Understanding Ongoing and Habitual Actions in Swahili

Being able to distinguish between actions happening right now and those we do regularly is vital for effective Swahili communication. Let’s explore the various ways to express both ongoing actions and habitual activities to help you speak clearly in your everyday conversations.

No Difference Between "I Do" and "I Am Doing"

In Swahili, we don't separate actions happening now from those we do regularly. We use the same tense marker "na" in the verb for both. Look at these examples:

● ’I sleep’ and ‘I am sleeping’ are both ‘Ninalala.’

● ‘I cook food’ and ‘I am cooking food’ are both ‘Ninapika chakula.’

As you can see, we just apply the tense marker "na" to show actions, whether they're happening right now or are habits.

Being Specific - Telling Apart Ongoing and Habitual Actions

To specify whether actions are happening right now or regularly, Swahili speakers use these methods:

a. They incorporate adverbs in their sentences.

b. They start their sentences with ‘huwa,’ which means regularly, usually or normally.

c. They use a special structure: ‘someone hu+verb.’

A. Adverbs

Adverbs of Time: These show that something is happening right now. Some common ones are:

1. Sasa = Now

2. Sasa hivi (or simply ‘saivi’) = Right now

For example:

● Ninapika chakula sasa = I am cooking food now

● Unasoma kitabu sasa hivi (saivi) = You are reading a book right now.

Adverbs of Frequency: These tell us how often something happens. Here are some examples:

1. Kila siku = everyday

2. Kila wiki = every week

3. Kila wikendi = every weekend

4. Kila mwaka = every year

5. Kila asubuhi = every morning

6. Mara kwa mara = often, time to time, usually, normally

7. Mara nyingi = many times, usually, normally

8. Muda wote (or wakati wote) = all the time

9. Wakati mwingine = sometimes

10. Kwa kawaida = Normally, habitually

For example:

● Ninapika chakula kila siku = I cook food everyday.

● Unasoma kitabu mara kwa mara = You read a book often.

● Chatenga na Mkude wanakula ugali wakati mwingine = Chatenga na Mkude eat ugali sometimes.

Adverbs of Degree: These indicate to what degree something happens. They can also indicate habitual actions. They include:

1. Sana = a lot, very much

2. Kidogo = a little

3. Kidogo kidogo = little by little

         Examples:

● Unasoma vitabu sana= You read books a lot.

● Mimi na rafiki zangu tunacheza mpira kidogo = My friends and I play football a little.

● Wewe na bosi wako mnafanya kazi kidogo kidogo = You and your boss work little by little.

B. Using “Huwa”

Swahili speakers can use the word "huwa" before the action to show that something happens regularly. It's similar to saying "usually" or "regularly" in English.

● Huwa ninapika chakula = I usually cook food.

● Wewe na babu yako huwa mnakimbia kila wiki = You and your grandpa regularly run every week.

To make it even clearer, Swahili speakers can use "Huwa" with adverbs.

C. Using “Hu+verb” Form

Swahili speakers also use the "hu+verb" form to express habitual actions. This method is less common in casual conversations but is still important to know. With this structure, you add "hu" as a prefix to the base form (stem) of the verb. What's unique is that you don't need a tense marker in the verb.      For example:

1. Lala (sleep) becomes hulala

2. Ishi (live) becomes huishi

3. Jaribu (try) becomes hujaribu

To use this structure effectively, it's important to say who is doing the action. This ensures clarity in your communication. For example:

● Mimi hupika chakula = I usually cook food.

● Wewe husoma kitabu muda wote = You read a book all the time.

● Chatenga na Mkude hucheza mpira = Chatenga and Mkude normally play football.

Expressing Habits Naturally

To sound natural in casual conversations, use adverbs, "huwa," or a combination of both when talking about habitual events. The "hu+verb" form is more suitable for formal contexts and written language.

Now, you can confidently express ongoing and habitual actions in Swahili.