Kiswahili Action verbs

What Are Action Verbs?

Action verbs are words that show what someone or something does. These verbs describe physical or mental activities. They are very important in English because they tell us what is happening.

Swahili Translation:
Action verbs ni maneno yanayoonyesha kitendo au tendo. Yanatuambia mtu au kitu kinafanya nini.

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Examples of Action Verbs (With Swahili)

English Verb	Swahili Verb	Example Sentence (English)	Swahili Translation
Run	Kimbia	I run every morning.	Nakimbia kila asubuhi.
Eat	Kula	She eats rice.	Anakula wali.
Read	Soma	They read books.	Wanasoma vitabu.
Write	Andika	He writes a letter.	Anaandika barua.
Jump	Ruka	The child jumps high.	Mtoto anaruka juu.
Cook	Pika	We cook dinner together.	Tunapika chakula cha jioni.
Dance	Cheza (ngoma)	She dances beautifully.	Anacheza ngoma vizuri.
Drink	Kunywa	I drink water.	Ninakunywa maji.
Work	Fanya kazi	They work at the market.	Wanafanya kazi sokoni.
Swim	Ogelea	He swims in the lake.	Anaogelea ziwani.

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Mental Action Verbs

Not all action verbs are physical. Some describe actions of the mind.

English Verb	Swahili Verb	Example Sentence (English)	Swahili Translation
Think	Fikiri	I think about my future.	Ninafikiri kuhusu maisha yangu.
Believe	Amini	We believe in peace.	Tunaamini katika amani.
Know	Jua	She knows the answer.	Anajua jibu.
Understand	Elewa	Do you understand me?	Je, unanielewa?

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How to Use Action Verbs in a Sentence

In English, an action verb usually comes after the subject (the person or thing doing the action).

Sentence Structure:

Subject + Action Verb + Object (optional)

Examples:

• I eat food. – Ninakula chakula.
• She reads a book. – Anasoma kitabu.
• They play football. – Wanacheza mpira.

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Practice Time!

Try translating these sentences into Swahili:

1. He drinks tea.
2. We write emails.
3. I swim in the pool.
4. She thinks a lot.

Answers:

1. Anakunywa chai.
2. Tunaandika baruapepe.
3. Ninaogelea kwenye bwawa.
4. Anafikiri sana.

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Learning Tip:

To remember action verbs, try doing the action while saying the verb. For example, jump and say “jump – ruka!”

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