How do you say 'you are' in Swahili?

Answer 1

Answer: wewe ni

This depends on context ... on the words that will follow. If talking about location, "uko" (for one person) or "mko" (for more than one) is the verb, as in: "Uko wapi?" or "Mko wapi?" ("You are where?")

FURTHER DISCUSSION. There are many ways to say "you are," and the most common is probably wewe ni . . . as above. You can also say wewe u . . . or leave the wewe out and say simply u, e.g., u mtoto; mimi mtu mzima (you are a child; I am an adult). Finally, the verb particle can be left out completely (as is often done in English: "You ready?"), and very often is: wewe mwalimu (you are a teacher' you're the teacher). An old greeting still used is u hali gani? (how are you; how are you feeling?).

As suggested in the first answer, you are in a place is more complicated. Just as common as uko wapi? is upo wapi? There is also umo wapi (where are you inside a place), which is commonly heard is such uses as Umo nchini / mjini humu (you are in this country / city). The Swahili student should refer to a good grammar for explanations of the various uses and for guidance in the different shades of meaning; dictionaries will probably not help.

Answer 2

In Swahili, "you are" can be translated as "wewe ni".