Breakdown of Walimu wa chekechea hufundisha herufi kwa nyimbo za furaha.
mwalimu
the teacher
kufundisha
to teach
wimbo
the song
wa
of
kwa
with
za
of
furaha
the joy
chekechea
the kindergarten
herufi
the letter
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Questions & Answers about Walimu wa chekechea hufundisha herufi kwa nyimbo za furaha.
Why does hufundisha begin with the prefix hu-, and what does this prefix indicate?
The prefix hu- marks the habitual present tense in Swahili. So hufundisha literally means “they habitually teach” or “they teach (as a regular activity).” The verb root is -fundisha (“to teach”).
Why doesn’t walimu take a tense/aspect prefix like hufundisha does?
walimu is a noun (the plural of mwalimu), and nouns don’t carry tense or aspect. Only verbs get those prefixes. That’s why walimu stands alone, while hufundisha has both tense/aspect and subject prefixes.
How is the plural of mwalimu (“teacher”) formed?
mwalimu belongs to noun class 1/2. To form the plural, you drop the singular prefix m- (class 1) and add the plural prefix wa- (class 2), yielding walimu (“teachers”).
Why does herufi look the same in singular and plural?
herufi is a class 9/10 noun. Many nouns in those classes end in -i and remain unchanged in their plural forms. Context or number words (like moja, mbili) tell you whether it’s one letter or many letters.
What is the function of kwa in kwa nyimbo za furaha?
kwa is a preposition meaning “by means of” or “using.” In this sentence, kwa nyimbo za furaha means “through happy songs” or “using joyful songs” as the method of teaching.
Why is the connector za used in nyimbo za furaha instead of wa?
nyimbo (songs) is the plural of wimbo and belongs to class 10. Class 10 nouns take the possessive prefix za-. Class 2 nouns like walimu would take wa-, but here we’re dealing with class 10, so we use za.
What is the singular form of nyimbo?
The singular of nyimbo is wimbo, which means “song.”
Why doesn’t hufundisha use an object‐marker prefix for herufi?
In Swahili, when the object is a full noun (not a pronoun), you can place it directly after the verb without using an object‐marker prefix. Object markers are optional and often reserved for pronouns or for emphasis, so hufundisha herufi simply treats herufi as the direct object following the verb.
Could you replace kwa nyimbo za furaha with na nyimbo za furaha, and what would the difference be?
You could say na nyimbo za furaha (“with happy songs”), but kwa + noun + possessive emphasizes the means/method (“by means of happy songs”). na is more “with/alongside,” while kwa stresses how the teaching happens.