-/mw-/mu-/mo- in the singular, and mi- in the plural. This class includes the names of many plants and trees.

• mkoba, mikoba (bag, bags)
• mti, miti (tree, trees)
• mto, mito (river, rivers)
• mwiba, miiba (thorn,thorns)
• mwaka, miaka (year, years)
• mwezi, miezi  (month, months)/(moon/moons)
• muwa, miwa (sugarcane)
• muundo, miundo (design,designs)
• moshi, mioshi (smoke)
• moto, mioto (fire, fires)

Summary of Agreement

Adjective Agreement

The adjective agreement prefixes for the U-I class are m– in the singular and mi– in the plural.

• mti mdogo, miti midogo (a small tree, small trees)
• moto mkubwa, mioto mikubwa (a big fire, big fires)
• muwa mrefu, miwa mirefu (a long sugarcane, long sugarcanes)

Possessives

The possessive prefix for the U-I class is w– in singular and y- plural.

• mto wangu, miito yangu (my friend, my friends)
• mti wetu, miti yetu (our tree, our trees)
• mwaka wako, miaka yako (your year, your years)

Verbal Agreement

The verbal subject agreement prefixes for the U-I class are the same as its name, u- in the singular and i– in the plural.

• Mti umevunjika.
  The tree is broken.
• Mito imefurika.
  The rivers have flooded.
• Mwezi unang’aa.
  The moon is bright.
• Miiba imevunjika.
  The thorns are broken.

If the subject is a pronoun referring to a U-I noun, the verb will take u– and i– respectively, even when the noun isn’t mentioned.

• Umevunjika.
  It is broken.
• Umepotea.
  It is lost.
• Imeharibika.
  They are spoiled.
• Inapendeza.
  They are nice.

Locatives

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

• Mto uko wapi? Mto uko shambani.
  Where is the river? The river is in the garden.
• Miundo iko wapi? Miundo iko shuleni.
  Where are the designs? The designs are at school.

Object Infixes

The object infixes for the U-I class are also u- in the singular, and i– in the plural.

• Mkoba? Ninauona.
  The bag? I see it.
• Mistari? Ninaiona.
  The lines? I see them.

Demonstratives

The demonstratives for the U-I class are huu (this), hii (these), huo (that), hiyo (those), ule (that over there), ile (those over there).

• mto huu (this river)
• mifereji hii (these taps)
• mwandiko ule (that handwriting)
• mikoba ile (those bags over there)
• mti huo (that tree)
• miti hiyo (those trees)

Relatives

The relative agreement infixes for the U-I noun class are o– in the singular and yo- in the plural. They can appear as infixes in the verb of the clause (ulioraruka) or as suffixes on amba (ambao).

• mkoba ulioraruka…/ mkoba ambao umeraruka… (the bag that is torn…)
• mitihani iliyomshinda…/ mitihani ambayo ilimshinda  … (the exams that were difficult for him/her…)

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