Wewe unapika samaki.

You cook fish.

Breakdown of Wewe unapika samaki.

• wewe: you
• kupika: to cook
• samaki: the fish

Questions & Answers about Wewe unapika samaki.

Why do we say wewe if unapika already shows “you”?

In Swahili the subject prefix u- in unapika already tells you the subject is you. The independent pronoun wewe is therefore optional. Speakers include wewe only to:

• add emphasis (“you and nobody else cooks fish”)
• clarify in long or complex sentences

You can simply say Unapika samaki and it’s perfectly correct.

What exactly does the prefix una- in unapika stand for?

una- breaks down into two parts:
• u- = second-person singular subject (you)
• -na- = present tense/aspect marker (habitual or ongoing)
So u-na-pika literally means “you are cooking” or “you cook” depending on context.

Is unapika more like English “you cook” or “you are cooking”?

Swahili -na- covers both habitual (“you cook [regularly]”) and progressive (“you are cooking [right now]”). Context tells you which:

• If you want to stress “now,” add sasa: Wewe sasa unapika samaki = “You are cooking fish now.”
• Without sasa, it can simply mean “you cook (as a habit).”

What about samaki—is it one fish or more?