Swahili Simple present tenses

What is the Simple Present Tense?

The Simple Present Tense is used to describe:

• Daily habits
• Facts
• General truths
• Routines

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Structure:

For most subjects (I, You, We, They):

Subject + Base Verb + Object
Example:

• I eat lunch at 1 PM.
• They go to school every day.

For third person singular (He, She, It):

Subject + Verb+s/es + Object
Example:

• He eats lunch at 1 PM.
• She goes to school every day.

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Swahili Translation Guide

English	Swahili	Explanation
I eat rice	Ninakula wali	“Ninakula” = I eat
She walks to school	Anatembea hadi shuleni	“Anatembea” = She walks
They play football	Wanacheza mpira	“Wanacheza” = They play
We read books	Tunasoma vitabu	“Tunasoma” = We read
He drinks water	Anakunywa maji	“Anakunywa” = He drinks

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When Do We Use the Simple Present Tense?

1. Habits:
   • I brush my teeth every morning.
   • Ninapiga mswaki kila asubuhi.
2. Facts:
   • The sun rises in the east.
   • Jua linachomoza mashariki.
3. Schedules:
   • The train leaves at 8 PM.
   • Treni huondoka saa mbili usiku.
4. Permanent situations:
   • She lives in Arusha.
   • Anaishi Arusha.

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Tips for Learners

• For he, she, it, don’t forget to add -s or -es to the verb.
• Use “do” and “does” to form questions or negatives:
  • Do you like coffee? – Je, unapenda kahawa?
  • He doesn’t like tea – Yeye hapendi chai.

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Exercise (Mazoezi)

Translate the following into Swahili:

1. They live in Arusha.
2. She drinks milk every morning.
3. We go to church on Sunday.
4. I read the newspaper daily.

Answers:

1. Wanaishi Arusha.
2. Anakunywa maziwa kila asubuhi.
3. Tunaenda kanisani Jumapili.
4. Ninasoma gazeti kila siku.

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Quick Recap

Subject	Verb (Base/With -s)	Example Sentence
I/You/We/They	Eat/Go/Play	They play music.
He/She/It	Eats/Goes/Plays	She plays music.

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Created for students

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