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Questions & Answers about Mti unakua vizuri.
What is the meaning of “Mti unakua vizuri.”?
The sentence means “The tree is growing well.” In this sentence, mti means tree, unakua means is growing, and vizuri means well.
How is the verb “unakua” constructed, and what does each part represent?
The verb unakua is built from three elements: • u- is the subject marker that agrees with the noun mti. • na- is the present tense marker, indicating that the action is happening now. • kua is the root verb meaning to grow. Together, they show that the tree is growing in the present.
Why does the verb use the prefix u- even though the noun mti begins with m-?
In Swahili, verbs must agree with the noun’s class, not necessarily its initial letter. Although mti starts with m-, it belongs to a noun class whose subject agreement marker is u-. This is why the verb begins with u-.
Why is vizuri used instead of an adjective like nzuri?
In Swahili, nzuri is an adjective meaning good, but when describing how an action is carried out, you need an adverb—vizuri means well. Since the sentence details the manner in which the tree is growing, the adverbial form vizuri is the correct choice.
How does the sentence structure of “Mti unakua vizuri.” compare to English sentence structure?
The structure closely mirrors English: • Mti is the subject (tree), • unakua is the verb (is growing), • vizuri functions as an adverb modifying the verb (well). This subject–verb–adverb order is similar to English, making it easier to understand for native English speakers.
How would you modify the sentence if you wanted to refer to multiple trees?
For plural trees, mti changes to miti. The verb also adapts to agree with the new noun class; typically, the subject marker changes. The plural sentence would be: “Miti inakua vizuri.” Here, i- replaces u- to reflect the agreement with miti.