-ya-

Class 6 Object -ya-

Level 3

The object prefix -ya- is the object marker for Class 6 nouns. It translates to 'them' for plural countable nouns (like matunda) or 'it' for mass nouns (like maji).

How It Works

The Class 6 object prefix -ya- is highly frequent because Class 6 contains common everyday inanimate plurals (matunda 'fruits', magari 'cars') and essential mass nouns (maji 'water', maziwa 'milk'). Conveniently, it is identical in form to the Class 6 subject prefix.

1. Placement and Form
The marker -ya- goes right before the verb root, after the tense marker. It does not change its form before vowel-initial verbs.

  • ku-ya-uza (to sell them)
  • a-li-ya-ona (he/she saw them)

2. Definiteness and Pronoun Usage
When you mention the noun in the sentence, adding -ya- makes it definite or specific:

  • Niliona magari. (I saw cars.)
  • Niliyaona magari. (I saw the cars.)

If you drop the noun, -ya- acts as the pronoun:

  • Niliyaona. (I saw them.)

3. Mass Nouns
Remember that Class 6 isn't just for plurals. For mass nouns like maji (water), -ya- translates to singular 'it' or 'some':

  • Maji yamejaa, usiyamwage. (The water has filled up, don't spill it.)

4. The Animacy Rule
Crucially, -ya- is strictly for inanimate plurals and mass nouns. Animate nouns in Class 6 (like madaktari 'doctors' or marafiki 'friends') must use the Class 2 object marker -wa- because animacy overrides morphological noun class for verb agreement:

  • Niliwaona madaktari. (I saw the doctors.) - Correct
  • Niliyaona madaktari. - Incorrect

5. Monosyllabic Verbs
When attaching -ya- to short verbs like -la (eat) or -nywa (drink), you must drop the infinitive ku-. The object marker provides the necessary syllable for stress.

  • Nitayala. (I will eat them.) - Standard
  • Nitayakula. - Incorrect in Standard Swahili, but frequently heard in colloquial speech

6. Imperative Rule
When adding an object marker to an affirmative command (imperative), verbs ending in -a must change their final vowel to -e:

  • Yale! (Eat them!)
  • Yauze! (Sell them!)

Examples (5)

  1. Niliyaona magari mapya.

    I saw the new cars.

    Word by Word: I-past-them-see cars new.

    Using -ya- with the explicit noun 'magari' makes it definite ('the cars').

  2. Maji yamejaa, usiyamwage.

    The water has filled up, don't spill it.

    Word by Word: Water it-perfect-full, you-negative-it-spill.

    Here, -ya- refers to the mass noun 'maji' (water), translating to 'it'.

  3. Matunda haya ni matamu; nitayala yote.

    These fruits are sweet; I will eat them all.

    Word by Word: Fruits these are sweet; I-future-them-eat all.

    Notice how the 'ku-' is dropped from 'kula' (to eat) when the object marker -ya- is added, becoming 'nitayala'.

  4. Aliyauza jana.

    He sold them yesterday.

    Word by Word: He-past-them-sell yesterday.

    The object marker -ya- acts as a pronoun ('them') when the noun is omitted. It attaches directly to the vowel-initial root '-uza'.

  5. Matofaa haya ni mazuri, yale!

    These apples are good, eat them!

    Word by Word: Apples these are good, them-eat!

    When an object marker is used in an affirmative command, the final vowel of the verb changes from -a to -e (yale instead of yala).

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping the 'ku-' on monosyllabic verbs when using the object marker.

    Matunda ni mazuri, nitayakula.
    Matunda ni mazuri, nitayala.

    When you add an object marker to a monosyllabic verb like '-la' (eat), you must drop the infinitive 'ku-'. The object marker provides the needed syllable for pronunciation.

  • Using the object marker when you mean fruit in general.

    Different MeaningNinayanunua matunda sokoni.
    Ninanunua matunda sokoni.

    Ninayanunua matunda sokoni is a good sentence, but -ya- points to specific fruits ("I buy the fruits at the market"). If you just mean "I am buying fruit", leave the object marker out.

How It Connects

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

-ya-Level 3Class 6 Object -ya-

Learn This First

To use the Class 6 object marker -ya-, you need to be familiar with the JI-MA noun class (Class 5/6) and understand how object markers are inserted into the standard Swahili verb template.

Words in This Pattern

-ya-