Wimbo wa mtoto ni mzuri.

to be

Breakdown of Wimbo wa mtoto ni mzuri.

• mtoto: the child
• wimbo: the song
• wa: of
• mzuri: nice

Questions & Answers about Wimbo wa mtoto ni mzuri.

What does “wa” mean in this sentence, and why is it used?

wa indicates possession or association in Swahili. It connects wimbo (song) to mtoto (child) to show that the song belongs to the child.

Why do we say “ni mzuri” instead of using a separate verb for “is”?

In Swahili, ni directly translates to the copula “is” in English. So ni mzuri literally means “(it) is good.” You don’t need an additional verb here because ni already serves that function.

How do I know “wimbo” takes “wa” rather than something like “ya” or “la”?

Swahili has different forms of these possessive connectors (like wa, ya, la, cha, etc.) depending on noun classes. Wimbo (song) belongs to a noun class that pairs with wa when showing possession involving another noun like mtoto.

Is it necessary to modify “mzuri” for agreement with “wimbo”?

Yes, in principle. Mzuri is the adjective form that agrees with nouns in the class that wimbo belongs to. For other classes, the adjective form might change, but for wimbo, mzuri is correct.

Can I rearrange the sentence to say “Mtoto wa wimbo ni mzuri”?

That would change the meaning entirely. Wimbo wa mtoto means “the child’s song” while mtoto wa wimbo would suggest “the child of the song,” which doesn’t make sense in this context. The placement of wimbo and mtoto is crucial for showing which noun possesses the other.