Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Swahili grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Mwezi ni mzuri.
What does Mwezi mean in this sentence?
In this context, Mwezi means “moon.” Although the word can also refer to “month” in other contexts, here it specifically denotes the celestial body.
What role does ni play in the sentence?
ni is the copula in Swahili, equivalent to the English “is.” It links the subject Mwezi with the complement mzuri, forming a complete descriptive statement.
How does the adjective mzuri agree with the noun Mwezi?
In Swahili, adjectives must agree with the noun they modify in terms of noun class. Mwezi belongs to a class that takes the m- prefix, so the adjective “zuri” becomes mzuri to reflect that agreement.
Why isn’t there an article like “the” in the sentence?
Swahili does not use definite or indefinite articles. Nouns stand alone without words equivalent to “the” or “a,” so Mwezi conveys its meaning without any additional article.
Is the word order in this sentence typical of Swahili?
Yes, the sentence follows the common Swahili pattern of Subject – Copula – Adjective/Complement. This structure, Mwezi ni mzuri, closely mirrors the English order “The moon is beautiful.”
Does this sentence indicate tense or number in any special way?
No. The sentence is a simple descriptive statement. It uses the singular form Mwezi and the unmarked copula ni, making it timeless. Swahili marks tense and number with additional particles or changes in the verb form when necessary, but none appear in this sentence.
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io
You've reached your AI usage limit
Sign up to increase your limit.