Kiswahili Note 06

今天几号,星期几,以及每年都是那一天。

The date, the day, and what it always is.

日期这一课:今年、去年、明年怎么说;为什么"昨天是"不能用 ni;第一个不是人的动词主语;月份其实是编号的;星期名里压着一部沿海历法史;以及老师在黑板上刻意摆在一起的一对词——一个说"今年会是",一个说"每年都是"。

The date: how to say this year, last year and next; why yesterday was cannot use ni; the first verb whose subject is not a person; months that turn out to be numbered; a set of weekday names with a coastal calendar history inside them; and a pair of words set side by side on the board on purpose — one for this year it will be, one for every year it is.

2026 年 9 月 21–23 日 · Sessions of 21–23 September 2026 Beginners’ Kiswahili Notes by Zhijun He
  1. 今年、去年、明年This year, last year, next
  2. 今天几号What the date is
  3. ni 没有过去Ni has no past
  4. 第一个不是人的主语A subject that is not a person
  5. 一串时间词A run of days
  6. 星期几What day it is
  7. 生日Birthdays
  8. 节日:这一次与每一年Holidays: once, and every year
  9. 词汇Vocabulary
  10. 练习Drills

One

今年、去年、明年。

This year, last year, next.

Swahili年份 / Year字面 / Literally
mwaka huu2026这一年 this year
mwaka jana2025"昨天的年" the year of yesterday
mwaka uliopita2025已经过去的那一年 the year that passed
mwaka ujao2027正在来的那一年 the year that is coming

Mwaka jana 很有意思:斯瓦希里语直接借"昨天"来说"去年"。Jana 在 Note 01 的时间词里就有,这里它被放大了一个尺度。

Mwaka jana borrows yesterday to mean last year. Jana was already in the Note 01 time words; here it is scaled up.

老师在 uliopita 底下划了线 Why uliopita was underlined

因为它是一个全新的结构:关系从句。

Because it is something entirely new: a relative clause.

词 / Word拆开 / Parts意思 / Meaning
uliopitau — li — o — pita它 — 过去 — 那个 — 经过:那个已经过去的 the one which passed
ujaou — ja — o它 — 来 — 那个:那个正在来的 the one which comes

那个 -o- 就是英语的 which / that,插在火车里,把一个动词变成修饰名词的从句。开头的 u- 是第 3 类的主语前缀,因为 mwaka 是第 3 类——跟前面那个 huu(这个)是同一顶帽子。

The -o- is which or that, slotted into the train to turn a verb into a clause describing a noun. The u- at the front is the class 3 subject prefix, because mwaka is class 3 — the same hat worn by huu, this.

Two

今天几号。

What the date is.

A: Leo ni tarehe ngapi?

B: Leo ni tarehe ishirini na moja, mwezi wa tisa, mwaka wa elfu mbili, ishirini na sita.

今天几号?——今天是 2026 年 9 月 21 日。

What is the date today? — Today is the twenty-first of the ninth month, 2026.

Tarehe(日期)是 N 类,阿拉伯语借词。问几号用 ngapi——Note 03 学的"多少",因为日期本来就是一个数。

Tarehe, date, is N class and an Arabic loan. The question uses ngapi, how many, from Note 03 — a date is, after all, a number.

顺序:日 → 月 → 年 Order: day, month, year

跟中文相反,跟英式一样。Tarehe ishirini na moja(21 号)在最前,年份在最后。

The reverse of Chinese, the same as British usage. Day first, year last.

月份是编号的 The months are numbered

Mwezi wa tisa 字面是"第九个月"——九月。斯瓦希里语日常说月份就用序数,这是 Note 05 第四节那个"连接词 + 数字"的结构。Mwezi 是第 3 类,所以连接词是 wa。

Mwezi wa tisa is literally the ninth month. Months are named by ordinal, using the connector-plus-number structure of Note 05 §4. Mwezi is class 3, hence wa.

Swahili中文English
Mwezi wa kwanza一月January
Mwezi wa pili二月February
Mwezi wa tatu三月March
Mwezi wa nne四月April
Mwezi wa tano五月May
Mwezi wa sita六月June
Mwezi wa saba七月July
Mwezi wa nane八月August
Mwezi wa tisa九月September
Mwezi wa kumi十月October
Mwezi wa kumi na moja十一月November
Mwezi wa kumi na mbili十二月December

课堂讲义第七行印成了 Mwezi was saba,应为 wa saba。 · The handout prints Mwezi was saba on line seven; it should read wa saba.

