Mama anawasha jiko nyumbani.

Mother is turning on the stove at home.

Breakdown of Mama anawasha jiko nyumbani.

• nyumba: the home
• kwenye: at
• mama: the mother
• kuwasha: to turn on
• jiko: the stove

Questions & Answers about Mama anawasha jiko nyumbani.

What does each word in the sentence mean?

Mama means "mother." Anawasha is formed from the verb washa ("to light," "to ignite," or "to turn on") combined with the subject prefix a- (indicating third person singular) and the present-tense marker -na-, so it means "is turning on" or "turns on." Jiko means "stove," and nyumbani means "at home." Altogether, the sentence translates as "Mother is turning on the stove at home."

How is the present tense expressed in the verb “anawasha”?

In Swahili, the present tense is typically indicated by the marker -na- inserted after the subject prefix. In anawasha, a- is the subject prefix for "she" or "mother," -na- marks the present tense, and washa is the verb root. This construction clearly communicates that the action is occurring in the present.

Why is the location given by “nyumbani” without an additional preposition like “at”?

Swahili commonly uses words like nyumbani as adverbs of place, which inherently mean "at home." There is no need to insert a separate preposition because nyumbani itself conveys the full meaning of the location.

What is the sentence structure of “Mama anawasha jiko nyumbani” in terms of subject, verb, and object?

The sentence follows the typical Subject-Verb-Object order found in Swahili. Mama is the subject performing the action, anawasha is the verb describing the action, and jiko is the direct object receiving the action. Nyumbani functions as an adverb providing context about where the action takes place.

How does the structure of “anawasha” indicate both the subject and the tense?

The verb anawasha is built from three parts: the subject prefix a- (which indicates that the subject is third person singular, referring to Mama), the present-tense marker -na-, and the root washa. Together, these elements signal that the action is being performed by "Mother" in the present, all encapsulated within a single word.