One of the things that worries beginners when they start learning Swahili is the verbs.

You might look at some of it and think, “How am I ever going to memorize that?”

It’s actually not that hard.

I’ll teach you how to build almost any word you want. It’s actually much more logical and consistent than English!

In this guide, I’ll break down the Swahili verb structure into simple pieces so you can start making your own sentences immediately.

The “Lego” structure of a Swahili verb

In English, we usually keep words separate. We say “I will eat.” That is three separate words.

In Swahili, we glue them all together into one word: Nitakula.

To build a standard Swahili verb, you usually need three specific “blocks” or parts in a specific order:

1. Subject Prefix + 2. Tense Marker + 3. Verb Root

• Subject Prefix: This tells us who is doing the action (I, you, she, we).
• Tense Marker: This tells us when the action is happening (now, past, future).
• Verb Root: This is the action itself (eat, sleep, go).

If you can remember this 1-2-3 order, you have mastered the hardest part of Swahili grammar.

Subject prefixes (the “who”)

The first block you need is the Subject Prefix. This replaces the pronoun.

In English, you say “I”. In Swahili, the pronoun is Mimi, but when you attach it to a verb, it becomes the prefix Ni-.

Here’s a table of the most common prefixes for people (animate subjects):

Note: Swahili does not distinguish between “He” and “She”. Use A- for both.

Tense markers (the “when”)

The second block is the Tense Marker. This connects the person to the action and tells you the time.

There are many tenses in Swahili, but these are the four most important ones for beginners:

Putting it all together with examples

Now, let’s grab a Verb Root and build some sentences.

We’ll use the verb kusoma (to read/study). When conjugating, we drop the “ku-” (which means “to”) and just use the root: soma.

The Formula: Prefix + Tense + Soma

1. Present Tense (-na-)

If you want to say “I am reading,” you combine:

Ni (I) + na (present) + soma (read).

2. Past Tense (-li-)

If you want to say “You read (yesterday),” you combine:

U (You) + li (past) + soma (read).

3. Future Tense (-ta-)

If you want to say “We will read,” you combine:

Tu (We) + ta (future) + soma (read).

4. Perfect Tense (-me-)

This one is very common in Swahili. It means the action is finished, but the result is relevant now.

If you say “They have studied,” you combine: Wa (They) + me (perfect) + soma (read).

Regional variations and casual speech

Swahili is spoken in many countries, including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and DR Congo. Because of this, the way people use these prefixes can change slightly depending on where you are.

Dropping the Subject Prefix

In very casual “Street Swahili” (often called Sheng in Kenya or just casual slang in Tanzania), speakers sometimes shorten the present tense.

Instead of saying Ninasoma (I am reading), you might hear:

They drop the “Ni-” and just start with “Na-”. This is very common in spoken language, but you should not write this way in a formal exam!

The “M-” variation

In some coastal regions and Zanzibar, the pronunciation is very crisp and standard. However, inland, the “M-” prefix (for ‘You plural’) might sound slightly different or be swallowed up in rapid speech.

When saying “You (plural) are reading” (Mnasoma), it can sometimes sound like a hummed “Mmm-na-soma.”

My top tip for learning these

Don’t try to memorize the whole table at once. Start with Ni- (I) and U- (You) and practice changing the tenses between just those two people.

Once you are comfortable talking about yourself and the person you are talking to, then add “We” and “They”.