tuna

We Have Tuna

Level 1

Tuna is the Swahili word for we have. It is used to talk about things we own, relationships, or states of being in the present tense.

How It Works

Use tuna to say 'we have' right now, followed by the noun you possess. Note that if you are just saying 'we have it' or 'we have them' without naming the object, you cannot leave tuna hanging by itself; you must attach a suffix that changes depending on the Noun Classes of the object. For example, use tunacho for a singular ki/vi class word like kitabu (and tunavyo for plural vitabu), tunalo for a singular ji/ma class word like gari (and tunayo for plural magari), tunayo for a singular n class word like kalamu (and tunazo for plural kalamu), or tunaye for a single person or animal (and tunao for plural).

Key Rules to Remember:

  • Negative Form: To say 'we do not have', use hatuna.
  • Present Tense Only: Tuna is strictly for the present tense. For the past or future, you must use the full verb Have with kuwa na (for example, tulikuwa na means 'we had').
  • Not a Helping Verb: Do not use tuna to say 'we have done' something. For example, 'we have eaten' uses the Perfect -me- tense marker (tumekula), not tuna kula.
  • Don't Confuse with the -na- Tense: Tuna as a standalone word means 'we have'. But when attached to the front of a verb like tunasoma (we are reading), the -na- is just the Present -na- tense marker.

Examples (4)

  1. Tuna watoto watatu.

    We have three children.

    Word by Word: We have children three.

    Used to express relationships and family.

  2. Tuna mkutano muhimu kesho asubuhi.

    We have an important meeting tomorrow morning.

    Word by Word: We have meeting important tomorrow morning.

    Used to express having plans or events.

  3. Tuna furaha sana leo.

    We are very happy today.

    Word by Word: We have happiness very today.

    In Swahili, emotions like happiness, hunger, or thirst are often expressed as 'having' them.

  4. Sisi tuna gari jipya.

    We have a new car.

    Word by Word: Us we have car new.

    Used for physical possession. The pronoun 'sisi' (we) is optional and adds emphasis.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'tuna' as a helping verb for the present perfect tense (e.g., 'we have eaten').

    Tuna kula.
    Tumekula.

    In English, 'have' is used as a helping verb (we have eaten). In Swahili, tuna strictly means physical possession or state ('we have food'). To say you have completed an action, use the Perfect -me- tense marker.

  • Confusing 'we have' (tuna) with 'our' (-etu).

    Gari tuna ni zuri.
    Gari letu ni zuri.

    Beginners sometimes use tuna when they mean 'our'. Tuna is a verb phrase meaning 'we have'. To say 'our', you must use the Our with -etu possessive pronoun.

  • Using 'tuna' to express obligation, like 'we have to'.

    Tuna kwenda sasa.
    Lazima tuende sasa.

    In English, 'have to' means 'must'. In Swahili, tuna only expresses possession ('we own' or 'we hold'). To say 'we have to' do something, use a word of obligation like lazima (must) followed by the Let Us form of the verb.

How It Connects

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

tunaLevel 1We Have Tuna

Learn This First

To understand 'tuna' (we have), you need to know the first-person plural subject marker 'tu-' and how the concept of possession is expressed in Swahili using the particle 'na'.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

tu-