Mama anununua ngano sokoni.

Mother is buying wheat at the market.

Breakdown of Mama anununua ngano sokoni.

• kwenye: at
• soko: the market
• mama: the mother
• kununua: to buy
• ngano: the wheat

Questions & Answers about Mama anununua ngano sokoni.

What does each word in the sentence mean?

Mama means mother. Anununua is the conjugated form of the verb kununua (to buy) in the third person singular—so it effectively means “is buying.” Ngano translates as wheat (or a similar grain, depending on context). Sokoni means “at the market,” with the suffix -ni indicating location.

Why does the verb appear as anununua with a repeated syllable instead of a simpler form?

The verb comes from the infinitive kununua. When conjugated, the usual ku- prefix is replaced by the appropriate subject marker—in this case, a- for third person singular—resulting in anununua. The repetition of nu is a regular feature of this particular verb’s structure in Swahili and does not change its meaning.

How is the subject indicated in this sentence, given that there’s no separate pronoun for “she”?

In Swahili, the subject is incorporated into the verb conjugation. The prefix a- in anununua tells us that the subject is third person singular (she/he). With Mama clearly provided as the subject, the verb form reinforces who is performing the action, eliminating the need for an additional pronoun.

How is location expressed in the sentence?

Location is indicated by sokoni. This comes from the noun soko (market) with the added locative suffix -ni, which specifies that the action is taking place “at the market.” This method of using -ni is common in expressing locative phrases in Swahili.

What is the overall sentence structure observed here?

The sentence follows a typical Swahili order: Subject–Verb–Object–Location. Mama is the subject, anununua is the verb (meaning “is buying”), ngano is the object, and sokoni provides the locative information (“at the market”). This structure clearly shows who is performing the action, what is being bought, and where the action occurs.

How does noun class agreement show up in this sentence?

Swahili has a system of noun classes that affects verb conjugation. In this sentence, the subject Mama belongs to a class that uses the a- prefix. This is reflected in anununua, where the a- agrees with the subject’s noun class, ensuring consistency between the subject and the verb form.