讲义的标题是 Miezi ya mwaka(一年的月份)。Miezi 是 mwezi 的复数,第 4 类,连接词是 ya。所以单数 mwezi wa、复数 miezi ya——一个词根两顶帽子,就在讲义标题里。

The handout is titled Miezi ya mwaka. Miezi is the class 4 plural, and its connector is ya: singular mwezi wa, plural miezi ya, one root under two hats, right there in the title.

年份怎么念:一处更正 Reading the year: a correction

黑板上写的是 mwaka wa elfu mbili, ishirini na sita——elfu mbili 后面是逗号,不是 na。Note 04 和 Note 05 里写成了 elfu mbili na ishirini na sita。两种都有人说,但课上的写法是逗号版,以它为准。

The board writes mwaka wa elfu mbili, ishirini na sita — a comma after elfu mbili, not na. Notes 04 and 05 used na. Both are heard; the class uses the comma, and that is the form to follow.

Three

ni 没有过去。

Ni has no past.

"今天是 21 号"用 ni。但"昨天是 20 号"呢?Ni 是一个不变的系词,它没有时态,挂不上火车。

Today is the 21st uses ni. But yesterday was the 20th? Ni is invariable. It has no tense and cannot board the train.

所以过去和将来要换成另一个动词:-kuwa,是、成为。

So the past and future switch to a different verb: -kuwa, to be, to become.

时间 / Time形式 / Form例 / Example中文
现在 presentniLeo ni tarehe ishirini na moja.今天是 21 号。
过去 pasti-li-kuwaJana ilikuwa tarehe ishirini.昨天是 20 号。
将来 futurei-ta-kuwaKesho itakuwa tarehe ishirini na mbili.明天是 22 号。

注意 -kuwa 保留了 ku。词根 -wa 只有一个音节,撑不住倒数第二音节的重音——这就是 Note 05 第三节那个垫片 ku,跟 alikuja、alikula 同一个道理。

Note that -kuwa keeps its ku. The root -wa is a single syllable and cannot carry penultimate stress — the spacer ku of Note 05 §3, the same as in alikuja and alikula.

Four

第一个不是人的主语。

A subject that is not a person.

看 ilikuwa 开头那个字母。到现在为止,你学过的所有主语前缀——ni、u、a、tu、m、wa——全都是指人的。这里的 i- 不是任何一个人。

Look at the first letter of ilikuwa. Every subject prefix so far — ni, u, a, tu, m, wa — has referred to a person. The i- here refers to no one.

它回指的是 tarehe(日期),N 类。N 类名词作主语时,动词前缀是 i-。同一课里的另一句也是这样:

It refers back to tarehe, N class. When an N-class noun is the subject, the verb takes i-. Another line from the same session:

A: Shule ilianza tarehe ngapi mwaka huu?

B: Shule ilianza tarehe mbili, mwezi wa tisa, mwaka huu.

今年学校几号开学?——今年 9 月 2 日开学。

What date did school start this year? — On the second of the ninth month.

Shule 是 N 类,所以是 i-li-anza,不是 a-li-anza。

Shule is N class, so i-li-anza, not a-li-anza.

Note 01 第三节说过:名词的类支配"一切回指它的成分——我的、你的、这个、好的,以及动词自己的前缀"。前五篇笔记里,动词前缀这一项一直没兑现,因为主语全是人。现在兑现了。

Note 01 §3 said the noun’s class governs everything that refers back to it — my, your, this, good, and the verb’s own prefixes. For five notes that last item stayed a promise, because every subject was a person. It is kept here.

顺带:-anza(开始)就是 Note 05 里 kwanza(第一)的来源——ku + anza,"开始"。第一,就是开头的那一个。 · -anza, to begin, is the source of kwanza, first, from Note 05. The first is the one at the beginning.

Five

一串时间词。

A run of days.

