Nyumba ni nzuri mbali na mji.

to be

Breakdown of Nyumba ni nzuri mbali na mji.

• mji: the town
• nzuri: nice
• nyumba: the house
• mbali: far
• kutoka: from

Questions & Answers about Nyumba ni nzuri mbali na mji.

What does nzuri mean in this context, and why is it used instead of something like mzuri?

In Swahili, nzuri means "good" or "beautiful." It agrees with the noun class of nyumba (house), which is in the N-class. Adjectives that describe N-class nouns typically take the "n-" prefix, so we say nyumba nzuri rather than nyumba mzuri.

Why do we use ni in the sentence Nyumba ni nzuri mbali na mji?

Ni serves as the copula in Swahili, similar to the verb "to be" in English. It connects the subject (nyumba) and the description (nzuri), clarifying that the house is beautiful.

What does mbali na mji literally mean, and can I use it with other nouns?

Mbali means "far," and na mji means "from the city," so mbali na mji literally translates to "far from the city." You can replace mji (city) with any place you want. For example, mbali na shule would mean "far from the school."

Can I change the sentence structure to emphasize the location first?

Yes, you can say Mbali na mji, nyumba ni nzuri, which puts emphasis on the location. Swahili word order can sometimes be flexible for stylistic or emphasis reasons, though the meaning remains the same.

How do I make the sentence plural if I want to talk about multiple houses?

"House" in Swahili is nyumba in both singular and plural form (it doesn’t change). So you would still use nyumba. For the adjective part, you also keep nzuri. Thus, Nyumba ni nzuri mbali na mji still works to imply multiple houses. If you want to be explicit, you could specify nyumba nyingi ("many houses").