kuwa na

Swahili conceptually frames possession as a state of being accompanied by something, rather than absolute ownership. The infinitive form is kuwa na (to have / to be with).

1. Present Tense (Contracted Form)
In the present tense, you do not use the verb To Be kuwa or the standard Present -na- tense marker. Instead, the subject prefix attaches directly to the word na (with/and). This applies to all noun classes using their specific subject prefixes.

• ni- + na = I Have nina
• a- + na = He or She Has ana
• i- + na = ina (It has - Class 9)

2. Past, Future, and Perfect Tenses
For other tenses, kuwa is conjugated like a normal verb. When followed by a noun, na remains a separate word following it (though it combines with referential suffixes when referring to 'it' or 'them', as detailed in Section 5).

• Past: ni-li-kuwa na (I had)
• Future: a-ta-kuwa na (He/she will have)
• Perfect: ni-me-kuwa na (I have had)

3. Negation
To say you don't have something in the present, attach Present Negative Subject Forms directly to na. Do not use standard verb negation rules (which change a final -a to -i). The negative prefix ha- combines with the subject prefix, but note mandatory vowel contractions for human pronouns. For example, the second-person singular uses hu- (from ha- + u-), making huna (you don't have). The first-person singular uses si-.

• si- + na = sina (I don't have)
• hu- + na = huna (You don't have)
• ha- + a- + na = hana (He/she doesn't have)
• ha- + i- + na = haina (It doesn't have - Class 9)

For past and future tenses, negate kuwa like a normal verb, keeping na separate (when followed by a noun).

• Past Negative: si-ku-wa na (I did not have)
• Future Negative: ha-ta-kuwa na (He/she will not have)

To negate the infinitive itself (not having / to not have), use kutokuwa na.

4. There Is / There Are
By attaching Locative Classes prefixes to na, you express existence (literally "the place has"). The most common is There Is or Are (general place, ku-). You can also use pana for a specific, definite place (pa-) and mna for inside a place (mu-).

5. Having 'It' or 'Them'
To say you have 'it' or 'them', do not use standard object markers. Instead, attach the relative suffix matching the noun's class to the end of the na expression. For example, for a Class 7 object (like kitabu), use Class 7 Relative -cho- to form ninacho (I have it). For a Class 9 object, use Class 9 Relative -yo- to form ninayo (I have it). To negate this, attach the same relative suffix to the negative present form: sinacho (I don't have it - Class 7) or hanayo (He/she doesn't have it - Class 9). For past and future tenses, attach the suffix to na, which remains separate from kuwa: nilikuwa nacho (I had it) or sitakuwa navyo (I will not have them).

6. Habitual and Subjunctive
To express habitual possession, use Usually Is or Becomes followed by na: huwa na (usually have). For commands or obligations, use the Subjunctive -e form of kuwa followed by na: niwe na (I should have) or uwe na (you should have / have!).

7. Physical States and Age
In Swahili, kuwa na is used to express physical states and age where English typically uses the verb 'to be'. For example, you say 'I have hunger' instead of 'I am hungry'.

• nina njaa (I am hungry)
• nina baridi (I am cold)
• ana miaka kumi (He/she is ten years old)