Mimi ninapenda simu yangu.

I

Breakdown of Mimi ninapenda simu yangu.

• kupenda: to like
• simu: the phone
• yangu: my

Questions & Answers about Mimi ninapenda simu yangu.

Why is the subject pronoun Mimi used if we already have ni- in ninapenda?

Mimi means “I,” while ni- is a subject prefix that indicates the first-person singular (“I”) in the verb. In Swahili, you don’t always need to use the standalone pronoun (Mimi) because ni- already communicates “I.” However, using Mimi can add emphasis or clarity, similar to saying I in English when you want to be extra clear about who is performing the action.

What does the ni- prefix specifically tell me about the verb ninapenda?

The prefix ni- is the first-person singular subject marker in Swahili. It tells you that the subject of the verb is I (the speaker). Different subject markers exist for “you,” “he/she,” “we,” and so on.

Why does the verb have -na- in the middle, as in ninapenda?

The -na- part in ninapenda indicates the present tense in Swahili. You might see other tense markers like -li- for the past (e.g., nilipenda, “I loved”) or -ta- for the future (e.g., nitapenda, “I will love”).

How do I know simu is singular here and not plural?

In Swahili, simu can technically cover both “phone” and “phones,” but context usually clarifies whether it’s singular or plural. If you want to emphasize plural, you might see a phrase like simu zangu (using the plural of yangu, which is zangu). In this sentence, simu yangu strongly suggests a single phone because yangu (my) matches the singular form.

Why do we use yangu instead of another possessive like wangu or zangu?

Possessive adjectives in Swahili must agree with the noun class. Simu (phone) is in a class that takes the y- form for singular possessives: yangu. For instance, words in other noun classes would take different forms, such as wangu (used for nouns in a different class, like mwanafunzi wangu for “my student”) or zangu (for plural forms in the same class, like simu zangu for “my phones”).