Questions & Answers about Polisi wanakagua maduka sokoni.
Can you break down the verb wanakagua into its parts (prefix, tense marker, root)?
wanakagua = wa- (3rd person plural subject prefix “they”) + -na- (present-tense marker) + kagua (verb root “inspect”). So it literally means “they are inspecting.”
How do I know polisi is plural here if the noun doesn’t change form?
Loanwords like polisi don’t have separate singular/plural forms—they look the same. You tell it’s plural because of the verb prefix wa- (3rd person plural). If you meant “a police officer is inspecting…,” you’d say askari wa polisi anakagua… (using the singular a- prefix on -na-).
What is the singular form of maduka, and which noun class does it belong to?
- Singular: duka (“shop”).
- Plural: maduka.
duka is class 5 and its plural (class 6) takes the prefix ma-.
What does the suffix -ni in sokoni indicate?
-ni is the locative suffix meaning “at/in.” So sokoni = “at the market.” Without -ni, soko simply means “market” (the place itself).