Tulijaribu kubeba kuni nyingi, lakini mvua ilinyesha na zikaanza kuharibika.

We tried to carry a lot of firewood, but it rained and they began to spoil.

Breakdown of Tulijaribu kubeba kuni nyingi, lakini mvua ilinyesha na zikaanza kuharibika.

• sisi: we
• nyingi: a lot
• na: and
• lakini: but
• kujaribu: to try
• mvua: the rain
• kunyesha: to rain
• kubeba: to carry
• kuanza: to begin
• kuni: the firewood
• kuharibika: to spoil

Questions & Answers about Tulijaribu kubeba kuni nyingi, lakini mvua ilinyesha na zikaanza kuharibika.

What does Tulijaribu mean in this sentence?

Tulijaribu translates as "we tried." It is formed from the verb jaribu (to try) with the first person plural subject marker tu- and the past tense marker -li-, indicating that the action was attempted in the past.

How is the action of attempting to carry logs expressed with “kubeba kuni nyingi”?

The phrase kubeba kuni nyingi means "to carry many logs." Here, kubeba is the infinitive form of the verb meaning “to carry,” and kuni nyingi means “many logs,” with nyingi indicating a large quantity. This construction shows what was being attempted.

What is the role of “lakini” in this sentence?

Lakini means "but." It serves as a conjunction that contrasts the initial effort to carry the logs with the subsequent events. In this sentence, it introduces the clause that explains how conditions changed (i.e., the rain and the resulting damage).

How are the past actions conveyed through the verbs “Tulijaribu,” “ilinyesha,” and “zikaanza kuharibika”?

Each verb marks a past action using appropriate subject and tense markers: • Tulijaribu uses tu- (we) plus -li- to show that “we tried.” • Ilinyesha uses the marker ili- for third person singular, referring to mvua (rain), meaning “it rained.” • Zikaanza uses the subject prefix zi- (which agrees with the noun class of kuni) along with -ka- to mean “they began” (i.e. the logs began to deteriorate). This sequence clearly indicates that after the attempt, one event happened (the rain) and then another action (the deterioration) commenced.

To which noun does the subject prefix “zi-” in “zikaanza” refer, and why is that significant?

The prefix zi- in zikaanza refers to kuni nyingi (the logs). This is significant because in Swahili, the verb must agree with its subject in noun class. Although mvua (rain) appears earlier in the sentence with the subject prefix ili-, the change to zi- signals that a different subject—the logs—is responsible for starting to deteriorate. This agreement helps the learner parse which noun is linked to which verb.

What does “kuharibika” mean, and why does it appear in the infinitive form following “zikaanza”?

Kuharibika means "to deteriorate" or "to become damaged." It appears in the infinitive form because in Swahili, when a verb like anza (to begin) is used, it is commonly followed by another verb in the infinitive to indicate the action that started. Thus, zikaanza kuharibika tells us that the logs began to deteriorate.