si-

I Do Not Si-

Level 1

To say "I do not" in Swahili, replace the affirmative ni- with si-. In the present tense, you must drop the tense marker -na- and change the final -a of most verbs to -i.

How It Works

When you use si- in the present tense, it triggers specific rules depending on the type of verb you are using:

  • Dropping the Tense Marker: When forming the present negative, you must explicitly drop the present tense marker -na-. This single negative form also replaces the habitual hu- and the simple present tense marker -a-. For example, ninasoma (I am reading) and husoma (I usually read) both become sisomi (I do not read).
  • Regular Bantu Verbs: If the verb ends in -a, the final vowel must change to -i. For example, soma (read) becomes sisomi (I do not read).
  • Loanwords: Verbs of Arabic origin that end in -e, -i, -u, or -au do not change their final vowel. For example, jibu (answer) becomes sijibu (I do not answer), and sahau (forget) becomes sisahau (I do not forget).
  • Short Verbs: Monosyllabic (short) verbs drop their infinitive ku- prefix in the present negative, unlike in the present continuous tense where they keep it. They also change their final -a to -i. For example, ninakula (I am eating) becomes sili (I do not eat), ninakuja (I am coming) becomes siji (I do not come), and ninakunywa (I am drinking) becomes sinywi (I do not drink).
  • Vowel-Stem Verbs: Verbs starting with a vowel that use a kw- infinitive prefix also drop this prefix in the present negative. For example, kwenda (to go) becomes siendi (I do not go).
  • With Object Markers: If you include an object marker, it goes right before the verb root, just like in the affirmative. For example, ninakisoma (I am reading it) becomes sikisomi (I do not read it).
  • Irregular Verbs: The verb kuwa na (to have) has the special first-person negative form sina (I do not have). Note that for the verb kuwa (to be), the regular present negative form is siwi (I do not become/be). However, to simply say 'I am not', you use the negative copula si, which is a universal negative word used for all persons.

Examples (4)

  1. Sipendi maji mengi.

    I do not like a lot of water.

    Word by Word: I-do-not-like water a-lot.

    The regular verb 'penda' (like) changes its final '-a' to '-i' to become 'sipendi'.

  2. Sili nyama.

    I do not eat meat.

    Word by Word: I-do-not-eat meat.

    The short verb 'kula' (to eat) drops the 'ku-' prefix and changes '-a' to '-i', becoming 'sili'.

  3. Sifahamu vizuri.

    I do not understand well.

    Word by Word: I-do-not-understand well.

    The Arabic loanword 'fahamu' (understand) ends in '-u', so it does not change its final vowel.

  4. Sisomi kitabu sasa.

    I am not reading a book right now.

    Word by Word: I-am-not-reading book now.

    The affirmative 'ninasoma' (I am reading) drops the '-na-' tense marker and changes to 'sisomi'.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping the present tense marker '-na-'.

    Sinasoma.
    Sisomi.

    In the present negative, the affirmative tense marker -na- is completely dropped.

  • Forgetting to change the final '-a' to '-i' on regular verbs.

    Sisoma.
    Sisomi.

    Regular Bantu verbs must change their final -a to -i in the present negative.

  • Keeping the 'ku-' prefix on short verbs.

    Sikuli.
    Sili.

    Short (monosyllabic) verbs like kula (to eat) drop the ku- prefix in the present negative.

How It Connects

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

si-Level 1I Do Not Si-

Learn This First

To understand 'si-' as the first-person singular negative marker, you must first be familiar with the affirmative first-person marker 'ni-'. Additionally, you need to understand how Swahili handles present tense negation, which involves both a specific negative subject prefix and a change to the verb's final vowel.

Words in This Pattern

si-