Learn Hardcore Swahili: Leo, mama amenunua nanasi zuri ambalo tutalikata baada ya chakula cha jioni. - Today, mother has bought a nice pineapple which we will cut after dinner.

The sentence translates to "Today, mom has bought a good pineapple that we will cut after dinner."
• Leo means "today."
• Mama means "mom" or "mother."
• Amenunua means "has bought."
• Nanasi zuri means "good pineapple."
• Ambalo tutalikata means "which we will cut."
• Baada ya chakula cha jioni means "after dinner" (literally, "after the evening meal").

How is the verb amenunua structured and what does it signify?

Amenunua is composed of several parts:
• The subject prefix a-, which refers to "she" (in this case, mama).
• The perfect aspect marker -me-, which indicates a completed action.
• The verb root nunua, meaning "to buy."
Together, they form a verb in the present perfect tense meaning "has bought" (indicating a recent or relevant past action).

What role does the relative pronoun ambalo play in the sentence?

Ambalo introduces a relative clause that provides extra information about the noun it follows. In this sentence, it translates roughly to "which" and links the description of the good pineapple to the action "we will cut." It tells us more about the specific pineapple that was bought.

How is the future action expressed in tutalikata?

The word tutalikata is formed by:
• The subject prefix tu-, meaning "we."
• The future tense marker -ta-.
• The verb kata, meaning "cut."
Thus, tutalikata means "we will cut," clearly setting the cutting of the pineapple as an action that will happen in the future.

What does the phrase baada ya chakula cha jioni mean and how is it constructed?

The phrase baada ya chakula cha jioni translates to "after dinner."
• Baada ya means "after."
• Chakula means "food" or "meal."
• Cha jioni specifies that the meal is the "evening" meal.
This phrase tells us when the action of cutting the pineapple will take place.

How do adjectives agree with nouns in Swahili, as shown in nanasi zuri?

In Swahili, adjectives must match the noun they modify in terms of noun class and number. In nanasi zuri:
• Nanasi (pineapple) belongs to a specific noun class.
• Zuri is the adjective for "good" that aligns with that noun class.
This agreement ensures consistency and clarity in the language; although some nouns are borrowed or have variable forms, adjectives like zuri are tailored to reflect the characteristics (such as class) of the noun they qualify.

Why is there a comma after Leo in the sentence?

The comma after Leo serves to separate the introductory time expression "today" from the rest of the sentence. This punctuation functions much like in English, where a comma after an initial temporal adverbial phrase helps indicate a pause and improves clarity.