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Questions & Answers about Mimi ninapenda kumkumbatia rafiki.
What is the overall meaning of the sentence "Mimi ninapenda kumkumbatia rafiki"?
It translates to "I love to hug a friend." Here, Mimi means I, ninapenda translates to love (with the subject marker for "I" and present tense indicated), and kumkumbatia means to hug (using the infinitive form), while rafiki stands for friend.
Why is the subject pronoun Mimi included even though the verb ninapenda already indicates the subject?
In Swahili, verbs are inflected with subject markers, so technically you could drop Mimi. However, including Mimi can add clarity or emphasis, especially for learners who are still becoming comfortable with the language's structure.
What is the function of the prefix ku- in kumkumbatia?
The prefix ku- in kumkumbatia marks the verb as an infinitive. In Swahili, when using a verb after another verb (like ninapenda, which means "I love"), the following action is expressed in its infinitive form, hence kumkumbatia for "to hug."
How does the word order in this sentence reflect typical Swahili syntax?
The sentence follows the standard subject–verb–object order. Mimi (subject) is explicitly stated, ninapenda (verb with the subject marker and tense) denotes the main action ("love"), and kumkumbatia rafiki (infinitive phrase acting as the object) specifies what is loved, namely "to hug a friend."
Can the sentence be expressed without the subject pronoun Mimi, and if so, what changes?
Yes, it can be shortened to "Ninapenda kumkumbatia rafiki." In Swahili, the verb ninapenda already conveys the subject I through its prefix ni-, so omitting Mimi doesn’t alter the meaning—it simply makes the sentence less emphatic regarding the subject.