Word
Miradi miwili inaendelea sambamba.
Meaning
Two projects are proceeding in parallel.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Miradi miwili inaendelea sambamba.
kuendelea
to continue
mradi
the project
mbili
two
sambamba
in parallel; alongside
Questions & Answers about Miradi miwili inaendelea sambamba.
Why is miradi the plural form of mradi?
Mradi is the singular noun, and miradi is its plural. This noun belongs to the m-/mi- noun class pair in Swahili:
- singular: mradi = project
- plural: miradi = projects
A lot of Swahili grammar depends on noun classes, so once the noun changes from mradi to miradi, other words in the sentence may also change to match it.
Why is it miwili and not mbili for two?
In Swahili, numbers from one to five usually agree with the noun class of the noun they describe.
The word for two is based on the stem -wili. The form you use depends on the noun class:
- miradi miwili = two projects
- vitabu viwili = two books
- ndizi mbili = two bananas
So miwili is correct because miradi is in the mi- plural class. An English speaker often expects one fixed word for two, but in Swahili the form changes to match the noun.
Why does the verb start with i- in inaendelea even though the subject is plural?