Mimi nina kalamu kwenye meza.

I have a pen on the table.

Breakdown of Mimi nina kalamu kwenye meza.

• mimi: I
• kuwa na: to have
• meza: the table
• kalamu: the pen
• kwenye: on

Questions & Answers about Mimi nina kalamu kwenye meza.

Why is the subject pronoun Mimi included even though the verb already indicates the subject?

In Swahili, the subject pronoun is often optional because the verb’s prefix already shows the subject. Mimi means “I” and its inclusion can add emphasis or clarity—especially for beginners or in contexts where contrasting subjects are important—even though you could simply say nina kalamu kwenye meza.

How is the verb nina constructed and what does it convey in this sentence?

Nina is formed from the subject prefix ni- (for “I”) combined with -na, which marks the present tense and possession. Together, they convey the meaning “I have.” This structure is typical in Swahili when expressing possession without using a separate verb like “to have” as in English.

What role does kwenye play in the sentence?

Kwenye is a preposition that indicates location. In this sentence, kwenye meza translates to “on the table,” specifying where the pen is located. It functions similarly to English prepositions like “on” or “at.”

Why are there no articles such as “a” or “the” before kalamu or meza?

Swahili does not use articles like English does. Nouns typically stand alone without definite or indefinite articles. Therefore, kalamu means “pen” and meza means “table” without the need for words equivalent to “a” or “the.”

What is the basic word order of this sentence and how does it compare to English?

The sentence follows a subject-verb-object order with an additional locative phrase at the end: Mimi (subject) + nina (verb) + kalamu (object) + kwenye meza (locative). This structure is quite similar to English, making it easier for native English speakers to understand and construct similar sentences in Swahili.