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Questions & Answers about Daraja ni refu.
What does ni do in Daraja ni refu?
Ni is the most common “linking verb” (copula) in Swahili, like is/are in English. It connects the subject daraja (bridge) to the description refu (long): Bridge + is + long.
Why is it refu and not mrefu or ndefu?
Because adjectives in Swahili change form to agree with the noun class.
- mrefu = “long” agreeing with many m-/wa- (Class 1/2) nouns (people): mtu mrefu (a tall/long person)
- ndefu = “long” agreeing with many N- (Class 9/10) nouns: barabara ndefu (a long road)
- refu = “long” agreeing with many ji-/ma- (Class 5/6) nouns, including daraja: daraja refu (a long bridge)
So Daraja ni refu matches the agreement pattern for daraja.
What noun class is daraja, and how can I tell?
Daraja is usually taught as Class 5 (ji-/Ø) in singular, with plural in Class 6 (ma-).
A practical clue: its plural is madaraja (ma- plural), which strongly points to the ji-/ma- pairing.
How do I say the plural: “The bridges are long”?