Mbuzi anakimbia barabarani.

The goat runs on the road.

Breakdown of Mbuzi anakimbia barabarani.

• kwenye: at
• barabara: the road
• kukimbia: to run
• mbuzi: the goat

Questions & Answers about Mbuzi anakimbia barabarani.

What does each word in Mbuzi anakimbia barabarani mean?

Mbuzi means goat. Anakimbia is the conjugated form of the verb kimbia (to run) in the present tense, showing that he/she is running. Barabarani comes from barabara (road) with the locative suffix -ni, which indicates on the road. In combination, the sentence translates as "The goat is running on the road."

How is the verb anakimbia constructed, and what is the role of its components?

Anakimbia is formed by combining three parts: • The subject prefix a- indicates a third-person singular subject (he/she). • The tense marker -na- tells us that the action is occurring in the present. • The root kimbia means to run.
Thus, the structure a- + na + kimbia yields the meaning "is running."

Why is there no article, such as the or a, before mbuzi?

Swahili does not have definite or indefinite articles like English does. Nouns are used in their bare form, and context determines whether the meaning is specific or general. That’s why mbuzi stands simply for goat without any preceding article.

What role does the suffix -ni in barabarani play?

The suffix -ni is a locative marker that attaches to the noun barabara (road) to specify location. In this case, barabarani means on the road or at the road. This is a common pattern in Swahili where the -ni suffix serves a similar function to prepositions like on or at in English.

How does subject-verb agreement appear in this sentence?

Swahili verbs include subject prefixes that must agree with their corresponding nouns. Here, the subject mbuzi (goat) is singular, and the verb anakimbia begins with the prefix a-, which is the appropriate marker for a third-person singular subject. This agreement is essential in Swahili grammar to maintain clarity about who is performing the action.

How does the word order in this sentence compare to typical English structures?

The sentence Mbuzi anakimbia barabarani follows a subject-verb-adverbial (or locative) order, which is quite similar to English. In English, we say "The goat is running on the road," where the subject comes first, followed by the verb and then the prepositional phrase indicating location. Although Swahili expresses location with a suffix (-ni) rather than a separate preposition, the overall syntactic order is familiar to English speakers.