Swahili中文English动词 / Verb
mtondogoo大前天three days agoilikuwa
juzi前天the day before yesterdayilikuwa
jana昨天yesterdayilikuwa
leo今天todayni
kesho明天tomorrowitakuwa
kesho-kutwa后天the day after tomorrowitakuwa
mtondo大后天three days from nowitakuwa

Jana ilikuwa tarehe ngapi?

Jana ilikuwa tarehe ishirini, mwezi wa tisa, mwaka wa elfu mbili, ishirini na sita.

Juzi ilikuwa tarehe kumi na tisa, mwezi wa tisa…

Kesho itakuwa tarehe ishirini na mbili, mwezi wa tisa…

Kesho-kutwa itakuwa tarehe ishirini na tatu…

昨天几号?——昨天是 20 号。前天是 19 号。明天是 22 号。后天是 23 号。

Yesterday was the 20th; the day before, the 19th; tomorrow the 22nd; the day after, the 23rd.

七个相对日,对称地落在今天两边,而动词只有三种:过去三天用 ilikuwa,今天用 ni,未来三天用 itakuwa。这张表自己就演示了上一节那个三分。

Seven days, symmetrical about today, and only three verbs: ilikuwa for the three behind, ni for today, itakuwa for the three ahead. The table demonstrates the previous section’s three-way split on its own.

板书写作 Kesho-kutwa,带连字符。Mtondo 与 mtondogoo 的用法因地区而异,有些地方两者相反;以课上讲的为准。 · The board hyphenates Kesho-kutwa. Mtondo and mtondogoo vary by region, and in places the two are reversed; follow the class.

Six

星期几。

What day it is.

A: Leo ni siku gani?

B: Leo ni Jumatano.

今天星期几?——今天星期三。

What day is it today? — Today is Wednesday.

siku 配 gani,tarehe 配 ngapi Which question word goes with which

问句 / Question问的是 / Asks for为什么 / Why
Leo ni siku gani?星期几 which day星期是名称,不是数 a day has a name, not a number
Leo ni tarehe ngapi?几号 what date日期是一个数 a date is a number

两个都是 Note 01 和 Note 03 学过的疑问词,这里第一次被摆在一起区分。用错了对方能懂,但这是会被圈出来的细节。 · Both question words were already known; this is the first place they are set against each other.

一周七天 The seven days

Swahili中文English来源 / Where it comes from
Jumatatu周一Mondayjuma + tatu(第三天) week + three
Jumanne周二Tuesdayjuma + nne(第四天) week + four
Jumatano周三Wednesdayjuma + tano(第五天) week + five
Alhamisi周四Thursday整个借自阿拉伯语 borrowed whole from Arabic
Ijumaa周五Friday阿拉伯语,主麻聚礼日 Arabic, the day of congregation
Jumamosi周六Saturdayjuma + mosi(第一天) week + one
Jumapili周日Sundayjuma + pili(第二天) week + two

数字为什么对不上 Why the numbers do not line up

周一是"三",周日是"二"——看起来乱,其实只是起算点是周六。按伊斯兰历,一周从周六开始:Jumamosi 第一、Jumapili 第二、Jumatatu 第三、Jumanne 第四、Jumatano 第五。

Monday is three and Sunday is two — which looks arbitrary until you notice that the week starts on Saturday. Counting from there: Jumamosi first, Jumapili second, Jumatatu third, Jumanne fourth, Jumatano fifth.

数到第五就断了。周四 Alhamisi 和周五 Ijumaa 是整个从阿拉伯语借来的,没有编号——因为 Ijumaa 就是主麻日,穆斯林一周里最重要的那天,重要到不能用一个序号代替。

The counting stops at five. Thursday and Friday are borrowed whole and carry no number, because Ijumaa is the day of congregational prayer — too important in the week to be left as an ordinal.

所以这七个词里压着一部沿海伊斯兰化的历史:一周的起点在哪里、编号在哪里断、以及断在哪两天上。跟 Note 03 说的"6、7、9 是阿拉伯语借词"是同一个现象的另一个层面。

Seven words, and a history of coastal Islamisation inside them: where the week begins, where the counting breaks, and which two days it breaks on. The same phenomenon as the Arabic six, seven and nine in Note 03, one layer up.

Mosi 是 moja 的古体,如今只在这类固定搭配里留存。 · Mosi is an older form of moja, surviving only in fixed compounds.

