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Mimi ninapika samaki.

Mimi ninapika samaki.
I cook fish.
FromLesson 1inHardcore Swahili
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Breakdown of Mimi ninapika samaki.

mimi
I
kupika
to cook
samaki
the fish
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Questions & Answers about Mimi ninapika samaki.

What does Mimi mean here, and can I omit it?
Mimi is the personal pronoun for I. In Swahili the subject is already marked on the verb, so Mimi is optional and used only for emphasis or clarity. You can simply say Ninapika samaki and it will still mean “I am cooking fish.”
What is the structure of ninapika?

Ninapika breaks down into three parts:

  • ni- (subject marker for “I”)
  • -na- (present tense/aspect marker indicating an ongoing action)
  • pika (verb root meaning “cook”)

So ni- + -na- + pika translates to “I am cooking.”

What’s the difference between pika and kupika?
  • kupika is the infinitive form, “to cook,” where ku- is the infinitive prefix.
  • pika is the bare verb root.

When conjugating, you drop ku- and add subject and tense markers: ni- + na- + pika → ninapika.

How do I say “I cooked fish” instead of “I am cooking fish”?

Use the past tense marker -li- instead of -na-:
Nilipika samaki → “I cooked fish.”

How do I say “I will cook fish”?

Use the future tense marker -ta-:
Nitapika samaki → “I will cook fish.”

Why does samaki stay the same for singular and plural?

Samaki is an irregular noun that doesn’t change form between singular and plural—much like “sheep” in English. To specify number, add qualifiers:

  • samaki mmoja (one fish)
  • samaki wengi (many fish)
Is there an article like “the” or “a” before samaki?

Swahili has no separate words for “the” or “a.” Definiteness is understood from context or added words:

  • Ninapika samaki can mean “I am cooking fish” or “I am cooking the fish.”
  • Ninapika samaki huo → “I am cooking that fish.”
Why is the word order Mimi ninapika samaki (Subject–Verb–Object) and not something else?
Basic Swahili follows Subject–Verb–Object order. You can drop the explicit subject pronoun (Mimi) because the verb already shows the subject, but the SVO pattern remains the same.
How do I say “You are cooking fish” or “He/She is cooking fish”?

Change the subject marker in -na-pika to match the person:

  • You (singular): Unapika samaki
  • He/She: Anapika samaki
  • We: Tunapika samaki
  • You (plural): Mnapika samaki
  • They: Wanapika samaki