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Questions & Answers about Gari lina umbo zuri.
What does each individual word in “Gari lina umbo zuri” mean in English?
• Gari means “car.”
• Lina is a combination of the subject prefix li- (which corresponds to “gari” as a class 9 noun) and the present tense marker -na, meaning “has.”
• Umbo translates to “shape” or “form.”
• Zuri means “beautiful” or “nice.”
Together, the sentence conveys that “The car has a good/beautiful shape.”
How does the verb “lina” function grammatically in this sentence?
“Lina” comes from the verb form for “to have” (kuwa na). It is constructed by adding the appropriate subject prefix li- (for “gari,” which belongs to noun class 9) to the present tense marker -na. This shows that the car currently “has” the described property. It is a typical way in Swahili to show possession by embedding both subject agreement and tense in one verb form.
Why is the subject prefix li- used with “lina”?
Swahili nouns belong to various classes, and each class uses a specific subject concord when verbs are conjugated. Because gari is in noun class 9, it requires the subject prefix li-. Incorporating li- in “lina” ensures that the verb agrees with its subject, which is a fundamental aspect of Swahili grammar.
What roles do “umbo” and “zuri” play in the sentence?
“Umbo” (meaning “shape” or “form”) acts as the noun complement that identifies what is being described about the car. “Zuri” is an adjective that qualifies “umbo,” providing the quality of that shape as being “beautiful” or “good.” The two together form a descriptive phrase that tells us more about the car’s appearance. In Swahili, adjectives commonly follow the nouns they describe.
Does the sentence “Gari lina umbo zuri” follow typical Swahili word order and structure?
Yes, it does. The sentence begins with the subject (gari), followed by the verb (lina), which contains both the necessary subject concord and tense marker. The description or complement (umbo zuri) comes after the verb, detailing the attribute possessed by the subject. This Subject–Verb–Complement structure is common and helps exemplify Swahili sentence construction.