Nina njaa
In Swahili, the phrase for "I am hungry" is Nina njaa.
The phrase Nina njaa is used to express that you feel a need to eat food.
What does it mean word for word?
The root of the phrase is njaa, which is a noun meaning "hunger".
How does it change in a sentence?
In the word nina, the prefix ni- indicates the first-person singular subject "I". If you want to say "you are hungry" to one person, you change the prefix to u- to get Una njaa.
Did you know?
- The word njaa can be used in idiomatic expressions to describe an insatiable greed for things other than food, such as power.
- In Swahili, you can use njaa to describe a period of famine or a severe drought rather than just a personal feeling of hunger.
- Because njaa is a noun, Swahili speakers can describe someone as mwenye njaa, which literally means 'the owner of hunger'.
Examples in context
- Ninasikia njaa, asante.I am hungry, thank you.
- Nina njaa sana.I am very hungry.
- Nina njaa sasa hivi.I am hungry right now.
- Nina njaa, nataka chakula.I am hungry, I want food.
Example conversation
Juma and Zuwena are deciding what to do during their lunch break.
- JumaZuwena, nina njaa.Zuwena, I am hungry.
- ZuwenaMimi pia nina njaa.I am hungry too.
- JumaTwendeni tule chakula.Let's go eat some food.
- ZuwenaHaya, twende.Okay, let's go.
