Kumbuka kupanga meza kabla ya chakula.

Remember to set the table before the meal.

Breakdown of Kumbuka kupanga meza kabla ya chakula.

• meza: the table
• kabla ya: before
• kumbuka: to remember
• chakula: the meal

Questions & Answers about Kumbuka kupanga meza kabla ya chakula.

What function does kumbuka serve in this sentence?

Kumbuka is the imperative form of the verb “kukumbuka,” meaning “to remember.” Placed at the beginning, it’s giving a direct command or reminder to the listener or reader to do something.

Why is the verb kupanga used with meza?

Kupanga generally means “to arrange” or “to set up.” In this context, “kupanga meza” is the common way of saying “to set the table.” It focuses on the action of placing utensils and other items in their proper order on the table.

What does kabla ya indicate here?

Kabla ya literally means “before (something).” It is a phrase used to express the idea of doing one action prior to another event—in this case, setting the table before eating.

Is ya always necessary after kabla?

Yes. In Swahili, the phrase kabla ya is typically used before a noun to say “before [that noun].” You wouldn’t omit ya when referring to an event or a thing, like chakula ("food" or "meal").

Does the sentence change if we refer to multiple tables?

If you want to talk about setting multiple tables, you could say kumbuka kupanga meza in the plural sense if context is clear. Alternatively, if you need to specify “tables” explicitly, you might use meza in plural form (also meza in many contexts) or include a quantifier like meza nyingi (“many tables”). The rest of the sentence structure remains the same.