Breakdown of Mwonekano wako ni mzuri leo, umevaa nguo zilizopendeza sana.
ni
to be
leo
today
kuvaa
to wear
mzuri
nice
sana
a lot
wako
your
mwonekano
the appearance
nguo
the clothes
pendeza
lovely
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Questions & Answers about Mwonekano wako ni mzuri leo, umevaa nguo zilizopendeza sana.
What does mwonekano mean, and how is it used in this sentence?
Mwonekano translates to appearance or look in English. In the sentence, it refers to someone's overall physical appearance. Pairing it with wako (your) directly attributes that appearance to the person being addressed.
How does the possessive wako function in the phrase mwonekano wako?
Wako means your and shows possession. In Swahili, possessive pronouns like wako follow the noun and agree with it. Here, it indicates that the appearance mentioned—mwonekano—belongs to the person being spoken to.
What is the tense and meaning of umevaa?
Umevaa comes from the verb vaa, meaning to wear. The form umevaa is in the perfect tense (constructed with the subject prefix u- and the infix me-), which often conveys that the action is recent or still relevant. In this context, it translates to you are wearing or you have worn.
How is the relative clause zilizopendeza constructed and what does it mean?
The word zilizopendeza is a relative clause that modifies nguo (clothes). It is built using the relative marker zili-, which agrees with the noun class of nguo, and the adjective pendeza, meaning charming or nice. Combined with sana (very), it translates to clothes that are very charming or really nice clothes.
What does leo mean, and why is it used in this sentence?
Leo means today. It functions as a time marker, specifying that the compliment about the appearance being beautiful applies to the current day. Its placement at the end of the clause emphasizes that the observation is relevant today.
How does the word order and structure of this Swahili sentence compare with that of English?
Swahili typically places adjectives after the noun they modify—mwonekano wako (your appearance) and nguo zilizopendeza (clothes that are charming)—which contrasts with English, where adjectives usually come before the noun. Additionally, the linking verb ni is used to connect the subject with its description much like is in English, yet the overall sentence structure still differs in the ordering of elements. This difference in syntax is an important aspect for English speakers learning Swahili to notice.