-chache

Few with Class Agreement

Level 2

The adjective root -chache means "few," "a few," or "not many." Unlike English, which distinguishes between "a few" (positive) and "few" (negative), Swahili uses -chache for both. It must always agree with the noun it modifies.

How It Works

To become confident with -chache, you need to understand how it interacts with different noun classes and when to use it instead of other quantifiers.

1. Regular Plural Classes
For most countable nouns, -chache takes the standard plural prefix of the noun's class. For example, Class 2 takes wa- (watu wachache - a few people), Class 4 takes mi- (miti michache - a few trees), Class 6 takes ma- (mambo machache - a few things/issues), and Class 8 takes vi- (vitu vichache - a few things).

2. The N-Class Exception (Classes 9/10)
For N-class nouns (which include many everyday items and loanwords), adjectives starting with the voiceless consonant ch- take a zero prefix. This means the word remains exactly chache. You will say siku chache (a few days) or kurasa chache (a few pages).

3. The Animacy Rule
For living things (humans and animals), you must apply the human agreement rule. Even if the noun belongs to the N-class (like rafiki), it takes the Class 2 plural prefix wa-: rafiki wachache (a few friends).

4. Adding "tu" for Emphasis
Because -chache covers both "a few" (some) and "few" (not many), native speakers often add the word tu (only) to emphasize a restrictive, small amount: watu wachache tu (only a few people).

5. Countable vs. Uncountable
-chache is generally used for countable nouns. If you want to say "a little" for uncountable mass nouns (like water or time), the standard and most natural choice is the invariable word kidogo (e.g., maji kidogo). While you might occasionally hear maji machache to mean a small volume or body of water, kidogo is the best choice for general use.

6. "A few" vs. "Some of"
Do not confuse -chache with baadhi ya. Use -chache for a small quantity (a few people), but use baadhi ya when referring to a specific subset of a group (some of the people).

Examples (4)

  1. Mimi nina marafiki wachache.

    I have a few friends.

    Word by Word: I have friends few.

    Even though 'rafiki' is an N-class noun, it refers to humans, so it takes the Class 2 prefix wa-.

  2. Ukiongeza viungo vichache tu, mchuzi utapata ladha bora.

    If you add just a few spices, the sauce will get a better taste.

    Word by Word: If you add spices few only, sauce will get taste better.

    Here, -chache takes the Class 8 prefix vi- to match 'viungo' (spices). The word 'tu' is added to emphasize 'just a few'.

  3. Ni vizuri kusoma kurasa chache kabla ya kulala.

    It is good to read a few pages before sleeping.

    Word by Word: Is good to read pages few before of sleeping.

    'Kurasa' is a Class 10 noun. Because -chache starts with 'ch', it takes a zero prefix and remains 'chache'.

  4. Kuna miti michache sana hapa.

    There are very few trees here.

    Word by Word: There is trees few very here.

    The root takes the Class 4 prefix mi- to match 'miti' (trees).

Common Mistakes

  • Adding the 'ny-' prefix to N-class nouns.

    Mimi nina siku nyichache za kupumzika.
    Mimi nina siku chache za kupumzika.

    Because N-class plural adjectives often take 'ny-' (like 'nyingi' for many), learners mistakenly invent forms like 'nyichache'. For adjectives starting with 'ch', the N-class prefix is zero, so it remains 'chache'.

  • Overusing -chache for uncountable mass nouns instead of kidogo.

    Naomba maji machache.
    Naomba maji kidogo.

    While '-chache' can sometimes be used to mean a small volume or body of water, it sounds unnatural when asking for 'a little' of a mass noun to drink. For uncountable nouns, the standard and most natural choice is the invariable word 'kidogo'.

  • Treating -chache as an invariable word that doesn't change.

    Kuna watu chache darasani.
    Kuna watu wachache darasani.

    Unlike 'kidogo', -chache is a true adjective root and must take the appropriate noun class agreement prefix (wa- for watu).

How It Connects

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

-chacheLevel 2Few with Class Agreement

Learn This First

To use '-chache' (few) correctly, you need to understand the Swahili noun class system and how adjectives take specific prefixes to match the noun they describe. Specifically, you must know that adjectives follow the noun and how to apply the plural prefixes for people (wa-) and objects (vi-).

Words in This Pattern

chachewachachevichache