kuwa na

How to say it

Meaning

To own, hold or have something, as a possession, a quality, a relative or an illness.

Good to know

The verb kuwa, to be, with na, with: ana gari, he has a car (present tense uses -na alone). Past and future keep kuwa: alikuwa na, he had; atakuwa na, he will have. The negative present is hana, he does not have.

Examples

• Nataka kuwa na nyumba yangu mwenyewe.I want to have a house of my own.
• Alikuwa na watoto watatu.She had three children.
• Tutakuwa na mkutano kesho asubuhi.We will have a meeting tomorrow morning.

The same word in

Forms

ana, anao, haina, hana, hatuna, hauna, ina, lina, mlizonazo, nina, tuna (we have: kuwa na, to have, with tu- (we)), tunao, zina