两种说法 Two ways to say it

Siku za wiki 和 siku za juma 都是"一周的日子"。Wiki 借自英语 week,juma 借自阿拉伯语——同一个概念的两条借入路径,并存至今。两个词都是 N 类,所以连接词都是 za(复数)。

Both siku za wiki and siku za juma mean the days of the week. Wiki comes from English, juma from Arabic — two borrowing routes for one concept, both still in use. Both are N class, so both take za.

拼写:什么时候连写 One word or two

星期名连写并大写首字母:Jumatatu、Jumanne、Jumatano、Jumamosi、Jumapili。虽然来源是 juma 加一个数字,但它们现在是单个词,写成 juma nne 就变成"周四个"了。

The weekday names are written as one word with a capital. They come from juma plus a number, but they are single words now; juma nne would read as four weeks.

而 siku gani 分开写——siku 是名词,gani 是跟在它后面的独立疑问词。判断方法:gani 可以换成别的词(siku hii、siku moja),而 Jumanne 里的 nne 换不掉。

Siku gani is two words: a noun and a question word that follows it. The test is substitution — gani can be swapped for something else, the nne in Jumanne cannot.

哪天去哪里 Which day, which building

Wakristo wanakwenda kanisani siku gani?

Wakristo wanakwenda kanisani Jumapili.

基督徒周几去教堂?——周日。

What day do Christians go to church? — On Sunday.

单数 / Sg.复数 / Pl.中文去哪儿 / Where哪天 / When
MyahudiWayahudi犹太人hekaluniJumamosi
MkristoWakristo基督徒kanisaniJumapili
MwislamuWaislamu穆斯林msikitiniIjumaa

三个群体名都是第 1/2 类(人),m- / wa- 的帽子,跟 mtu / watu 一样。三个场所都加了 -ni 后缀变成处所——Note 01 第四节那个 nyumbani、shuleni 的 -ni。

All three group names are class 1/2 with the m- / wa- hats. All three buildings take the -ni locative of Note 01 §4, the same suffix as in nyumbani and shuleni.

Swahili中文处所 / LocativeClass
kanisa / makanisa教堂kanisani5/6
msikiti / misikiti清真寺msikitini3/4
hekalu / mahekalu圣殿hekaluni5/6

这三天不是随便挑的:它们正好落在那套编号断开和重启的位置上——Ijumaa 和 Alhamisi 是借词,Jumamosi 是第一天,Jumapili 是第二天。一周七天的命名结构本身,就记录着三种历法在这条海岸上相遇的方式。

The three days are not arbitrary. They fall exactly where the numbering breaks and restarts: Ijumaa and Alhamisi are the loans, Jumamosi is day one, Jumapili is day two. The naming of the week is itself a record of three calendars meeting on one coast.

Kanisa 来自希腊语 ekklēsia,经阿拉伯语 kanīsa 传入;msikiti 来自阿拉伯语 masjid。两个词走的是同一条海路。犹太会堂日常也说 sinagogi,hekalu 偏指耶路撒冷圣殿。 · Kanisa comes from Greek ekklēsia by way of Arabic; msikiti from Arabic masjid. Both travelled the same sea route. Sinagogi is the everyday word for a synagogue; hekalu leans towards the Temple in Jerusalem.

Seven

生日。

Birthdays.

A: Je, wewe ulizaliwa tarehe ngapi?

B: Mimi nilizaliwa tarehe ____, mwezi wa ____, mwaka wa ____.

A: ____ alizaliwa tarehe ngapi?

B: Yeye alizaliwa tarehe ____.

你是几号出生的?——我出生于 ____ 年 ____ 月 ____ 日。——____ 是几号出生的?——他出生于……

What date were you born? — I was born on ____. — And ____? — On ____.

这是 Note 05 第二节的 -zaliwa(被生下来)跟这一课的日期拼在一起,外加那个已经出现过好几次的人称替换:u- 换成 a-,wewe 换成 yeye。

The -zaliwa of Note 05 §2 joined to this session’s dates, plus the person swap that keeps returning: u- to a-, wewe to yeye.

