Breakdown of Kesho, tutatembea pwani mchana.
kesho
tomorrow
kutembea
to walk
mchana
the afternoon
pwani
the coast
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Questions & Answers about Kesho, tutatembea pwani mchana.
What does kesho mean in this sentence?
Kesho means "tomorrow" in Swahili. It tells us when the action is going to take place.
How is the future tense expressed in tutatembea?
The future tense is shown by the prefix tuta- attached to the verb tembea ("to walk"). This prefix not only signals future action but also incorporates the subject (we).
Why is there no separate subject pronoun for "we" in the sentence?
In Swahili, subject pronouns are generally included in the verb as prefixes. Here, tuta- already conveys that the subject is "we," so an extra pronoun isn’t necessary.
What does pwani refer to in this context?
Pwani means "coast" or "beach" in Swahili. It specifies the location where the walking is planned to occur.
What is the role of mchana in the sentence?
Mchana indicates the time of day by meaning "afternoon" or "daytime." It tells us that the walk along the coast will take place during the day.
How does the word order in this sentence compare to English?
Swahili typically begins with time indicators such as kesho ("tomorrow"), followed by the verb (including its attached subject and tense markers), and then other elements like location (pwani) or further time descriptions (mchana). This ordering can differ from English, where time phrases are often placed at the end of the sentence.