Hatua ni muhimu.

to be

Breakdown of Hatua ni muhimu.

• muhimu: important
• hatua: the step

Questions & Answers about Hatua ni muhimu.

What is the overall meaning of "Hatua ni muhimu" in English?

It means "Step is important" (or, depending on context, "Steps are important"). The sentence expresses the idea that taking action or following a procedure is important.

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

Hatua means "step"—it can refer to a single step or a step in a process. In this sentence, it acts as the subject, telling us what is being described.

How does the word ni function in this sentence?

Ni serves as the copula or linking verb in Swahili. It connects the subject (hatua) to the predicate adjective (muhimu), much like the English verb "is."

What does the adjective muhimu mean, and how is it used here?

Muhimu means "important." It is used as a predicate adjective following the copula ni to describe the subject (hatua). In Swahili, many adjectives like muhimu do not change form to match the noun’s class.

Do adjectives in Swahili need to agree with the noun, and does muhimu show any such change?

While many Swahili adjectives carry prefixes that reflect the noun class they modify, adjectives used predicatively after the copula—such as muhimu in this sentence—often remain in a simple, invariant form. So muhimu does not change to agree with hatua.

How would you form the negative version of this sentence?

To negate the sentence, you replace the copula ni with si. The negative version becomes "Hatua si muhimu," meaning "Step is not important."