yule / wale

Class 1 and 2 Far Demonstratives

Level 1

In Swahili, yule means 'that' (one person or animal) and wale means 'those' (multiple people or animals). They are used when the person or animal is far from both you and the listener, whether in physical distance, time, or memory.

How It Works

Swahili has a three-way distance system for pointing things out. While English just uses 'this' and 'that', Swahili distinguishes between 'this near me' (huyu/hawa), 'that near you or just mentioned' (huyo/hao), and 'that far away' (yule/wale).

Use yule (singular) and wale (plural) when referring to a person or animal that is distant from both the speaker and the listener. This distance can be physical (like saying 'that one over there'), temporal, or in memory (like 'that person we met last year').

Key Rules:

  • The -le Suffix: In Swahili, the suffix -le is the universal ending for 'that (far)' across all noun classes. For Class 1 and 2, it combines with the agreement prefixes to form yu-le and wa-le.
  • The yu- Prefix: Notice that yule uses the special prefix yu-. This is an irregular agreement marker used primarily for Class 1 singular demonstratives, though you will also see it in Personal Locative Copulas (like yuko or yupo).
  • Placement and Standalone Use: They usually come directly after the noun (e.g., mtoto yule = that child). However, because Swahili has No Articles, placing the demonstrative before the noun (e.g., yule mtoto = the/that child) is a common way to add emphasis or show definiteness. They can also stand alone as pronouns without a noun attached (e.g., Yule ni nani? = Who is that over there?).
  • The Animacy Rule: You must use these for all people and animals. Even if an animal belongs to Class 9 (like mbwa - dog), it still takes the Class 1/2 agreement. Note that Class 9/10 nouns themselves do not change form when pluralized: mbwa yule (that dog) becomes mbwa wale (those dogs).
  • Emphasis (Reduplication): Repeating the demonstrative (yule yule or wale wale) translates to 'that exact same person' or 'those exact same people'.

Examples (5)

  1. Mtoto yule anacheza.

    That child (over there) is playing.

    Word by Word: Child that is-playing.

    Used with a standard Class 1 human noun.

  2. Watu wale ni walimu.

    Those people (over there) are teachers.

    Word by Word: People those are teachers.

    Used with a standard Class 2 plural human noun.

  3. Mbwa yule ni mkali.

    That dog (over there) is fierce.

    Word by Word: Dog that is fierce.

    Notice how 'mbwa' (a Class 9 noun) still uses 'yule' because it is a living animal.

  4. Yule ni nani?

    Who is that (over there)?

    Word by Word: That is who?

    Here, 'yule' is used as a standalone pronoun without a noun attached.

  5. Wale wanatoka wapi?

    Where are those people (over there) from?

    Word by Word: Those are-coming-from where?

    A plural example showing 'wale' acting as a standalone pronoun.

Common Mistakes

  • Using inanimate demonstratives for animals based on their noun class prefix.

    Mbwa ile inabweka.
    Mbwa yule anabweka.

    Because of the Human Agreement Across Classes (and the general animacy rule), all animals take Class 1/2 demonstratives (yule/wale), regardless of their original noun class.

  • Applying the animacy rule to plants and trees.

    Mti yule umeanguka.
    Mti ule umeanguka.

    Although plants and trees are living things, Swahili grammar treats them as inanimate. The animacy rule (using Class 1/2 agreement for everything) only applies to people and animals. For trees, you must use the regular demonstrative for their specific noun class.

  • Using yule/wale just to translate the English word 'the'.

    Different MeaningNilimwona yule daktari.
    Nilimwona daktari.

    Swahili has No Articles. Using 'yule' makes the sentence specifically mean 'that doctor over there', which sounds unnatural if you just meant 'the doctor'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

yule / waleLevel 1Class 1 and 2 Far Demonstratives

Learn This First

To use 'yule' and 'wale' correctly, you must first understand the M-WA noun class system for people and how Swahili demonstratives agree with their nouns and follow them in a sentence.

Words in This Pattern

yulewalele