Mwili unahitaji kupumzika usiku.

The body needs to rest at night.

Breakdown of Mwili unahitaji kupumzika usiku.

• kupumzika: to rest
• kuhitaji: to need
• usiku: at night
• mwili: the body

Questions & Answers about Mwili unahitaji kupumzika usiku.

Why is unahitaji used here, and what are its parts?

unahitaji comes from the verb -hitaji (to need) and is formed as follows:

• u-: subject concord for noun class 3 (which mwili belongs to)
• -na-: present-tense marker
• hitaji: verb root
  Putting them together gives u-na-hitaji, “it needs.”

Why does mwili (body) take the subject concord u- instead of a-?

Swahili nouns are divided into classes that determine which subject concord to use.

• mwili (body) is in noun class 3 (singular of the m-wa class).
• Class 3 uses u- as its subject concord.
  That’s why we have mwili unahitaji rather than mwili anahitaji.

What is kupumzika, and why is the infinitive ku- prefix used?

kupumzika is the infinitive form of -pumzika, meaning “to rest.”

• ku- is the infinitive prefix attached to the verb root pumzika.
  As an infinitive, kupumzika acts as the object of unahitaji, giving “needs to rest.”

Why is usiku placed at the end of the sentence without any preposition?

In Swahili, time expressions like usiku (“at night”) often appear after the verb or object without a preposition. The neutral word order is:
Subject → Verb → Object → Time
Hence Mwili unahitaji kupumzika usiku.

Can we move usiku to the front for emphasis?

Yes. Fronting the time phrase shifts focus but remains correct:
Usiku, mwili unahitaji kupumzika.
This emphasizes “At night,” while the original order is more neutral.

How would you turn the sentence into a yes/no question?

You have two common options:
1) Add the question particle je after the subject:
Je, mwili unahitaji kupumzika usiku?
2) Keep the same word order and rely on intonation:
Mwili unahitaji kupumzika usiku?

How do you make the sentence negative?

Replace the affirmative subject-tense concord u-na- with the negative concord hu- (no tense marker) and add the final -i to the verb:
Mwili hauhitaji kupumzika usiku.
This means “The body does not need to rest at night.”

How would you say “Your body needs to rest at night” in Swahili?

You replace mwili with mwili wako (your body) and keep the same structure:
Mwili wako unahitaji kupumzika usiku.

How would you express this idea in the future tense?

Change the present marker -na- to the future marker -ta- in the verb:
Mwili unahitaji kupumzika usiku → Mwili utakahitaji kupumzika usiku
= “The body will need to rest at night.”