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Questions & Answers about Mimi na Juma tunatembea mtaa.
What does the na in the sentence signify?
The word na functions as a conjunction meaning "and". It links Mimi and Juma together, indicating that both are involved in the action described by the verb.
Why is the verb tunatembea prefixed with tu-?
The prefix tu- indicates that the subject of the verb is the first-person plural ("we"). Even though the sentence explicitly names Mimi and Juma, the tu- attached to tembea confirms that the action is carried out by both speakers as a group.
How does the verb in this sentence reflect the subject, even though the subject is also mentioned?
In Swahili, verbs include subject markers as prefixes. Here, tunatembea incorporates tu- for "we", which automatically reflects that the action is performed collectively by the speakers—Mimi and Juma. This built-in subject marker makes it clear who is involved and often allows for the subject to be dropped if already understood from context.
Why doesn’t the noun mtaa have an article or any preceding modifier?
Swahili does not use articles like "a" or "the". The noun mtaa simply means "street" or "neighborhood" depending on the context. Because there’s no need for an article in Swahili, and the noun is in its singular form here, no additional word is required to signal definiteness or plurality.
What is the overall structure of the sentence and how does it compare to English sentence structure?
The sentence Mimi na Juma tunatembea mtaa. follows a logical structure very similar to English:
• Subject: Mimi na Juma (I and Juma)
• Verb: tunatembea (we are walking)
• Object/Location: mtaa (street)
The key differences include the incorporation of the subject into the verb via the tu- prefix and the omission of articles before nouns. This compact way of conveying information is a typical feature of Swahili grammar.