Mji ni mzuri usiku.

to be

Breakdown of Mji ni mzuri usiku.

• usiku: the night
• mji: the town
• mzuri: nice

Questions & Answers about Mji ni mzuri usiku.

Why do we use ni in Mji ni mzuri usiku?

Ni is the copula in Swahili that links the subject to its description. In other words, mji (town) is being equated to mzuri (beautiful), so ni acts like the “to be” verb in English: “The town is beautiful at night.”

Why is it mzuri instead of nzuri?

Swahili nouns belong to different noun classes, each taking a particular agreement prefix. Mji (a town or city) is in the M-/Mi- noun class, which uses the adjective prefix m- to match singular nouns of that class. So mzuri is the correct form rather than nzuri.

Why is usiku placed at the end of the sentence?

In Swahili, time expressions like usiku (night) can come at the beginning or end of the sentence. It’s common to place the time or context word at the end to emphasize it. So Mji ni mzuri usiku is perfectly natural and places focus on the fact that the town is beautiful specifically at night.

Could I say the same idea in a different word order?

Yes, Swahili has flexible word order for emphasis. You might also say Usiku, mji ni mzuri (At night, the town is beautiful). This puts more attention on usiku while still retaining the same meaning.