li- / ya-

Class 5 and 6 Subject Agreement

Level 2

In Swahili, verbs must agree with their subject. For nouns in Class 5 (singular) and Class 6 (plural), you use the subject markers li- and ya- at the very beginning of the verb.

How It Works

Here is how these markers behave in different contexts:

  • Basic Structure: Subject Marker + Tense + Verb Root. Examples: Gari li-na-enda (The car is going) and Magari ya-na-enda (The cars are going). Note that in the habitual tense, the subject marker is dropped entirely (e.g., Gari huenda - The car usually goes).
  • Past Tense (The Double 'li'): Do not confuse the subject marker li- with the past tense marker -li-. If a Class 5 noun does something in the past, you need both: Gari liliharibika (The car broke down). For Class 6, it is: Magari yaliharibika (The cars broke down).
  • Negation: In negative sentences, the primary negative prefix ha- comes first. So, li- becomes hali- and ya- becomes haya-. In the present negative, the tense marker is dropped and verbs ending in -a change to -i. However, verbs ending in -e, -i, or -u do not change their final vowel (e.g., Gari halirudi - The car does not return). Examples: Gari haliendi (The car is not going) and Matunda hayaozi (The fruits are not rotting).
  • Vowel Merging: When combined with the -a- present indefinite tense, li- + a becomes la-, and ya- + a becomes ya-. Examples: Gari laenda (The car goes) and Magari yaenda (The cars go).
  • Associative '-a' (Of): When these markers combine with the associative marker -a (meaning "of"), they form la for Class 5 and ya for Class 6. This is used to show possession or relationship. Examples: Gari la mwalimu (The teacher's car) and Magari ya mwalimu (The teacher's cars). These also form the foundation of the possessive pronouns for this class, such as langu/yangu (my), lako/yako (your), and lake/yake (his/her).
  • Animate Nouns: Remember the human agreement rule. Animate nouns in Class 5/6 (like dereva - driver, bosi - boss) must take Class 1/2 subject markers (a-/wa-), not li-/ya-. Using li-/ya- on human nouns turns them into augmentatives, which can be derogatory. Example: Dereva anaenda (The driver is going), not Dereva linaenda.
  • Object Markers: For inanimate noun classes, the subject markers and object markers are identical. The exact same prefixes (-li- and -ya-) are used as object infixes. Examples: Nililiona gari (I saw the car) and Niliyaona magari (I saw the cars).
  • Relative Clauses: When forming relative clauses, these markers merge with the -o- of reference. li- becomes -lo- and ya- becomes -yo-. Example: Gari linaloenda (The car which is going).

Examples (5)

  1. Gari lile limeharibika.

    That car has broken down.

    Word by Word: Car that it-has-broken-down.

    The Class 5 subject marker 'li-' attaches to the perfect tense marker '-me-'.

  2. Matunda yanaiva.

    The fruits are ripening.

    Word by Word: Fruits they-are-ripening.

    The Class 6 subject marker 'ya-' attaches to the present tense marker '-na-'.

  3. Shati langu lililowa mvua.

    My shirt got wet in the rain.

    Word by Word: Shirt my it-past-get-wet rain.

    Notice the double 'li': the first is the Class 5 subject marker, and the second is the past tense marker.

  4. Halitafika leo.

    It will not arrive today.

    Word by Word: Not-it-will-arrive today.

    In a negative sentence, the negative prefix 'ha-' comes before the subject marker 'li-'.

  5. Maji yanachemka.

    The water is boiling.

    Word by Word: Water it-is-boiling.

    Mass nouns like 'maji' (water) belong to Class 6 and take the 'ya-' subject marker.

Common Mistakes

  • Dropping one 'li' in the past tense.

    Gari lianguka.
    Gari lilianguka.

    Learners often confuse the Class 5 subject marker li- with the past tense marker -li-. You must use both: li- (subject) + -li- (past) + anguka (fall).

  • Treating zero-prefix Class 5 nouns as Class 9.

    Tunda inaiva.
    Tunda linaiva.

    Many Class 5 nouns (like tunda, gari, shati) do not start with ji-. Learners often mistake them for Class 9 nouns and use i- instead of the correct li-.

  • Applying subject markers li-/ya- to adjectives.

    Gari lizuri.
    Gari zuri.

    Learners frequently over-apply the subject markers li- and ya- to adjectives. However, Class 5/6 adjectives take different prefixes (usually no prefix or ji- for Class 5, and ma- for Class 6). Use JI-MA Adjective Agreement instead.

How It Connects

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

li- / ya-Level 2Class 5 and 6 Subject Agreement

Learn This First

To learn Class 5/6 subject agreement, you first need to recognize nouns belonging to the JI-MA class (like tunda/matunda). You also need to understand the general concept of subject-verb agreement in Swahili and how the verb is built using different slots for markers.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

li-ya-