njoo
The Swahili word for 'come' is njoo.
The verb expresses the action of arriving or appearing.
Meaning: to arrive, to appear (verb)
Which one should you use?
The form njoo is the singular imperative, used when commanding one person to come. If you are commanding more than one person to come, use njoni instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
The infinitive form of the verb is kuja. To express that someone is coming in the present continuous tense, use the subject prefix a- with the verb to get anakuja (he/she is coming). To express that someone came in the past, use the past tense marker -li- with the verb to get alikuja (he/she came).
Did you know?
- The imperative njoo looks nothing like the infinitive kuja. This is because njoo is a suppletive form, meaning the language uses an entirely different root to express the command.
- Because Swahili is a Bantu language, the structure of kuja is similar to words for 'come' in hundreds of other languages across Central and Southern Africa.
- The command njoo is considered much more direct and forceful than the English 'come', so it is often used with specific vocal inflections to avoid sounding rude.
Examples in context
- Njoo, tutembee.Come on, let's take a walk.This sentence shows how to use njoo to suggest an activity.Tatoeba #10869072 by ecorralest101, translation #4012092 by CK
- Njoo sasa, acha kuwaza wakati wote, wacha tuende mahali kwa badiliko la mhemko.Come on now, stop whimpering all the time, let's go somewhere for a change of mood.This sentence uses njoo in an exhortation to stop a behavior and go somewhere for a change of mood.Tatoeba #10877756 by ecorralest101, translation #5575250 by Lazlord
Example conversation
Aisha is calling Said to join her for lunch.
- AishaSaid, chakula kiko tayari. Njoo tule!Said, the food is ready. Come let's eat!
- SaidNaja sasa hivi, Aisha.I am coming right now, Aisha.
- AishaUsichelewe, itapoa.Don't be late, it will get cold.
- SaidNiko hapo tayari.I am already there.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
