Theluthi moja ya watu walifika.

One third of the people arrived.

Breakdown of Theluthi moja ya watu walifika.

• wa: of
• kufika: to arrive
• moja: one
• watu: the people

Questions & Answers about Theluthi moja ya watu walifika.

What does theluthi moja mean exactly?

It means one third or a third.

• theluthi = third / a third
• moja = one

So theluthi moja ya watu means one third of the people.

Why is it moja and not mmoja?

Because mmoja is used with class 1 singular human nouns, such as mtu mmoja = one person.

Here, the word being counted is theluthi, not mtu, so Swahili uses moja, not mmoja. In other words, moja agrees correctly with theluthi.

What does ya mean in ya watu?

Here ya means of.

It links theluthi moja with watu:

• theluthi moja ya watu = one third of the people

This ya is the connector used after a noun like theluthi.

Why is the verb walifika even though looks singular?