日期前面不加介词 No preposition before a date

中文说"在 9 月 26 日出生",英语说 born on。斯瓦希里语直接把日期放在动词后面,什么都不加:nilizaliwa tarehe…、shule ilianza tarehe mbili。日期本身就是状语。

Chinese and English both put a preposition before the date. Swahili puts it straight after the verb with nothing between: nilizaliwa tarehe…, shule ilianza tarehe mbili. The date is its own adverb.

Eight

节日:这一次与每一年。

Holidays: once, and every year.

Swahili中文
Sikukuu ya Thanksgiving itakuwa tarehe ngapi mwaka huu?今年感恩节是几号?
— ishirini na sita, mwezi wa kumi na moja, mwaka huu.今年 11 月 26 日。
Sikukuu ya Krismasi huwa tarehe ngapi?圣诞节是几号?
— ishirini na tano, mwezi wa kumi na mbili, kila mwaka.每年 12 月 25 日。
Sikukuu ya Mwaka Mpya huwa tarehe ngapi?新年是几号?
— moja, mwezi wa kwanza, kila mwaka.每年 1 月 1 日。

这是整堂课的高潮。老师把两个问题并排写,huwa 底下划了双线。

This is the point of the session. The two questions sit side by side, with huwa double-underlined.

感恩节的日期每年变(十一月第四个星期四),所以问的是"今年会是几号"——将来时 itakuwa,配 mwaka huu(今年)。

Thanksgiving moves — the fourth Thursday of November — so the question is what it will be this year: future itakuwa, with mwaka huu.

圣诞节和新年的日期从来不变,所以问的是"它通常是几号"——惯常式 huwa,配 kila mwaka(每年)。

Christmas and New Year never move, so the question is what they always are: the habitual huwa, with kila mwaka.

语法编码的不是"时间",而是事件的性质:一次性的事用时态,反复发生的事用惯常式。

What the grammar encodes is not time but the kind of event: a one-off takes a tense, a recurrence takes the habitual.

第三个"同形不同源" A third false twin

huwa = hu- + wa。这个 hu- 是惯常标记,而不是 Note 05 里 hujambo、hukwenda 那个"你—否定"的 hu-。

huwa is hu- + wa, and this hu- is the habitual marker — not the second-person negative hu- of hujambo and hukwenda in Note 05.

区别在于:惯常 hu- 不分人称,谁做都是 hu-,而且不带主语前缀。否定 hu- 只指"你"。

The difference: habitual hu- ignores person and takes no subject prefix; negative hu- means only you.

前两对是:Note 03 的句首 je 与词尾 -je;Note 05 的垫片 ku 与否定过去 ku。 · The first two pairs: sentence-initial je and suffix -je (Note 03); spacer ku and negative-past ku (Note 05).

其他三个零件 Three smaller pieces

sikukuu = siku(天)+ kuu(大)→ 节日。那个 kuu 就是 chuo kikuu(大学,"大的学院")里的那个"大"。

sikukuu is siku, day, plus kuu, great — a holiday. The same kuu as in chuo kikuu.

kila(每)放在名词前面,不变形:kila mwaka、kila siku。这一点跟大多数斯瓦希里语修饰词相反。

kila, every, goes before its noun and never changes — the reverse of most Swahili modifiers.

Mwaka Mpya:-pya(新)戴上第 3 类的帽子变成 mpya,跟 mwaka 一致。

Mwaka Mpya: -pya, new, takes the class 3 hat to agree with mwaka.

Nine

词汇。

Vocabulary.

时间 Time

Swahili中文EnglishClass
tarehe日期dateN
siku天、日子dayN
wiki / juma周weekN
mwezi / miezi月month3/4
mwaka / miaka年year3/4
mtondogoo / mtondo大前天/大后天three days back / ahead—

星期 Weekdays

Swahili中文Swahili中文
Jumatatu周一Ijumaa周五
Jumanne周二Jumamosi周六
Jumatano周三Jumapili周日
Alhamisi周四——

人与场所 People and places

Swahili中文EnglishClass
Mkristo / Wakristo基督徒Christian1/2
Mwislamu / Waislamu穆斯林Muslim1/2
Myahudi / Wayahudi犹太人Jew1/2
kanisa / makanisa教堂church5/6
msikiti / misikiti清真寺mosque3/4
hekalu / mahekalu圣殿temple5/6
sikukuu节日holidayN
Krismasi圣诞节ChristmasN
Mwaka Mpya新年New Year—

