Je, umeamka mapema leo, au bado unahisi usingizi?

Have you woken up early today, or do you still feel sleepy?

Breakdown of Je, umeamka mapema leo, au bado unahisi usingizi?

• je: do
• leo: today
• au: or
• mapema: early
• kuamka: to wake up
• kuhisi: to feel
• bado: still
• usingizi: the sleepiness

Questions & Answers about Je, umeamka mapema leo, au bado unahisi usingizi?

What role does the Je play at the beginning of the sentence?

Je is a question particle used in Swahili to signal that the sentence is interrogative. It immediately tells the listener that what follows is a yes/no question.

How is the verb umeamka constructed, and what does it indicate about the subject and tense?

Umeamka is built from three parts: the subject prefix u- (indicating “you” in the singular), the perfect marker -me-, and the root verb -amka (meaning “wake up”). This structure shows that the question is addressing a single person in the perfect aspect—asking “have you woken up?”

What does the word mapema mean, and why is its placement important in the sentence?

Mapema means “early.” Positioned directly after the verb, it specifies the time of the action. Therefore, the sentence is asking if you got up early today.

How do the words au and bado function in the sentence?

Au means “or” and is used to connect two alternatives in the question. Bado means “still” and qualifies the second clause by suggesting that the condition (feeling sleepy) might persist. Together, they contrast the two possible states: waking early versus still feeling sleepy.

What is the meaning and grammatical structure of unahisi usingizi in this context?

Unahisi usingizi translates to “are you feeling sleepy?” Here, unahisi comes from the verb hisi (“to feel”), with u- as the subject marker for “you.” Usingizi means “sleepiness.” The construction is a typical Swahili way of forming a present tense question about one’s current state.