Mwalimu anatoa onyo.

the teacher

Breakdown of Mwalimu anatoa onyo.

• kutoa: to give
• onyo: the warning

Questions & Answers about Mwalimu anatoa onyo.

What does Mwalimu mean in this sentence?

Mwalimu translates to teacher in English. It serves as the subject of the sentence.

How is the verb anatoa structured, and what does it indicate?

Anatoa is built from the subject prefix a-, which corresponds to a third person singular subject (in this case, Mwalimu), and the verb root toa, meaning to give. Together, they form a verb that indicates he/she gives. This structure shows how Swahili verbs incorporate subject agreement directly into the verb.

What does the word onyo signify, and why is it used without additional markers?

Onyo means warning. In Swahili, nouns typically stand alone without definite or indefinite articles. Their role in the sentence is understood from the word order, and thus onyo functions as the object without requiring extra markers.

Can you explain the overall word order in Mwalimu anatoa onyo?

Certainly! The sentence follows a common Swahili word order of Subject - Verb - Object. Here, Mwalimu is the subject, anatoa is the verb, and onyo is the object, mirroring the structure often found in English sentences.

Does the structure of anatoa change with different subjects in Swahili?

Yes, it does. Swahili verbs are conjugated with subject-specific prefixes. For example, if you want to say the students give a warning, you would change anatoa to wanatoa (with wa- as the subject marker for third person plural). This system ensures that the verb always agrees with its subject.