amba- + Negative Verb
Negative Relative Clauses
How to say "who didn't", "which won't", or "that hasn't" in Swahili.
How It Works
To form a negative relative clause with a specific tense, you need two separate words:
- 1. The Relative Pronoun: The base amba- attached to a relative concord that matches the noun class of the head noun (the antecedent) (e.g., Class 1 ambaye for a person, Class 7 ambacho / Class 8 ambavyo for things).
- 2. The Negative Verb: A standard, fully conjugated negative verb. It takes normal negative subject prefixes and standard negative tense markers. When the head noun is the object of the verb, the negative verb often includes an object marker matching the amba- pronoun. This object infix is placed directly between the negative tense marker and the verb root (e.g., kitabu ambacho ha-ku-ki-soma).
Why is this pattern mandatory?
Swahili has a synthetic (one-word) negative relative using the infix -si- (e.g., asiyesoma - "who does not read"). However, this form is strictly tenseless. It is grammatically impossible to insert tense markers into it (you cannot say *asiyekusoma).
Therefore, to express a negative relative clause in the past, future, or perfect tenses, the amba- strategy is the primary method for simple verbs:
- Past: ambaye hakusoma (who did not read) - uses Past Negative -ku-
- Future: ambaye hatasoma (who will not read) - uses Future Negative -ta-
- Perfect: ambaye hajapika (who has not yet cooked) - uses Not Yet Perfect -ja-
Note that the Past Negative -ku- (e.g., ambaye hakupika) is heavily used to cover both the simple past ('did not cook') and the general present perfect ('has not cooked'), reserving -ja- strictly for situations where the action is still expected to happen. Also, for Negative Monosyllabic Verbs (like kula or kuja), the infinitive ku- is dropped in the past negative (e.g., ambaye hakula, not *hakukula). In the present tense, ambaye hasomi and asiyesoma are largely interchangeable, though amba- emphasizes the specific present timeframe rather than a general characteristic.
Examples (5)
- Wanafunzi ambao hawakusoma kitabu watafeli mtihani.
The students who did not read the book will fail the exam.
Word by Word: Students who they-did-not-read book they-will-fail exam.
Past negative relative. The Class 2 pronoun 'ambao' is followed by the standard past negative verb 'hawakusoma'.
- Chakula ambacho hakijapikwa vizuri kinaweza kukufanya mgonjwa.
Food which has not yet been cooked well can make you sick.
Word by Word: Food which it-has-not-yet-been-cooked well it-can to-make-you sick.
Perfect negative relative. The Class 7 pronoun 'ambacho' is followed by the perfect negative verb 'hakijapikwa'.
- Mtu ambaye hatasoma maagizo atafanya makosa.
A person who will not read the instructions will make mistakes.
Word by Word: Person who he-will-not-read instructions he-will-make mistakes.
Future negative relative. The Class 1 pronoun 'ambaye' is followed by the future negative verb 'hatasoma'.
- Gari ambalo halifanyi kazi liko nje.
The car which does not work is outside.
Word by Word: Car which it-does-not-do work it-is outside.
Present negative relative. The Class 5 pronoun 'ambalo' is followed by the present negative verb 'halifanyi'.
- Kitabu ambacho hakukisoma kiko mezani.
The book which he did not read is on the table.
Word by Word: Book which he-did-not-it-read it-is on-table.
Object negative relative. The Class 7 pronoun 'ambacho' refers to the head noun (kitabu), and the verb 'hakukisoma' includes the matching Class 7 object marker '-ki-'.
Common Mistakes
Combining amba- with the infixed -si- relative verb (double relativization).
Mtoto ambaye asiyesoma kitabu...Mtoto ambaye hasomi kitabu...Learners often redundantly combine the amba- pronoun with the infixed relative verb. You must choose one strategy: either use 'amba-' with a standard negative verb ('ambaye hasomi'), or use the infixed relative alone ('asiyesoma').
Using 'ambaye' for inanimate objects.
Kitabu ambaye hakikusomwa...Kitabu ambacho hakikusomwa...Because English uses 'who' for all people and 'which' for all things, learners frequently default to 'ambaye' for everything. Remember that inanimate objects require their own concords matching their noun class (e.g., 'ambacho' for Class 7).
How It Connects
Learn This First
To form negative relative clauses with 'amba-', you must first understand how to form affirmative relative clauses using the 'amba-' pronoun. Additionally, since the relative marker is attached to 'amba-', the main verb in the clause is conjugated as a standard negative verb, requiring knowledge of negative subject markers and the negative final vowel '-i'.
- amba-Relative Clauses with Amba-
The negative relative construction is built upon the 'amba-' relative pronoun structure, which serves as the base for the relative clause.
Level 3 - -iPresent Negative -i
The verb following 'amba-' in a negative relative clause must follow standard negative conjugation rules, including the change of the final vowel to '-i'.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- ambayeClass 1 Ambaye
This is the specific Class 1 (human singular) relative pronoun used in this pattern for people.
Level 3 - -ku- (ukanushi)Past Negative -ku-
This is the standard past negative tense marker used on the verb following amba- to say 'who did not'.
Level 2 - -ta- (ukanushi)Future Negative -ta-
This is the standard future negative tense marker used on the verb following amba- to say 'who will not'.
Level 2 - -ja-Not Yet Perfect -ja-
This is the standard perfect negative tense marker used on the verb following amba- to say 'who has not yet'.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice amba- + Negative Verb in Bubblegum
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