Lesson 3:
Grammar
The Perfect with –mesha–
It’s also possible to express the perfect tense with the infix –mesha– instead of the simpler –me–. The –sha part of this infix comes from the verb kuisha (to end or to finish), so this extended infix carries more of an emphasis that the action has already taken place. For example, nimeshasoma can be translated as “I have already read/studied.” Keep in mind that there is no great difference between the perfect with –me– and the perfect with –mesha–. The latter simply adds emphasis:
| Mwalimu ameshaondoka. | The teacher has already left. |
| Watoto wameshakula chakula cha jioni. | The children have already eaten dinner. |
| Mti umeshaanguka. | The tree has already fallen down. |
| Miti imeshakatwa. | The trees have already been cut. |
| Basi limeshaondoka. | The bus has already left. |
| Maji yameshamwagika. | The water has already been spilled. |
| Kitabu kimeshapotea. | The book has already been lost. |
| Viti vimeshaibiwa. | The chairs have already been stolen. |
| Nyumba zimeshajengwa. | The houses have already been built. |
| Umeshachelewa. | You’re already late. |
The negation of –mesha– is the same as the negation of –me–. Simply add the negative prefix before the subject prefix, and replace –mesha– with –ja–:
| Mwalimu ameshaondoka. | Mwalimu hajaondoka. |
| The teacher has already left. | The teacher hasn’t left yet. |
| Watoto wameshakula chakula cha jioni. | Watoto hawajala chakula chajioni. |
| The children have already eaten dinner. | The children haven’t eaten dinner yet. |
| Miti imeshakatwa. | Miti haijakatwa. |
| The trees have already been cut. | The trees haven’t been cut yet. |