Hata hivyo, kiasi kinachobishaniwa ni kikubwa.

However, the disputed amount is large.

Breakdown of Hata hivyo, kiasi kinachobishaniwa ni kikubwa.

• kuwa: to be
• kubwa: big
• hata hivyo: however
• kiasi kinachobishaniwa: the disputed amount

Questions & Answers about Hata hivyo, kiasi kinachobishaniwa ni kikubwa.

Why does the sentence begin with Hata hivyo?

Hata hivyo is a connector meaning however, nevertheless, or even so. It shows that this sentence contrasts with what came before.

So the sentence is not just stating a fact; it is saying something like: a previous point is true, however this other point is also true.

Compared with lakini (but), hata hivyo often sounds a bit more formal or more like written English however.

Why is there a comma after Hata hivyo?

The comma separates the introductory connector Hata hivyo from the main clause.

This is similar to English punctuation in a sentence like:

• However, the amount in dispute is large.

In everyday writing, punctuation in Swahili can be somewhat flexible, but this comma is very normal here.

What does kiasi mean here, and what noun class is it?

Here kiasi means amount, quantity, or sum.

In this sentence, kiasi behaves like a class 7 noun, which is why the words that agree with it begin with ki-:

• kinachobishaniwa
• kikubwa

That agreement is a key feature of Swahili grammar: words connected to a noun often change form to match its noun class.