Wewe unakula samaki.

You are eating fish.

Breakdown of Wewe unakula samaki.

• wewe: you
• samaki: the fish
• kula: to eat

Questions & Answers about Wewe unakula samaki.

Could you break down the verb unakula into its grammatical parts?

The verb unakula is made of three pieces:

• u-: 2nd person singular subject prefix (“you”)
• na-: present tense marker (“are …-ing” / “eat(s)”)
• kula: verb root meaning “to eat”

So u-na-kula literally means “you-present-eat.”

Why is the subject pronoun wewe optional in “Wewe unakula samaki”?

In Swahili the verb prefix already tells you who is doing the action, so you don’t need wewe. It only appears for emphasis or contrast:

• Unakula samaki. = You are eating fish.
• Wewe unakula samaki. = You (as opposed to someone else) are eating fish.

How do I say “Are you eating fish?” in Swahili?

Simply use the rising intonation or add the question marker je at the front:

• Unakula samaki?
• Je, unakula samaki?

How do I say “I am eating fish”?

Swap the subject prefix u- with ni- (for “I”):

• Ninakula samaki.

How do I say “You (plural) are eating fish”?

Use the 2nd person plural prefix m-:

• Mnakula samaki.

How would I say “You ate fish” in the past tense?

Replace the present marker na- with the past marker li-:

• Ulikula samaki.
  (u- + li- + kula)

How would I say “You will eat fish” in the future tense?

Use the future marker ta- after the subject prefix:

• Utakula samaki.
  (u- + ta- + kula)

Is samaki singular or plural? How can I tell?

Samaki is the same for singular and plural. You rely on context or add quantifiers:

• samaki mmoja = one fish
• samaki wengi = many fish

Why don’t we use an article like “the fish” or “a fish” in Swahili?

Swahili has no articles. You simply state the noun. To specify, you add numbers, adjectives or demonstratives:

• samaki = fish
• samaki moja = one fish
• samaki hayo = those fish