Daraja ni refu.

to be

Breakdown of Daraja ni refu.

• daraja: the bridge
• refu: long

Questions & Answers about Daraja ni refu.

What does each word in Daraja ni refu do?

• daraja = bridge
• ni = is in this kind of simple sentence
• refu = long

So the structure is basically bridge + is + long.

Why is ni used here?

Ni is the linking word, like the verb to be in English. It connects the subject to a description.

So:

• Daraja ni refu = The bridge is long

In this kind of sentence, ni does not change for singular or plural:

• Daraja ni refu = The bridge is long
• Madaraja ni marefu = The bridges are long

Can I leave out ni and just say daraja refu?

Yes, but then it usually becomes a noun phrase, not a full statement.

• daraja refu = a long bridge / the long bridge
• Daraja ni refu = The bridge is long

So if you want a complete sentence saying that the bridge has the quality of being long, keep ni.