Questions & Answers about Sisi tunakula samaki sokoni.
Why do we say Sisi tunakula instead of just Tunakula?
In Swahili, the subject prefix tu- already indicates "we," so Sisi is optional. You can include Sisi for emphasis, but grammatically, Tunakula samaki sokoni is perfectly correct on its own.
What does the prefix tuna- mean in tunakula?
The Swahili verb structure includes a subject prefix (tu- for "we") and a tense marker (-na- for the present tense). Taken together, tuna- means "we are" or "we do" in the present tense.
Is samaki singular or plural?
In Swahili, samaki can mean both "fish" in the singular and "fish" in the plural. Context typically clarifies whether it’s one fish or multiple fish.
Why is sokoni used here and what does the -ni suffix indicate?
In Swahili, adding -ni to certain nouns indicates a location or place. So sokoni means "at the market" (literally, "market-place"). It’s an idiomatic way to say you’re at or going to the market.
Can Sisi tunakula samaki sokoni also be understood as "We will eat fish at the market"?