Domo la mamba ni refu.

A helpful breakdown is:

• domo = mouth / snout / beak
• la = of
• mamba = crocodile
• ni = is
• refu = long

So the literal structure is:

• mouth of crocodile is long

A more natural English rendering is:

• The crocodile’s mouth is long
• or The crocodile has a long snout, depending on context and the meaning you were given.

Because la agrees with domo, not with mamba.

In Swahili, this of word changes according to the noun class of the thing being possessed or described. Here, the head noun is domo, and domo takes the connector la.

So:

• domo la mamba = the crocodile’s mouth / the mouth of the crocodile

A common learner mistake is to look at mamba and think the connector should match that word. But the connector matches domo, the main noun in the phrase.

Ni is the copula here, meaning is.

It links the subject:

• Domo la mamba = the crocodile’s mouth

to the description:

• refu = long

So:

• Domo la mamba ni refu = The crocodile’s mouth is long

In simple present-tense sentences like this, ni is very common for linking a noun to a description or identity.

Because adjectives in Swahili usually agree with the noun class of the noun they describe.

Here, the noun is domo, and with this noun class the adjective appears as:

• refu = long

Different noun classes use different adjective forms. For example:

• class with m- singular may use mrefu
• class with ma- plural may use marefu
• this sentence uses the class that gives refu

So refu is not random; it matches domo.

It can mean either, depending on what kind of noun it describes.

With something like a body part, object, road, rope, or snout, it usually means:

• long

With a person, tree, or building, it may be understood more like:

• tall
• or long, depending on context

In Domo la mamba ni refu, the natural meaning is long, not tall.

That is normal in Swahili.

Swahili descriptions usually come after the noun they describe. Compare:

• domo refu = a long mouth / snout
• Domo la mamba ni refu = The crocodile’s mouth is long

So for an English speaker, one adjustment is that Swahili often puts descriptive words after the noun, not before it.

Swahili does not normally use articles like English the and a/an.

So domo la mamba can mean things like:

• the crocodile’s mouth
• a crocodile’s mouth
• the mouth of the crocodile

The exact English choice depends on context.

That is why one Swahili sentence can often be translated into English in more than one correct way.

By itself, mamba can be understood from context, because many Swahili nouns do not change form between singular and plural in the way English nouns do.

In this sentence, the intended meaning is usually singular:

• crocodile

But the word form mamba can also appear in plural contexts, with the rest of the sentence helping make that clear.

So the short answer is:

• the form mamba itself does not always tell you singular vs. plural by itself
• context and agreement help you decide

Yes.

These are two very natural ways to understand it:

• domo la mamba = the mouth of the crocodile
• domo la mamba = the crocodile’s mouth

So la often corresponds to English of or the possessive ’s.

They are related, and learners may see both.

A useful practical point is this:

• domo follows one noun-class pattern, so you get la and refu
• mdomo follows a different noun-class pattern, so its agreements would be different

For example, if you used mdomo, the agreement pattern would change accordingly.

So even if the meanings are close, the grammar around the noun must match the noun class of the form you actually use. In this sentence, since the noun is domo, the rest of the grammar correctly follows domo.

Yes, in many contexts that is a natural English translation.

The Swahili sentence is literally built like:

• The crocodile’s mouth is long

But English often prefers:

• The crocodile has a long mouth
• or The crocodile has a long snout

So if your goal is natural English, that kind of translation can be perfectly good, even though the Swahili structure is slightly different.