Breakdown of Upole wa mwalimu unawahamasisha wanafunzi kujiamini darasani.
mwanafunzi
the student
katika
in
mwalimu
the teacher
darasa
the class
upole
the gentleness
kuhamasisha
to motivate
kujiamini
to be confident
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Questions & Answers about Upole wa mwalimu unawahamasisha wanafunzi kujiamini darasani.
What does Upole wa mwalimu mean in this sentence?
Upole translates to “gentleness” or “kindness,” and wa mwalimu is a possessive phrase meaning “of the teacher” or “the teacher’s.” Together, they indicate “the teacher’s gentleness.”
How does the verb unawahamasisha work in this sentence?
The verb unawahamasisha is composed of several parts. The u- at the beginning refers to the subject (in this case, the teacher’s gentleness), the na- is a marker for tense or aspect, and the wa- before the root hamasisha is an object marker that agrees with the noun wanafunzi (students). The root hamasisha means “encourages” or “motivates.” So, the whole verb means “encourages them.”
What is the function of kujiamini here?
Kujiamini is an infinitive form that means “to be confident” or “to trust oneself.” It explains what the students are being encouraged to do in the classroom.
What does darasani signify in the sentence?
Darasani comes from darasa, meaning “class” or “classroom,” with the locative suffix -ni added to indicate location. Thus, it means “in class” or “in the classroom.”
How does Swahili sentence structure compare to English in this example?
The sentence follows a subject-verb-object (SVO) order typical to Swahili. Upole wa mwalimu is the subject, unawahamasisha is the verb (which embeds both subject and object information), and wanafunzi explicitly states the object. This is then followed by the infinitive kujiamini (explaining what the students are encouraged to do) and the locative darasani (indicating where the action takes place).
Why is the direct object wanafunzi mentioned explicitly even though it is already indicated by the wa- in unawahamasisha?
In Swahili, the object marker (here, wa-) attached to the verb already shows who is being affected by the action. However, including the explicit noun wanafunzi adds clarity and emphasis, ensuring that the listener or reader clearly understands that it is the students who are being encouraged.