-li-

Past -li-

Level 1

The -li- marker is used to talk about actions that happened and were completed in the past.

How It Works

The -li- marker is the standard way to express the simple past tense in Swahili. It shows that an action happened and was completed in the past. (Note that for very recent events with present relevance, speakers often prefer the Perfect -me- tense.)

Following the Swahili verb-slot order, -li- sits right after the subject prefix and before the verb root (or the object prefix, if there is one):

ni- (I) + -li- (past) + -soma (read) = nilisoma (I read)
tu- (we) + -li- (past) + -cheza (play) = tulicheza (we played)

Important Rules for Short Verbs:
Swahili words typically place their stress on the second-to-last syllable. Because -li- cannot take this stress, very short verbs (monosyllabic verbs) must keep their infinitive ku- prefix to provide an extra syllable. For example, the verb -la (eat) becomes alikula (he/she ate), not alila. However, there are two exceptions where the ku- drops:

With an object prefix: The object prefix provides the missing syllable (e.g., nilikila = I ate it, not nilikikula).
In the negative past: The past negative marker -ku- can take the stress, so the infinitive ku- is dropped (e.g., sikula = I did not eat, not sikukula).

When NOT to use -li-:

Negation: Do not use -li- in negative sentences. Instead, change the subject prefix to its negative form and use the past negative marker -ku- (e.g., ni- becomes si-, so nilisoma becomes sikusoma = I did not read).
Stories: When telling a story with a sequence of events, only the first verb uses -li-. The rest usually use the consecutive marker -ka-.

Other Short Verbs:
Common short infinitives include kula (eat), kuja (come), kunywa (drink), kuwa (be), kufa (die) and kupa (give). Compare alikuja, alikunywa, alikuwa, alikufa. With give, a recipient object marker supplies the needed syllable: alinipa (he/she gave me). Do not preserve an extra ku- in that object-marked form.

Examples (4)

Mimi nilisoma kitabu.
I read a book.
Word by Word: I I-past-read book.
The prefix ni- (I) combines with -li- (past) and the root -soma (read).
Alikula chakula cha jioni.
He/she ate dinner.
Word by Word: He/she-past-eat food of evening.
Notice how the short verb -la (eat) keeps its 'ku-' prefix to become alikula.
Tulicheza mpira jana.
We played soccer yesterday.
Word by Word: We-past-play ball yesterday.
The prefix tu- (we) is used with -li- to show a completed action in the past.
Walienda shuleni asubuhi.
They went to school in the morning.
Word by Word: They-past-go school-at morning.
The prefix wa- (they) combines with -li- (past) and the verb -enda (go).

Common Mistakes

Negating the past tense by keeping the -li- marker.
Mimi silisoma.
Mimi sikusoma.
To make a past tense sentence negative, you must drop -li- completely, change the subject prefix to its negative form (like ni- to si-), and use the past negative marker -ku- instead.
Dropping the 'ku-' prefix on short (monosyllabic) verbs in the affirmative past tense.
Alila chakula.
Alikula chakula.
Because -li- cannot carry the stress of the word, short verbs like -la (eat) or -ja (come) must keep their infinitive ku- prefix to provide an extra syllable.
Keeping the 'ku-' prefix on short verbs in the negative past tense.
Mimi sikukula chakula.
Mimi sikula chakula.
While short verbs need the 'ku-' prefix in the affirmative past, they drop it in the negative past. The past negative marker -ku- is capable of taking the stress, so the extra infinitive 'ku-' is no longer needed.

How It Connects

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-li-Level 1Past -li-

Learn This First

To use the -li- past tense marker, you need to understand where it fits within the Swahili verb word (the tense slot) and how it interacts with subject markers to form a complete sentence.

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