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Nani anacheza mpira?

Nani anacheza mpira?
Who is playing ball?
FromLesson 9inHardcore Swahili
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Breakdown of Nani anacheza mpira?

kucheza
to play
mpira
the ball
nani
who
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More from this lesson

msitumnyamaBaba anapenda kutembea na mnyama mkubwa.Mtoto mdogo anacheza mpira.Ninapenda kutembea karibu na msitu asubuhi, ili nione wanyama wadogo wanavyoamka.ziwaMimi ninapenda kwenda ziwa.yake

Questions & Answers about Nani anacheza mpira?

What does nani mean in the sentence "Nani anacheza mpira?"
Nani translates to "who" in English. It’s the interrogative pronoun used to ask about the identity of the person performing the action.
How is the verb anacheza constructed, and what does it indicate about the subject and tense?
Anacheza is built from the root cheza (meaning "to play") combined with two prefixes: a-, which indicates third person singular (he/she), and na-, which marks the present continuous (or present habitual) tense. So, it communicates that he/she is playing.
What is the meaning of mpira in this context?
Mpira means "ball" in English. In this sentence, it specifically refers to the ball involved in the action (as in a sport or game).
How is the question formed in Swahili as seen in this sentence?
The question is formed by beginning with an interrogative word (nani) and then following a similar word order to a statement. Swahili doesn’t require an inversion (like in English) to form a question; intonation and context are enough to indicate that it’s a question.
Why isn’t the subject explicitly stated in the sentence?
The subject is implied by the verb conjugation. The a- in anacheza already conveys that the subject is third person singular (he/she), so there is no need to mention the subject separately.