Dada anakaa mbali kidogo, lakini tutatembea kwenda kumtembelea.

we

Breakdown of Dada anakaa mbali kidogo, lakini tutatembea kwenda kumtembelea.

• kutembea: to walk
• lakini: but
• dada: the sister
• kidogo: a bit
• mbali: far
• kutembelea: to visit

Questions & Answers about Dada anakaa mbali kidogo, lakini tutatembea kwenda kumtembelea.

What is the function of the a- prefix in anakaa?

In Swahili, a- is the subject marker meaning he, she, or it. Since Dada (sister) is the subject, anakaa in this context translates to she stays or she lives.

Why do we say mbali kidogo instead of just mbali?

Mbali means far, while mbali kidogo adds the sense of “a bit far”. It implies the distance is somewhat noticeable but not necessarily very great.

How is the future tense formed in tutatembea?

The prefix tuta- indicates the future tense for we in Swahili, and tembea means to walk. So tutatembea translates to we will walk.

What does kwenda kumtembelea mean literally?

Kwenda means to go, and kumtembelea means to visit her. When put together, it describes the action of going to visit her.

Is there a reason Swahili uses two ku- forms in tutatembea kwenda kumtembelea?

Yes. In kwenda, ku- is part of the infinitive of the verb to go, and in kumtembelea, ku- is the marker that shows it is still the infinitive form, plus an object marker -m- (for her) before the verb tembelea (visit). Both occurrences have slightly different functions, but they each form an infinitive verb in Swahili.