| Prefix | Example | Somali | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| m- | mtu | qof | person |
| wa- | watu | dad | people |
| ki- | kitabu | buug | book |
| vi- | vitabu | buugaag | books |
| ki- | kiti | kursi | chair |
| vi- | viti | kuraas | chairs |
| ji-/ma- | jicho/macho | il/indho | eye/eyes |
| n-/m- | nyumba | guri | house |
ni- — first-person subject marker
u- — second-person subject marker
a- — third-person singular subject marker
tu- — first-person plural subject marker
m- — second-person plural object/subject context
wa- — third-person plural subject/object context
Examples:
Ninasoma.
Waan akhrinayaa/baranayaa.
I am reading/studying.
Unasoma.
Waad akhrinaysaa/baranaysaa.
You are reading/studying.
Anasoma.
Wuu akhrinayaa/baranayaa.
He is reading/studying.
Common derivational suffixes
-isha / -esha can form causative verbs.
fundisha — to teach
from funda— to learn/study
-wa commonly marks the passive.
pendwa — be loved
-ana can express reciprocal action.
pendana — love one another
-ika / -eka can occur in forms expressing possibility/state depending on the verb.
Because Kiswahili affixes interact with verb roots and noun classes, learners should study complete examples rather than simply memorising isolated prefixes.