5. The parts of Swahili grammar that require the most effort from speakers of European languages are (1) the requirements of 'concord' which exist between nouns and other words (including verbs) that are related to them in the sentence, and (2) the internal structure of the verb phrase. 'concord' is treated in par. 17 - 26 of this synopsis; the verb phrase is covered in par. 29 - 70. *****
19. Demonstratives must agree with the nouns to which they refer. There are three series of demonstratives, typified by huyu, huyo, and yule. The huyu series corresponds closely to many of the uses of English 'this, these:'
| mwanachama huyu | this member |
| wanachama hawa | these members |
| chama hiki | this organization |
The huyo series corresponds to 'that, those' when the noun is already sufficiently identified either by having been mentioned before, or by being near to the hearer:
| kiongozi huyo | the aforementioned leader |
| kalamu hiyo | that pen near you, or the aforementioned pen |
The yule series corresponds to 'that, those' when the noun is in need of further identification either through pointing, or through use of words:
| jumba lile | that building over yonder |
| kiongozi yule aliyeita mkutano | that leader who called the meeting |
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