-yo- (ngeli ya 9)

Class 9 Relative -yo-

Level 3

The marker -yo- translates to 'which' or 'that' when referring to a singular Class 9 noun (like nyumba, ripoti, or barua).

How It Works

As a relative marker, the Class 9 infix -yo- translates to 'which' or 'that'. (Note that while the same morpheme can mean 'it' in other contexts like nayo or ndiyo, here it functions to connect clauses).

There are three strict ways to attach this marker:

  • Infixed (Inside the verb): Inserted between the tense marker and the object marker/verb root. This is ONLY allowed with three affirmative tenses: -li- (past, e.g., iliyoanguka - which fell), -na- (present, e.g., inayoanguka - which is falling), and the future tense -ta- (which becomes -taka- when taking a relative infix, e.g., itakayoanguka - which will fall). Additionally, the marker -si- is used to create a tenseless negative relative (e.g., isiyoanguka - which does not fall).
  • With amba- (ambayo): Can be used with any tense, but is mandatory for tenses that reject the infix, such as the perfect tense -me- (e.g., ambayo imeanguka - which has fallen). It is also mandatory for specific negative tenses, like the past negative (e.g., ambayo haikuanguka - which did not fall) or future negative (e.g., ambayo haitaanguka - which will not fall).
  • Suffixed to the root: Attached to the end of a tenseless verb to express habitual or timeless states (e.g., iangukayo - which falls / which usually falls). This is more formal or literary.

When a Class 9 noun is the object of the relative clause (an object relative), the verb structure changes. In a subject relative, the subject prefix matches the Class 9 noun (e.g., i-na-yo-anguka - which is falling). In an object relative, the subject prefix matches the doer of the action, while the relative infix still matches the Class 9 object (e.g., ni-na-yo-andika - which I am writing). The object marker -i- is optional for inanimate nouns and is often added to indicate definiteness or focus (e.g., barua ninayoandika - a letter that I am writing, vs. barua ninayoiandika - the specific letter that I am writing).

For the verbs 'to be' (kuwa) and 'to have' (kuwa na) in the present tense, a defective root -li- is used instead of the full verb: iliyo (which is) and iliyo na (which has).

Note that while -yo- is also used for Class 4 and Class 6 nouns, Class 6 uses a different subject prefix (ya-) and object marker -ya-, whereas Class 4 is morphologically identical to Class 9 in its subject prefix (i-), object marker (-i-), and relative marker (-yo-). Crucially, do not confuse Class 9 with its plural counterpart, Class 10, which uses the relative marker -zo-.

Examples (4)

  1. Nyumba inayoanguka ni yangu.

    The house which is falling is mine.

    Word by Word: House it-present-which-fall is mine.

    An infixed subject relative using the present tense -na-.

  2. Ripoti uliyoiandika jana ni nzuri.

    The report that you wrote yesterday is good.

    Word by Word: Report you-past-which-it-write yesterday is good.

    An infixed object relative. Notice how the relative -yo- ('that') and the object marker -i- ('it') appear side-by-side. The object marker is optional for inanimate nouns but is used here to add definiteness or focus to the specific report.

  3. Zawadi ambayo nimeipata leo inatoka kwa mama.

    The gift that I have received today is from mother.

    Word by Word: Gift which I-have-it-get today it-comes from mother.

    Because the perfect tense -me- is used, the amba- strategy (ambayo) is mandatory.

  4. Barua isiyofika ilipotea.

    The letter which did not arrive got lost.

    Word by Word: Letter it-negative-which-arrive it-past-get-lost.

    The relative marker can be infixed with the tenseless negative marker -si-. Note that isiyofika is tenseless and takes its past meaning ('did not arrive') contextually from the main verb ilipotea.

Common Mistakes

  • Infixing -yo- with incompatible tenses like the perfect -me-.

    Nyumba imeyoanguka ni yangu.
    Nyumba ambayo imeanguka ni yangu.

    You cannot infix a relative marker with the perfect tense -me-. You must use the independent relative pronoun 'ambayo' instead.

  • Using the object's subject prefix instead of the doer's in object relative clauses.

    Barua inayoandika ni ndefu.
    Barua ninayoandika ni ndefu.

    In an object relative clause, the subject prefix must match the person or thing doing the action (e.g., ni- for 'I'), not the object itself. Using 'i-' here changes the meaning to 'the letter which is writing'.

  • Using singular -yo- for plural Class 10 nouns.

    Nyumba mbili zinayoanguka ni zangu.
    Nyumba mbili zinazoanguka ni zangu.

    Because singular (Class 9) and plural (Class 10) nouns often look identical, learners mistakenly use -yo- for plurals. Plurals require the Class 10 marker -zo-.

How It Connects

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

-yo- (ngeli ya 9)Level 3Class 9 Relative -yo-

Learn This First

To understand the Class 9 relative marker -yo-, you first need to be familiar with the N-class (Class 9) nouns and their standard subject agreement (i-). Additionally, you must understand the general mechanics of how the relative -o- infix is inserted into the Swahili verb template.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

-yo--yo