Mama anapenda kuona ndege sokoni.

Mother likes to see a bird at the market.

Breakdown of Mama anapenda kuona ndege sokoni.

• kupenda: to like
• kwenye: at
• soko: the market
• kuona: to see
• mama: the mother
• ndege: the bird

Questions & Answers about Mama anapenda kuona ndege sokoni.

What does the word Mama mean in this sentence?

Mama translates directly to mother in Swahili and serves as the subject of the sentence.

How is the verb anapenda formed and what does it imply?

Anapenda is constructed by attaching the subject prefix a- (indicating third-person singular) to the verb penda, which means to like. This form expresses a habitual or general present action, so it means she likes.

Why is the infinitive kuona used after anapenda, and what does it mean?

In Swahili, when expressing a preference or desire (like liking to do something), the main verb is presented in its infinitive form. Kuona means to see, and it is used here instead of a fully conjugated verb.

What does the word ndege refer to in this context?

Ndege generally means birds in Swahili. Although it can sometimes refer to airplanes, in this sentence—especially given the context provided by sokoni—it clearly refers to birds.

What is the significance of sokoni at the end of the sentence?

Sokoni is derived from soko (meaning market) with the locative suffix -ni, which indicates location. Therefore, it means at the market and functions as an adverbial for place.

How does the structure of this sentence compare to typical English sentence structure?

The sentence follows a structure similar to English: the subject (Mama) is followed by the verb (anapenda), then the infinitive phrase (kuona ndege) serving as the object, and finally the locative adverb (sokoni). A key difference is the use of the infinitive form after a liking verb, whereas in English you might use an -ing form (“watching birds”) or the simple infinitive (“to see birds”).