Questions & Answers about Mimi ninafunga mlango sasa.
What does each word in Mimi ninafunga mlango sasa mean in English?
Mimi means I.
Ninafunga comes from the verb funga (to close) with the subject prefix ni (I) and the present tense marker na, which together mean I am closing.
Mlango means door.
Sasa means now.
How is the present continuous tense formed in the verb ninafunga?
In Swahili, the present continuous is formed by combining a subject prefix, the tense marker na, and the verb root. In ninafunga, ni- indicates the subject I, na- is the marker for the present continuous tense, and funga is the root meaning to close. Together, they express I am closing.
Why is the subject pronoun Mimi included even though the verb ninafunga already indicates the subject?
While the verb ninafunga has the prefix ni- that already tells us the subject is I, including Mimi adds clarity or emphasis. Swahili often allows the subject pronoun to be dropped because the verb form makes it clear, but it can be kept for emphasis or when speaking to beginners who benefit from the extra information.
What is the role of sasa in this sentence?