ataenda

Ataenda is the third-person singular future tense form of the Swahili verb kuenda, meaning “to go.” It literally translates as “he/she will go.” The form is built from the subject concord a- (for he/she), the future marker ta-, and the verb root enda (to go). In Swahili, verbs typically follow a subject-concord–tense–verb order, so ataenda can appear with an explicitly stated subject or with an implied subject pronoun.

Use and meaning: Ataenda expresses a planned or upcoming action in the future and is common in both formal and everyday speech. It can be combined with time phrases or direction objects, for example: “Ataenda shuleni kesho” (He will go to school tomorrow) or “Amitakaenda kwa daktari” (This person will go to the doctor). The third-person singular future form contrasts with other subjects: nitaenda (I will go), utaenda (you will go), wataenda (they will go).

Negative and related forms: The negative future uses hatakuwa or hatenda in different constructions, depending on the sentence, but the straightforward negation of future action often appears as hatenda or hatakuenda in context. Related forms include other subject concords for future tense, such as nitakuenda (you and I future variations) and wataenda (they will go).

See also: Swahili language, Kiswahili grammar, Swahili verb conjugation.