Je, unadhani kula chakula kichafu kunaweza kudhuru afya yako?

to eat

Breakdown of Je, unadhani kula chakula kichafu kunaweza kudhuru afya yako?

• je: do
• yako: your
• chakula: the food
• kuweza: to be able
• afya: the health
• kudhani: to think

Questions & Answers about Je, unadhani kula chakula kichafu kunaweza kudhuru afya yako?

What does Je signify at the beginning of the sentence?

Je is a question marker in Swahili used to indicate that the sentence is a yes/no question. It doesn't have an exact English equivalent but serves a similar role to starting an English question with “Do” or “Does.”

How is unadhani constructed and what does it mean?

Unadhani means “you think.” It is formed by combining the subject prefix una- (for “you” in the present tense) with the root -dhani (meaning “think”). This conjugation shows that the action of thinking is being performed by “you.”

Why is kula used in its base form, and what is its function in this sentence?

In this sentence, kula means “to eat” and is used in its bare (infinitive) form because it represents the action of eating as a general concept. Here, the entire phrase kula chakula kichafu acts as the subject for the modal verb kunaweza (“can”), similar to how English sometimes uses a gerund phrase (“eating dirty food can…”).

Why does the adjective kichafu follow the noun chakula instead of preceding it?

Swahili typically places adjectives after the noun they modify. Therefore, chakula kichafu literally translates to “food dirty,” which in English is reordered to “dirty food.”

What does the modal kunaweza mean and how does it function with kudhuru?

Kunaweza means “can” or “is able to.” It expresses potential or possibility. In the sentence, it combines with kudhuru (meaning “to harm”) to form the phrase kunaweza kudhuru, which translates as “can harm” or “is capable of harming,” linking the action of eating dirty food to its possible harmful effect on health.

How is the possessive phrase afya yako structured and what does it mean?

Afya yako means “your health.” In this phrase, afya stands for “health” and yako is the possessive form corresponding to “your.” Swahili typically places the possessive after the noun, which is why “your” comes after “health” in the sentence.