una

You Have Una

Level 1

In Swahili, the word una is the standard way to say 'you have' when speaking to one person.

How It Works

The word una is extremely common in everyday Swahili. While it translates to 'you have' in English, its literal Swahili structure is 'you with'. In the present tense, this is formed simply by attaching the subject prefix directly to the preposition na (with).

Key Uses of Una:

  • Possession: Una gari? (Do you have a car?)
  • Answering: To answer an una question, you reply with nina (I have) or sina (I do not have).
  • Abstract States: Swahili uses 'have' for feelings where English uses 'are'. Una njaa means 'You have hunger' (You are hungry).
  • Age: Swahili uses 'to have' for age. Una miaka mingapi? literally means 'You have how many years?' (How old are you?).
  • Non-Human Subjects: Because the prefix u- is also used for certain noun classes, una can mean 'it has' when referring to nouns in Classes 3, 11, and 14 (e.g., a tree or a wall).

Important Distinctions:

  • Singular vs. Plural: When referring to people, una is strictly singular (you, one person). If you are talking to multiple people, use mna (you all have).
  • Saying 'You have it': To say 'you have it', Swahili attaches a relative suffix to una based on the noun class of the object. While inanimate classes often use an 'o' suffix (for example, if you have a book, kitabu, Class 7, you say unacho; for a car, gari, Class 5, you say unalo), animate nouns (Class 1) use the -ye suffix. For example, to say 'you have him/her/it' for a person or animal, you say unaye.
  • Colloquial Usage: In colloquial East African Swahili (especially in Kenya), you will frequently hear uko na (literally 'you are [there] with') used instead of una to mean 'you have'.
  • Negation: To say 'you do not have', use huna for a person. For non-human nouns in classes 3, 11, or 14, the negative is hauna (it does not have).
  • Tense and Markers: Do not confuse the -na in una with the present tense marker. In unasoma (you are reading), -na- is a tense marker. In una (you have), -na is the preposition or particle meaning 'with'. Additionally, una is only used in the present tense. To say 'you had' or 'you will have', you must use the full verb kuwa na (to be with), forming ulikuwa na (you had) and utakuwa na (you will have).

Examples (5)

  1. Una swali?

    Do you have a question?

    Word by Word: You-with question?

    A very common phrase used by teachers or in conversations to check for understanding.

  2. Una kitabu changu?

    Do you have my book?

    Word by Word: You-with book my?

    Demonstrates physical possession.

  3. Una njaa?

    Are you hungry?

    Word by Word: You-with hunger?

    In Swahili, you 'have' hunger rather than 'being' hungry.

  4. Mti huu una matunda.

    This tree has fruit.

    Word by Word: Tree this it-with fruit.

    Here, 'una' means 'it has' because 'mti' (tree) belongs to Class 3, which uses the same 'u-' prefix.

  5. Una miaka mingapi?

    How old are you?

    Word by Word: You-with years how-many?

    In Swahili, age is expressed by asking how many years a person 'has'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'una' as a helping verb for the perfect tense (e.g., 'you have eaten').

    Una kula.
    Umekula.

    In Swahili, una means 'you possess'. To say 'you have done something' (like 'you have eaten'), you must use the perfect tense marker, not the word una.

  • Trying to conjugate 'una' like a regular verb in the past or future tense.

    Ulinana gari.
    Ulikuwa na gari.

    Una is strictly a present tense form. For the past ('you had') or future ('you will have'), you must use the full verb kuwa na (to be with).

  • Using 'hauna' instead of 'huna' to say 'you do not have' to a person.

    Wewe hauna kitabu.
    Wewe huna kitabu.

    When speaking to a person (second-person singular), the correct negative form of una is huna. The form hauna is used for non-human nouns in certain classes (like a tree or a wall) to mean 'it does not have'.

How It Connects

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

unaLevel 1You Have Una

Learn This First

To understand 'una' (you have), you must first recognize the second-person singular subject marker 'u-' and how the concept of possession is expressed in Swahili using the marker 'na'.

Words in This Pattern

wa nau-