Negation with Belief and Desire

Level 6

In Swahili, when you want to say "I think he won't come" or "I want you not to go," it is much more natural to negate the main verb instead: "I don't think he will come" or "I don't want you to go." This is called negative raising.

How It Works

When expressing a negative thought or desire, Swahili often attaches the negative marker to the main verb (like dhani 'think' or taka 'want'). However, the rules differ slightly between desires and thoughts.

1. Verbs of Desire (e.g., taka)
Swahili strongly prefers to negate the main verb of desire rather than the subordinate verb. Just as in affirmative sentences, verbs of desire like taka always require the following verb to be in the subjunctive mood if the subjects are different. This rule simply carries over when the verb is negated.

  • Sitaki uende. (I don't want you to go.)

If the subjects are the same, the second verb takes the infinitive (ku-).

  • Sitaki kwenda. (I don't want to go.)

Note that Sitaki uende is the standard, idiomatic way to express an active desire that someone not do something. If you say Nataka usiende (I want you not to go), it is used for heavy emphasis. The negative subjunctive is formed by inserting -si- after the subject marker and ending the verb with -e (e.g., u-si-end-e). If an object marker is used, it slips between the -si- and the verb root (e.g., u-si-mw-ambi-e 'don't tell him'). For same-subject sentences, if you want to emphasize the negative action itself, you can use the negative infinitive with kuto- (e.g., Nataka kutokwenda. 'I want not to go.').

2. Verbs of Thought (e.g., dhani, fikiri, ona, amini)
For verbs of thought, negating the main verb is common, but negating the subordinate verb is an equally natural and correct alternative (e.g., Nadhani hatakuja. 'I think he will not come.'). When negating the main verb of thought, the complementizer connecting the clauses often shifts from kwamba or kuwa (that) to kama (if/whether) in everyday speech.

  • Sidhani kama atakuja. (I don't think [that/if] he will come.)

While using kwamba or kuwa here (Sidhani kwamba atakuja.) is perfectly correct and widely used in formal contexts, literature, and media, colloquial Swahili heavily favors shifting to kama.

Morphology Reminder:
Remember that in the present negative, native Bantu verbs ending in -a change to -i (taka → sitaki), but verbs ending in other vowels do not change their final vowel (fikiri → sifikiri, sahau → sisahau).

A Special Infinitive Shape:
Kutokwenda contains negative infinitival kuto- followed by the special kwenda form. Regular kutosoma has no such extra kw- shape. Do not generalize this into adding kw- before every vowel-initial stem; compare kutoandika (not writing).

Examples (4)

  1. Sidhani kama atakuja leo.

    I don't think he will come today.

    Word by Word: I don't think if he will come today.

    Notice the use of kama instead of kwamba after the negated verb of thought.

  2. Sitaki uende peke yako.

    I don't want you to go alone.

    Word by Word: I don't want you go alone.

    The main verb taka is negated, and the subordinate verb uende is in the subjunctive.

  3. Hatufikiri kama ni wazo zuri.

    We don't think it's a good idea.

    Word by Word: We don't consider if is idea good.

    The Arabic loanword fikiri does not change its final vowel in the negative.

  4. Hawataki tuchelewe.

    They don't want us to be late.

    Word by Word: They don't want we be late.

    Negating the desire (hawataki) rather than the action (tuchelewe).

Common Mistakes

  • Using an infinitive instead of the subjunctive with different subjects.

    Sitaki wewe kwenda.
    Sitaki uende.

    When the subject of the main verb (I) is different from the subject of the subordinate verb (you), Swahili requires the subjunctive (uende), not the infinitive (kwenda).

  • Using kwamba after a negated verb of thought in casual speech.

    Different MeaningSidhani kwamba atakuja.
    Sidhani kama atakuja.

    Sidhani kwamba atakuja is correct and common in formal Swahili. In casual speech, people often use kama instead: Sidhani kama atakuja.

  • Accidental double negation.

    Different MeaningSitaki usiende.
    Sitaki uende.

    Saying Sitaki usiende means 'I don't want you to NOT go' (i.e., I want you to go). To say 'I don't want you to go', only negate the main verb.

How It Connects

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

Negation with Belief and DesireLevel 6

Learn This First

To understand negative raising, a learner must first be comfortable with standard verb negation in Swahili. Since this pattern involves shifting the negative marker from a subordinate clause to a main verb of thought (like 'kufikiri') or desire (like 'kutaka'), the learner needs to know how to negate those verbs and how to link them to a complement clause using 'kwamba'.