Dereva yule alipata ajali ndogo jana, lakini sasa yuko salama.

to be

Breakdown of Dereva yule alipata ajali ndogo jana, lakini sasa yuko salama.

• sasa: now
• jana: yesterday
• lakini: but
• kupata: to get
• ndogo: small
• salama: safe
• dereva: the driver
• ajali: the accident
• yule: that

Questions & Answers about Dereva yule alipata ajali ndogo jana, lakini sasa yuko salama.

What does dereva mean in this sentence?

Dereva is a borrowing from English that means driver. It refers to the person who was involved in the accident.

What role does yule play in this sentence?

Yule is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that one” or “the one”. It specifies which driver is being talked about, emphasizing a particular individual rather than drivers in general.

How is alipata formed and what does it mean?

Alipata is the past tense form of the verb pata (to get/receive). The prefix ali- indicates that the action occurred in the past. In this context, it means the driver got or had an accident.

What does the phrase ajali ndogo mean?

Ajali means accident and ndogo means small or minor. Together, ajali ndogo translates to a minor accident, indicating that the accident was not severe.

What are the meanings of jana and sasa in the sentence?

Jana translates to yesterday, giving the time when the accident occurred, while sasa means now, indicating the current state of the driver.

How does the word lakini function in this sentence?

Lakini means but. It introduces a contrast by connecting the past accident with the present condition of the driver—showing that although there was an accident yesterday, the driver is safe now.

Explain the structure of yuko salama in this sentence.

In yuko salama, yuko is a present tense form of the verb kuwa (to be), which means “is” when referring to a person. Salama means safe. Combined, yuko salama expresses that the driver is currently safe. This structure shows how Swahili often uses the verb kuwa in its conjugated form to denote states or conditions.