Noun Classes: The I-ZI Class
Learn about the different noun classes in Kiswahili.
📚 The I-ZI noun class [Ngeli ya I-ZI]
This noun class is made up of countable nouns that remain the same both in singular and in plural. They do not change form.
| Kiswahili Noun (Singular) | English Noun (Singular) | Kiswahili Noun (Plural) | English Noun (Plural) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nyumba imejengwa | The house has been built | Nyumba zimejengwa | The houses have been built |
| Karatasi imeraruka | The paper is torn | Karatasi zimeraruka | The papers are torn |
| Siku inapita | The day is passing | Siku zinapita | The days are passing |
Grammar note: See how the nouns don't change, but the verbs take 'i' in singular and 'zi' in plural? That's where the name of this noun class comes from.
📚 More on The I-ZI noun class.
Here are some other examples of nouns in this class:
| Kiswahili Noun (Singular) | English Meaning (Singular) | Kiswahili Noun (Plural) | English Meaning (Plural) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ndizi | Banana | Ndizi | Bananas |
| Chupa | Bottle | Chupa | Bottles |
| Wiki | Week | Wiki | Weeks |
| Njia | Path | Njia | Paths |
| Nguo | Cloth | Nguo | Clothes |
| Kalamu | Pen | Kalamu | Pens |
| Sufuria | Pan | Sufuria | Pans |
| Meza | Table | Meza | Tables |
| Sahani | Plate | Sahani | Plates |
| Nchi | Country | Nchi | Countries |
| Bendera | Flag | Bendera | Flags |
| Nyundo | Hammer | Nyundo | Hammers |
📚 Adjectives in Example Sentences With I-ZI nouns.
Let's take a look at how to form adjectives with nouns in I-ZI. When forming adjectives, nouns in the this class don't add any prefix to the adjective in singular form. However, the plural form takes 'ma' as the prefix.
| Kiswahili Root Adjective | English Meaning (Root) | Kiswahili Adjective (Singular) | English Meaning (Singular) | Kiswahili Adjective (Plural) | English Meaning (Plural) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -zuri | good | Nyumba nzuri | A good house | Nyumba nzuri | Good houses |
| -baya | bad | Kalamu mbaya | A bad pen | Kalamu mbaya | Bad pens |
| -kubwa | big | Kompyuta kubwa | A big computer | Kompyuta kubwa | Big computers |
| -dogo | small | Njia ndogo | A small path | Njia ndogo | Small paths |
| -refu | tall | Barabara nddefu | A long road | Barabara ndefu | Long roads |
| -pya | new | Meza mpya | A new table | Meza mpya | New tables |
Grammar note: There's a pronunciation difference when using 'mpya' to describe a noun in the A-WA class as compared to a noun in the I-ZI class.
📚 Possessives and Noun Agremeents in the I-ZI noun class
This is how possessives work for the I-ZI noun class.
| Kiswahili (Singular - Ngeli ya I-ZI) | English Meaning (Singular - Ngeli ya I-ZI) | Kiswahili (Plural - Ngeli ya I-ZI) | English Meaning (Plural - Ngeli ya I-ZI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nyumba yangu | My house | Nyumba zetu | Our houses |
| Nyumba yako | Your house | Nyumba zenu | Your houses |
| Nyumba yake | His/Her house | Nyumba zao | Their houses |
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