Nchi ina watu milioni moja.

to have

Breakdown of Nchi ina watu milioni moja.

• moja: one
• nchi: the country
• watu: the people

Questions & Answers about Nchi ina watu milioni moja.

Why is the verb ina here?

Because nchi belongs to the noun class that takes the subject prefix i- in the singular.

So ina breaks down like this:

• i- = subject prefix for nchi here
• -na = have / has

So ina means it has.

That is why:

• Nchi ina ... = The country has ...

If the subject were plural countries, the noun would still be nchi, but the verb would change:

• Nchi zina ... = Countries have ...

What noun class is nchi, and how can I tell whether it is singular or plural?

Nchi is one of those Swahili nouns whose singular and plural forms are the same.

• singular: nchi = country
• plural: nchi = countries

You tell the difference from the agreement on the verb or other words around it.

In this sentence:

• Nchi ina watu milioni moja.

the verb ina shows that nchi is singular, so it means country, not countries.

If it were plural, you would expect:

• Nchi zina watu milioni moja.