Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Swahili grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Chakula changanywa ni kitamu.
What does chakula mean in the sentence?
Chakula means food.
How is changanywa formed and what does it indicate?
Changanywa is a passive participle derived from the verb kuchanganya (to mix). In this context, it describes the food as having been mixed.
What role does ni play in this sentence?
Ni is the copular verb in Swahili, equivalent to is in English. It links the subject chakula changanywa with the predicate adjective kitamu.
What is the meaning of kitamu and why does it appear in the form kitamu?
Kitamu means tasty or delicious. Its form with the ki- prefix agrees with the noun chakula, which belongs to the same noun class that requires adjectives to take the ki- prefix.
Why does the sentence feature both changanywa and kitamu to describe the food?
The structure uses changanywa as an attributive adjective (a passive participle) that tells us the food has been mixed, and kitamu as a predicate adjective linked by ni to state that it is tasty. Combined, the sentence means "Mixed food is tasty."