Class 11 Plural Formation

Level 5

Class 11 concrete nouns form their plurals in Class 10. This requires dropping the singular u- prefix and applying strict consonant mutation rules when adding the Class 10 N- prefix.

How It Works

To form the plural of a Class 11 noun, the singular u- (or w-) is dropped, and the Class 10 homorganic nasal prefix N- attaches to the stem. This triggers specific morphophonological changes:

  • Voiceless consonants (p, t, k, f, s, sh, ch): The N- drops entirely. (u-kuta → kuta)
  • l or r: Hardens to d, resulting in nd. (u-limi → ndimi)
  • w (as part of the noun stem): Hardens to either mb or ndw. (u-wingu → mbingu, u-wele (illness) → ndwele)
  • b or v: The nasal prefix assimilates to m- before these consonants, while the consonant itself remains unchanged, resulting in mb or mv. (u-bavu → mbavu)
  • d, g, z: The nasal prefix assimilates to the consonant's place of articulation, while the consonant itself remains unchanged (e.g., nd, ng, nz). (u-devu → ndevu)
  • j: Takes the homorganic nasal to become nj. (u-jiti → njiti)
  • Nasal consonants (m, n, ny, ng'): The N- prefix drops or merges with the stem. (u-nywele → nywele)
  • Vowel stems: Takes ny-. Note that many of these nouns appear with a w- prefix in the singular instead of u- because the u- becomes w- before a vowel (e.g., w-akati → nyakati, w-embe → nyembe, w-imbo → nyimbo).
  • Monosyllabic stems: Retains u- and adds ny- to maintain penultimate stress. (u-so → nyuso, u-a (fence) → nyua)

Additionally, note that some Class 11 nouns pluralize by taking the Class 6 ma- prefix instead of Class 10 (e.g., u-bawa → ma-bawa).

Furthermore, adjectives modifying these plural nouns in Class 10 undergo similar morphophonological N- prefix changes outlined above, with a few common exceptions like -pya (new) becoming mpya and -ema (good) becoming njema. For example, ukuta m-refu (a tall wall) becomes kuta n-defu (tall walls), and ubavu m-baya (a bad rib) becomes mbavu m-baya (bad ribs). You can review this in N-Class Adjective Agreement.

Do not confuse this with Abstract Class 14, which looks identical in the singular but rarely pluralizes (though some Class 14 nouns like u-gonjwa pluralize to Class 6 ma-gonjwa). Also, remember that Class 11 uses the Class 11 and 14 Subject Agreement u- in the singular, but switches to the Class 10 zi- prefix (covered in Class 9 and 10 Subject Agreement) in the plural. Finally, keep in mind that many Class 11 nouns are uncountable mass nouns (such as uji for porridge, unga for flour, and udongo for soil) and simply do not have a plural form.

Examples (4)

  1. Ukuta umeanguka, lakini kuta nyingine ni imara.

    The wall has fallen, but the other walls are firm.

    Word by Word: Wall has-fallen, but walls other are firm.

    Before the voiceless consonant 'k', the Class 10 N- prefix drops entirely, making the plural of 'ukuta' simply 'kuta'.

  2. Ulimi wake unauma, na ndimi zao zinauma pia.

    His tongue hurts, and their tongues hurt too.

    Word by Word: Tongue his hurts, and tongues their hurt too.

    When the N- prefix attaches to an 'l' stem (ulimi), the 'l' hardens to a 'd', resulting in 'ndimi'.

  3. Wimbo huu ni mzuri, lakini nyimbo hizi ni nzuri zaidi.

    This song is good, but these songs are better.

    Word by Word: Song this is good, but songs these are good more.

    For vowel stems like 'wimbo' (stem -imbo), the plural takes the 'ny-' prefix.

  4. Uso wake una tabasamu; nyuso zao zina huzuni.

    His face has a smile; their faces have sadness.

    Word by Word: Face his has smile; faces their have sadness.

    For monosyllabic stems like '-so', the 'u-' is retained and 'ny-' is added to prevent the word from becoming a single syllable.

Common Mistakes

  • Failing to apply consonant mutation rules and just adding 'n-'.

    Nlimi zangu zinauma.
    Ndimi zangu zinauma.

    When the Class 10 N- prefix attaches to an 'l' or 'r', it hardens the consonant to a 'd', resulting in 'nd'. You cannot simply attach 'n-' to the stem.

  • Dropping the 'u-' prefix on monosyllabic stems.

    So zao ni nzuri.
    Nyuso zao ni nzuri.

    Swahili requires penultimate stress. For monosyllabic stems like '-so' (face) or '-zi' (thread), the 'u-' is retained and 'ny-' is added before it to prevent the word from becoming a single syllable.

How It Connects

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

Class 11 Plural FormationLevel 5

Learn This First

To understand Class 11 plural variations, you must first be familiar with the standard U-N class pairing and the specific phonological rules governing the N-prefix in Class 10, as these rules dictate how the plural forms change based on the noun's initial consonant or vowel.