Demonstratives After the Noun

Level 1

Demonstratives (words like this, that, these, those) are placed immediately after the noun they describe in standard, neutral Swahili.

How It Works

In Swahili, the default and most common position for a demonstrative is after the noun. This rule applies to all three types of demonstratives (proximal 'this', distal 'that', and referential 'that one mentioned before').

For example, to say 'this child', you say mtoto huyu (child this). To say 'those books', you say vitabu vile (books those).

  • Neutral Order: Noun + Demonstrative (e.g., kitabu hiki). This is used for basic pointing or referring to something active in the conversation.
  • With Possessives: Possessives take precedence and sit immediately next to the noun. The demonstrative is pushed to the third slot: Noun + Possessive + Demonstrative (e.g., kitabu changu hiki - this book of mine).
  • With Adjectives: When you add an adjective, the demonstrative usually comes right after the noun (or after the possessive), before the adjective: Noun + Demonstrative + Adjective (e.g., kitabu hiki kizuri - this good book).
  • Agreement: The demonstrative must take the specific agreement marker of the noun's class. You cannot use a person-class demonstrative for an object.

Note on Pre-nominal Demonstratives:
Because English says 'this book', learners often default to putting the demonstrative first (hiki kitabu). While this is grammatically valid in Swahili, it is not neutral. Putting the demonstrative before the noun adds special emphasis or definiteness, acting almost like the English word 'the'. For everyday, neutral statements, always place the demonstrative after the noun.

Examples (3)

  1. Mtoto huyu anacheza.

    This child is playing.

    Word by Word: Child this is playing.

    The demonstrative 'huyu' (this) follows the Class 1 noun 'mtoto'.

  2. Vitabu vile ni vyangu.

    Those books over there are mine.

    Word by Word: Books those are mine.

    The distal demonstrative 'vile' (those over there) follows the Class 8 noun 'vitabu'.

  3. Nyumba hiyo imejengwa vizuri.

    That house is well built.

    Word by Word: House that is built well.

    The referential demonstrative 'hiyo' (that previously mentioned) follows the Class 9 noun 'nyumba'.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the demonstrative before the noun when you want a neutral 'this child'.

    Different MeaningHuyu mtoto anacheza.
    Mtoto huyu anacheza.

    Huyu mtoto anacheza is correct Swahili. With the demonstrative first, it points at the child with extra emphasis, like 'this child here'. For a neutral 'this child', put the demonstrative after the noun: Mtoto huyu.

  • Using the wrong noun class agreement for the demonstrative.

    Kitabu huyu ni kizuri.
    Kitabu hiki ni kizuri.

    Learners often memorize 'huyu' (Class 1 'this') and use it for everything. You must use the Class 7 demonstrative 'hiki' for the Class 7 noun 'kitabu'.

  • Placing the adjective before the demonstrative.

    Kitabu kizuri hiki ni changu.
    Kitabu hiki kizuri ni changu.

    When a noun has both a demonstrative and an adjective, the demonstrative usually comes immediately after the noun, followed by the adjective (Noun + Demonstrative + Adjective).

How It Connects

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

Demonstratives After the NounLevel 1

Learn This First

To understand where to place a demonstrative, you first need to understand the Swahili noun class system, as the specific form of the demonstrative (like 'hiki' vs 'huyu') depends on the class of the noun it follows.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.