The Ku- Class

In English, you can turn a verb into a noun by adding “–ing” or by using the “to” infinitive form. So, from the verb “swim,” as in “I swim every morning,” you can also form nouns, as in “Swimming is great exercise,” or “To swim in the warm sea is a pleasure.” In Swahili, you can do the same thing with the help of the seventh noun class that you’ll learn, known as the Ku- Class. These are actually the familiar infinitive forms of the verbs that you’ve been learning all along; in Swahili, there is no distinction between the infinitive (“to” form) and the gerund (“–ing” form). They’re both expressed as the noun form of verbs, the ku– form. For example, you know that kufundisha means “to teach,” so to ask, “Do you like teaching?” simply say, Unapenda kufundisha? Similarly, you could say “Teaching is difficult” or “It’s difficult to teach” as Kufundisha ni kugumu.

Just as in English, there are no plural forms of Ku- nouns. The subject prefix that you use with a verb to show agreement with a Ku- subject is, unsurprisingly, ku–. Demonstratives for Ku- Class nouns are huku (this) and kule (that). Possessives are formed by adding the prefix kw– to the possessive stem: kwangu (my), kwako (your), kwake (his/her), kwetu (our), kwenu (your, plural), kwao (their)—for example, kuimba kwangu (my singing), kusoma kwao (their studying), kupika kwake (his/her cooking). Adjective agreement with a Ku- Class noun is shown with the prefix ku– if the adjective begins with a consonant, or kw– if it begins with a vowel: kuandika kuzuri (beautiful writing), kuimba kwema (pleasant singing). The a– of possession has the form kwa: kuenda kwa miguu (going on foot). The other agreement patterns that you’ve learned are summarized in the following table:

	–ingi	–ingine	–ote	–o –ote	–enye	–pi?
	(many)	(other)	(all/whole)	(any)	(having)	(which)
kuishi . . .	kwingi	kwingine	kote	ko kote	kwenye	kupi?
(living, life)	living a lot, long life	another life	the whole	any life	living that has	which life?

Let’s bring all of that together in some example sentences:

Kuimba kwako kunanipendeza.	Your singing pleases me.
Kuimba kwako hakunipendezi.	Your singing does not please me.
Kufundisha kwake ni kuzuri.	His teaching is good.
Kufundisha kwake si kuzuri.	His teaching isn’t good.
Kuondoka kwa kiongozi kulisababisha hasara.	The leader’s departure (leaving) caused a loss.
Kuondoka kwa kiongozi hakukusababisha hasara.	The leader’s departure (leaving) did not cause loss.
Kupika kwao nilikupenda.	I liked their cooking.
Kupika kwao sikukupenda.	I didn’t like their cooking.
Kufika kwetu kuliwafurahisha.	Our arrival (arriving) pleased them.
Kufika kwetu hakukuwafurahisha.	Our arrival (arriving) did not please them.

One other fact about Ku- Class nouns is that they can be negated with the infix –to– between the ku– prefix and the root. So, you have: kusoma/kutosoma (studying/not studying), kujua/kutojua (to know/not to know), kuwa/kutokuwa (to be/not to be), kufanya kazi/kutofanya kazi (working/not working), kula/kutokula (to eat/not to eat).

Kutojua kusoma na kuandika ni hatari.	Not to know/knowing (how) to read and write is dangerous.
Kutokula ni kubaya kwa afya yako.	Not eating is bad for your health.
Kutokuwa na pesa ni kugumu.	Not having money is hard.
Kutofanya kazi kunaleta umasikini.	Not working brings poverty.
Kutosema kweli ni dhambi.	Not to speak the truth is a sin.

One area of language where you’ll come across a lot of ku– forms is in Swahili proverbs. Here are some examples:

Kukopa harusi, kulipa matanga.	Borrowing is [like] wedding; paying is [like] mourning.
Kuvunjika kwa koleo sio mwisho wa uhunzi.	The breaking of the pliers is not the end of forging.
Kuenda mbio si kufika.	To run is not to arrive.
Kuishi kwingi, kuona mengi.	To live long is to see a lot.