Upepo unavuma sana leo, kwa hiyo tunafunga madirisha.

The wind is blowing strongly today, so we are closing the windows.

Breakdown of Upepo unavuma sana leo, kwa hiyo tunafunga madirisha.

• sisi: we
• leo: today
• kwa hiyo: so
• upepo: the wind
• kufunga: to close
• dirisha: the window

Questions & Answers about Upepo unavuma sana leo, kwa hiyo tunafunga madirisha.

What does unavuma mean in this context?

Here, unavuma comes from the verb vuma, meaning "to blow." So unavuma indicates that the wind is actively blowing.

Why does the sentence use u- as the subject prefix in unavuma?

The noun upepo (wind) belongs to a Swahili noun class requiring the subject prefix u- instead of other prefixes like a- or i-. Each noun class in Swahili has its own agreement system for verbs and adjectives.

What is the role of kwa hiyo in this sentence?

Kwa hiyo literally means "because of that" or "therefore," and it's used here to show the result or consequence of the strong wind—namely, closing the windows.

Why do we say tunafunga madirisha for "we are closing the windows"?

Tunafunga comes from kufunga (to close) with the tuna- prefix indicating "we" in the present tense. Madirisha is the plural form of dirisha (window). So tunafunga madirisha translates to "we are closing (the) windows."

Does sana leo change the meaning if we reverse them to leo sana?

Not exactly. Typically, sana (very or a lot) follows the verb or adjective it modifies. Placing sana before leo wouldn’t be as natural in Swahili. The standard way is to say how strongly something is done (sana) and then specify the time (leo).