Juma anaandika barua kwa baba.

Juma

Breakdown of Juma anaandika barua kwa baba.

• kuandika: to write
• baba: the father
• barua: the letter
• kwa: to

Questions & Answers about Juma anaandika barua kwa baba.

Why does the verb anaandika have "ana" as a prefix?

In Swahili, a- is the subject marker for the third-person singular (he/she), and -na- indicates the present tense. The verb root here is -andika, so when you put them all together, you get anaandika, meaning (in the present tense) that someone is writing.

What role does kwa play in this sentence?

Kwa can mean “to,” “for,” or “by” depending on context. In this sentence, kwa is used to indicate that the letter is being written to the father. So barua kwa baba means “a letter to (the) father.”

Why does barua come immediately after anaandika?

In Swahili’s basic word order (Subject–Verb–Object), the object typically follows the verb. Here, barua is the direct object, so it logically appears right after anaandika.

Is baba always used without any article or personal adjective before it?

Yes, Swahili generally does not use separate words for articles like “the” or “a,” and nouns like baba (“father”) do not require a personal adjective unless you want to specify something else (like “my father,” which would be baba yangu).

Could I say "Juma anaandika barua yake kwa baba" to show it is Juma’s letter?

Yes, you can add yake (his) to emphasize that the letter belongs to Juma. Swahili is flexible in allowing possession markers after nouns. However, if it’s already clear from context that Juma is writing his own letter, the extra word might not be necessary.