Mama anajaribu kutuliza mtoto.

the child

Breakdown of Mama anajaribu kutuliza mtoto.

• mama: the mother
• kujaribu: to try
• kutuliza: to calm

Questions & Answers about Mama anajaribu kutuliza mtoto.

What does Mama mean, and why doesn’t it have an article like “the”?

Mama translates to mother in Swahili. Unlike English, Swahili typically doesn’t use articles such as the or a, so nouns like Mama appear without them.

How is the verb anajaribu structured, and what does it convey about the action?

Anajaribu combines several elements: the subject prefix a- (referring to Mama), the present tense marker -na- indicating that the action is ongoing, and the root jaribu, which means to try or attempt. Together, this structure indicates that Mama is currently trying to perform an action.

What is the role of kutuliza in the sentence, and why is it in the infinitive form?

Kutuliza is the infinitive form of the verb meaning to calm or to quiet down. In Swahili, after a verb like jaribu (to try), the action attempted is expressed using the infinitive form. The prefix ku- marks the verb as an infinitive, much like the English “to” in “to calm.”

How do Swahili subject markers like the a- in anajaribu function in sentences like this?

In Swahili, subject markers are directly attached to the verb. The a- in anajaribu agrees with Mama (third person singular), indicating who is performing the action. This method of attaching the subject marker to the verb ensures clear subject–verb agreement without requiring separate pronouns.

How does the structure of this Swahili sentence compare to its English counterpart?

The sentence Mama anajaribu kutuliza mtoto mirrors the English structure of “Mother is trying to calm the baby.” Both use a subject (Mama/Mother), a main verb indicating the current action (anajaribu/is trying), and an infinitive form (kutuliza/to calm) followed by a direct object (mtoto/the baby). However, in Swahili, grammatical markers for subject and tense are incorporated directly into the verb rather than as separate words.

What does mtoto mean, and what role does it play in the sentence?

Mtoto means child or baby in Swahili. It functions as the direct object of the infinitive kutuliza, showing who is being calmed by the action that Mama is trying to perform.