Je, unafikiri tutafika sokoni mapema?

Do you think we will arrive at the market early?

Breakdown of Je, unafikiri tutafika sokoni mapema?

• wewe: you
• sisi: we
• je: do
• kwenye: at
• soko: the market
• mapema: early
• kufikiri: to think
• kufika: to arrive

Questions & Answers about Je, unafikiri tutafika sokoni mapema?

What does Je do at the beginning of the question?

Je is a question marker in Swahili. It signals to the listener or reader that a question is being asked. Although it often appears at the start of a sentence, it’s not always mandatory.

Why is "we will arrive" translated using tutafika?

In Swahili, tu- means “we,” and -ta- is the future tense marker, while -fika means “arrive.” So the whole word tutafika literally means “we will arrive.”

What role does the u- in unafikiri play?

The u- at the start of unafikiri stands for “you.” In Swahili verb conjugation, you attach subject prefixes to the verb’s root. U- is the second-person singular subject prefix, so unafikiri means “you think.”

Why is the word for market written as sokoni instead of soko?

In Swahili, -ni can indicate a location or destination. Soko means “market,” but sokoni indicates “to/at the market.” So sokoni is used here because it shows the place or destination.

What does mapema mean, and how is it used?

Mapema means “early.” It’s used adverbially to describe when something happens. Placing mapema after sokoni emphasizes that “arriving early at the market” is the main idea of the sentence.