Swahili
Etymology
Likely related to kilema, borrowed from Arabic كِلَام (kilām), plural of كَلْم (kalm, “bite, cut”).[1]
An alternative explanation is from Proto-Bantu *-démada.
This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.
Pronunciation
Verb
-lemaa (infinitive kulemaa)
- to be crippled or disabled
Conjugation
| Conjugation of -lemaa
|
| Positive present
|
-nalemaa
|
| Subjunctive
|
-lemae
|
| Negative
|
-lemai
|
| Imperative singular
|
lemaa
|
|
| Infinitives
|
| Positive
|
kulemaa
|
| Negative
|
kutolemaa
|
|
| Imperatives
|
| Singular
|
lemaa
|
| Plural
|
lemaeni
|
|
| Tensed forms
|
| Habitual
|
hulemaa
|
| Positive past
|
positive subject concord + -lilemaa
|
| Negative past
|
negative subject concord + -kulemaa
|
|
| Positive present (positive subject concord + -nalemaa)
|
|
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
| 1st person
|
ninalemaa/nalemaa
|
tunalemaa
|
| 2nd person
|
unalemaa
|
mnalemaa
|
| 3rd person
|
m-wa(I/II)
|
analemaa
|
wanalemaa
|
| other classes
|
positive subject concord + -nalemaa
|
|
| Negative present (negative subject concord + -lemai)
|
|
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
| 1st person
|
silemai
|
hatulemai
|
| 2nd person
|
hulemai
|
hamlemai
|
| 3rd person
|
m-wa(I/II)
|
halemai
|
hawalemai
|
| other classes
|
negative subject concord + -lemai
|
|
| Positive future
|
positive subject concord + -talemaa
|
| Negative future
|
negative subject concord + -talemaa
|
|
| Positive subjunctive (positive subject concord + -lemae)
|
|
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
| 1st person
|
nilemae
|
tulemae
|
| 2nd person
|
ulemae
|
mlemae
|
| 3rd person
|
m-wa(I/II)
|
alemae
|
walemae
|
| other classes
|
positive subject concord + -lemae
|
|
| Negative subjunctive
|
positive subject concord + -silemae
|
| Positive present conditional
|
positive subject concord + -ngelemaa
|
| Negative present conditional
|
positive subject concord + -singelemaa
|
| Positive past conditional
|
positive subject concord + -ngalilemaa
|
| Negative past conditional
|
positive subject concord + -singalilemaa
|
|
| Gnomic (positive subject concord + -alemaa)
|
|
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
| 1st person
|
nalemaa
|
twalemaa
|
| 2nd person
|
walemaa
|
mwalemaa
|
| 3rd person
|
m-wa(I/II)
|
alemaa
|
walemaa
|
| m-mi(III/IV)
|
walemaa
|
yalemaa
|
| ji-ma(V/VI)
|
lalemaa
|
yalemaa
|
| ki-vi(VII/VIII)
|
chalemaa
|
vyalemaa
|
| n(IX/X)
|
yalemaa
|
zalemaa
|
| u(XI)
|
walemaa
|
see n(X) or ma(VI) class
|
| ku(XV/XVII)
|
kwalemaa
|
|
| pa(XVI)
|
palemaa
|
|
| mu(XVIII)
|
mwalemaa
|
|
|
| Perfect
|
positive subject concord + -melemaa
|
| "Already"
|
positive subject concord + -meshalemaa
|
| "Not yet"
|
negative subject concord + -jalemaa
|
| "If/When"
|
positive subject concord + -kilemaa
|
| "If not"
|
positive subject concord + -sipolemaa
|
| Consecutive
|
kalemaa / positive subject concord + -kalemaa
|
| Consecutive subjunctive
|
positive subject concord + -kalemae
|
|
| Object concord (indicative positive)
|
|
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
| 1st person
|
-nilemaa
|
-tulemaa
|
| 2nd person
|
-kulemaa
|
-walemaa/-kulemaeni/-walemaeni
|
| 3rd person
|
m-wa(I/II)
|
-mlemaa
|
-walemaa
|
| m-mi(III/IV)
|
-ulemaa
|
-ilemaa
|
| ji-ma(V/VI)
|
-lilemaa
|
-yalemaa
|
| ki-vi(VII/VIII)
|
-kilemaa
|
-vilemaa
|
| n(IX/X)
|
-ilemaa
|
-zilemaa
|
| u(XI)
|
-ulemaa
|
see n(X) or ma(VI) class
|
| ku(XV/XVII)
|
-kulemaa
|
|
| pa(XVI)
|
-palemaa
|
|
| mu(XVIII)
|
-mulemaa
|
|
| Reflexive
|
-jilemaa
|
|
| Relative forms
|
| General positive (positive subject concord + (object concord) + -lemaa- + relative marker)
|
|
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
| m-wa(I/II)
|
-lemaaye
|
-lemaao
|
| m-mi(III/IV)
|
-lemaao
|
-lemaayo
|
| ji-ma(V/VI)
|
-lemaalo
|
-lemaayo
|
| ki-vi(VII/VIII)
|
-lemaacho
|
-lemaavyo
|
| n(IX/X)
|
-lemaayo
|
-lemaazo
|
| u(XI)
|
-lemaao
|
see n(X) or ma(VI) class
|
| ku(XV/XVII)
|
-lemaako
|
|
| pa(XVI)
|
-lemaapo
|
|
| mu(XVIII)
|
-lemaamo
|
|
|
| Other forms (subject concord + tense marker + relative marker + (object concord) + -lemaa)
|
|
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
| m-wa(I/II)
|
-yelemaa
|
-olemaa
|
| m-mi(III/IV)
|
-olemaa
|
-yolemaa
|
| ji-ma(V/VI)
|
-lolemaa
|
-yolemaa
|
| ki-vi(VII/VIII)
|
-cholemaa
|
-vyolemaa
|
| n(IX/X)
|
-yolemaa
|
-zolemaa
|
| u(XI)
|
-olemaa
|
see n(X) or ma(VI) class
|
| ku(XV/XVII)
|
-kolemaa
|
|
| pa(XVI)
|
-polemaa
|
|
| mu(XVIII)
|
-molemaa
|
|
|
|
| Some forms not commonly seen in modern Standard Swahili are absent from the table. See Appendix:Swahili verbs for more information.
|
Derived terms
References
- ^ Alexander Adelaar (2009) “Loanwords in Malagasy”, in Martin Haspelmath, Uri Tadmor, editors, Loanwords in the World's Languages: A Comparative Handbook, Berlin, New York: De Gruyter Mouton, →DOI, →ISBN, page 731 of 717-746.