Baba anakagua gari.

the father

Breakdown of Baba anakagua gari.

• gari: the car
• kagua: to inspect

Questions & Answers about Baba anakagua gari.

What does Baba mean in this sentence?

Baba translates to “father”. It is used to refer to one’s dad and can also be used as a respectful address for an older man.

How is the verb anakagua constructed and what does it mean?

The verb anakagua is made up of two parts: the subject marker ana- and the root -kagua. The prefix ana- indicates that the subject (in this case, Baba) is performing the action, and kagua means “washes”. Together, they convey that Baba washes.

What does gari mean?

Gari means “car” in Swahili.

Why is there no explicit subject pronoun such as “he” before anakagua?

Swahili verbs include subject markers within their conjugation. The prefix ana- already indicates “he” (or “she”), so an additional pronoun is not needed.

Why is there no article before gari?

Swahili does not use articles like “the” or “a” as English does; nouns like gari appear without any articles.

Does the prefix ana- definitively mean “he,” or can it also mean “she”?

In Swahili, ana- is used for both “he” and “she.” The gender of the subject is usually understood from context or from the noun used (in this sentence, Baba clearly indicates a male).