ndiyo
Swahili
Etymology
From ndi- + yo, literally "it is (it/those)".
Pronunciation
Audio (Kenya) (file)
Verb
ndiyo
- inflection of ndi-:
- m-mi class object inflected plural
- ji-ma class object inflected plural
- n class object inflected singular
Interjection
ndiyo
- yes (literally "it is it")
Antonyms
- hapana
See also
Emphatic copula forms:
| Pronominals | 1s | 2s | 3s | 1p | 2p | 3p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive | ndimi, ndiye | ndiwe, ndiye | ndiye | ndisi, ndio | ndinyi, ndio | ndio |
| Negative | simi, siye | siwe, siye | siye | sio, sisi* | sinyi, siyo | sio |
| Classes | c1 | c2/c3/c11/c14 | c4/c6/c9 | c5 | c7 | c8 | c10 | c15 | c16 | c17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive | ndiye | ndio | ndiyo | ndilo | ndicho | ndivyo | ndizo | ndiko | ndipo | ndimo |
| Negative | siye | sio | siyo | silo | sicho | sivyo | sizo | siko | sipo | simo |
* The form sisi "it is not us" is not frequently used as it is identical to the pronoun sisi "we", "us". Instead it is virtually always replaced with sio.