Barabara ni nzuri.

to be

Breakdown of Barabara ni nzuri.

• nzuri: nice
• barabara: the road

Questions & Answers about Barabara ni nzuri.

What does ni mean in the sentence Barabara ni nzuri?

Ni is the copula, functioning much like the English verb is. It links the subject barabara (road) to the predicate adjective nzuri (nice).

Why isn’t there an article like the before barabara?

Swahili does not have definite or indefinite articles. So barabara can translate as either road or the road depending on the context.

How does the adjective nzuri agree with the noun barabara?

In Swahili adjectives typically agree with the noun class of the noun they qualify. Barabara belongs to a noun class that uses the unmodified form nzuri to mean nice, so no additional changes are required.

What is the sentence structure of Barabara ni nzuri compared to an English sentence?

The structure is subject–copula–adjective: barabara (subject) + ni (copula, meaning is) + nzuri (adjective). This mirrors the English sentence The road is nice, apart from the absence of an article in Swahili.

How should I pronounce Barabara ni nzuri, and does Swahili have regular pronunciation rules?

Swahili is largely phonetic. You can pronounce it as ba-ra-ba-ra nee n-zoo-ree. Each syllable is pronounced clearly with a consistent rhythm, and the stress generally falls on the penultimate syllable.