Huu ni mji mzuri.

to be

Breakdown of Huu ni mji mzuri.

• mji: the town
• huu: this
• mzuri: nice

Questions & Answers about Huu ni mji mzuri.

Why is the demonstrative in the sentence Huu instead of Hii?

Because mji (city) belongs to the M/MI noun class. In this class, the singular demonstrative for something near the speaker is huu. The plural form would be hii for M/MI nouns, e.g., hii miji (these cities).

Why does the sentence say mzuri instead of nzuri or some other form?

The adjective must agree with the noun class of mji, which is in the M/MI class. For a singular noun in that class, you use mzuri. If it were plural (e.g., miji), you would use something like mizuri.

Can I use jiji instead of mji for the word “city”?

Jiji often implies a larger city or metropolis. Mji can mean “town” or “city” more generally. They can overlap in meaning, but jiji is typically used for a big city.

Why does the sentence have ni right after Huu?

Ni is the copula in Swahili, used similarly to “is” in English. So Huu ni mji mzuri literally translates to This is a city beautiful, or more naturally, This is a beautiful city.

Why is the adjective placed after the noun in this sentence?

In Swahili, adjectives usually follow the nouns they describe. So the pattern is typically noun + adjective. That’s why mji (city) comes before mzuri (beautiful).