Ninapendelea kusoma vitabu jioni, lakini kaka yangu anasoma taratibu asubuhi.

the book

Breakdown of Ninapendelea kusoma vitabu jioni, lakini kaka yangu anasoma taratibu asubuhi.

• kusoma: to read
• katika: in
• jioni: the evening
• asubuhi: the morning
• yangu: my
• lakini: but
• kaka: the brother
• taratibu: slowly
• kupendelea: to prefer

Questions & Answers about Ninapendelea kusoma vitabu jioni, lakini kaka yangu anasoma taratibu asubuhi.

What does ninapendelea mean in this sentence?

Ninapendelea comes from the verb kupendelea, meaning "to prefer." In this context, it translates as "I prefer," indicating the speaker’s personal choice.

Why is the infinitive kusoma used after ninapendelea?

In Swahili, verbs that follow expressions of preference or desire are typically in the infinitive form. Here, kusoma (meaning "to read") is used after ninapendelea to specify the action the speaker prefers.

How is plurality indicated in the word vitabu?

Vitabu is the plural form of kitabu (meaning "book"). Swahili uses the prefix vi- for the plural in this noun class, so a single kitabu becomes vitabu when referring to more than one book.

What does jioni mean, and what role does it play in the sentence?

Jioni means "in the evening." It provides the time context for the action of reading, telling us when the speaker prefers to read.

What is the function of lakini in the sentence?

Lakini means "but." It serves as a conjunction to introduce a contrasting idea – contrasting the speaker's reading time with his brother’s reading habit.

How should we interpret kaka yangu?

Kaka yangu translates to "my brother." Here, kaka means "brother" and yangu is a possessive pronoun meaning "my," indicating the relationship between the speaker and the person performing the second action.

How is the verb anasoma constructed, and what does it indicate?

Anasoma is formed by the subject prefix ana- (which indicates a third person singular subject) combined with the verb soma (meaning "to read"). This construction indicates that the speaker’s brother is carrying out the action of reading.

What do taratibu and asubuhi mean in this sentence?

Taratibu means "slowly" and functions as an adverb describing how the action is performed, while asubuhi means "in the morning," providing the time context for when the brother is reading. Together, they inform us that the brother’s reading is done slowly in the morning.