动词 Verbs

Swahili中文English备注 / Note
-kuwa是、成为be, become单音节,保留 ku
-anza开始beginkwanza 的来源
-pita经过passuliopita
-enda / kwenda去gowanakwenda kanisani
huwa通常是usually is惯常式

其他 Other

Swahili中文English
huu这(第 3 类)this, class 3
uliopita / ujao过去的/将来的which passed / which comes
kila每every
-pya新new
-kuu大、主要的great, main

Ten

练习。

Drills.

一 — 说出今天前后七天 One — seven days around today

以 9 月 21 日为"今天",从大前天说到大后天。

Mtondogoo ilikuwa tarehe kumi na nane.大前天 18 号
Juzi ilikuwa tarehe kumi na tisa.前天 19 号
Jana ilikuwa tarehe ishirini.昨天 20 号
Leo ni tarehe ishirini na moja.今天 21 号
Kesho itakuwa tarehe ishirini na mbili.明天 22 号
Kesho-kutwa itakuwa tarehe ishirini na tatu.后天 23 号
Mtondo itakuwa tarehe ishirini na nne.大后天 24 号
二 — 同样七天,换成星期 Two — the same seven, as weekdays

假设今天是 Jumatano(周三),把七天走一遍。七个星期名正好各用一次。

Mtondogoo ilikuwa Jumapili.大前天周日
Juzi ilikuwa Jumatatu.前天周一
Jana ilikuwa Jumanne.昨天周二
Leo ni Jumatano.今天周三
Kesho itakuwa Alhamisi.明天周四
Kesho-kutwa itakuwa Ijumaa.后天周五
Mtondo itakuwa Jumamosi.大后天周六
三 — gani 还是 ngapi Three — gani or ngapi

填空:Leo ni siku ___? / Leo ni tarehe ___? / Unatoka nchi ___? / Una miaka ___? / Nyumba namba ___?

siku gani名称 a name
tarehe ngapi数 a number
nchi gani名称 a name
miaka mingapi数,且要一致 a number, and it agrees
namba ngapi数 a number
四 — 用编号说月份 Four — name the month by number

一月、五月、十月、十二月。

mwezi wa kwanza一月
mwezi wa tano五月
mwezi wa kumi十月
mwezi wa kumi na mbili十二月
五 — 人还是物 Five — person or thing

补上主语前缀:mwalimu ___likuja;shule ___lianza;tarehe ___likuwa;rafiki ___lizaliwa;Wakristo ___nakwenda。

mwalimu alikuja人 → a-
shule ilianzaN 类 → i-
tarehe ilikuwaN 类 → i-
rafiki alizaliwa人 → a-(虽然 rafiki 是 N 类,指人时仍用 a-)
Wakristo wanakwenda第 2 类 → wa-
六 — 哪天去哪里 Six — which day, which building

用完整句回答:基督徒、穆斯林、犹太人各自周几去哪里?

Wakristo wanakwenda kanisani Jumapili.基督徒周日去教堂
Waislamu wanakwenda msikitini Ijumaa.穆斯林周五去清真寺
Wayahudi wanakwenda hekaluni Jumamosi.犹太人周六去圣殿
七 — itakuwa 还是 huwa Seven — itakuwa or huwa

判断:新年;今年的感恩节;你今年的生日;每年的生日。

Mwaka Mpya huwa…固定 → 惯常
Thanksgiving itakuwa… mwaka huu今年 → 将来
Siku yangu ya kuzaliwa itakuwa… mwaka huu今年的某一天 → 将来
Siku yangu ya kuzaliwa huwa… kila mwaka每年都是 → 惯常

Siku ya kuzaliwa(出生的日子)即"生日",课上未出现,供参考。 · Siku ya kuzaliwa, birthday, was not taught.

八 — 你的生日 Eight — your own birthday

用完整句回答:Je, wewe ulizaliwa tarehe ngapi?

Nilizaliwa tarehe ____, mwezi wa ____, mwaka wa ____.日 → 月 → 年,不加介词

← All Kiswahili notes

← Note 05 · Note 07 follows next week.