Mama anapenda amani, lakini mimi sipendi mgogoro.

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Breakdown of Mama anapenda amani, lakini mimi sipendi mgogoro.

• kupenda: to like
• mama: the mother
• lakini: but
• amani: the peace
• mgogoro: the conflict

Questions & Answers about Mama anapenda amani, lakini mimi sipendi mgogoro.

What is the literal translation of the sentence?

The sentence translates to "Mother loves peace, but I do not love conflict." It contrasts the positive feeling of Mama with the negative feeling of the speaker.

How is the verb penda (to love/like) used differently in both clauses?

Both clauses use the root penda. In the first clause, it appears as anapenda, where the prefix a- marks the third person singular (Mama). In the second clause, it is negated to become sipendi; here, the negative form is achieved by replacing the positive subject marker with si-, which is used with the first person singular (even though the pronoun mimi is also stated for clarity).

Why is the subject pronoun included in the second clause but not explicitly in the first?

In Swahili, the subject is often indicated by the verb prefix, which is why in anapenda (with the subject Mama) no additional pronoun is needed. However, in negative constructions like sipendi, the subject pronoun is frequently included (here mimi) to provide extra clarity, because the negative conjugation can sometimes make the intended subject less immediately obvious.

What roles do the words lakini, amani, and mgogoro play in the sentence?

Lakini is a conjunction meaning "but", used to contrast the two ideas. Amani means "peace", serving as the object that Mama loves. Mgogoro means "conflict" (or sometimes "strife/dispute"), and it is the object that the speaker does not love.

How is negation applied in Swahili verbs such as seen in sipendi?

Negation in Swahili alters the subject prefix of the verb. For example, the affirmative form for the first person singular is ninapenda (“I love”). When negated, it becomes sipendi (“I do not love”), with the ni- (affirmative marker) replaced by si- (negative marker). This change clearly indicates the negation of the action.

Does the structure of this sentence follow the typical word order in Swahili?

Yes, it does. Swahili usually follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order. In the first clause, Mama (subject) comes before anapenda (verb) and amani (object). In the second clause, mimi (subject) comes before sipendi (verb) and mgogoro (object). The coordinating conjunction lakini connects the two independent clauses.

Why might a learner see variation in using explicit subject pronouns in Swahili compared to English?

In Swahili, verb conjugations include prefixes that indicate the subject, so explicit subject pronouns (like Mama or mimi) are often optional and used mainly for emphasis or clarity. In English, the subject is typically written out in full because verbs don’t contain such markers. As a result, learners often notice that Swahili sentences can omit the subject without losing meaning, while English usually requires it.