Mama anakumbusha watoto.

Mother reminds the children.

Breakdown of Mama anakumbusha watoto.

• mtoto: the child
• mama: the mother
• kumbusha: to remind

Questions & Answers about Mama anakumbusha watoto.

What does Mama mean in this sentence?

Mama means “mother” (or “mom”) in English. It is used as a noun to refer to a parent, and its usage in Swahili does not change whether the context is formal or informal.

What does the verb anakumbusha mean, and how is it formed?

Anakumbusha translates to “reminds” in English. It is formed by combining the subject prefix a-, which indicates third-person singular, with the verb kumbusha, which means “to remind.” This structure shows that the subject (Mama) is performing the action of reminding.

How does the sentence show subject-verb agreement in Swahili?

Swahili typically expresses subject-verb agreement by using both the explicit noun and a subject prefix attached to the verb. In this sentence, Mama is the subject, and the prefix a- in anakumbusha conforms to the third-person singular form, ensuring correct agreement between the subject and the verb.

What does watoto signify in the sentence?

Watoto means “children” in English. It functions as the object of the verb, indicating who is being reminded by the subject.

Why are there no articles like “the” or “a” before the nouns in this sentence?

Swahili does not use articles such as “the” or “a.” Nouns like Mama and watoto stand alone without additional words to mark definiteness, which is a common feature of Swahili grammar.

What is the basic word order of this sentence, and is it typical in Swahili?

The sentence follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) word order: Mama (subject) comes first, followed by anakumbusha (verb), and then watoto (object). This ordering is typical in Swahili sentence structure.