Wanafunzi waliondoa uchafu darasani kabla ya somo kuanza.

The students removed dirt from the classroom before the lesson began.

Breakdown of Wanafunzi waliondoa uchafu darasani kabla ya somo kuanza.

• mwanafunzi: the student
• kwenye: at
• kabla ya: before
• darasa: the classroom
• kuondoa: to remove
• kuanza: to begin
• uchafu: the dirt
• somo: the lesson

Questions & Answers about Wanafunzi waliondoa uchafu darasani kabla ya somo kuanza.

What is the structure of the verb waliondoa in this sentence?

Waliondoa is built by combining the subject prefix, the past tense marker, and the verb root. Wanafunzi means students, which gives the plural prefix wa-. Then comes the past tense marker -li-, and finally the root ondoa (meaning to remove). Together, they indicate that the students removed something in the past.

How is the location indicated in darasani?

In Swahili, adding the locative suffix -ni to a noun indicates “in” or “at” a location. Here, darasa means classroom, and when -ni is appended, it becomes darasani, which translates as “in the classroom.”

What does the phrase kabla ya mean, and how is it used in this sentence?

The phrase kabla ya means “before.” It is used to show that one action occurred prior to another. In this sentence, it tells us that the students removed the dirt before the lesson began.

Why is the verb kuanza used in its infinitive form rather than being fully conjugated?

After phrases like kabla ya, Swahili often employs the infinitive form of a verb to denote the subsequent action. In this case, kuanza (which means “to begin”) is used following kabla ya somo to indicate that the lesson started after the students had cleared the dirt. This construction avoids the need for a fully conjugated subordinate clause.

What does the noun uchafu mean in this context?

Uchafu translates to “dirt” or “filth.” In this sentence, it refers to the mess that the students removed from the classroom.