kula
The Swahili verb for 'eat' is kula.
kula is used to express the act of eating a meal.
Meaning: eat a meal (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
The infinitive form kula can be used to express the concept of eating or to act as a noun. To change the verb for specific subjects and tenses, you combine subject prefixes and tense markers. For example, combining the subject prefix a- (he/she) and the present continuous marker -na- results in anakula (he/she is eating). To express the past tense, use the marker -li-, such as alikula (he/she ate). If you are referring to multiple people in the past, use the plural subject prefix wa- with the past tense marker to form walikula (they ate).
Did you know?
- While kula means to eat, the phrase kula chumvi literally means 'to eat salt' but is used idiomatically to describe the act of living a long life.
- In many East African contexts, the concept of 'eating' is used metaphorically to describe taking a bribe, similar to how 'greasing a palm' is used in English.
- If you are invited to a meal, simply saying kula can sound like a blunt command to 'eat' rather than a polite suggestion to join you.
Examples in context
- Papa ana kula samakiSharks eat fish.This sentence shows the use of kula in a general statement about sharks eating fish.Tatoeba #10844934 by ecorralest101, translation #1841587 by CK
- We, bwana! Kula paka wangu, tafadhali!Hey, mister! Eat my cat, please!This sentence uses kula in an imperative or pleading context.Tatoeba #10869481 by ecorralest101, translation #4267297 by Ooneykcall
- Inagharimu hela ngapi kula mahali kama hapo?How much does it cost to eat at such a place?This sentence uses kula to talk about the cost of eating at a specific location.Tatoeba #10843137 by ecorralest101, translation #1830617 by CK
- Kula chakulaEat food
- Ninakula ugaliI am eating ugali
- Unakula kwetuYou are eating at our place
- Anaenda kuchapa chakulaHe/She is going to grab something to eat
- Tunaenda kula pizzaWe are going to eat pizza
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Said and Fatuma are meeting at a small cafe.
- SaidHujambo Fatuma, unataka kula kitu?Hello Fatuma, do you want to eat something?
- FatumaNdiyo Said, njaa inanisumbua sana.Yes Said, I am very hungry.
- SaidBasi tuanze kula chakula chetu.Then let's start eating our food.
- FatumaAsante, chakula hiki kinaonekana kitamu.Thanks, this food looks delicious.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry kula, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
