Mama anasafisha nyumba leo, na mimi nitamsaidia kufagia chumba hiki.

I

Breakdown of Mama anasafisha nyumba leo, na mimi nitamsaidia kufagia chumba hiki.

• leo: today
• mama: the mother
• na: and
• kusafisha: to clean
• nyumba: the house
• kusaidia: to help
• kufagia: to sweep
• chumba: the room
• hiki: this

Questions & Answers about Mama anasafisha nyumba leo, na mimi nitamsaidia kufagia chumba hiki.

What does anasafisha mean and why is it used in this form?

Anasafisha is the present continuous form of the verb meaning to clean. It shows that the action is currently happening. The a- indicates the third person singular subject (she/he), -na- is the present tense marker, and -safisha is the verb root meaning clean.

How do I form the future tense in Swahili as seen in nitamsaidia?

In Swahili, the future tense is formed by placing -ta- after the subject prefix and before the verb. For example, ni-ta-msaidia breaks down into ni- (I), -ta- (future), -m- (object marker for her/him), and saidia (help). So nitamsaidia translates to I will help her/him.

What does kufagia mean in this context?

Kufagia means to sweep. It is the infinitive form of the verb (marked by ku-), so kufagia chumba hiki means to sweep this room.

Why is mama not marked with any prefix in Mama anasafisha nyumba leo?

In Swahili, nouns that refer to people or proper nouns like mama often appear without noun class prefixes in subject position. Instead, they are indicated by the corresponding subject marker on the verb (in this case a-).

What does chumba hiki mean, and how is it formed?

Chumba hiki means this room. Chumba is the noun for room, and hiki is a demonstrative that specifies this in the corresponding noun class. It indicates that the speaker is referring to a particular room near them.