Swahili Relative Pronouns and Emphatic ndi-

The emphatic ndi- forms are closely connected to relative pronouns. These small markers link a noun to extra information about it — such as who did something, what was involved, or which item is being discussed.

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Examples of Relative Pronouns

• who: Mtu ambaye alikuja (mtu aliyekuja) jana ni rafiki yangu.
  [The person who came yesterday is my friend.]

• which: Kitabu ambacho nilikopa (kitabu nilichokopa) kutoka kwa maktaba.
  [The book which I borrowed from the library.]

• that: Kiti kilichovunjika (kiti ambacho kilivunjika).
  [The chair that broke.]

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Table: Relative Pronouns and ndi- Forms by Noun Class

Noun Class	Relative Pronoun	Emphatic ndi-	Example
M-WA (sing.)	-ye	ndiye	Yeye ndiye mwalimu wangu
M-WA (pl.)	-o	ndio	Wao ndio walimpiga
KI-VI (sing.)	-cho	ndicho	Kiti hicho ndicho kipya
KI-VI (pl.)	-vyo	ndivyo	Viti hivyo ndivyo vipya
JI-MA (sing.)	-lo	ndilo	Jino hili ndilo linauma
JI-MA (pl.)	-yo	ndiyo	Meno haya ndiyo yanauma
N (sing.)	-yo	ndiyo	Nyumba hii ndiyo yake
N (pl.)	-zo	ndizo	Nyumba hizo ndizo zake
M-MI (sing.)	-o	ndio	Mti huu ndio alipanda
M-MI (pl.)	-yo	ndiyo	Miti hii ndiyo alipanda
PA	-po	ndipo	Hapa ndipo alianguka
KU	-ko	ndiko	Kulia huku ndiko sipendi

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Relative Pronouns & Emphatic ndi- Quiz

 Part A: Multiple Choice – Relative Pronouns

Choose the correct relative pronoun to complete each sentence:

1. Mtu ______ alikuja jana ni jirani yangu.
   a) ambaye    b) ambacho    c) walio    d) ambayo
2. Kitabu ______ ulisoma kilikuwa kizuri sana.
   a) ambayo    b) ambao    c) ambacho    d) aliye
3. Nyumba ______ walinunua iko karibu na barabara.
   a) ambao    b) walio    c) waliyo    d) ambayo
4. Mwalimu ______ tunampenda ni mkali lakini mwerevu.
   a) ambaye    b) ambacho    c) ambao    d) walio

Part B: Fill in the Blanks – Emphatic ndi- Forms

1. Sahani _____ ilivunjika.
   (It is the plate that broke.)
2. Yeye _____ alileta zawadi.
   (He is the one who brought the gift.)
3. Wao _____ walipika chakula.
   (They are the ones who cooked the food.)
4. Sisi _____ tuliona ajali.
   (It is indeed us who saw the accident.)

Part C: Translation

Translate the following into Kiswahili using either a relative pronoun or an emphatic ndi- form:

1. The man who spoke is the manager.
2. It is the tree that fell.
3. The girl who sings lives nearby.
4. It is you who helped me.
5. The car that was stolen has been found.

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💡 Tip: Practice these patterns in writing and conversation to strengthen your fluency and confidence using complex Kiswahili structures!

EMPHATIC NDI-

The emphatic ndi-  calls attention to or emphasizes something as particularly relevant or important.

 It implies the sense of "indeed it is this way" or "it is precisely like this".

 

Ndi- with personal pronouns

mimi ndimi	it is indeed i
wewe ndiwe	it is indeed you
yeye ndiye	it is indeed he /he
sisi ndisi	it is indeed we/us
nyinyi ndinyi	it is indeed you (pl)
wao ndio	it is indeed they

Mimi ndimi nilinunua mkate	I am the one/It is indeed I that bought this bread
wewe ndiwe uliiba	It is indeed you that stole
yeye ndiye mwalimu wangu	He/she is the one that is my teacher
sisi ndisi tulimwona	It is indeed we that saw him
Nyinyi ndinyi mliogopa	You are indeed the ones that became afraid
Wao ndio walimpiga	They are the ones that beat him

 

Ndi- with other noun classes

JI-MA ndilo	Jino hili ndilo linauma	It is this tooth that hurts
ndiyo	Meno haya ndiyo yanauma	It is these teeth that hurt
KI-VI ndicho	Kiti hicho ndicho kipya	This is indeed the new chair
ndivyo	Viti hivyo ndiyo vipya	These are indeed the new chairs
M-MI ndio	Mti huu ndio alipanda	This is indeed the tree that he planted
ndiyo	Miti hii ndiyo alipanda	These are indeed the trees that he planted
N ndiyo	Nyumba hii ndiyo yake	This indeed is his house
ndizo	Nyumba hizo ndizo zake	These indeed are his houses
U ndio	Ukuta huu ndio nilijenga	This wall is indeed the one that I built
ndizo	Kuta hizi ndizo nilijenga	These walls are indeed the ones that I built
PA
ndipo	Hapa ndipo alianguka	This is the precise place that he fell
KU ndiko	Kulia huku ndiko sipendi	It is this kind of crying that I don't like

 

 Negating the emphatic ndi-

The negative emphatic ndi- is formed with si- instead of ndi-:

Simi          It is not me

Sinyi          It is not you (pl.)

Exercise

Translate: Is he the one that married her?

Yule alimwoa?

Yule ni alimwoa?

Yule ndiye alimwoa?

Yule ndiye aliolewa?

Translate: They are indeed my  parents

Ndio wazazi wangu

Ndizo wazazi wangu

Ni wazazi wangu

Ndio wazazi wetu

Translate: They are definitely her books

Ndio vitabu vyake

Ndivyo vitabu vyangu

Ndivyo vitabu vyake

Ndicho kitabu chake

Translate: That dress is indeed the one I bought

Ile ni nguo ambayo nilinunua

Ile ndiye nguo ambayo nilinunua

Ile ndio nguo ambayo nilinunua

Yule ndiyo nguo ambaye nilinunua

Translate: Amina is the one that saw him

Amina ndiye aliyemwona

Amina ni alimwona

Amina ndio aliyemwona

Amina alimwona

Translate: This is the cup I was asking for

Hiki ndicho kikombe ambacho nilikuwa natafuta

Hiki kikombe nilikuwa natafuta

Hiki ndio kikombe ambacho nilikuwa natafuta

Hiki ndicho kikombe ambayo nilikuwa natafuta

Translate: This is the wall that collapsed

Huu ni ukuta ambao ulianguka

Hii ndio ukuta ambao ilianguka

Huu ndio ukuta ambao ulianguka

Huu ni ule ukuta ulianguka