Je, unaweza kusimulia hadithi uliyosikia kutoka kwa bibi yako?

Can you narrate the story you heard from your grandmother?

Breakdown of Je, unaweza kusimulia hadithi uliyosikia kutoka kwa bibi yako?

• je: do
• yako: your
• kuweza: to be able
• kutoka kwa: from
• kusikia: to hear
• hadithi: the story
• kusimulia: to narrate
• bibi: the grandmother

Questions & Answers about Je, unaweza kusimulia hadithi uliyosikia kutoka kwa bibi yako?

What does the Je at the beginning of the sentence indicate?

Je is a question particle in Swahili used to signal a yes/no question. It functions much like beginning an English yes/no question with "is it that" or simply changing the intonation, making it clear from the start that the sentence is interrogative.

Why is the verb kusimulia in the infinitive form following unaweza?

In Swahili, when a modal verb (like kuweza, meaning "to be able") is used, the subsequent main verb must appear in the infinitive form. Here, the conjugated form unaweza means "you can," and kusimulia (to narrate/tell) remains in its infinitive form to indicate the action that can be performed.

What does the phrase hadithi uliyosikia kutoka kwa bibi yako mean?

The word hadithi means "story." The segment ulyosikia is a relative clause meaning "that you heard," which describes the story. Kutoka kwa translates as "from," and bibi yako means "your grandmother." Altogether, the sentence is asking, "Can you narrate the story that you heard from your grandmother?"

How is the relative clause ulyosikia formed and what role does it play?

Uliyosikia is formed by attaching the relative marker uli- to the root of the verb sikia ("to hear"). This construction creates a form that modifies the noun hadithi by specifying which story is being referred to. It indicates that the story being discussed is the one you heard from your grandmother, effectively acting as an adjective.

What is the significance of the possessive construction bibi yako in this sentence?

The phrase bibi yako combines bibi, meaning "grandmother," with yako, the possessive form meaning "your." This clearly indicates whose grandmother is being referenced—it is your grandmother. This construction is typical in Swahili for showing possession or association.